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Reclaim ing our g ay
and lesb ian history
Catholic priests were friends to early gay lib activists , helped
found first homosexual organization in Oregon
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W. UNDERSTAND.
PWA’s
Call for FREE BROCHURE
by Tom Cook
id. you know that a Roman Catholic
priest helped organize what later be­
came the first gay and lesbian civil
rights organization in Oregon? It may
be hard to believe, but it’s true. Sur­
viving copies of the first gay newspaper in Port­
land, The Fountain, recently researched at the
Oregon Historical Society, indicate that Fr. Kieran
Healy.O.P., chaplain of Portland State University
during the early ‘70s, helped to organize the first
meeting of the Sec­
ond Foundation,
which was incorpo­
rated in the state of
Oregon in August,
1971.
The F ountain
states, “In October,
1970 a group of in­
di v iduals headed by
Neil Hutchins and Dennis Kennedy met for the
first time to discuss the need for a homosexual
counseling service. The fust meeting was held at
Koinonia House, chaired by Fr. Healy and at­
tended by Julia Saslow of PSU Counseling Ser­
vice. A committee was appointed by Fr. Healy,
and the wheels were set in motion. On Feb. 9,
1971 a constitution was adopted and the name of
the organization. Second Foundation, was sug­
gested by Terry Tunnell.”
The organization derived its name from the
title of a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov. In
Asimov’s story, a great sociologist and psycho­
historian named Hari Sheldon, using his knowl­
edge of human nature, plans two organizations of
people who are supplied with the knowledge and
dedication to serve as foundations to the rebuild­
ing of society: the “first foundation,” to help
rebuild the physical world, and the “second foun­
dation,” composed of people who understand
human emotions, needs and potentials. The novel
deals with a fantastical setting, but there is an
underlying thesis which deals with a serious study
of human society.
The Second Foundation started out as a social
service agency and counseling service for homo­
sexuals in Portland, and through its political com­
mittee soon become involved in the “gay libera­
tion” movement. The organization was described
as “... composed of ex-drag queens; straight, up-
Turn your LIFE INSURANCE into (ASH,NOW
tight, conservatives; liberal closet cases and scat­
tered remnants of the defunct Portland Gay Lib­
eration Front.”
There is evidence that this organization main­
tained its ties with supportive Catholic clergy, for
The Fountain reported that on May 16, 1971, it
sponsored a “Day of Recollection” under the
direction of a priest identified only as "Fr. Henry,
a Mt. Angel Seminary theologian.” The informal
discussion group of twenty people ” . . . talked
freely and openly about such topics as the basis
for gay commitment (marriage), problems that
can arise, ethics, social acceptance, the gay’s
relationship to the church and to God, and the
need for each homosexual to develop a sincere
love for his gay brother and the need to advance
the feeling of community [among homosexu­
als].”
Local Dominican priests who were supportive
of the homosexual community during the “gay
lib” days also provided one of the first homes for
the nascent Metropolitan Community Church of
Portland, which was at first refused space in the
United Church of Christ, but later given sanctuary
in the First United Methodist Church on Jefferson
Street, while members searched for a permanent
location to hold services. As The Fountain re­
ported in July, 1973:
“ . . . According to MCC Pastor Ken Adams,
the Catholic Archdiocese put pressure on the
Dominican provincial governor to oust the fledg­
ling homosexual congregation. Adams said they
were not forced to leave, but finally left to prevent
Holy Rosary from being troubled further. An­
other factor in the departure involved MCC mem­
bers of Catholic background who did not like
Protestant services being held in a Catholic
church.”
The story of the Second Foundation is impor­
tant to the history of gays and lesbians in Portland
because it was this organization that published the
first gay newspaper in Oregon in March, 1971
with 200 subscribers. The earliest copies were
mimeographed six-page issues, assembled in the
basement of editor Neil Hutchins’ home. Within
six months, the paper had grown to 3,000 sub­
scribers, and the Second Foundation counted 150
paid members.
Reprinted with permission from Dignity
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