ju st ou t ▼ January 20, 1905 T 3
letters
Bend successfully
illuminates intolerance
To the Editor:
Beyond The Closet just wrapped up its first
gay and lesbian educational series, “Illuminating
Intolerance,” in Central Oregon.
Thanks to all of the people connected with the
success of the series: the nearly 1,000 people who
attended, the half dozen or so people who put in
many hours of their time, the 70 local businesses
and individuals who wrote checks, and the speak
ers who traveled to Bend for a small fraction of
their usual honoraria.
The work of Beyond The Closet goes on. In
1992 the people of Deschutes County voted in
support of their gay neighbors, this year the
county voted against them.
Election campaigns do not reach people’s
hearts and minds, they play on people’s fears.
The radical right knows this, skillfully deepening
misunderstanding about, and fear of, lesbians
and gay men to advance its sweeping, radical
social agenda.
The OCA has pledged to return with another
statewide, anti-gay initiative in 1996. Long-term,
active community education about the truth of
who lesbians and gays, and their detractors, are is
needed in Deschutes County before the next
campaign.
Beyond The Closet is the only organization in
the Pacific Northwest which has undertaken an
ambitious community-based lesbian and gay edu
cational project. We invite everyone who wishes
to advance a positive understanding of lesbian
and gay people to join in our work.
Bruce Amsbary
President, Beyond The Closet
Bend
Movement
call for equal rights for gays and lesbians and our
bisexual and transgendered friends. Equal rights,
not special rights. Equal rights, not blind accep
tance of the entire rainbow of social, political, or
economic solutions endorsed by the left. Or the
right. Get it?
If our movement were not to be so narrowly
defined as Kathleen would have it, each of us
could have a place at the table in reaching the goal
of equal rights, instead of being discriminated
against (as we gay Republicans are) because we
don’t fit the left-wing model. Each of us would
then be free to make up his or her mind on how to
accomplish other important societal goals.
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Aloha
uMofta 3sacson
Anybody out there?
To the Editor:
I just wanted to comment on your “Building
diversity— Be part of the solution” ad which ran
in the Dec. 2 issue, specifically the [words] “Boy
cott establishments that tolerate racism, sexism
and homophobia.”
How ironic. I live in Springfield and to date
not one editorial in your paper has mentioned the
hypocritical arrival of The Sony Corporation of
America here, despite their own nondiscrimina-
tory policies and benefit packages for domestic
partners.
In addition, Julie Davis, the No on 13 cam
paign manager, publicly stated in the Register
Guard, Jan. 22, 1994, that Sony’s decision to
fund anti-gay laws (via property taxes) was jus
tified.
Therefore, I guess I should boycott Sony,
Springfield, and No on 13.
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Springfield
narrowly defined
Bored with Lon
To the Editor:
In the Nov. 18 issue Kathleen Saadat com
mented on a truly important matter: “What ex
actly is a non-gay issue?” [Letters, Just Out, Nov.
18,1994.] She and Gail Shibley are among many
on the left who believe that all social and political
issues are gay issues simply because they affect
each of us in some way. In this position there is no
room for difference of opinion on strategy or
tactics, no toleration of political diversity, merely
a demand for conformity.
Kathleen correctly states that “We must stop
narrowly defining our movement as one in which
our primary focus is what we get to do with our
genitalia.” However, no one defines our move
ment in such narrow terms. Our movement is a
To the Editor:
Am I not the only one who is bored with Lon
Labon [sic] and his “klan’s” attempt todivide our
beautiful state? Sure, all of us don’t agree on
every issue. But since when does that mean
[some people] have the right to take away basic
rights of others. Others, I might add, that pay
taxes.
OCA take note, this is not your state. This
state, this country, this planet, belongs to every
one. And we must learn to live together as one.
We can still disagree. But there is no need to
destroy others in an attempt to be superior.
Ric Berrong
Portland
917 SW Washington
(503) 223-1100
Portland, OR 97205
(800) 357 -3194
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