4 ▼ a u g u st 18. 18®5 ▼ just out
PORTLAND’S
letters
SDtLmtf
Don’t diminish the memory
BED AND BREAKFAST
To the Editor:
The upcoming annual Right To Privacy fund­
raising dinner affords the opportunity to bestow
upon one of our heroes one of the greatest gifts our
community has to offer its own: respect. For the
past 13 years this fund-raising event has been
named in memory of, and to honor the memory of,
the individual who chose to call himself Alan Hart.
Likewise, those who attend this function partake in
the celebration of Hart’s memory, and to mark the
courage of those willing to be true to themselves
despite societal opprobrium.
There can be no doubt Hart was selected to
reflect the respect due this individual, who is one of
the earliest role models for the entire queer com­
munity in the state of Oregon. It matters little
whether Hart would, if alive today, define himself
as a butch lesbian, a transsexual, a transgender or
a passing woman. What is beyond question is that
Hart chose to be known by the name of Alan and
referred to himself with male pronouns. Accord­
ingly, all of us who would honor this individual’s
memory, and in doing so honor the struggle which
all of us share as members of the sexual minority
community, can give no greater honor than to
respect Alan Hart’s wishes, by referring to him by
the name he chose to be known by.
Therefore, I request that Right To Privacy
reflect Hart’s own choice by titling its fund-raising
event the Alan Hart Dinner—commencing this
year and for the years to come. To do anything else
diminishes the memory of an individual who ex­
hibited the courage to live as he saw fit.
1744 NE CLAŒA1ÎAS STREET, PORTLAND OR
(503) 331-1104
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Margaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan
Portland
Run out of Washington Park
Chinese Style
Bungalow
To the Editor:
I was stopped by the Portland Police on July 17
at 6:25 pm. Moments before, I had taken a walk
through the northwest upper section of Washing­
ton Park, a section that I know is frequented by gay
men. I entered my car, [which was] parked on
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Vancouver, Wash.
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David
Anderson
Southwest Lewis and Clark Circle, drove around a
block of houses by the park, and was heading out
when a patrol car, parked at the entrance of a
narrow one-way road leading to the upper section
of the park, got behind me and followed me. The
[officers] both looked in my direction as I drove
by, as though they were waiting for me to come
back around. I re-entered the park and pulled over
where I was parked before. The patrol car immedi­
ately got behind me and turned on its lights. Two
officers approached me. The one on my left said I
had not put on my safety belt. He said that the laws
in Oregon are the same as Washington. I told him
I just entered my car and that 1 normally wear [a
belt] but on this afternoon I did not because I had
a bad sunburn on my shoulders and that the very
tight belt of my 1982 car would cause pain. He said
he observed me entering my carearly and that I had
plenty of time to put on my safety belt. He said that
I did not look like I had a sunburn. He then said that
walking in the park in the sun was the last place I
should be with a sunburn. I told him I was merely
walking in the park, not sunbathing.
He then asked me, “What are you doing here?”
I said just driving around, having a fun time. I
apologized for not putting on the belt. He took my
license, returned with a citation and said, “Even
though there is hardly a danger of traffic up there
I am going to cite you anyway.” I agreed with him
on the lack of traffic and told him that I would show
him my sunburn if he did not believe me. He
declined. He then proceeded to tell me “You don’t
belong here,” and “You shouldn’t be in the park,”
while looking in the direction of the park I [had
been] walking in. I quickly asked him why I
shouldn’t be in the park. He paused for a moment
and said, “This park isn’t for you. You should be
doing something else.” He then hands me the
citation and says, “Have a good day.” I immedi­
ately felt I was being singled out, harassed and
discriminated against for walking in a gay section
of Washington Park. I was clearly being run out, so
Ileft.
J
John O ’Rourke was bom Nov. 15, 1950, at
Women’s Hospital in Manhattan. He began his
new journey on July 20,1995. John loved life and
lived it to its fullest. He loved to laugh, and his
laughter was contagious. He was quick-witted
and had a wonderful sense of humor. At Stonehill
College in Brockton, Mass., John was an honor
student. While living in Los Angeles, John owned
his own real estate company and belonged to a
local Dignity chapter.
John worked at the Bureau of Land Manage­
ment in Portland, where he developed and taught
classes for project management. His knowledge
of computers was unlimited. John made many
friends during his six years at BLM; he will be
greatly missed by his co-workers.
John was the co-chair for the Portland Area
HIV Title I Services Planning Council, which
covered six counties. He provided strong leader­
ship and helped people work together to meet the
needs of the HIV community. The commitment
he brought to his work will be felt for many years
to come.
Another of John’s passions was gourmet cook­
ing. and he was happiest when cooking for his
friends. John also loved to work in his yard.
John is survived by his father. Tom. and his
mother. Mildred, both of New York; his brothers
Joe. of Brick. N.J., Rob. of Salt Lake City, and
Tom. of New York; and his loving dog. Lady
Dawn. John is also survived by three nieces and
two nephews. He was preceded in death by his
partner. Skip Slack.
John left behind many wonderful friends whom
he loved dearly.
John, we all miss your warm and caring heart.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in
memory of John to the Cascade AIDS Project,
620 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 300, Portland. OR
97204, or the Immune Enhancement Project, 2017
SE Hawthorne Blvd.. Portland. OR 97214.