ju st o u t ▼ d t c t m b t r 1, 1 9 9 5 ▼ 3
letters
No assholes need apply
To the Editor:
To the woman who wrote in her personal ad
“No fatties or veggies”—you are an insensitive
slob. I hope you meet another insensitive slob so
that you will be out of the singles scene soon.
You’re a very shallow person; I have casserole
dishes that are deeper. (I’m a roly-poly tofu-eatin’
mama.)
Julie Sanders
Portland
Keep being inclusive
To the Editor:
I am white, male and understand some of my
own feelings and experiences of privilege. Privi­
lege is a very difficult thing to deal with— it is not
the equivalent of power. In fact, it is not about
meeting the needs of the privileged person. It
leaves one feeling less empowered, more defen­
sive, and oftentimes in need of more privilege in
order to have control of one’s life.
Sometimes I want to whine and complain
about how hard it is to be in this state of privilege.
Sometimes I want to know what it is that could
bring us out of the blind frenzy that so many of us
seem to live in (more money, better job, more fun,
better service).
The following quote, from a review of Peggy
Orenstein’s School Girls in the Oct. 2, 1995,
Eugene Register-Guard, speaks of the frustration
of young men when young women were given
equal treatment in the classroom.
With attendance roster in hand, the teacher
explained that she would now call equally on boys
and girls. ‘‘After two days, the boys blew up, ”
Orenstein said. They complained that she was
calling on the girls more, even though she could
prove to them she w asn’t. “Boys," she said,
“generally perceived equity as a loss. ”
Perhaps the young men were not in need of
being called on more in a classroom. Perhaps they
needed more affection, more acceptance, more
attention to who they might be inside themselves.
I know that I did.
Bruce Evan Hilbach-Barger
Eugene
M y significant influence
To the Editor:
I appreciated your 12th anniversary article,
“Significant Influences” [Just Out, Nov. 3,1995].
It was inspiring to read the varied responses. The
article prompted me to share about the people
who have influenced me during my initial and
ongoing process of coming out.
One person who has influenced me the most is
George Eighmey. Some may know him as the
second openly gay state representative in Oregon,
but I know him as Dad. I was 10 years old when
my father came out to me. At that time, I did not
know that his orientation was different or that
people would shun him for it. Over the past 15
years I have seen firsthand the devastating effects
of bigotry and hatred; I have watched his struggle
for self-acceptance, and more recently, I have
witnessed his emergence as a leader in my com­
munity. All of this has paved the way for me to
accept my lesbianism. It provides me with an
anchor, something I use to steady me when I feel
internalized homophobia creeping to the surface.
There are women who have also been anchors
for me— Audre Lorde; the Rev. Karen T.; my
mother, Marie; and her mother, Ruth. Their sto­
ries and their lives teach me about compassion,
wisdom, and an integrity that knows no bound­
aries. But my father is the anchor that pulls me
through some of the hardest times of being a
lesbian.
I know my story is unique, and I fear that it
could be used as ammunition by the extreme right
to show that homosexuals really can train their
children to be like them. My father taught me,
however, that I must be who I am, and who I am
is a lesbian. His courage and strength to stay true
to himself has always inspired me, and for that I
am grateful. Thanks, Dad.
Jasmine Ruthdotter
Portland
Clarifying advance
directives
To the Editor:
Regarding the article “Protecting Your As­
sets” [Just Out, Oct. 20, 1995], I wanted to offer
some clarity about advance directives. Oregon
Health Decisions is a citizen network for educa­
tion and action on ethical issues in health care.
One of our most important goals is to educate and
inform about individual rights in making health-
related decisions.
In 1993, the Oregon Legislature revised the
laws relating to what we used to know as a living
will and health care power of attorney. The two
separate issues have been combined into a docu­
ment called an advance directive. For people who
appointed a power of attorney for health care
and/or completed a living will before 1993, look­
ing at (and perhaps completing) the new docu­
ment is important.
Oregon Health Decisions publishes and sells
two documents related to advance directives. The
first publication, “Making Health Care Decisions
When You Can’t Speak for Yourself—A Sum­
mary of Oregon’s Advance Directive Law,” con­
tains the legal document and brief instructions.
The second publication we offer is a consumer’s
guide to the advance directive law. It is a thorough
examination of the law and includes a very useful
values-clarification exercise. The consumer’s
guide also offers detailed information for the
person being appointed to act as a health care
representative.
The summary pamphlet (containing the legal
documents) is available alone for $2 in English
(Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian versions are
available as w ell). The summary and the
consumer’s guide are available for $5. To order,
or for more information about the laws, call
241-0744 in Portland, or 1-800-422-4805 toll
free.
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Creative misrepresentation
is a disservice
To the Editor:
How did the murder of the 9-year-old boy in
Delaware become some parable for the problems
of homosexuals? Does Renée LaChance really
feel that this heinous, demented crime of rape,
“mutilation” (hunh?— not elaborated on?) and
murder is the logical and expected extension of
kids picking on someone for being different?
Isn’t there even a more likely possibility that
the 15-year-old perpetrator of this crime may
have committed the murder to conceal homo­
sexuality on his part, since there was sex in­
volved? Regardless, isn’t it a stretch to see this as
a reflection on that or any other community, and
doesn’t this sort of reaching and creative misrep­
resentation merely do a great disservice to a very
real problem?
That’s the most warped, convoluted, self-serv­
ing use of a tragic event that I’ve seen in some
ti me. Y ou guys don ’ t want to be the gay Willamette
Week, do you?
Steve Henry
Gresham
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