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local news
Getting in sync
Groups meet to develop a disaster-preparedness plan
for Oregonys sexual minority communities
▼
by Inga Sorensen
hen the floods came, the em er­
gency response teams kicked into
high gear, giving Pacific North­
west residents critical inform a­
tion, as well as food, shelter and
financial assistance. It is a model em ployed fol­
lowing nearly every natural disaster, from torna­
does to hurricanes to earthquakes.
Now several sexual minority organizations in
the Portland area are constructing their ow n crisis
response framework, not to be used after a flood,
mind you, but during the im m ediate aftermath o f
an occurrence, such as an anti-gay hate crime or a
major court ruling, that has a dramatic impact on
the sexual minority community.
“We are trying to put a network in place where,
let’s say within the first 48 hours o f such an event,
we can say, ‘H ere’s where the community will
meet,’ ‘Here are the designated spokespeople,’ ‘Here
are the counselors to help people if need be,’ ”
explains the Rev. Roy
Cole, pastor o f the Port­
land M etropolitan C om ­
munity C hurch, a reli­
gious establishm ent in
Northeast Portland that
serves sexual minorities.
Cole is also the co­
spokesperson for a newly
fo rm e d c o a litio n o f
queer-friendly organiza­
tions that cam e together
following the murders o f
R o x a n n e E llis and
M ichelle Abdill, a long­
time lesbian couple who
lived in M edford. Cole
says the working name o f
the group is the Coalition
for Com m unity C om m u­
nication, and its mission,
in part, is to “respond to
medi a news or events that
strongly impact the les­
b ia n , g a y , b is e x u a l,
transgender and trans­
sexual com m unity [by
providing] an immediate
forum fo r d iscu ssio n ,
education, emotional sup­
port and actio n ....”
Upon the di scovery o f
A bdill’s and Ellis’ slain
bodies in early Decem ­ LaVeme Lewis
ber, gay and lesbian or­
ganizations in the Portland metropolitan area re­
ceived anguished calls from com m unity members,
as well as a persistent wave o f m edia inquiries.
By many indications, the killings prom pted a
sense o f crisis in the gay and lesbian com m unity—
especially early on, when a suspect had yet to be
apprehended and a motive for the killings re­
mained unclear.
“The deaths o f Roxanne and M ichelle really
got many o f us within the sexual minorities com ­
munity thinking about the importance o f creating
a structure that is loose enough for each [participat­
ing] group to feel com fortable, but also structured
enough so the community can move through a
difficult time together,” says Cole.
Following the M edford murders, a service at
Portland’s First Congregational Church was held.
Abdill and Ellis were very active in their local
M ethodist church; the Portland service was orga­
nized by m embers o f the mainstream religious
establishment. Afterward, a candlelight vigil orga-
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nized by the queer community was held. It featured
speakers from a wide range o f community organi­
zations, including MCC Portland.
“W hen I was speaking [at the vigil], I felt my
words were out o f sync with the way people were
feeling— that rawness,” says Cole. “It just felt so
inadequate. It seemed to me like we could have
done better.”
Soon after the vigil, representatives from Love
M akes a Family Inc.; People of Faith Against
Bigotry; the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation; Rural Organizing Project; Portland
M ayor Vera K atz’s office; Basic Rights Oregon;
MCC; Just Out ; the Northwest G ender Alliance;
and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays began meeting regularly to discuss ways the
community could effectively respond to highly
charged situations.
Hence the creation of the Coalition for Com m u­
nity Communication.
“It’s been a very organic process,” says Cole.
LaV em e Lewis, executive director of the Port-
land-based Lesbian Community Project and co­
spokesperson for the coalition, says, “W e need a
secure place where we can get together among
ourselves to grieve, to talk, to be with one another.
W e need to know how to handle the media when
they call. Hopefully this group can help with all of
that.”
Cole adds, “I would like to say that there w on’t
be any more hate crimes, or any more tragedies, but
that’s not realistic. And we have to remember that
we have another OCA campaign coming up. Hope­
fully, this will help us prepare for what may happen
down the road.”
Cole says those interested in becoming involved
in the Coalition fo r Community Communication
should call MCC at 281-8868 or
LCPat 223-0071.