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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1996)
just out ▼ august 2, 1090 ▼ 13 ranssexual rights activist Margaret police and the sexual minority community. The Deirdre O ’Hartigan is waging a very issue you have raised is not a police-community public, and some would say bitter, conflict. I am sorry you are not happy with Roni campaign to have a member of a Port Lang’s letters to the Metropolitan Human Rights Transsexual activist Margaret Deirdre O 9Hartigan leads public Commission, but I believe we are all entitled to land Police Bureau Crisis Response Team removed because that volunteer opposes freedom of speech. Again, membership on the effort to oust crossdresser Roni Lang from volunteer position the inclusion of specific references to transsexu Response Team is based on performance. At this ▼ als and cross-dressers in Portland’s human rights time there is no evidence that Roni Lang has ordinance. refused to be helpful or compassionate to anyone by Inga Sorensen Roni Lang, across-dressing heterosexual male while serving in the capacity of Response Team who claims to live up to 90 percent of the time as herself out there as though she’s representing all member.” provide emotional and practical support to sexual a female, sent two letters to the Metropolitan of us. Well, she doesn’t, and that’s partly what I minority victims of crimes or traumatic accidents. LaVeme Lewis, executive director of the Les Human Rights Commission outlining his opposi was trying to say through my letters.” CRT members are called to the scene by the bian Community Project and a CRT member, tion. (At Lang’s request, we will from this point “There were other people who opposed [the police to assist victims and their families in the says: “We don’t get to pick and choose who the use the pronoun “she” when referring to Lang.) inclusion] but none used the abusive language immediate wake of tragedy. In addition to provid victims we’ll have to deal with are,” says Lewis, that Roni did,” says O’ Hartigan. “Roni also lied in Those letters were prompted by MHRC hear ing emotional support, they will also make refer adding she was on CRT duty when a call came in his letters.” (O’Hartigan is aware of Lang’s pro ings held in late March and April, which, says rals to appropriate agencies, provide information involving a victim who happened to be a regis noun preference, but refuses to adhere to it be commission executive director Helen Cheek, were and help in notifying family, friends and clergy. tered sex offender. cause Lang described herself as a male in another designed to assess the level of discrimination “Lang’s use of the Roundtable and Crisis “1 didn’t let my personal feelings get in the publication.) against “transsexuals and other sexual minori Response Team to lend an air of legitimacy to his way,” she says. “If I had, I would and should have In an MHRC let ties” in Portland. transphobic opinions re been dismissed.... We ter, Lang says of trans The hearings could flects negatively upon are evaluated on our per sexuals: “Even though result in an amendment each and every partici formance on the scene “ Who will be the next group to they dress as women pant, and his holding up to the city’s human rights rather than our personal and try to act as the physically ch al ordinance— which al approach the city council for feelings. That’s the way women, they still come ready prohibits discrimi lenged and transsexuals be.” inclusion in the charter, one- it should across as men in to ridicule is repugnant,” nation based on sexual Bruce Prunk, a dresses. If this person says O’Hartigan. orientation—that explic eyed, peg-leg, bicycle riders deputy chief and the has an attitude, then I itly includes protections “Were gays and les bureau’s liaison to the that are discriminated against can understand why for transsexuals. (MHRC bians the targets of his sexual minority commu they may be discrimi is pulling together a re prejudiced comments nity says, “Roni has al for not riding fast enough in nated against.” ways been very helpful port on the hearings, there would be no ques Lang also asked, tion as to his unsuitabil which is expected to be and has not dem on the bike lane?“ asks Lang. “Who will be the next strated a particular ity to participate in the sent to the Portland City bias.... I’m sure we have group to approach the Council for consideration C risis R esponse city council for inclu Team— are transsexuals any less deserving of a lots of people on the force who hold strong opin in the very near future.) ions about a lot of things. But when they’re on the sion in the charter, one- sympathetic ear in time of trauma than gays and O ’H artigan was eyed, peg-leg, bicycle lesbians? Roni Lang’s antipathy toward a seg job, they do their job. If their beliefs affect perfor among those who testi mance, that’s when you do something.” riders that are discrimi- ment of the sexual minorities community renders fied in favor of inclusion He adds, “We’d like to see Roni and Margaret £ nated against for not him unfit to serve on the Crisis Response Team, and criticized the state resolve their issues between themselves.” and cries out for his immediate dismissal,” she riding fast enough in Bureau of Labor and In Lewis echoes that sentiment: “I think this is the bike lane?” says. dustries’ failure to inves more of a personal issue between Margaret and On June 11, O’Hartigan organized a protest O’Hartigan is fur- tigate transsexuals’ com Roni.” | ther angered by Lang’s against the Portland Police Bureau for “refusing plaints of employment There is apparently some history between the to let transsexuals voice their concerns at the o assertion that “even the discrim ination. O ther two, although neither classified it as a “personal monthly Roundtable meeting.” (O’ Hartigan even 5 psychiatric manual, supporters shared tales of conflict.” harassment and voiced Margaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan DSM-4, does not clas tually did so at the July gathering.) According to Lang, O’Hartigan threatened sify this condition as a She accused Roundtable facilitator Mary Otto, frustration with the insur legal action a few years ago because someone mental disorder.” O’Hartigan says the DSM-4 a bureau employee, of refusing to schedule the ance industry for refusing to cover sex-reassign wrote in a NWGA newsletter that O ’ Hartigan was clearly states: ‘There are two components of issue on the May 14 meeting agenda. ment surgery. a disruptive force. Lang, who says she took over O’ Hartigan reacted by sending a letter to Port Gender Identity Disorder, both of which must be Lang, who did not testify, instead sent MHRC the newsletter around that time, says she wrote a land Police Chief Charles Moose, charging him present to make the diagnosis. There must be a couple of missives. In one letter she said, “I have retraction. Lang says O ’Hartigan ultimately with violating the 1994 partnership agreement evidence of a strong and persistent cross-gender lived for the last 15 years in the female guise and dropped her legal threats. signed by the bureau and members of the sexual identification, which is the desire to be, or the never have been discriminated against, maybe “I’ve barely said a word to Margaret, so I don’t minorities community. insistence that one is, of the other sex.... There snickered at a few times, but never denied any think of this as a personal situation,” says Lang. O' Hartigan says, “The agreement specifically must also be evidence of persistent discomfort services or goods.” Meanwhile, states, ‘The Roundtable about one’s assigned sex or a sense of inappropri Lang further stated “the city charter is becom MHRC’s Cheek says: will encourage the dis ateness in the gender ing too cluttered,” and “We received all kinds cussion and mediation role of that sex.” expressed the belief that “Lang } s use o f the Roundtable of letters expressing a ‘That has been in of police-sexual minori many of the issues ad wide variety of opinions terpreted in different ties community con dressed by transsexuals and Crisis Response Team to on [the transsexual in flicts.’ Well, transsexu ways by different can be rectified in other clusion], and I think it is als are part of the sexual people,” Lang says of lend an air o f legitimacy to his ways, e.g., by lobbying inappropriate to pullout minorities community, the DSM-4 descriptive. the insurance industry transphobic opinions reflects one or two letters and and we have a conflict “We are concerned to cover sex-reassign use it against the au with the police over their because the author of ment surgery, which it negatively upon each and thor.... I think we’re try infliction of Lang upon these transphobic letters has traditionally consid every participant, and his ing to do something our community.” is a volunteer with the ered cosmetic surgery. positive here and it’s a Moose responded via Portland Police Bureau Lang, whose list of holding up the physically shame that the process letter. It reads in part: Sexual Minorities Cri com m unity involve may be being manipu “Roni Lang is a volun ment includes the challenged and transsexuals to sis Response Team— lated.” teer m em ber o f the which means Lang is Sexual M inority ridicule is repugnant, ” says called upon to assist Sexual Minority Crisis This isn’t the first Roundtable, Crisis Re time O’ Hartigan has led Response Team. Team queer victim s of sponse Team and North O Hartigan. a public effort to create members are trained and Roni Lang with former chief Tom Potter crime—includingtrans- west Gender Alliance, a change. You may recall judged on their perfor sexual victims. At our social and support orga that last July she staged a protest at Portland’s mance. Being a team member does not require most vulnerable moments we may be subjected to nization for cross-dressers and transsexuals, says First Unitarian Church to denounce what she one to forget one’s personal beliefs and have prejudice and bigotry—and it will be the fault of she did not realize her letters would be made described as “ 17 years of anti-transsexual litera opinions that satisfy everyone that is a member of the police,” says O’Hartigan. public. (They were copied and circulated by ture produced by the Unitarian Universalist the Sexual Minority Roundtable.... The Crisis Response Team, whose members O’ Hartigan, who describes Lang’s actions as “anti Association’s Beacon Press.” Additionally, “You and I have a different understanding of are from the sexual minorities community, is transsexual lobbying.”) O ’Hartigan has helped foster a name-change of the partnership agreement. The clause ‘The designed to fulfill another major component of “Listen, I don’t totally disagree with what Roundtable will encourage the discussion and Right to Privacy’s flagship event, the Lucille Hart the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership agree Margaret is trying to achieve,” Lang tells Just Dinner, after claiming Hart was not a lesbian, but mediation of police-sexual minorities commu ment with the sexual minorities community. Out. “I just don’t necessarily think she’s going nity conflict,’ refers to conflicts between the rather a preoperative transsexual. CRT is a group of screened volunteers who about it in the proper manner. You know, she puts T Activists collide