Just out T novom bor 2 1 , 1 0 0 7 T 17
That's the SPIRIT
he office headquarters in North Port
land o f Sisters in Portland Impacting
Real Issues Together is cluttered with
an energetic m ishm ash o f objects.
Multicolored children’s art festoons
the doorway near a poster of Malcolm X; dried
roses in an old jar at the window are juxtaposed
▼
with various photos of young African American
by Suzanne Sigmund
women with arms linked, sporting triumphant
smiles.
A splash of black, red and gold bursts from
one comer: a poster of the film Set It Off, with
Queen Latifah gazing at you in proud defiance.
And there’s the straight-to-the-point banner in
big red letters, “ Youth in Action.” The w allpa
per may be peeling and a fresh coat o f paint
■ P
%
wouldn’t hurt, but no matter, this is an office
poised for purposeful action.
yoüM &lfoflíM 's CoMMlTTte
SPIR IT’s prime mission is to empower
women— straight, lesbian and bisexual; women
o f color and low-income women— helping them
ORTt
U SU C
to deal effectively with sexual and racial ha
C H O & L /S
rassment. Giving them solid tools, both inter
nally— encouraging a don ’t-mess-with-me, can-
do attitude— and externally— with hands-on
V t A llH u
self-defense training— so they can develop a
sense of personal safety and control.
Chris Kelsaw, 30, found out about SPIRIT
about a year and a half ago, attended some of the
self-defense classes and found them “very pow
erful.”
As an African American lesbian, what ini
tially interested Kelsaw enough to check SPIRIT
-
out?
“ Basically, the fact that it’s the only organi
zation in the Portland Metro area that deals with
young w om en o f co lo r and low -incom e
A bulletin board in the SPIRIT office chronicles efforts by its Young Women’s Committee to educate girls
women,” she says. “The self-defense class has
about dating violence.
helped me empower m yself to set boundaries
and feel safer, knowing I have the power to protect
is more timely, or dealing with a situation where
especially lesbian relationships. And then feeling
m yself verbally as well as physically. Being able to
your partner wants to have sex and you’re not
like you can access the same resources as straight
communicate what you don’t want and being able
ready. Other times, a role play about homophobic
women, when they themselves have a hard time
to diffuse situations before they escalate to where
teachers or straight students making fun of a
accessing it.”
you’d have to use physical force.”
lesbian teen at school might be most needed.
Focusing on the common ground for women in
According to coordinator Amara Pérez, SPIRIT
“ Incorporating it into the role play that we do
violent relationships across the board, no matter
often collaborates with Movements in Change, a
and in the language that we use,” asserts Pérez, “so
what their sexual orientation, is one important
local self-defense organization that has been train
there’s not this perception that w e’re talking about
piece of the picture. And lesbian or bisexual women
ing SPIRIT instructors in effective self-defense.
a straight world; that these experiences extend
experiencing domestic violence or dating violence
“ I think the thing about SPIRIT is that we have
beyond straight life.”
can often feel stigmatized.
really incorporated anti-racism and anti-sexism
Kelsaw nods her head in accord. “Yeah, I’ve
“ Part of it is just gay, lesbian and bisexual
into our self-defense classes,” says Pérez, “We
been in the audience for many of the role plays and
people being able to name it themselves,” says
incorporate homophobia into our classes, and talk
seen the reaction of the youth and how the discus
Pérez, “because there’s this perception that women
about the fact that domestic violence happens in
sion afterwards has always been really good,” she
don’t beat other women.”
same-sex relationships with the same frequency as
says.
SPIRIT also collaborates closely in this area
it does in heterosexual relationships.”
Pérez, a pragmatic leader whose political rheto
with Bradley-Angle House, a domestic violence
ric is open and direct, leans forward in her chair,
shelter in Portland that offers support groups for
ole-playing is one method that SPIRIT staff
nodding, as another important point comes to
women in same-sex violent relationships. Pérez
ers and members use to confront thorny
mind: “And how do institutions deal with that
adds that the Bradley-Angle House is currently
issues assailing lesbian, bi and straight
differently, or don’t deal with it at all. What is
trying to integrate gay violent relationships into
women. Som etim es it’s a girl-to-girl role play,
challenging for people who are in those relation
their efforts to combat dating violence.
dealing with the challenges of being in a lesbian
ships [is] to access resources and help when there’s
Pérez feels that lesbian, gay and bisexual people
relationship where you’re experiencing dating
a double burden there because you ’re in a relation
need to recognize that homophobia is a type of
violence. Som etim es a role play about com ing out
ship that is not really taken seriously, number one,
oppression that, while not completely similar, is
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like racism and sexism in the way it’s been used to
break down communities and oppress people in
general.
“Even for girls who aren’t gay, lesbian or bi
sexual,” says Pérez, “ to be aware of where
homophobia fits in the work that we do and being
able to use the word ‘homophobia.’ W e’ve got 12-
year-old girls saying, ‘We don’t want homophobia
in our schools. ’ And you know, I didn’t know what
that word was when I was 12 years old. It’s like
the fear of and the discrimination of gay, les
bian and bisexual people. And if they can say
[that] in the same breath as saying that we
believe that everybody has a right to just live
their lives and feel safe and feel good about
themselves.”
Right now, SPIRIT is working with Tri-Met
on a new safety brochure to address the very
real issues o f gender and racial violence on
buses and on MAX. Tri-M et’s old brochure,
Pérez maintains, is unrealistic and outdated,
talking about things like “keep your hands
inside the windows.”
After going door-to-door and surveying in
the community about people’s typical experi
ences surrounding these issues, Pérez and her
cohorts asked Tri-Met to create a new brochure
addressing homophobic and racially motivated
hate crimes. Tri-M ct agreed, and the new bro-
i chure is now in the works. It is slated to be
1 completed sometime in the next few months
| and will be distributed throughout the city.
m P T 1 he concept of gender is a critical issue at
SPIRIT headquarters. As Pérez relates,
£ J L gender is one way that people make as
sumptions and oppress people. There’s the old
“boys should act like this, and girls should act
like this.”
Sound familiar? Cultural gender stereotypes leap
to mind: girls wear pink, boys wear blue; girls don’t
do auto mechanics, boys don’t do ballet; the only
“normal and natural” relationships are between
members of the opposite sex. Uh-hunh.
Adds Pérez, “And when they act outside that
box, what are the consequences? How are they
targeted? And what this does to young people’s
identity, not only development of identity but sexual
identity.”
Pérez, clasping her hands together, leans for
ward, her expression intent: “Our main work has
been getting institutions and individuals to realize
that safety is a broad concept. Not only being safe
from racism, sexism and homophobia, but feeling
like we can experiment and explore our sexualities.
We should not allow those oppressions to divide us;
we should be working together to make changes.”
For more information about SPIRIT, call
283-5340. To contact Bradley-Angle House,
call 281-2442. For information about self-
defense training, call Movements in Change at
790-2131.
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