may 21. 1999 * J u s t m a t y
m m in e u *
L eather A ttaché
The police are ambassadors in the community,
and Lt. Michele Lish is a leather diplomat by Inga
ichele Lish knows how to pre-
M
“Nobody else had h an d
outs,” notes the Portland police
lieutenant, who had a bunch of
goodies to give away, including tips on how the
sexual minorities community can build alliances
with police, and info on anti-gay hate crimes.
For levity, she compiled a list of the
“dumbest sex laws”— e.g., in Ventura C oun
ty, Calif., cats and dogs must have a permit to
have sex, while in Minnesota it’s illegal for
“any man to have sexual intercourse with a
live fish. It’s legal for a woman, or if the fish
is dead.”
“T he laws aren’t enforced, but still,
they’re on the books,” Lish says, her laugh
tinged with seriousness.
Lish distributed her illuminating findings
while serving on a panel at the third Leather
Leadership Conference, held April 16 to 18
in San Francisco.
The annual gathering, according to LLC’s
Internet site, is a “positive means of present
ing useful tools and information for present
and future leaders, advocates, activists and indi
viduals in the Leather-SM-Fetish life.”
The 1999 shindig was a flurry of activity and
tackled issues like “Assault and Battery and
Slavery: Problems of criminal charges and civil
suits from relatives and disgruntled bottoms.”
Sandwiched in the lineup between “Leather-
Fuck” and “We Are It,” was the panel Lish
served on, dubbed “Community Bonding,” fur
ther described as “the art, science and pure
drudgery of working with (not against) each
other.”
ft 4 M y P lu s lM L
S o ren se n
“T he room was packed,” says Lish, who
shared insights on how Portland police work
with the leather community.
A nd she had plenty to offer.
Light years ahead of most law enforcement
agencies, the Portland Police Bureau’s unique
programs include the Sexual Minorities Round
table, a monthly meeting of police personnel
G ifts rnd
R esources for
WOMEN
and members of the queer community; and the
Sexual Minority Crisis Response Team, which
provides support to queers in crisis situations.
"It went well,” says Lish, who hadn’t been to
previous LLCs.
“O ur bureau is different than most and I
think we have good, useful information to
share," says Lish, who attended the gathering as
a representative of the Portland Police Bureau.
She adds she was “pleasantly surprised” when
it was suggested she go in an official capacity:
“I’m very proud of the bureau.”
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F L A N N E L.
G one B ut N ot F orgotten
t’s been nearly two months since Sven
Gomez was found dead in his Northwest
Portland apartm ent, in what police have
described as a “highly suspicious death" that
was “being investigated as though it were a
homicide.”
As reported in the April 2 issue o f Just Out,
the 42-year-old gay man died of asphyxia.
Investigators believe Gomez may have been
with another person at the time of his death.
His body was discovered M arch 25, and
according to the death certificate, Gomez was
found bound and gagged.
The death has not been classified as a
homicide at this point.
"It’s a death investigation,” says Detective
Derek Anderson, adding that police are fol
lowing several leads. He wouldn’t say much
more than that.
Brian Harris, who describes himself as a
good friend of Gomez’s, organized a memorial
a few weeks back at a downtown Portland
park. Friends and neighbors of Gomez popped
up to the microphone. A n old woman who
lived in the same building noted how polite
Gomez was; whenever he spotted her coming
down the street with her groceries, he’d run
out to assist her— with a smile, of course.
All spoke of Gomez’s decency and good
nature. During the memorial, men and women
donated money to cover his cremation costs.
“People have been so generous," says Har
ris, who orchestrated the arrangements for the
I
service, as well as the cremation. H e’s also
been in touch with Gomez’s family in Colom
bia, and has sent his friend’s ashes back there.
“This has all been so difficult,” he says.
In June 1997, Gomez shared his story in
Just Out. He described himself as one of the
many gay men and lesbians who come to the
U nited States seeking asylum for fear of perse
cution in their homelands due to sexual orien
tation.
Gomez told Just O ut he was an "outspoken
gay writer and activist for human rights for
gays” in Colombia, before moving to the U nit
ed States in 1990.
“W hen I came to Portland I had two small
boxes of books, a suitcase and I guess about
$17 in my pocket,” he recounted.
W hen asked whether he was scared of an
unknown culture, he answered: “It’s like when
you go to the edge of a cliff and decide you are
going to jump, and you say, ‘O ne, two,
three... He snapped his fingers, and finished,
“And then you go.”
Gomez supported himself through various
means, from interpreting to housecleaning to
bussing tables. He most recently bussed at II
Fomaio, a trendy Italian bistro a few blocks
from his apartment.
Anyone with any information regarding
this case is asked to contact the Portland
Police Bureau at (503) 823-0400.
O n c e c o n s id e r e d a u t ilita r ia n a n sw er to th e c liill o f w in t e r weather,
fla n n e l kas e v o lv e d in to a y e a r-ro u n d l u x u r y b e d d in g o p tio n .
T k e f u z z y n ig k tg o w n s and sk ir ts w e associate w it k flannel are u s u a ll y
made from fabric tkat w e ig k s about tk ree o u n c e s per square meter.
T k o u g k it i n i t i a l l y fe e ls so ft and p lu sk , lig h t e r w e ig h t fla n n e l te n d s
to p ill and lose its o r ig in a l appeal fai r ly q u ic k ly .
N o w im a g in e a seven o u n ce v e rsio n o f th is fabric, made from E g y p t ia n
c o tto n and b r u s h e d r e p e a te d ly to create an in c r e d ib ly d e n se so ftn e s s
tkat w o n t d im in is h , even after many w a sh in g s.
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