Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1999)
rTíTíTÍTlneivs ight spills through the windows into the front room. A comfortable couch and a high-backed wing chair form a cozy nook in one comer. Surrounded by boxes and the smell of fresh paint, tired from a day of moving the Lesbian Com munity Project into its new home, Deke Law talks about her first year in Portland. “When 1 came here, it was hard. 1 left friends, a lover of 17 years, and my community,” she explains. “But 1 was really excited about the opportunity to be paid full time to do communi ty organizing, and by the response of the com munity to rebuilding LCP, and by LCP’s work with young people.” As staff organizer, Law is the only paid staff person. She works closely with the LCP’s board of directors to coordinate the organization’s vol unteers and activities. “I love this work; I’m so passionate about it and fed by it,” she says. “It really is 24 hours a day, seven days a week for me. But 1 don’t feel restricted by that. It’s actually liberating. I feel lucky to get paid to do this.” Law, 47, came to Portland from St. Louis with many years of paid and unpaid activism to her credit. She was staunchly against the Viet nam War. Later she helped found feminist women’s health centers and self-help clinics in Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif., and went on to train the founders of similar clinics in Atlanta; Chico, Calif.; and Iowa City, Iowa. She went on a speaking tour in Western Europe at the invitation of women’s groups in eight European communities. She also served on the board of Blacks Assisting Blacks Against AIDS in St. Louis and spent four years on the national advisory board of Out Fund at Funding Exchange. aw originally came to the Pacific Northwest to work on the final stages of the campaign against Measure 9, an initiative that was on the Oregon ballot in 1992 and sought in part to legally deem homosexuality as “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse.” During the campaign, Law met several peo ple who would later help recruit her to apply for LCP’s staff organizer position. “One of the things that really attracted me to LCP was the work being done by youth and young people,” she says. “I arrived right after LCP’s first camp, which is called the Camp For merly Known as Lesbian (named by an avid Prince fan). Really exciting work came out of that camp, and it showed me how LCP is work ing to involve young people.” Law attended the second camp as a cook. “It was great,” she says. “Again, the group was 50 percent young women of color, and the campers really worked hard on issues of race. L L aw and J ustice Just Out talks with the Lesbian Community Project's politically passionate staff organizer by Shona Dudley They would carry their discussions over from the workshops and still be wrestling with the issues during time that was supposed to be just for fun. “Also, five campers identified as transsexual, so there was a lot of work around issues of gen der identity,” she adds. Law leans forward eagerly, all signs of fatigue gone. “I think that the camps are changing the leadership of LCP, and who’s involved in LCP, and who’s working for change in our communi ty,” she says. “This year, LCP is moving into thinking about our programming in an inter- generational way— supporting and influencing Deke Law young lesbians, older lesbians, everyone in between. Our work groups— the people who come together to create programming— range in age from 15 to 70. It’s incredible.” LCP’s work groups are “basically focus groups with an intent to act,” Law explains. “We’re working to create a system where we have lots of different perspectives coming together to create programming that not only serves LCP mem bers, but also creates closer ties to other com munities.” The work group system has produced collab oration with Neighborhood Women on an anti racism series and work with the Rural Organizing Project to develop a progressive queer network. Law readily acknowledges that not all of LCP’s members are happy about the wider focus of the rebuilt organization, as evidenced by spir ited debate at the group’s last annual meeting, when some members expressed grave concern that the lesbian in Lesbian Community Project was being shunted to the side. “What was exciting to me, though, was that people were so passionate.” she says. “People were engaged, and as an organizer, I can work with that.” Law says that LCP is putting its energies in three directions: internally, toward its members, and toward the community. “When 1 first started they’d just begun the neighborhood dinners,” she says. “I attended all of them. It was great to meet members and hear what they wanted. One of the things was more organizing. And there was recognition that there were many, many different people involved in LCP in many different ways. We wanted to develop a mis sion statement that reflect ed a broad social justice vision and also welcomed all of our members.” She adds: “You have to be able to talk about your desires and your sexuality. LCP did a forum about sex and democracy in Decem ber; I’d love to do another one. I feel very strongly that sexual liberation is very strongly linked to social justice issues. One of the ways that we’re robbed of spirit is that we’re denied opportunities to express ourselves sexual ly in ways that are positive, open and safe. That loss of spirit is a vital issue— as vital, and con nected to, other issues like economic justice and racial justice that are more openly the focus of social justice activists. Without spirit, we are dis engaged." Issues of sexuality and identity strike close to home for Law. “I identify as butch. I identify as queer, and I identify as transgender. This language and these words have helped me understand myself and my world,” says Law, who hopes she is helping to build an atmosphere at LCP where people can recognize each other as individuals, not stereo types. “I live downtown," she adds. “I love being in the middle of a vibrant city— there aren’t many places where I could afford to live in the heart of things on an activist’s salary.” Still, she notes: “I miss home— but now I have two homes. I’ve made some incredible friends, who come from all over. I didn’t have to give up everything; now I’m part of two very dif ferent, large, vibrant communities. When I get homesick, that just reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of both.” LCP’s N ew D igs love the light, the openness, the big logo in the windows,” noted Romaine Fredric- ka, beaming as she surveyed the Lesbian Community Project’s new home at 1001 E. Burnside St. in Portland. “It’s like being in the closet versus being out. This location will raise the consciousness of the commu nity and give access to people who other wise wouldn’t know LCP exists.” Everyone in the vicinity should know that LCP exists now; by the time the May 15 open house began winding down in the evening, the sidewalks surrounding the space were covered with brightly colored slogans and drawings. Young and old alike had grabbed chalk and headed outside to express themselves. Inside, big sheets of paper invited guests to write down their thoughts about sexual orientation, gender identity and age. A col lection of photos from old LCP newsletters decorated one wall; board members and vol unteers moved through the crowd answer ing questions and listening to comments. “Most people are really happy about the new space,” said board member Kristin Teigen. “I think it is going to facilitate a lot of community involvement. It’s a welcoming space— and it’s big enough for more than one meeting to go on at the same time.” Teigen added that the space LCP occu pied when she first she became involved was the basement of a board member’s house. “It was much smaller, very damp, not visible at all,” she said. “This is so much nicer. I think that in addition to just having a space, this location will provide what I call a psychic home. It’s a safe place to come to and be a part of a community." The Lesbian Community Project is located at 1001 E. Burnside St. in Portland. For more information, call LCP at (503) 233-3913. I ■ Reported by S h o n a D udley W hen an ordinary Realtor sim ply w on't do... To say, "We are alternative," is to say, "We are leading a different lifestyle from mainstream society: honoring diver sity, building community and creating a lifestyle that p ro motes the health and well-being of our planet."We support our local community, organic agriculture, all recycling ef forts, and networking to create a healthier environment. Portland’s Alternative Realtors represent an appealing alter native for those individuals who prefer not to work with a conventional salesperson, and working as a team we are able to serve you better than an individual Realtor ever could. It is our mission to bring integrity and trust into the real estate profession while creating lifelong relationships with the people in our community. a - broker, Michele ■ buyer* agent, sieve - listing agent We are Portland’s Alternative Realtors. anasyirternatíve Realtors www.climbatree.com 933 SE 31st Ave. Portland, O R 97214 office: 5 0 3 - 2 3 8 - 7 6 1 7 a •INtinm