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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2000)
Lhu ;ii: ivi fefcruary 13. 2 Û Û Û * Ju s t o u t.7 mews Oregon contingent at 1993 national queer rights march oing to the Millennium March on Washington in April? No? Rub ber bullets sting like the dickens, you say? And tear gas makes you retch? Yo, doodle, not Washing ton state— Washington, D.C., where Clinton lives. T h at’s right! Launched by the Human Rights Campaign and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in early 1998, this year’s Millennium March on Washington for Equality hasn’t struck much of a chord with Portland activists, or Oregonians in general. T he absence of statewide support for the march is sobering, given that the 1993 queer rights march in the nation’s capital galvanized the community. T he fourth national celebration for gay, les bian, bisexual and trans civil rights is slated for April 28 through 30. The weekend includes myriad events for people with all sorts of inter ests, including a Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays biannual national confer ence, a gay and lesbian media summit, and a symposium on the persecution of queers during the Holocaust. O n the lighter side, M M O W organizers have arranged numerous dances; “T he Wedding,” which U FM C C officials say will be the world’s largest demonstration celebrating same-sex unions; the march to and the rally on the National Mall; and the Human Rights Cam paign’s Equality Rocks concert at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Ron Glanville, the H RC coordinator for Oregon, says there most likely hasn’t been a lot of march participation in the state because there is no leadership forum in the Northwest. Though H RC and U FM C C conceived the idea of the march and continue as sponsors, an independent board and organization are run ning the show. According to the M M OW Internet site, the M illennium M arch Leadership Council includes: a representative from each local, state and national organization that officially endors es the Millennium March in writing; two mem bers from each state and Puerto Rico; and five members from the District of Columbia. Council members will help the Millennium March board develop the march platform and plan events; organize activities within their respective organizations and states in support of the march; and update individuals in their respective organizations and states on all march activities. T he M M OW Internet site lists one person from Oregon as a council member: Jean Harris, former director of Basic Rights Oregon, the state’s largest gay rights organization. Harris doesn’t even live in Oregon anymore. M arch M adness ? D on ’ t T hink S o ! Basic Rights Oregon did apparently no one from sign on as a sponsor back the congregation is inter in the infancy of the ested in going clear across march but is not involved the continent for a in any way with its pro march— or a wedding. motion. Why are folks so disin The state of Washing terested in this year’s ton isn’t on the list at all. march, whereas everyone Montana has one mem was so pumped up about ber; California has 25. the march on Washing BR O ’s Maura Roche ton in 1993? says her group has a lot on “People are pretty the plate at the state much post-OCA, they’re Survey of Oregon activists level. B R O ’s priorities feeling pretty comfort include a counterattack able,” Cole assesses. turns up little interest against the Oregon C iti He says he isn’t sure in upcoming national zens Alliance, which is what the organizers promoting another anti should be doing to attract gay rights march gay ballot measure. Addi Oregonians, adding: “I by T .K . M antese tionally, precious reserves feel badly. I’m hoping of resources are to be uti something will surface lized for the upcoming nationally in the next May primaries and the couple months.” November election. Rural Organizing BR O ’s many supporters are plugged into Project works with human dignity groups issues on which the organization is concentrat around the state. Marcy Westerling, the pro ing, Roche says. To her knowledge, folks aren’t je c t’s field director, says the level of interest in talking about the national march, and she is not the march is “low within [the ROP] network aware of any organizations around the state that of organizations— and we have a lot of queer- are associated with the upcoming D.C. gather identified and queer-supportive organiza ing. tions.” At the Metropolitan Community Church of There has been very little information circu Portland, the Rev. Roy Cole says of his congre lating about the event, Westerling says, adding gation’s participation in the march: “I’m going that she has "no compelling answer for why peo to the march, but no one else is." ple should go to the march.” He adds, “It has great importance, politically, The 1993 march was an “incredible priority,” but organizers haven’t been able to create a buzz.” and months before that march, she notes, “we T he UFM CC reports that thousands of cou had made the commitment to recruit. It was ples plan to take vows at “The Wedding: Now such a given that we would all he in D.C." More Than Ever.” The Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry, Westerling says: “There’s been an enormous founder and moderator of UFM CC and a mem disconnect between national and local. Ore ber of the M MOW board, anticipates that more gon’s lack of participation in this national effort than 5,000 couples will take part in the nonsec shouldn’t he misconstrued. I feel like there’s tarian ceremony. great queer energy in this state. It speaks more to Posters announcing the march have been a lack of investment by national groups in Ore gon.” displayed at the Portland church, says Cole, hut Critics of the march would agree that there is a disconnect. The Washington Blade reported that the most vocal critic of the march, the grass-roots Ad Hoc Committee for an Open Process, requested information twice last year about the M M OW ’s projected income, expens es, contractual arrangements and corporate sponsorships. Initially reluctant to release the financial reports, the M MOW complied last month. After reviewing the financial summary, Ad Hoc Committee member Leslie Cagan respond ed in a Feb. 2 statement: “This is a ragged col lection of vague and generalized projections, and as such is useless. If they believe this satisfies the request for financial data they are once again showing how out of touch they are with the LG BT activist community.” T he Ad Hoc Com m ittee has criticized MMOW organizers for promoting the march as an event to empower the sexual minorities com munity, while ignoring serious questions about how money is being raised and spent “in our name." It appears that outreach by M M OW to queer organizations in Oregon has been minimal to nonexistent. H RC ’s Ron Glanville is going to the march with about 15 others. He says no one from the M M OW board has ever contacted him. He says the lack of outreach indicates M M OW doesn’t have enough resources. HRC, the nation’s largest gay rights organi zation, is sponsoring the Equality Rocks concert, which features k.d. lang, Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche. Proceeds from the concert benefit the educational arm of H RC, the H RC Foundation, which in turn will provide a major grant to the M MOW organization. Donna Saffir of Portland’s PFLAG chapter says some of the group’s members are going to the PFLAG national conference. Beyond that, she is not aware of any plans around the march. ■ For m ore information about the MILLENNIUM M a r c h on W ash in g to n for E q u a l it y , check out the Internet at wumi.mmouj.org. For m ore information or to register for “T he W edding : N o w M o re T han E v er ,” visit the site at w um .ufm cc.com /ujecldingl.htm . To find out more about the EQUALITY ROCKS concert, go to u vm .hrc.org. A re you going to the national m arch? Why or why not? Is the march a community-building exer cise or a misdirected action? Let Just Out know what you think. Send a letter to the editor at P.O. 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