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.
Box 14400, Portland, OR 97293-0400; e-m ail to
justout@ justout.com ; fa x to (503) 236-1257; or
submit your letter online at w w w .justout.com .
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