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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2000)
ma/cii 1?, 2000 ' J a a t M A 13 nrrnnTFTTTnnews t’s a gray Sunday in early March. An occa sional car zips down typically bustling East Burnside Street in Portland; the only other sound cracking the quietness is the funky old vacuum cleaner that Kristan Aspen is shoving about. “It’s seems to be spitting out as much as it’s taking in!” she assesses but plows on, unde terred. Aspen is tidying up the Lesbian Community Project’s office, a space at 10th Avenue and East Burnside Street peppered with a mishmash of chairs and couches, with copious windows that make even these sunless days appear bright. As interim staff organizer of LCP, Aspen, along with the LCP board, is hosting communi ty drop-in sessions at which people can pop in and share their thoughts about the organization and the direction they’d like to see it take. Aspen estimates 20 to 25 folks stopped by a drop-in session held in late February to chat over a period of three hours. A fraction of that number would show up on this day, March 5, but Aspen hopes for a greater turnout March 19, when community activist Kathleen Saadat is set to host. “This is a really good opportunity for people to let us know what they want us to be,” says Aspen. It’s the same message she conveyed in the group’s February newsletter: “LCP recognizes that we do not share the same collective memo ry or life experience. Please take the time to communicate your vision of LCP and the com munity you’d like it to represent with the rest of us.... The course will not be set until the com munity and board do the research, share person al experiences, discuss our ‘herstory’ and devel op a focus together.” L istening , L earning Lesbian Community Project seeks input that could determine its future by Inga So ren sen Like many community organizations, LCP has gone through rocky times, including finan cial woes and struggles over identity and pur pose. Unlike many other queer organizations, however, LCP still exists more than a decade after its birth. Aspen hopes that will remain the case and J uly P ride in V ancouver fter a one-year hiatus, Vancouver’s pride.celebration is back. “We’re really looking forward to it,” says Mike Audette, ever the booster of his southwest Washington city. Audette has been involved in Lifeforce, an H1V/AIDS advo cacy group, and helped establish SW Washington Gay & Les bian Socialites, a queer social group, in January 1995. Among other activities, the socialites have gone to comedy clubs and hockey games. “We have a growing gay and lesbian community here in Van couver, and it’s nice to have a way to meet and get together," he says. A says she and the board will keep soliciting com munity input about LCP’s focus and could possi bly have some proposals for members to ponder at the group’s next annual meeting. (The yearly membership meeting failed to transpire in 1999.) “Perhaps in May,” she says. Given his enthusiasm, it’s no surprise Audette is among a group of volunteers orchestrating Saturday in the Park 2000, a daylong gay pride fair held in Vancouver. Unlike Portland’s shin dig, there is no parade or rally, but there are entertain ers, vendors, food booths and a beer garden. Essential ly, it’s a nice way to spend the day with other queers and their allies celebrating pride. “W e’ve got the date set now—July 15,” Audette tells Mike Audette Just Out T he theme for Saturday in the Park 2000 is “Generations of After that, a full-time staff organizer could be brought on board. (The most recent full-time staff organizer, Deke Law, left last fall.) For now, listening is the goal. Toward this end, Aspen and the board are encouraging peo ple to visit the office or give LCP a buzz. Says Aspen: “If this could be the perfect les bian organization, what would it be like? Even if you personally feel you don’t need LCP, do you think it’s important that it exist for others? T hat’s it’s vital for lesbian visibility.7" Aspen is also promoting the Conversations Project, a program she developed while working with Pride Northwest Inc. The project, which aims to create under standing among various communities, will now be implemented at LCP under Aspen’s direction and with financial support from Pride North west. Two conversations are in the works— one around trans issues, the other around femi nism. “We want the groups to include lesbian- supportive LG BT women of all identities and convictions, of diverse experiences and ages,” says Aspen, adding that the groups will start as soon as there are 10 to 12 participants in each. They will meet weekly with a facilitator and, after 8 to 10 weeks, make a public presentation to the “rest of the lesbian community about their process and what they learned,” Aspen explains. ■ The L esbian C ommunity P roject is located at 1001 E. Burnside St. The next Sunday Open House C hat, from 2 to 5 p.m . M arch 19, will be m oderated by community activist Kathleen Saadat. To obtain a CONVERSATIONS PROJECT sign-up form , drop by L C P or call (503) 233-3913. Pride.” T he gathering will be held from 1 to 8 p.m. at Terminal One, Vancouver Landing, 100 Columbia St. Pride Northwest Inc., sponsor of Portland’s pride festival, has provided some financial backing for the event. Saturday in the Park 2000 organizers would like to hear from the community about possible entertainment and activities. Volunteers are also needed. “All it takes is a little support from people to make this a great pride event,” Audette says. W atch for further details about Saturday in the Park 2000 in future issues o f Just O u t ■ Want to get involved with S aturday in the P ark 2000? Dial M ike Audette at (360) 735-1901 or attend the next pLmnmg m eet ing at 4 p m . April 2 at the N orthBank Tavern, 106 W. Sixth St. in Vancouver, Wash. Reported by INGA SORENSEN. Got a juicy news tidbit? 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