june 16.2000
Eß599out
T o the E ditor :
The article about womens body image [“Big
ger Than Barbie, Stronger Than Ken,” June 2]
interested me, because 1 gave birth to my daugh
ter and gained 50 pounds. But the social mores
presented are dumber than Barbie and more
conformist than Ken. Lesbians aren’t the only
women in our community. We have a diverse
community, which also includes bisexual, trans-
gendered and transsexual women. This exclu
sion provided a strange, vacuous quality to the
discussion.
When I was raised as a fundamentalist Chris
tian, 1 was told makeup was forbidden because it
was from Satan. When 1 came out as a rebellious
lesbian, 1 wore makeup. 1 was then told that
makeup was forbidden because it was from Men.
I decided to say "fuck off” to both right and left
and wear makeup)—get this—just because 1
want to.
There may be “many ways to deviate from
the mainstream standard,” but sadly it appears
there are few acceptable ways to deviate from a
predefined lesbian norm.
Take wearing a bra, for example. When
you’re nursing a baby, a well-fitted nursing bra
can feel comfortably suppxirtive. I went from a
two-hook 36A to a four-hook 42 DD in two
trimesters. I would like for “Zoe,” who said she
B etty H ale
Portland
Low-income student
talks back
T o the E ditor :
My name is Erin. I’m a college student, 1
work for a nonprofit organization that fights for
women’s reproductive rights, I’m an activist, a
volunteer and an agent for social change. I’m
also poor. Nonprofits don’t pay well, and neither
will any of the jobs I get when 1 graduate. So if
you ever want to talk to me about my queer pol
itics, we’ll have to do something low-cost, like
meet for coffee, because our worlds will never
meet at one of your fancy shindigs. Bummer.
Although I don’t personally identify this
way, according to Marty Davis (“2, 4, 6, 8 ...We
Refuse to Assimilate!” June 2], I’m also a “pig.” 1
think it has something to do with the (proud)
fact that I refuse to sell my freedom for a beer
sponsorship and acceptance by straight society
and assimilationist LGBT community members.
So I march topless and eat fire with my queer
friends and allies and relish the fact that many of
my community members feel like I do. And look
at that. I didn’t mention that article, and it only
took me three lines to state how I really feel.
As far as the economic justice bit goes, well
Marty, your white middle-class privilege allows
you to say such things and feel that way, but the
rest of us who know the reality of working hard
for not enough money, of being forced to choose
between selling out and putting out for cash, of
trying to maintain a shred of personal dignity
and a job, we would have to disagree. Apparent
ly you've never been fired ’cuz you’re queer (how
long have you been out anyhow?), have had to
suck your boss’s dick for your incremental raise,
or seen someone of a lighter skin color get pro
moted instead of you. So, Marty, you can fuck
off and enjoy your Dinah-Shore-Olivia-Cruise-
lines-$500-a-plate-dinners, and the rest of us
will just keep fighting for social and economic
justice.
Fire- GrilledN.Y. Steak9
E r in S exton
Portland
HGQSSQ: S lS O Z O C D G l In “
Just Out
went to a Portland Fire game to ask
basketball fans: “Has the Fire sparked
n mie yet?”
¿J
CL/
J enelle T h o m ps «.
Portland
L isa W eaver
Lake Oswego
Yard and landscape
maintenance
Director of sales
“Yes, they’re exciting
to watch and I think
they have great
potential.”
“I just got here, it’s
my first game so I
don’t know yet. It’s
still new.”
N an cy W illiam s
Portland
T ina S chafer
Portland
Real estate developer
Realtor
“Oh baby!”
“Yes, I enjoy the fact
that the team is revi
talizing professional
women’s basketball in
Portland.”
r i o t cl a e
Vincent B. Amen died April 18 at his home
in Portland at the age of 83.
Bom July 15, 1916, in Walla Walla, Wash.,
he earned a bach
degree in German and a
master’s degree in education from Whitman
College. During World War II he received a
Bronze Star while serving as an Army interroga
tor in France and afterwards taught at the
Moclips, Wash., high school. In 1959 Vincent
moved to Portland, where he taught German at
Cleveland High School until illness forced an
early retirement in 1975. In 1959 Vincent also
met Paul Paxton, his life partner for 33 years
until Paul’s death in 1992.
Vincent was an accomplished pianist and
vocalist in his youth, and an avid reader. Despite
25 years of wheelchair confinement and numer
ous health issues, Vincent remained remarkably
positive about his life to the end. He was a
Christian Scientist.
Survivors include his caregiver, . Chris
Smithrud; his friends David, Carol, Bobby,
Bruce, Alma, Tom, Hans and Doug; two sisters-
in-law and two nieces. Interment was in
Willamette National Cemetery.
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would never date a bra-wearing woman, to strap
a half-liter of milk to each of her breasts and
hear her repeat this opinion.
If fat js currently “in,” why am I not outra
geously chic? Why haven’t I been able to “pass”
as a lesbian among lesbians, even when 1 had
cropped hair and wore coveralls?
I had hoped this article would have insights
about gender and body image instead of dicta
tion of vapid style, e.g., “(Lesbians do] piercings
in visible places.” What’s the difference between
that and the “no white shoes after Labor Day”
rule? None as far as I can tell.
Dumber than Barbie
ù