4 Ju st —■» » October & 2000 Arorna erapy Experience the Pleasures of 5 Million Scent Receptors RE/MAX S ignature Hart to Hart P roperties ! To t h e Just Listed! Im peccable remodel by detailed contractor. R elin ish ed wood floors, new bath, new kitchen, 3 B R w/ huge upstairs vaulted master, dining area w / slid er to deck, new electrical, roof, gutters, paint, more! A cro ss from K en n ed y School & site for N ew Seasons M arket. $160,000. Recycling ^ Refilling^ Renew ing Since 1979 Tina Schafer, M u lti-M iliu m D ollar Producer ECCENTIAL 236-7976 rina@rmls.com e ‘ m a i l : You May Have Missed Our Ad E d it o r : Basic Rights Oregon played host Sept. 22 to the 17th annual Hart Dinner—and in doing so reneged on an existing agreement between the transsexual and gay/lesbian communities. Readers might recall the extensive coverage Just Out gave during the mid-1990s to the con­ flict between Right to Privacy and an ad hoc committee of transsexual activists who consid­ ered the Lucille S. Hart Dinner disrespectful of the memory and last wishes of Dr. Alan Hart. (After undergoing psychiatric evaluation and surgery, Hart lived and was known as a man for the remaining four decades of his life, and his last will and testament requested “no memori­ al he erected or created or contributions made in my name to any charitable, educational, medicinal or religious institution.”) In an exemplary demonstration of how the gay, les­ bian, bisexual and transgender community as a whole can respond to legitimate criticism and engage in constructive dialogue, Right to Pri­ vacy proved open to hearing transsexual con­ cerns and subsequently retired the name of its fund-raising dinner. Basic Rights Oregon’s reappropriation of Hart’s name and memory for its own fund-raiser this year is a callous step backward that tramples the last wishes of Hart as well as his unequivocal identification as a man— and, by extension, rep­ resents a lack of respect to all transsexuals seek­ ing to define themselves and determine for themselves when and how they are to he known. Basic Rights Oregon’s insensitivity calls into question its claim to advocate for people who are subjected to discrimination based on gender identity. If Basic Rights Oregon truly is con­ cerned with transsexuals, it should admit it made a mistake in reviving the Hart Dinner and apologize to the transsexual community. Most importantly, Basic Rights Oregon needs to let Dr. Alan Hart rest in peace. M argaret D eirdre O ’H artigan Portland Get involved To t h e New Subaru Im preza 4WD, Auto, A/C, 4Dr Sedan Cassette, ABS Brakes $15,395 Choose #05486 Stock 2000 Model From #05515 SUBARU 1 he Beauty o f All Wheel Drive. www.wentworth.subaru.com Expires close of business 10-19-00 107 S E Grand • 4 Blocks South of the Convention Center • 503-232-2000 E d it o r : The urgency of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to register and vote in this election is well-known among many of us who have been political activists. The need to rebuke the Oregon Citizens Alliance one more time (and crush their agen­ da, if possible) is critical to our full participation as citizens in this state. The point many of my brothers and sisters are missing is the equally critical difference between the Republican and Democratic candidates for president. George “Dubya” Bush is clearly anti-choice and anti-equal protections for the gay and les­ bian community and has no idea what the ini­ tials GLBT even mean. We are not part of his constituency. From personal experience, I can tell you Vice President A1 Gore is strongly and clearly in favor of a woman’s right to choose options for her own body and of ending discrimination in employment, housing and public accommoda­ tions for the gay and lesbian community. The loudest applause in the Staples Center during his acceptance speech was heard when he said he would sign a new national hate crimes bill that includes sexual orientation. It was so wonderfully clear to me, an openly gay elected delegate to the Democratic Nation­ al Convention, that my party supports our com­ munity, our values and our issues and is willing to address them. I am quite convinced “don’t ask, don’t tell” will become an asterisk in the history books if Gore wins this race. W hen younger people come up to me and say there is no difference between the candi­ dates, 1 beg them to remember that President Ronald Reagan took seven years to use the word AIDS in a public setting and that Bush won’t even address the hate crimes legislation about to pass the U.S. Congress. Most Republicans cater to the right wing, even if they don’t believe in those positions personally. I urge you: Ignore the temptation to just “cast a vote of conscience” or support the party out of the presidential office. This election is not about just you or me; it is about the future of our entire country— all of us! Please, get involved with the party that cares about our issues and will be there for us! Please tell your friends and relatives the importance of this election and of supporting the Democrats and voting no on 9! R ichard C. L evy Portland Green light To t h e E d it o r : We in the Green Party are perfectly willing to acknowledge the good record most Democra­ tic politicians have in supporting the basic rights of gays and lesbians. Most of us were members of the Democratic Party in those past years, and we insisted on such positions for candidates. But let’s face facts: It wasn’t the great vision of the Democratic political machine that result­ ed in the widespread acceptance gays and les­ bians now enjoy. It was the gtxxl sense of the majority of Americans— of all political persua­ sions— that brought the result. And we who now have moved on to the Green Party are proud to have been actively encouraging the majority of Americans to reach that result, both in formal politics and the larger cultural scene as a whole. We have moved past the Democratic Party and built the Green Party because the adminis­ tration of the past eight years has abandoned or even victimized large numbers of the underprivi­ leged. In the United States, youths who puff some weed have been major victims of these “New Democrats,” and almost all people around the world suffer from the undemocratic, pro-big busi­ ness policies of President Clinton and Vice Presi­ dent A1 Gore. For key constituencies of the Democrats such as women, blacks, labor and, yes, even many gays, progress under the Democrats has been fitful and defensive at best. Gays have won victories because other oppressed minorities, and a good section of the privileged majority, have come to their aid. Will gays and lesbians now begin to use their influ­ ence inside the Democratic Party or otherwise to support other oppressed minorities not favored by the current Democratic Party machine? R o n B randstetter Portland Rules are rules To t h e E d it o r : Katy Davidson’s article “Creature Comforts" [Sept. 15] speaks of Roger Troen’s unhappiness that the congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church of Portland does not sup­ port his animal rights program. Personally, 1 attend church to hear God’s word. I became a member of the church five years ago because of its welcoming, open and inclusive C hristian philosophy— for humankind. To me, this Christian church’s statement that “all are welcome” to attend its services is