I
11 2000
" wu\% O U t
Accept differences
To the E ditor :
We all could benefit from seeing in others
our own dilemma of living in a society that takes
exception to our way of life.
I attended the Sexual Minorities Roundtable
this month. Many people spoke asking for an
apology and a recanting of the statements Port­
land Police Chief Mark Kroeker made 10 years
ago— the very reversal some fundamentalists ask
of us queers.
We need to allow those we disagree with the
right to be different. At the same time, we must
defend our right to be who and what we are now.
None of us would tolerate people question­
ing our own private beliefs or way of life, yet that
is what happened at that meeting— not to one
of us but to the chief. Perhaps we all could use
some sensitivity training about fundamentalists.
I have been fired from jobs a number of times
just because I am a dyke. Harassment always
goes with the territory, at first, for those of us
who are different from the majority.
The police in general are people who easily
could be worse than the original problem. To
have some of them sit down with us to reach
some sort of an understanding and settle our dif­
ferences is a real mind-bender— a reality check
for all of us today.
Instead of confrontation, let’s acknowledge
the differences and get on with the program.
Who knows how long we might have in today’s
world to live our own lives openly?
Freedom has to be won on a daily basis.
Each of us comes out again and again in differ­
ent situations.
Being out and proud is an inner to outer
process that always takes courage and the willing­
ness to accept the truth of ourselves and of others.
Let’s accept the differences, guard our back and get
on with establishing our right to be here and queer.
C athy B ray
Portland
Accountability counts
To the E ditor :
It is inherent to all public officials’ jobs that
wherever they speak, they are speaking as that
official. They do not get to take the mantel of
authority and its responsibilities on and off.
From what I have read about Portland Police
Chief Mark Kroeker and his credentials, he is a
politically savvy man and a skillful communica­
tor. There was no argument from him that
“what I said was taken out of context” or that
“it’s not what I meant.” Therefore, for me, his
statements stand as if they were said yesterday.
I did a lot of soul searching to lift myself out of
a reactionary place to cope with his statements. I
talked with friends and colleagues. I chose to fol­
low Albert Einstein, who tells us you cannot solve
a problem with the same mind-set that created it.
Personally, I cannot hate Kroeker back; it
only leads to more hate. But as a citizen of Port­
land, I can expect him to be accountable to the
community for the problems he creates and to
actively resolve them. His words, not his
thoughts, have damaged my trust.
I supported giving him a chance to repair the
public trust. I felt patronized when he told me
he loves and has compassion for gays and les­
bians. Love and compassion are the foundation
of all spiritual and religious traditions; however,
they do not give me basic civil rights and due
process under the law.
I do not expect Kroeker to recant. I think he
is entitled to hold whatever religious thoughts he
chooses, but because his personal statements
crossed the line into a public official’s behavior
in a public arena, I would like him to be account­
able for that error in judgment and to rectify it.
Because we all need to learn to live together,
I sincerely hope Kroeker will take the opportu­
nity to reduce fear, rebuild trust and do his job
effectively for all Portlanders. As a law enforce­
ment official, his career has been about holding
people accountable when they violate the law.
Now, it is his turn to be accountable and not
deflect. If he does not begin this process with us,
he risks further diminishment of his moral
authority to lead, manage, coach and recruit.
K im R oth
Portland
Search and destroy
To the E ditor :
This letter is an update to my previous letter
to the editor [Dec. 1]. I just finished a phone
conversation with a Sgt. Chamberlain of the
Portland Police Bureau.
I had sent an e-mail to Mayor Vera Katz
detailing my treatment by her police force as
well as my unhappiness about her endorsement
of C hief Mark Kroeker. My e-mail was forward­
ed to the police in the form of a complaint.
Chamberlain told me that the police have
the right to detain and search a private citizen
simply on the basis of one phone call from some­
one who states he or she has seen a person who
looks like the suspect in a crime. In my case, just
because I have brown hair and a broad nose,
they were justified in their actions. Further, I
was told that if the police had chosen to, they
could have drawn their weapons and put me on
the ground to do their search.
During my interrogation on that day, one of
the officers called for a Polaroid camera. I never
saw one; however, another person at the scene
later said he did see one. I have been assured the
police did not take a picture because they did
not have a camera in the cruiser.
If there had been one available, however,
one would have been taken regardless of my
wishes. I am told all of this is within Oregon and
federal law.
1 am private citizen who never has had so
much as a parking ticket, and I am treated in
this manner. The next person could be you.
son’s identity, appearance, expression or behav­
ior.” Although gender identity protections com­
monly are associated with transgendered people,
they are important to other gender-variant peo­
ple as well and applicable to all people.
Gender identity rights can’t be based on psy­
chopathology. Gender identity is not a mental
disorder. It is an immutable characteristic and a
part of full human diversity.
Rights based solely on medical identities
such as transsexual, transvestite, etc. become
viewed as compensations for diminished capaci­
ty and are viewed with suspicion. The ordinance
will affirm an individual’s gender identity as an
intrinsic, inalienable quality of full dignity.
Any realistic proposal recognizes a society that
expects an individual’s commitment to responsible
social actions. Where access to gendered public
space is needed, it can be qualified with reference
to people’s expression of their gender identity.
Such is the case in accessing restrooms. Some
further conditions exist for full use of sex-specif­
ic facilities such as showers and locker rooms, for
public safety and to respect the rights of others;
these apply to all people equally, with reference
to legal, medical and other official documents.
Employers now must provide reasonable
accommodations for transitioning and transgen­
dered employees, while retaining the legal right
to gender-specific dress codes, which have been
upheld by the courts, and a consistent presenta­
tion of identity within the workplace is a rea­
sonable expectation for employees. All employ­
ees have the right to be identified at work, how­
ever, solely according to expression of their gen­
der identity.
The city is mandating that bias crime inci­
dents based on gender identity be tracked and
specifically reported. This marks a real advance
in the visibility of and attention to such inci­
dents. (Oregon statutes do not recognize gender
as a basis for bias crimes.)
W hen the initial draft of the city ordinance
revision was distributed nationally, we received
many thoughtful and considerate responses and
suggestions and a consensus that we were on the
right track. These responses allowed refinement
of the proposed language to add clarity.
I am proud to have worked with the city to
craft an ordinance proposal that puts Portland
on the forefront of gender rights. We already
have affected affirmative action, equal opportu­
nity, police training, prisoner’s rights and fuller
acceptance for transgendered people here.
Now, we must recognize our wider commit­
ment to this community by speaking truthfully,
acting responsibly and affirming the dignity of
every citizen. For legalized bias to end, we must
take positive action, and this ordinance revision
is one giant step on the road to that end.
L ori B uckwalter
It’s Time, Oregon! Executive Director
Consum er alert
To the E ditor :
Please remove us from your list of drop-off
locations. Every week this publication is recy­
cled into the Dumpster due to lack of interest.
We are not interested in receiving your pub­
lication at this time. Your immediate attention
would be appreciated.
J ava H o u se , M er c a n t ile C ollection ,
W illows , T ommy O ’ s , A ltman G allery ,
E lite M uscular T herapy
Vancouver, W ash.
notables
Grace Schaefer, 1933-2000
P aul B ennett
Portland
A giant step forward
To the E ditor :
Gender identity rights often are misunderstood
in our culture, and there always will be negativity
and denial to their advocacy, however reasonable.
Those invested in the exclusion of gender
minorities will object to change. A lot of people
have been confused and misled, but now it is
time for the truth.
Let’s be clear about what has been proposed
as a revision to the city of Portland’s Civil
Rights Ordinance. It’s not a threat to the rights
of any person or community.
It is the result of years of careful considera­
tion and research, consultation with the fore­
most authorities on gender rights and an ongo­
ing process of education and constructive
engagement between the community and the
city. It recognizes the implemented successes of
similar measures in other jurisdictions. It does
not exclude or limit other protections but adds
to the protection of all people.
Gender identity rights are human rights, not
special rights; they are not limited to any partic­
ular identity or community. This is crucial to
their equal inclusion as civil rights.
The definition used in the ordinance revi­
sion, drawn directly from West Hollywood’s, is
powerful in its clarity and inclusiveness: “a per­
son’s actual or perceived sex, including a per­
O o r tla n d resident Grace Schaefer died
I Nov. 30 with loving friends at her side.
She packed many experiences and adven­
tures into her 67 years. She was a surgical nurse
and a policewoman in Detroit, Mich., then
moved to the San Diego lesbian community,
where she did carpentry and car repair.
In 1976, Schaefer moved to Portland, where
she started Ladybug Unlimited, a women’s con­
struction company. Next, she sold hearing aids
for Willoughby.
From 1990 to 2000, she lived in Monterey
and Salinas, Calif., where she ran her own hear­
ing aid company. Knowing she was ill, she recent-
‘V re^m ed to Portland to be close to her chosen
family and friends for the last part of her life.
Schaefer was a trailblazer for lesbian and
women’s rights. In 1973, she brought a class-
action suit against the Detroit Police Depart-
ment for sex discrimination. The suit finally was
settled 22 years later for more than $10 million.
She was described by an admiring co-worker as
“tough as a boiled owl,” a description she
claimed proudly ever after.
Schaefer was a brave lesbian feminist pioneer
who touched many lives and was a role model
for many people. Acquaintances say that there
was nobody like her and that she will be missed.
She is survived by her companion, Mary
Forst, and adopted grandsons, Matthew
Durheim and Jesse Emerson.
All of her family and friends are invited to
celebrate Schaefer’s indomitable spirit and opti­
mism, her energy to plow on without worrying
about consequences and her generous and out­
rageous spirit during a memorial gathering from
2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Laurelhurst Club,
3721 S.E. Ankeny St.