January 19.2001 * J u s t i
F T O lo u t
Injured?
toward the LGBT community by not speaking
out on what bigoted Rob Blanck has said. In the
end, I am sure the chief will speak out against
what he has said and hold him responsible in
any way he can.
R oger S teffani
Beaverton
Wonderful women
To the E ditor :
PGE know the community supports their
actions.
At the YWCA of Greater Portland, we have
learned the importance of making choices in the
face of controversy. During our 100 years of serv
ice and advocacy, women developed more polit
ical and economic access and power; we learned
to lead and to take more responsibility for our
society.
In the beginning of the 20th century, it was
controversial to suggest women should have the
right to vote in national and local elections.
During the last half of the 20th century, in the
midst of controversy, the civil and women’s
rights movements resulted in slow changes
toward guaranteeing equal rights and opportuni
ties for all people.
We just celebrated the birth of the Rev. Mar
tin Luther King Jr., who died in the fight for
civil rights. Many people already are working on
the 2001 gay pride celebration.
Although we have not yet achieved the goal
of “equality for all” in our society, we are closer
to it because individuals, businesses and reli
gious groups, in spite of controversy, took a
stand to work to eliminate discrimination and
bigotry. To act wisely and consistently in support
of this mission is challenging and sometimes
forces difficult decisions for the YWCA.
Like PGE and Wells Fargo, our stands are
not against any other people or organization.
They are for equality and justice; they are acts
encouraging sensitivity and tolerance in all
areas of our society.
PGE and Wells Fargo need to hear from peo
ple who support this decision on their part.
Because those who oppose equal rights for gay
people are so vocal, it is important that those
who support equal rights for all are equally vocal.
PGE and Wells Fargo also remind us that our
gift dollars are as important as our votes and
voices in changing our society. Charitable non
profit organizations grow out of the democratic
tradition of promoting the common good.
Different organizations work toward that
objective in unique ways, creating a patchwork
quilt of amazing variety and strength and tack
ling societal needs efficiently and creatively.
When we support a nonprofit organization, we
change society as well as individual lives.
Are our contributions helping create the
society we want in the future? We each must
determine the values we want to strengthen in
our society. We in the nonprofit community
understand that our organizations will be judged
worthy of support based on our impact for the
common good.
As we recently have experienced, our votes
do count. And so do our philanthropic decisions.
I went to a New Year’s Eve hall last month. It
was the first time I had gone out for this occa
sion in years.
I am glad I went. A friend talked me into it,
saying it was for a good cause, a fund-raiser for
families.
It was fabulous. Everyone was decked out in
tuxedos, evening gowns and festive wear.
I could not help but notice that something
was different tonight. It struck me that the cou
ples all were very attentive to each other.
So often, I see couples who appear bored
with each other, make no conversation, don’t
look at each other and simply stare about the
room waiting to he able to leave. The couples in
this room all seemed so relaxed, so comfortable
with each other.
An older woman on the dance floor, perhaps
in her 60s, looked so happy. Her dance partner
looked quite a bit younger than her, but it was so
obvious from the looks they gave each other, the
way they moved together and touched, that
they belonged together.
It made me feel good to see barriers crossed
so magnificently. The master of ceremonies
commented on how many beautiful women
were in the room.
I looked around and realized the women
were indeed beautiful tonight.* Several couples
had brought children with them, which sur
prised me, but they seemed to be having so
much fun and were dancing even more than the
adults.
I sat at a table with my friend and a number
of people I never had met before. They all made
me feel quite at home, an intelligent and viva
cious table of people.
I soon learned they were a mixture of accom
plished professionals, including mortgage bro
kers, real estate agents, financial advisers and a
nurse manager. What a wonderful evening to
see so many enchanting and enchanted couples.
I wish more of the world were like this, full of
love, caring» and generosity.
Oh, did I mention this was a lesbian affair?
Yes, all of the wonderful couples in this room
were women.
“Love makes a family” was the theme for the
evening. Absolutely smashing idea, don’t you J ean D e M aster
YWCA of Greater Portland Director
think?
M A G inter
Vancouver, Wash.
Courageous stand
To the E ditor :
The YWCA of Greater Portland board of
directors joins me in commending Portland
General Electric and Wells Fargo Bank for decid
ing to focus their charitable support on nonprof
it organizations that provide equal access to serv
ices [“Large Companies Say No to Scouts,”
Dec. 15]. This is a courageous stand for accessi
bility regardless of gender, sexual orientation,
ethnicity, race, age or socioeconomic status.
The YWCA encourages others to follow the
lead of PGE and Wells Fargo by examining their
philanthropic choices and using them to support
the common good and the values they think are
important to our society. We also encourage .
individuals and groups to let Wells Fargo and
...C a ll me
^
Hala Gores, P.C.
Attorney at Law
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correction
In the Jan. 5 brief “Community Foot Patrol
Seeks Volunteers and Input,” the name of Rain
bow Community Foot Patrol co-chair Dana
Rosenlund was misspelled and the volunteer
training date was incorrect. The workshop will
start 9:15 a.m. Jan. 20 in the main meeting room
at Multnomah County’s Central Library,
801 S.W. 10th Ave. Just Out regrets the errors.
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