V o l u m e 18 ♦ N u m b e r 12 ♦ A p r i i . 2 0 , 2001
FREE
BRO names
new director
Roey Thorpe brings a
New York state of mind
to the Pacific Northwest
by J im
R adosta
R
oey Thorpe’s first memory as Basic
Rights Oregon’s new executive direc
tor is one she won’t soon forget.
After a late flight almost caused
her to miss her shining moment in
the spotlight, she received a rousing welcome
from a room packed full of Portland’s promi
nent politicians and businesspeople. The
announcement was made during the eighth
annual Oregonians Against Discrimination
Luncheon on April 18 at the Hilton.
“It was very exciting,” the 38-year-old
New Yorker said
after the event,
which raised almost
$10,000 for the
state’s largest gay
rights organization.
“It felt like a real
privilege to have
the opportunity to
meet so many peo
ple... who are com
mitted to the strug
Roey Thorpe
gle against discrimi
nation, all in this
one room. The
energy level there was just incredible.”
Her first day on the job will be June 1. She
replaces Jaime Balboa, who resigned
March 1, citing personal health reasons.
Continued on Page 11
I
Portland's i
homeless youth
by Natalie Shapiro
Page 26
ILLUSTRATION BV RUPERT Kll
T
horpe was bom in South Carolina and
later moved with her family to Ohio,
where she attended high school and col
lege. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music
from Bowling Green State University and a
master’s in U.S. history from Binghamton.
She went on to begin doctoral research
exploring the effects of race and class on les
bian life in Detroit during the 1940s, ’50s and
’60s. It was during her college years that she
became a political activist.
In 1994, Thorpe became an alderperson
on the Ithaca City Council, making her the
first openly gay elected official in Tompkins
County. In 1996 and 1997, she served as act
ing mayor, an office appointed by her col
leagues.
“It was a difficult campaign, because I was
definitely the dark horse,” she said. “What I
discovered is that people were willing to
reconsider their opinion about whether or
not an open lesbian could represent them."