Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2001)
4 J m t M ( • (une U 2001 P T ^ lo u t G drigieve To the E ditor : ((«Y « Home Decor Crystal China Corporate Gifts Gay/Lesbian Bridal Registries Travis Pollanz 5 0 3 *2 2 3 *7 1 2 1 731 SW Morrison Street, Portland, OR 2nd Floor/Fine Giftware Department www.carlgreve.com Serving O u r C om m unity Since 1923 Auto, Home, Life & Business “Your Independent Insurance Agency” rararwn Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker, Inc. - A _ _ _ 5 A r c C O Marc Baker Downtown Portland (503) 227-1771 www.epbb.com Beyond Borden Fairly Traded Handerafo and Organic (off« 7780-B W Capitol Hwy. In Multnomah Village WWW OPtfl TUESDAY SUNDAY Iryond Jordm. tfe crafh n u rtm n j divhion of The h rx k tr ioorty k n r M M , I ik . h a moutwr of tttr Fair trade Fnlcration Plant Last H O G AN & SANDERS ON CISTUS DESIGN NURSERY (.¡Il 1 I II A \ I U > A O SAl V I I I S1 \ \ | ) I RIDAY TO U I N D A \ 10 S he Portland Public Schools board vote to “clarify” the ban on recruiters because the military discriminates against lesbians and is a meager victory. T he military now clearly is preparing to recruit counselors to be its voice in the schools. T he resolution to overturn the ban was a classic coalition between a Republican politi cian (Ron Saxton) and the lone African A m er ican school board member. Derry Jackson was strongly influenced by the needs of low-income African American students who often are left uneducated by public schools. His readiness to meet the needs o f straight racial minority stu dents at the cost of tolerating discrimination against all sexual minority students was encour aged by African American Republicans, busi nessmen and church people. These divisions will continue until white les bian, gay, hi and trans people take seriously the need to organize our full constituency— includ ing African Americans and low-income people. The divisions will continue until people who are economically comfortable realize that a degree of economic security and future educational oppor tunity might he worth the price of enduring dis crimination for those who see no other way out. T his has been true for low-income people of color, women and sexual minorities for years. We were only one group demonstrating at the May 21 school hoard meeting. The Educa tion Crisis Team was there with more people, more signs and a louder voice. Som e o f their leaders have been fighting for equal edu cation al opportunities for low- incom e and racial and ethnic minority students for 30 years. Som e people in “our” community might disagree with some o f the crisis team ’s strategies and goals, hut most don’t even under stand the issues. “ Leave no child behind.” T hat is the essen tial issue for us and for the crisis team. It is'the motto of Portland Public Schools. It’s a grand vision, hut our schools don’t have the «teachers, they don’t have the equipment, they don’t have the textbooks to carry it out. The question is: Do they have the determina tion? Will the hoard members maintain their stance against anti-gay discrimination by keeping military recruiters out of schools? Will they prioritize resources so the students most in need of help get the best teachers? Will they challenge administrators to give up high salaries (and conduct themselves in a way to avoid administrative payoffs and legal fees cost ing hundreds o f thousands o f dollars) so we can keep counselors and custodians in our schools? T he issues are complex and interrelated. I’m as mad at Jackson as anybody, hut he isn’t the essential problem. T he problem is an underlying attack on pub lic education and an underlying effort to set dis enfranchised groups to squabbling with each other for the leftovers. We plan to stay active on this issue in all of its complexity. Public education is a concern for everybody in a democracy, not just for parents. I hope you’ll join us. T to go garage sale-ing. (My house looks like I’m a Being older than “twentysomething” has noth charter member.) ing to do with having to change your ways. Trust me, you have to do that regardless o f your “years You just gotta look around. Don’t judge the rest of the family by a couple o f lousy “cuzzins.” o f experience." You’re gonna do fine here (said the aging A nd being (ahem ) "more mature” doesn’t Grandpa, while soaking his dentures). mean changing who you are just to be with gays After 15 years here, I’m still learning about new someone. Yer gonna do that anyway, kiddo. It places and people. So, c’mon, give us a chance. can’t be helped. W hat m atters is whether you have to Perhaps you could get to know some of the older couples, who just might know some younger change who you really are or just some o f the “fluff of life” you’ve picked up along the way. I’m couples, who just might know.... G et the picture? 40-(cough) years old, and my life partner/signif- But don’t just take my word for it. Like I said, icant other (what’s the correct term nowadays?) we’ve got a 3-year-old daughter, so we’ve been grounded for the next 15 years. (Sigh.) is a little older than that. W e’ve been together 10 years, had several homes, had several pets J im P rice and had lots of friends (who have stayed/ moved/passed on/whatever), and we are raising Portland our adopted daughter. Yeah, you gotta make some changes. Like the sign says, “Change is inevitable, except from To the E ditor : vending machines.” Our similarities and our dif ferences brought us together and have kept us r ermont Sen. Jim Jeffords’ departure from the G O P is m ajor blunder N o. 3 for Presi together, hut we both have changed a lot since we first met (some good, some not so gcxxl— dent Bush, which means he screws up at least once every 40 days. His major blunders are: (1) hut, hey, that’s life). Attorney General John Ashcroft, the all-pur O K , time to switch soapboxes. Second: Folks pose bigot, (2) government alliance with faith- here are no harder to make friends with than based bigotry and (3) not playing ball with Jef anywhere else. In fact, after discharging (snicker) from the fords (and other moderate Republicans). Bush’s minor blunders include (1) a dishonest Air Force, I moved up here several years ago and thought I wouldn’t have a friend in the world. | budget, (2) dishonesty in promoting a tax pro gram that doesn’t provide early tax relief and actu (Sex, yes; friends, no.) ally sweeps 40 million U .S. citizens into higher 1 was so wrong. I just needed to learn to look taxes via the Alternative Minimum Tax, fails to beyond the bars. help married couples, phases most tax relief in I’m happy to say that a now-nonexistent well after he leaves office in 2005 and misdirects magazine similar to this one allowed me to meet tax relief away from the middle class and (3) utter people outside the “hack bar.” Its personals sec failure to do anything at all about high gasoline tion (don’t roll your eyes) allowed us to meet prices, including even an attempt at jawboning people who were “G ay Married with Children” the industry. His failure to come up with an ade friendly. Willamette Week (sorry, Just O ut) is quate response to the energy crisis might qualify as another good mag for doing the same. blunder No. 4— either major or minor. There are numerous venues for get-togethers Although elections have consequences, the for game nights, coffee/tea Saturdays, art walks, most recent presidential and senatorial elec etc. I’ve heard one group even gets together just tions— being essentially 50/50— have had their own peculiar sets o f consequences. In the case of Bush, he’s proven to he a liar when he pro claimed he would be a “uniter, not a divider.” Here’s what Sen. John M cC ain, R-Ariz., has ould you like to see to say about the great divider: “ If you’re going to threaten retaliation, revenge and punishment to Portland Police Chief people because they don’t vote exactly how you want them to, you’re going to pay a price.” We Mark Kroeker march during now have to endure three years and nine the Pride 2001 parade months more o f that charlatan. Bush sc re w s up— again \ W June 17? Fax your responses to 503-236-1257; send e-mail to justout@justout.com; or write to P.O. Box 14400, Portland, O R 97293-0400. (Don’t forget to include your name, city and daytime telephone number.) L ee C oleman Founder and former member o f Log Cabin O re gon (resigned after the Ashcroft nomination) Lose tra ck To the E ditor : S top carrying ads for M ultnomah Greyhound Park, aka T he Fast Track to Death. T he peo ple involved in greyhound racing really suck, and not in a gcxxl way. Please see www.grey2kusa.org and www.grey- hounds.org. Thank you. S tanley J ones -U mberger Washougal, Wash. sated 22711 \ \ \ G ive peace a chance ¿2 U B onnie T inker Love Makes a Family Inc. Executive Director U l-I-l- letters M -I to . IL welcomes me . - editor just! Change off heart To the E ditor : I am writing in response to the May 18 letter “Young at Heart.” I really don’t want to hurst the bubbles of the “youngsters,” hut it seems a matter of perspective on two counts for them. First: G etting together at a young age only means you have things in common at this time. PPB Letters must be 'accompanied by a phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters and letters without sufficient contact information will not be published.
