4 J m t M ( • (une U 2001
P T ^ lo u t
G drigieve
To the E ditor :
((«Y «
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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
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