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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2001)
•june15.2ÛÛ1 PHOTO BY MARTY DAVIS Ldima'JW Jnews BRI1MC I* THU AD and enjoy two full lunches for the price of one! TEA HOUSE, VICTORIAN GIFT SHOP & BALLROOM 213 South First Olde Town, St. Helens • (503) 366-1184 ! St Jititn 4 fitddan Jxaaàuxa L LENA MEDOYEFF STUDIO T Feminine Designs in Extraordinary Fabrics 5 2 06 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD 5 0 5.2 5 0.7 2 5 9 — A Elise Campbell, GRI E I It’s Service is the Key... Í I W that Simple! Call Today! i “Had t not been for Elise and her knowledge, patience and persistence, we would still be in a home much too small, dreaming of owning our own. home. Our thanks again Elise.”- ITA7. 503-296-3875 Email - Elise@Realtor.com Web - http://EliseCampbell.Realtor.com bender, (rj properties X_________________ _______________ hen you step into Ann Shepherd’s home of 41 years, nestled in Southwest Port land’s hills, you are greeted with a big hug. There are offers of something to drink and, of course, “a little something to eat.” Even for a first-time vis itor it feels, oddly, like going home. Shepherd is the quintessential mother and grandmother. And to sexual minorities she seems to say everything we wish our own moth ers and grandmothers would say. Her politics, regardless of liberal or conser vative leanings, at the core are made up of pure love. To argue with her about gay rights would be to debate a mother about her love for her children. Shepherd is a mother. But ordinary she is not. The first indication is her kitchen—nearly every inch of wall and cupboard space is covered with color photographs of wolves. “Wolves engage, you know,” Shepherd says, as if she’s laying the groundwork to convince the fearful. “They’re like gays. Society doesn’t understand either one of them.” Although this longtime civil rights activist has many passions—including living her life at full speed even after a serious stroke last Novem ber—gray canines and sexual minorities top her list. “They are wonderful, marvelous," she says. y The store that is way behind the times. FAMILY PRID&, oung gay men and women, from near and far, have sought out the Shepherds for sup port through the years. Some have come to them -seeking advice, while others simply are looking for a little love. Susie says she never will forget the look on her father’s face when a young gay man asked him: “Can I call you dad? My own father says I’m dead.” Susie recalls her father, normally not demon hepherd co-founded the Portland chapter strative with other men, simply said, “Well, of of Friends of Gays in the mid-1970s. That course” and reached out to embrace him. inspiration came after her second-oldest daugh And there was the collect call from Nova ter Susie, came out of the closet. Scotia. A desperate young man found Shep herd’s name in a newspaper article. He wanted The mother of five (three are lesbians) admits she and her husband, Bill, didn’t want to to know what he could do in dealing with his talk about their daughter’s revelation with any own parents. Shepherd says she spoke to the boy one outside the family at first; in fact, they for 20 minutes. stayed silent for a year. They worked through And there was the son of a prominent Ore many of the issues most parents have to face. gon family who would call the house. The young But when they finally were ready to talk, man needed reassurance that he was OK, they realized they had nowhere to turn. That’s despite what his parents were telling him. He when they concluded they didn’t want any called almost daily for an entire summer. other parents to feel as isolated as they did. Shepherd’s message is simple: Sexual minori So they moved forward with the group, ties are “created the way they are because this is eventually affiliating with the national Parents, a whole world of diversity...gays and lesbians Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. In are like everyone else...they are people, they are somebody’s son or daughter, and (we) thank the beginning, she says, if three couples showed up for a meeting it was considered a big turnout. God for them.” When Shepherd, a reporter for the Oregon The feisty honoree has some advice for par ian, tried to submit a classified ad so Parents of ents just learning about their offspring’s sexual Gays could reach others, she was told the publi orientation. “First of all, love your children," cation was a family paper and didn’t “use that she says emphatically before a long pause. word." But Margie Btxild later invited the cou "And show your children that you love them. Because if there is love, the rest of the stuff ple to appear on her aftemwn talk show, where they had the chance to speak about the group will follow.” jm S Experience the Northwest's destination for authentic period lighting and house parts, period-appropriate furnishings and decor, and architectural salvage. 'REJUVENATION PORTLAND OREGON at (.rand & Taylor • 503-238-1900 • Mon-Sat 9-6:30, Sun 11-5 • www.rejuvenation.com and had their telephone number flashed across the screen. The Shepherds went on to advocate for civil rights for all sexual minorities, fighting Oregon Citizens Alliance ballot measures and organiz ing parents to advocate for their gay adult chil dren, among countless other efforts. Despite all the work, she admits she’s a bit uncomfortable being honored as Pride 2001 grand marshal. Her hesitance? Bill is not at her side. His 1995 death, only 10 days after being diagnosed with leukemia, was a shock to the large family. But Shepherd forgoes maudlin sto ries about her loss. Instead, her face lights up as she speaks of Bill’s life—especially his legacy to the gay community. “We were a team,” she says quietly. The Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholar ship Fund of Equity Foundation is a memorial to that teamwork. It helps finance efforts that reflect the couple’s commitment to equal rights and justice for every person—straight and gay. Y
