36
’ ¡una 15.2001
FAMILY
Continued from Page 35
Although Pride celebrations continue to be
important to them, parenthood has tempered
their participation in activities somewhat,
Chinn says. Today the trio start their Pride fes
tivities at a brunch with other lesbian mothers
and their children, then watch the parade and
visit l . v r'«rival.
Two years ago the family marched in the
parade. “1 felt a tremendous amount of pride
when we marched in the Portland Pride parade
with our daughter,” Raicht says. “I was amazed
at the numbers of people that cheered for us and
our little family and made us feel proud.”
But Pride parades haven’t always been care
free. When the family marched in 1999 they
were confronted with fundamentalist Christian
protesters who shouted “ignorant and hateful
things.”
What upset the women most was that their
1 -year-old daughter could see the spectacle. That
confrontation only has fueled their determina
tion to be proud. “It is for them that I hold my
head up high and keep marching,” Raicht says.
She thinks Pride events are imperative. “It
helps us show each other and the rest of the
community who we are and the diversity within
our own community. We are your neighbors,
your teachers, your coaches, your doctors, your
graphic designers and your customers. Our visi
bility is essential to increasing tolerance, accep
tance and, hopefully, celebration.”
In addition to their careers (Chinn is a busi
ness operations manager at Cascade AIDS Pro
ject; Raicht works in commercial real estate at
Grubb &. Ellis) and their civil rights work, the
women participate in a 4-year-old group of les
bian moms. It now consists of seven couples and
eight children with one baby on the way.
The monthly gatherings have given the kids
a chance to see other lesbian families and to
have friends who come from similar back
grounds, Raicht says.
—Jonathan Kipp
DYLAN STONE
n the final day of Coming Out Week last
year, 20-year-old Reed College biology
major Dylan Stone picked up the phone
and called all his aunts, uncles and cousins.
O
“It was hard at first, but I didn’t want
there to be any illusions," he remarks. “1
just told all my relatives that I’m gay and
that’s who I was. Some of them were
shocked, some of them said they didn’t
care, and some of them were proud of me.”
His mother claimed she’s known since he
was 4.
Growing up in conservative Boise,
Idaho, Stone is not someone you’d expect
to become a pride figurehead. But during
the fall semester, he led the Queer
Alliance and expanded the organization
to provide support for faculty and staff as
well as students.
This semester Stone co-leads the Mul
ticultural Resource Center, which provides
support for minority students. He also
works as a house adviser, math tutor and
secretary in the residence liie office.
“I feel like I’m celebrating pride every
day,” Stone says. “I’m living in an apart
ment with my boyfriend for the first time,
and we go on walks together every day.”
Stone recently discovered what pride
meant to him when he returned home for
his brother’s high school graduation.
“We had this reception after the gradu
ation,” he explains. “One of our acquain
tances asks me if I have a girlfriend, and
I’m not sure what to say at first. I’m in arch
conservative Boise, Idaho, surrounded by
all these grandparents.”
Stone pauses. “So I’m quiet for a moment,
and they all start listening to me. So I say, ‘No
I don’t have a girlfriend, but my boyfriend’s
really nice!’ ”
—PZ
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