taking place throughout the state.
Yeah, Westerling says, in some ways she
knew what could happen.
But it has happened because of the work of
thousands of people. Her dream now is to see
that work continue. Forever.
someone who said “yeah, I believe in what
you’re doing,” she hesitates for a moment. Cer
tainly she is proud of the growth that has
taken place, both as a group and as an individ
ual. She is proud of that fact that although
things are not perfect, a wonderful dialogue is
T he I nvisible E nemy
Sociology professor wonders what compels
small towns to hate
he Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's
Battle Over Sex, Faith and Civil Rights was so good I had
to put it down—more than once. This might sound like
the opposite of a ringing endorsement, but it’s not.
Anyone who was involved in the bitter battle against 1992’s
Measure 9 definitely will want to get their hands on this book.
But even for those who observed it from the sidelines, be pre
pared for some old wounds to be reopened.
Arlene Stein does a marvelous job of retelling the story of
the Oregon Citizens Alliance movement in
the fictitious community she calls Timber
town. It is somewhat obvious what town she
is referring to, but because the book was writ
ten about a community with no official
name, we shall keep it that way.
Stein, a sociology professor at University of
Oregon, ventured into the heart of the battle
for two years of interviews and research.
Although she is a Jewish lesbian, she went into the homes of
the most staunch OCA supporters and met with clergy who
fought on Kith sides of the issue.
Stein went out of her way to protect those she interviewed;
in fact, with the exception of Lon Mahon, no person in the
book is referred to by his or her real name. She wanted her
She wants everyone to have their own oasis
and says she will not quit working until that
happens. JH
To contact the R ural O rganizing P roject call
503-543-8417; e-mail office@rop.org; or write to
sources to speak openly, and by guaranteeing their
anonymity she was able to get some incredibly honest
responses.
The book is divided into a number of parts, each
looking at a different aspect of the gay rights battle in
rural communities, specifically Timbertown. In her
introduction Stein says she was warned when she
moved to Oregon in the fall of 1994 to stay out of
certain communities.
She writes: “It seemed to me that homosex
uality had become a primary way these towns
defined themselves, and others defined them.
But why, I wondered, did small-town folks
find homosexuality, seemingly a nonissue, so
confusing and troubling? And why bother
organizing against lesbian/gay rights in towns where
queer people were bare
ly visible? A second
question also emerged:
How did small towns
defend lesbian and gay
rights in the absence of
a visible identifiable
—Arlene Stein gay
community?”
For anyone who ever
has lived in a small town, the book will bring back vivid
memories of what rural life was like. For those who only have
lived in an urban environment, Stein raises the perfect ques
tions to help you understand why the issue was, and is, so
huge in rural communities.
She writes: “I became interested in how discussions of homo
"It seemed to me that homosexuality
had become a primary way these towns
defined themselves, and others
defined them"
a
-----
sexuality and lesbian/gay civil rights
entered public life in small communities,
shaping how ‘ordinary’ people talked about
sexuality.... What happens, I wondered,
when small-town people and big-city,
indeed global, cultures come into contact
with one another? The issue of homosexual
civil rights, as it was debated by a small com
munity, provided a lens for kx>king at this
process.”
Throughout the book, Stein lets the people
who actually were involved in the Timbertown
battle tell their stories. She lets the Christian
conservatives outline what drove them to com
bat a foe that really never even had existed in
their community. She lets the gay men and les
bians—those who had lived quiet, successful lives
in that small town—talk about the extraordinary courage they
exhibited during what often was an extremely volatile situation.
Stein also takes the time to help readers understand all of
the situations that came together in Timbertown just as the
OCA battles were heating up. She does an outstanding job
reminding people of the dire economic times that had hit the
community, and she lets longtime residents talk about their
deepest fears that were being realized as their town changed. As
readers will find out, that fear helped propel the battle.
"This book is a must-read for all Oregonians. If indeed we all
learn from history, The Stranger Next Door will serve as a helpful
reminder of how painful the battle can be—and why it should
and must be avoided again if at all possible. JM
LANDSCAPE
Country living only 20 minutes
from downtown Portland.
REAL ESTATE
T om STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer
and a full-time Portland State University student
who can be reached at ruraltom@yahoo.com.
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