/uiy 6.20Û1 •
öe
Qmout
and visible and kick-ass.
But you’re right, Marty. They’re all just a bunch
of breasts with no brains and certainly have no other
history or future of queer activism in our fine city.
Thank you, Marty, for weeding out the nasty
queers and letting the queer community know
who really matters! I give you my own special
Unity Award!
Oh, walking “the higher road”! Oh, the calluses!
S arah B arnard
Lesbian Avengers
Tit to be tied
To the E ditor :
1 . ell, another great Pride is over, and some-
■ ' thing came to my mind.
As much as I like to see women, I had a hard
er time this year watching all the half-nude
dykes Saturday and Sunday. Maybe getting older
has something to do with it, but I could not help
wondering about it.
What does running around Portland half
nude have to do with Pride? Is it something
young women like to do to confront others? I
could not feel proud of any of those women.
There is nothing by law Pride Northwest can
or should do to stop those who choose to show
it. But maybe women themselves can start
thinking about it and change it.
It made me very uncomfortable watching the
parade and then at Waterfront Park, where they
continued. But this is only my opinion.
Second subject—protesters. One piece of
advice for next year for everybody: Please, please
ignore them.
Don’t talk to them, because you won’t
change their minds. Don’t do anything to aggra
vate the situation.
Just totally, completely ignore them. It would
make the life of the safety volunteers a lot easier.
P at A mes
Portland
Wrong arm off the law
•
•
•
•
•
To the E ditor :
had two thoughts after reading the article on
Fanchon Blake [“Better Late Than Never,”
June 1]. The first was that she has had a very
interesting life.
The second was that no matter how much
some of the Los Angeles Police Department did
not like or feared female officers, not allowing
Blake to go to a hospital emergency room
immediately after her stroke was stupid beyond
belief. It was stupid because the ratio of officers
to the public is damn small and every single
officer is needed, and it was stupid because for
some decades in other countries women have
been serving in police and military forces and
doing as well as or better than many of the men.
Would these same “Los Angeles Finest”
have let their wife or girlfriend or daughter
stand around under a condition that easily
could have killed or permanently paralyzed
them? Being a sexist, racist, ageist homophobe
in one’s mind is one thing, but to use those
fears, dislikes and hatred to justify endanger
ing the life of someone should fall under the
category of criminal behavior of some nature.
The male officers endangered Blake’s life and
the lives of the people of Los Angeles, for the
civilians were depending on her and all the offi
cers to protect them. On a scale of 1 to 10, with
10 being the highest in the world of stupidity,
this stunt rates a 12!
I
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Ron Morrill, 1967-2001
^or those who knew
him, Ronald P. Mor
rill represented almost
the purest form of friend
liness they ever would
encounter.
His ready smile, half
hidden underneath a
dark brown mustache,
was offered to almost
anyone he encountered,
usually followed by a
hug. Whether he was
dressed in his kilt, his
Bear Pride shirt, his
embroidered
Oregon
Bears jacket, his red
union suit and cowboy
boots, or next to noth
ing, he exuded comfort
with who he was and
acceptance of others for who they were.
Morrill died June 12. He was 34.
He was bom Jan. 29, 1967, in Haverhill,
Mass. One of four children in his family, he grew
up in Central Florida before moving to the Port
land area in the late 1980s.
Morrill was involved in many groups in Port
land but was most active in the Bear clubs. He
was a member of the Cascade Bears and helped
in the formative years of the Oregon Bears.
He was the first Mr. Oregon Bear, in 1996-97,
and proudly represented the state at Internation
al Bear Rendezvous. Although he was nervous
about speaking in front of thousands of burly,
hairy men, he came on stage in his Bear Pride
shirt and ever-present cowboy hat and engaged
f
the crowd—emotion
ally and hormonally.
Morrill later was
profiled in a Just Out
article for Gay Pride
and was a guest on the
cable access program
The Snickers LaBarr
Show. He also sang as
a first tenor with the
Portland Gay Men’s
• Chorus and was a
member of the Rose
town Ramblers, a gay
and lesbian square
dance group.
At home, he of
ten could be found
doing needlepoint or
crocheting, a winning
contrast to the mas
culine image he so effortlessly portrayed. His
scarves and quilts are enjoyed by many in our
community. He also collected Beanie Babies
and doted on his dogs, Cassandra and Stubby,
and cat, Sierra.
Morrill shared the last eight years of his life
with his partner, Richard Soule, who became his
caregiver as his health was failing during the
past year. He also is survived by his older broth
er, Dan; in-laws, Jim and Diane Soule; and par
ents, Alfred and Marion.
Remembrances may be made to Friends of
People with AIDS Foundation, P.O. Box 4014,
Portland, OR 97208. JFI
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