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The
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3106-B NE 64th
Near the corner
of 64th & Sandy Blvd
P ifo **ect- --- Pcr-eo*af- — /movnC/w
Pkotoÿr-apiÿ --- 503.392.2677
503-241-8888
Thurs 12-6 • Fri 12-6 • Sat 12-7 • Sun 12-5
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CHEAPER THAN RENT
Sweet charity?
To t h e
E d it o r :
he Salvation Army’s recent decision to
rescind health coverage to domestic part
ners of its employees is had enough, hut the rea
son behind it is even worse. The group made the
change only two weeks after it decided to offer
the benefits, caving in to pressure from anti-gay
religious organizations that used appallingly dis
respectful and homophobic language in their
appeal.
For example, the American Family Associa
tion urged its members to call the Salvation
Army and “express your shock that they would
extend health benefits to the sex partners of its
homosexual employees and thus support unbib-
lical changes in family structure rather than
upholding the New Testament definition of
family.” Additional pressure from Focus on the
Family and Concerned Women for America
proved too much for the group.
O f course, your memory doesn’t need to be too
long to remember the Salvation Army just tried
cutting a deal with the Bush administration to
endorse the faith-based initiative on the condi
tion that it could continue to discriminate against
sexual minorities. It’s time we began to recognize
that this group is more than a charity— it’s an
organization dedicated to pushing a political
agenda that uses religion to justify discrimination.
For those who need further proof, consider
this statement made by the Salvation Army in
reversing its decision: “We deeply regret the per
ception that the Commissioners’ Conference
surrendered any biblical principles in making
the original decision.... I assure you, again, that
the Salvation Army has not changed its position
on marriage and the family, homosexuality or
other position statements, nor have we changed
any of our basic doctrines or moral positions....
We will not sign any government contract or
any other funding contracts that contain domes
tic partner benefit requirements.”
Our community should be outraged that while
religious conservatives are calling for “national
unity,” there is no pretense that this unity includes
all of us. In this time of national crisis, they have
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BEAVERTON
RARE FIND
ju s t
Today’s youth have reclaimed the epithet “ queer” as a badge of distinction.
How does it make you feel when Just Out uses the term? Proud or pained?
T
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4 1 4 0 W estcliff D rive • H o o d River, O r e g o n 9 7 0 5 1
(at Exit 62 on I-84) Next to the Columbia Gorge Hotel
m rc
he adoption of the word “queer” within the
past decade by elements of the community’s
self-appointed cultural elite is a severe slap in the
face to the generations of both men and women
who struggled for decades to banish the term from
polite discourse in favor of “gay” and “lesbian.”
We thus have negated this part of our history.
“Queer” obviously has not been “reclaimed”
(a more accurate term would be “claimed”)
because it is still a vicious, nasty epithet when
used by straights. You wouldn’t want to turn on
the television news and hear Dan Rather say,
“More than 1,000 queers marched in San Fran
cisco today,” would you? O f course not. The Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
would be all over him and C B S for such an out
rageous affront, and rightly so.
The word has a cold, ugly sound and an
even uglier history. It’s worse
even than “faggot," which
at least has to its dubious
credit the fact that gay
men long have used it
among themselves (albeit
in an ironic, gallows-
humor fashion that origi
nated during a time of
great repression).
Such is not the case for “queer,”
which is why it never can be “reclaimed”— to
reclaim something means to take it back from
someone else who has appropriated it wrongful
ly. “Queer” was never a gay-friendly word, so the
very idea of “reclaiming” it is absurd.
I always have suspected that the use of
“queer" as an identity marker by members of the
community is an expression of self-loathing
(quite common to sexual minority youth, alas).
My dictionary defines “queer” as “differing from
what is expected or normal.” Now, if you use this
word to describe yourself or the community,
what are you saying? That you, and we, are not
normal, not fully human?
Don’t misunderstand me: You have an
unalienable right to describe yourself with
whatever words you wish, and I will defend your
right to do so. But you do not have the right to
impose your nomenclature presumptively upon
an entire community, as Just Out and so many
other ostensibly gay and lesbian cultural spokes-
people (who would have considered such an
idea unspeakably abhorrent a mere 15 years
ago) have done. If you do, you inevitably will
leave some of us out.in the cold.
A s a proud gay man, I never will accept that
I am “queer.” 1 urge you not to, either.
D aniel L. S teiner
Portland
• •
I
believe that using a word that previously had
been used to inflict pain among the people in
our community as a source of strength is honor
able. When we take away the words used as
swords against us, the less we will need the
armor and shields of the past. While they always
can find something to use against us, we always
can grow stronger from it.
N icholas C hurch
Portland
• t •
U
se of the word “queer” seems to be a gen
eration thing— kind of goes along with
tattoos, piercings and Doc Martens. I am happy
to see “queer” youth establish an identity differ
ent from their elders, much the same way gener
ations have been doing for centuries. It makes
me smile and gives me an opportunity to remi
nisce about the things I did to separate myself
from my elders: listening to rock ’n’ roll, wearing
tight pants, haircut in a DA and using the lan
guage of my peers.
My only request is that these same queer
youth who are so outspoken about what they
want to be called respect my use of the term “les
bian” to describe myself. When these youth hear
the word, you almost can see them shudder. I
suppose their intolerance of a term that I find
fits me is understandable.
Ah, youth. When they are 60, they will get