decomber 21. 2001 ' J n t MUJ jy
I Mi! ¡ i n v i 4-1 m e w s
A
s a teen-ager, Des Anderson
probably never thought she
would be serving Portlands sex
ual minorities community in a
leadership role.
Today, the 25-year-old activist works as
youth and schools organizer for Love Makes a
Family. She also coordinates a new Queer Youth
of Cblor support group along with Stephan Her
rera of Brother to Brother.
Although she boasts a heritage that includes
11 nationalities, growing up in Des Moines,
Iowa, she was “pretty much whitewashed” and
remembers her mother stopped making rice
dishes in an effort to fit in. Anderson, seeking a
way to grab onto the heritage her family was
rejecting, turned to art for self-expression.
She says she led a relatively average life into
her teens, entering the U .S. Army after high
school. She was drawn to the military because
it gave her a place to bond and connect with
others.
Meanwhile, the family that had seemed so
solid was falling apart. Her parents divorced, and
her mother “cut all her former ties and started
over with (a) new marriage.”
In the military, Anderson found companion
ship and, eventually, a husband. She was mar
ried for about two years to a Texan whose goal
was a career in police work.
“The Army is very pro-family,” she says. “Mil
itary programming attempts to break you down
while you try to keep part of yourself intact.”
Anderson laughs lightly. “He was a great
friend,” she says, “but I couldn’t see myself living
life with a Baptist cop in Houston, Texas.”
After leaving the Army in 1996, she
stayed in Hawaii for a while. She lived there
until 1998, when “ island fever” struck and she
Young activist turns her life around
by P atricia L . M acA o dh a
headed to Boston because she wanted to
“hang out on the East C oast.”
With her parents divorced and her grandpar
ents deceased, neither marriage nor the military
had fulfilled Anderson’s needs. The price for
companionship had been her sense of self.*
When she came to Portland, things began to
change. Here, she found a new identity and a
new community waiting for her.
Anderson left behind life as a soldier and a
cop’s wife to become an outspoken activist. She
now works to maintain the Portland Public
Schools ban on military recruiters and fights law
enforcement abuse as part of the Police
Accountability Campaign.
Through Love Makes a Family, she has
become a champion for sexual minority youth.
She also has discovered new skills to help her in
the advocacy work.
Anderson has been effective in her efforts,
winning the confidence of the youth she serves.
She facilitates groups and meetings, writes for
and edits a newsletter, coordinates programs and
conducts fund raising— which has proven to he
a constant struggle.
Until last summer she was a paid staff mem
ber of Rainbow Youth, which was discontinued
when it lost the support of its sponsoring agency.
She is concerned because “the need for survival
is interfering with the work we [Love Makes a
Family] are trying to do.”
Anderson recently helped launch the Queer
Youth of Color support group and was pleased
with the turnout at its first meeting in Novem
ber. But if funding for her work goes away, she
has other plans in mind.
“1 haven’t gone to college yet,” she says. “I
hope to do that.”
Anderson plans to major in something cre
ative: technical theater, performance, move
ment and mime around issues such as racism
and the needs of youth, music and, of course,
art. She would like to develop skills in all of
these areas, using them for her community,
especially youth.
She worries about people who won’t change
and who get too comfortable being isolated.
“There are all the people we need to reach,” she
says, “sitting in front of their TVs.”
Anderson encourages the sexual minorities
community to move toward addressing the
issues that exclude people and urges more delib
erate awareness. She sees a desperate need for
involvement and unity.
She wants the community to get over the
petty things that separate them and become more
inclusive. She envisions an end to the “number
ing and the tokenism” and hopes people will take
the steps forward without fear and “be happy we’re
figuring things out and going to deeper levels.”
O n e thing is certain: D es A nderson will
continue to work politically for the co m
munity she loves. “ I care about this work,”
she says, and even if the funding doesn ’t
From Portland take Hwy. 30 west for about 20-30
minutes. To reach downtown and the historic
riverfront area head east on Columbia Boulevard.
Welcoming merchants Invite you to stroll, shop, eat
and browse
‘ t T Í
?ii¡nL r W ir fl fl***
H
1
P olls
A nd /R uch W ore
D em daco
B ack sp lash
T h y m es
C ra b tre e & Evelyn
F or that special g ift
G ift ce rtific a te s
available
503/397-3199
2017 Columbia Blvd • St. Helens, OR 97051
.......
.
B a th in g B u n g a lo w
Xc's life darling of
th<? snowman
parade!
P a tr ic ia L. M a c A o d h a is a Portland free-lance
writer. E-m ail her at plm acaodhal@ hotm ail.com .
' 1 m
v* .......
—
BIRKENSTOCK
TONY’S SHOES
On the Boulevard
1620 Columbia Blvd. • St. Helens. O R 97051
503-397-2482
mon-sat 9:30-6 (Thurs ‘til 7) • Sun 12-4
www.shoestoreusa.com
——
H e a d q u a rte rs fo r |
B r a n d s You T ru st B
■
Vi
fiQ o o r t* G i f t s
181 i C olum bia filw L , S t . .H elens, O R
'
activ e
Flexsteel, Lane, G r e a t S e l e c t i o n -
D isc o u n t P r i c e s !
Simmons,
Everything you choose is delivered and
Sealy, Broyhill, set
up in your home at no extra charge!
Best,
Richardson’s Furniture
and many,
d St. Helens
— They’re untrlh the trip!
many more'
Come see lpni
and all \\is friends,
they'll melt your
heart!
S lu e
stay
5
F o u n t a in s G a l o r e £ M o r e
55519 C ommercial ( next to bus barn )
S cappoose , OR 97056
5 0 5 - 5 4 5 - & 7 A 2
H oliday D ecoration s
in
“ I’ ll
D ebt. 6 Collectibles-
S ilver Key
S tarting D e c . 3 rd : O pen 7 P ays a W eek until P e c . 25 . /O am to 5 p «
W e P euver up to P ec . 25
F ountains
L awn O rnaments
ap p ear
so o n ,
and volunteer.”
The Gift Store - Simply Wonderful
C h r ist m a s S h o ppin g D o n e E a s y !
nU B
Des Anderson wants to see the sexual minorities
community promote unity and inclusion
Wicker Wonders
Jlelens
H H'JTV JW pTJF]
PHOTO BY
T he N ext G eneration
W
(Hejrl to CiefeW's) $ 03-897-6898
I
52561 Columbia River Hwy • Scappoose OR 9 7 0 5 6
503-543-4841
iiiiÄ ä S Ä
I
Beds Plus
FURNITURE
5 2 5 6 7 C o lu m b ia
River Hwy
UPHOLSTERY
UPHOLSTERY, INC
INC.
2015 Columbia Blvd
S c o p D o o s e , OR
5 0 3 /5 4 3 - 3 0 6 6
503-397-1329
8 0 0 -8 0 3 -1 3 2 9
■