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03
You and what Army?
Let them be queer!
To the E ditor :
To the E ditor :
n your Dec. 7 piece you attack the sexual
minorities community and Basic Rights Ore
gon for organizing the “Clog the Kettles” cam
paign [“Three Days That Never E n d ...”].
1 appreciate the concern for “the cold, the
hungry and the downtrodden.” Giving to the
Salvation Army is not the answer. The Salva
tion Army denies my humanity and basic
human rights because I am a lesbian.
Your idea that putting faux dollars in a ket
tle is “combat” is ridiculous. “Combat” is when
Lon Mabon puts anti-gay measures on the bal
lot or when the Salvation Army negotiates
behind closed doors at the W hite House to con
tinue its discriminatory practices while receiv
ing millions of taxpayer dollars for the “faith-
based initiative.”
I agree, we need to he generous this year. I
am donating three food baskets to low-income
families who have children in my neighborhood
school. If your readers want to give generously
this year, they may contribute to the Oregon
F(xxi Bank or other groups.
And for the record, BRO is encouraging peo
ple to give locally as well. We need to pull
together as a community and country, hut that
does not mean we must condone those who seek
to deny our humanity, and it does not make it
right to give blindly to homophobic groups.
n all of the responses you printed on the use
of the word “queer,” I didn’t see one that
reflected my opinion [“Just Asking,” Nov. 16].
As a 24-year-old out, proud, queer woman, I
have learned a thing or two. O f all the types of
gay people I have met in my life, 1 have learned
one basic principle: Being gay does not mean
you have anything else in common with some
one else who is.
Being called “gay,” “queer,” “dyke,” “fag”
and all the other labels we choose is 100 per
cent personal in nature. It’s similar to how
some people call their significant others “part
ners,” “girlfriends,” “boyfriends,” “wives,” “hus
bands,” etc.
It’s an individual choice. I’m not saying
derogatory labels imposed on queers by offend
ing people are acceptable; I’m referring to, if you
will, inner queer labeling.
I politely try to let people call themselves
what they prefer, then if I feel the necessity to
label them, I use that term in reference. Many
are offended by the use of the pink triangle as a
gay symbol because of its Nazi Germany affilia
tion, hut queers still use it. If you don’t like the
word, don’t use it.
To many young people, “queer” is encom
passing. Many of us don’t feel we fit into one
category.
But young people like myself don’t insist
on using the term for people who don’t appre
ciate it and find it offensive. G L B T Q blah,
blah, blah people are from all age groups, co l
ors, ethnicities, genders and socioeconomic
backgrounds; don’t box people into one label.
Likewise, folks of opposition, please don’t
criticize us queers for using the word. We are not
all alike just because we have a similarity.
K athleen S ullivan
Portland
REALTOR
Ú3
Lead us not
into Salvation
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” riticism is coming from within and from
^ outside the sexual minorities community for
those voicing opposition to the Salvation Army’s D enise R enfrow
rescinding of the decision by its Western Corpo
Portland
ration to offer medical benefits to domestic part
ners. The main objection to the protest seems to
he that it is unfair and mean-spirited to “attack”
an organization that does so much good.
The protesters are not saying the Salvation
To the E ditor :
Army does not do gtxxJ deeds or is an evil organi
e remember...” marked the top of each
zation. How many other gcxxl religious, civic, gov
hour. Volunteers, using measured tones,
ernment and business organizations— large and
spoke the names, reminding us of so many lost
small— throughout the nation and world would
to AIDS.
have changed their policies regarding gay, lesbian,
The N AM ES Project brought 36 quilts to
hi and trans people had it not been for pressure
All Saints School from Dec. 1 to 3 for World
from activists and civil rights groups objecting to
A ID S Day. The panels— some laying in pin-
discrimination against this community of folks?
wheel fashion, some suspended— reminded and
Because of their current tolerance— or, better
told of grand folk, their interests and their
yet, acceptance— of sexual minorities, we con
hopes and reflected on the great love of their
sider these organizations to he even better than
families and friends— creators of the memorials.
they were before. Organizations such as the Sal
Looking from the balcony, rainbow colors
vation Army, the U.S. armed forces and the Boy
drew the eye; they blended into a nearly white
Scouts are all gcxxl groups, hut their discrimina
scene. Math skills soon spoke of how long they
tory policies regarding gay, lesbian, bi and trans
were here: some in their 40s and 30s, a few in
people are still unfortunate and should be
their 20s— and younger yet.
changed.
Now they are packed— just for a time—
promising to bloom in another time. Ryan
L yle M. T ucker
W hite on a sky blue cloth, blooms radiating
Lake Oswego
promise and color.
C
World AIDS Day:
A personal thought
transitions
Ryan Leighton,
1967-2001
Companion Pet C
M S at
8am
• 6pm
W est L inn Sun 11am-4pm
Portland \ Salem \ Vancouver
W e s t L i n n 19343 Willamette Drive • (503) 635-3115
C LA C K A M A S 16317 SE 82nd Drive • C503) 657-0225
T i g a r d 13500 SW Pacific Hwy • (503) 670-9707
yan “Leanora” Leighton died of A ID S
complications Nov. 28. He was 34.
He was horn July 24, 1967, in Spokane,
Wash. He moved to Portland 12 years ago.
Leighton, who was a princess in the enter
tainment industry, cherished ordinary mira
cles and greeted each day with courage and
compassion. He loved the ocean and garden
R
ing and had an endless supply of hack scratch
es for all of the neighborhood cats.
He is survived by his partner of 4 1/2 years,
David Cluster; brothers, Leo Schuman of Port
land and Eric of Billings, Mont.; and mother,
Carol Kelley of Billings.
Services were private. Final disposition was
by cremation. Omega Funeral and Cremation
Service handled the arrangements.
Remembrances may he made to the Feral
Cat Coalition, P.O. Box 82734, Portland, OR
97282.
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