Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2002)
♦ January ta. 2ÛÛ2 EpERfilout cWiffamette Don't fence me in To the E ditor : 1 ___ YOUR WILLAMETTE VALLEY FAMILY REAL ESTATE COm ECTIO ri I s u p p o r t GALA c h o r u s e s l Upcoming ÇQnçgrts; Confluence 2/16 2/1 7 CLARK HOUSE Sales Associate Corvallis Unitarian (2945 NW Circle) 8pm Salem Unitarian (5090 Center St. NE) 4pm (5 4 1 ) 7 5 8 -1 2 3 4 x 211 e-mail: clarKshouses@aol.com - IW , « * 5S!UVC 1 5 7 5 MW 9 th S tre e t • C o rv a llis . O R 9 7 5 5 0 regon Camera Everything Photographic C 4 T T E ^ ln c Boarding & Groom ing for D ogs & Cats “Individual Lave and Attention ” 720 SW Wake Robin Ave Corvallis, O R 97330 (541) 757-9089 Larry & Marlene McNeill We have a knowledgeable, friendly staff helping you find the rivht camera, binoculars, or photographic accessories. A ‘fam ily’ owned and operated business since 1997. 582 SW Adams Avenue (541) 753-2653 Corvallis, OR 97333 www.oregoncamera.com OC4PTFOL The Beauty ofAllAVheel Drive think the idea of putting a fence around Waterfront Park during Pride 2002 is awful (“ Big C hanges A head for Pride 2002," Jan. 4). The whole point of Pride is to create an open and inviting forum encouraging those out, coming out, unsure and even straight to participate. What is this about treating “the event more like a private party than a public gath ering” ? What good does that do? How is hav ing queers line up with $3 any different from waiting to get into Silverado on a Saturday night? What makes events like Pride and Peacock in the Park special is that they take place in vis ible and public locations, where just about any one can happen upon them, inconspicuously mill about freely and explore the different booths. It is a somewhat anonymous atmos phere, which is good for those still insecure and discovering themselves. Having a fence up will scare these folks off for sure. If 1 were closeted, I wouldn’t want to stand in line and be so obviously pegged as queer by the general public. And if 1 were straight, I probably would avoid the event entirely. It sounds to me like the whole thing is about money. Each year 1 am amazed at the diversity of organizations that set up booths. Driving the price up will dissuade some of these folks (and myself) from coming, which would be a shame. For Pride to continue to do what it is suppose to, it (like this publication) must remain free! What about homeless queers who don’t have three bucks? Or teen-agers? A nd as a gay man I feel it is wrong for me to pay money to com e to my own party. I’d rather save the dough to donate as 1 choose. Also, aesthetically there is something per verse about having hundreds of queers cor ralled inside a chain-link fence, suggesting a concentration camp or human zoo. Finally, as for the fundamentalist rabble- rousers, I think they are a paltry concern. We have a police force for this very reason; let them do their job. Pride is not a private party. It is a public gathering, and its worth serves not only the queer community but also the community at large. Please keep it open, public and free. C raig S troud Portland 02 Outback Sport 5ar A L L W H E E L DRIVE ?.l 7,977 STK#325050, S25051 At the corner of M ission and 25th in Salem. Art for illustration only • Subject to prior sale. Prices do not include license, title or doc. fees. Prices expire Monday following publication dale. A ll financing on approved credit.____________________________________________________ H ou rs M o n - Fri 8-9 Sat 9-7 Sun 10-5 Just o ff 1-5 on M ission St. 25th & Mission, SALEM 503*316*4294 (?) Oregon drives OIPITOL www.caDitolsubaru.com Abandon the fight for gay marriage! To the E ditor : ut do not abandon the idea. Marriage is a concept that historically was created in the church and then attached certain legal rights by governments. The word “marriage" has a strong emotional attachment for people with strong religious beliefs because it is a holy, therefore religious, union between men and women. So when we fight for gay marriage, we are attacking their religious belief system. This is clearly a fight we will lose. Look at the Defense of Marriage Act and all of the other proposed legislation as examples. We are giving conservative religious groups a way to attack us openly. But are we truly fighting for marriage in the eyes of the church? If we are, we should he going through the church and not through the government. There should he a separation of church and state. We are fighting for legal rights and the recognition of a same-sex partnership by our government, not the church. So why not use language that reflects our true goal and that will not offend our opponents? Call it “legal union” instead of “marriage.” And have them he equal in the law and allow the opposition to think they have defend ed the religious institution of marriage. Every body wins. A fight for “legal union" is a fight we can win. Even deeply conservative, religious peo ple can understand that same-sex partners who have been living together in a committed relationship deserve certain human rights. Some people might find this a compromise they are not willing to make. They might want to feel that a gay union is equal to a marriage. The question is: In whose eyes? The church is not ready for that leap, hut the state might be. Let’s win a battle and not lose the war. B W illiam G eo rg e Boston Rated R To the E ditor : I have several friends who have restrictions placed on them by various agencies because they are drug addicts or alcoholics who are on probation, parole or post-prison supervision. They cannot go into places that serve tr a n s it io n s Janet L. Henke, 1944-2001 F ormer Portlander Janet Lonja Benke died Dec. 27 near Phoenix. She had stopped on the side of the highway to aid an injured dog and was struck by a passing vehicle. She was horn April 5, 1944, in Terre Haute, Ind. She received her bachelor’s and m aster’s degrees from Evergreen State College. Benke worked as an environmental com pliance officer for several corporations in Washington and Oregon, including Boise Cascade, Nestle, Washington Beef and C as cade General. She moved to Arizona last spring to begin a job with Romic Environ mental Technologies Corp. During her years in Olympia, Wash., she was known to many people as “Janet B., the Voice of Lesbian R adio” through her KAO S-FM program, Alternate Route. Her love of women’s litefature, art and music was reflected in program m ing that included interviews with well-known N orthw est authors, poets, composers and performers. Benke owned and bred quarter horses and spent many hours enjoying their com pan ionship. Friends say she was a little woman with a big heart who appreciated excellent writing, artful speaking, rodeo riding and roping com petitions as well as the magnifi cen t expan ses o f cen tral and eastern W ashington. She is survived by her brother, Eric of Boston, and father, Paul of Jamestown, N.Y. A memorial service will he held 2 p.m. Jan. 27 at First Unitarian Church of Portland, 1011 S.W. 12th Ave. Remembrances may he made to the Ari zona Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to A nim als, P.O. Box 33334, Phoenix, AZ 85067.
