Just out., February 01, 2002, Image 1

V o l u m e 19 ♦ N u m b e r 7 ♦ F e b r u a r y 1 , 2002
Portland, O regon
FREE
he state o f queer theater has
never been better. From sober
explorations of identity and
polyamory to lesbians belting out the
blues, Portland gets in on the act.
T
Page 2 6
inside
Pitching a lent
Dignity Village provides for the “houseless”
by
S ar ah L eimert a n d J im R a ix ) sta
S u b u r b a n S uppo rt
Two gay men
join Beaverton
Human Rights
Advisory Commission
Page 19
D
ignity Village has been a hot topic of conversation during the past
year. In publications ranging from local to national, its endless bat­
tle with the city of Portland has captured the attention of many.
The Villagers are struggling to attain a permanent campsite that
meets baseline requirements tor comfort and safety. With no decisions
made yet, they recently received another short-term extension from the city.
Bean Dolton and Chris Am o became Dignity Village s most famous
residents late last year when the New York Times Magazine quoted them
in the Dec. 2 issue. The young couple moved there when it relocated to
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Northeast Sanderson Street near Portland International Airport.
Dolton, 26, has lived on the streets periodically since she was a teen­
ager. She was asked to leave home because her mother was not comfort­
able with her sexual orientation.
Although this was a hard situation to face, she feels it made her
stronger and more self-reliant. “I love my mom,” she says, “and that was a
really smart choice, and I applaud her for that.”
Amo, who kept her relationship with Dolton a secret for months, left
home voluntarily after her parents found out and did not respond well.
The 21-year-old decided on her own to leave rather than live in a place
where her girlfriend was unwelcome.
“I left with Bean because 1 wanted to show [my parents) that 1 can do
stuff on my own instead of having them do everything for me,” Amo says.
“I’ve never done anything for myself. I don’t know how to cook.”
Continued on Page 15