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.”
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