march. 1.2QÛ2’ Jmaft M *|27
as much of a surprise as the'general audience.
That makes some of them a little nervous,
hut all are thrilled with the idea that the older
gay and lesbian population is being recognized.
For many, having a show celebrating who and
what they are becomes a final step in a road to
their personal freedom.
“ 1 don’t think a lot of people respect the
older members of the community,” Ewen says.
“And that’s sad to me. The older gay people sur
vived a lot. They went through a great deal. We
need to remember that.”
On the other side, however, Clarke notes
an experience when the exact opposite was
true. A young lesbian came up to her at a
gathering and told her how happy she was to
see the elder members o f the community in
attendance.
“We have parties and get-togethers with peo
ple of all ages,” Clarke says. “I don’t always feel
isolated.”
Robertson realizes the sexual minorities
community is not always willing to appreciate
its older members and hopes Vintage Voices will
remedy this situation.
“If you subscribe to any gay periodicals, you
would he hard pressed to find a picture of any
one over the age of 30, let alone 70,” he says.
“We are an obsessed culture with a warped,
myopic view of the gay community. Our senior
gays and lesbians need to be celebrated. The gay
youth of today need to be made aware of the
people who helped create the climate that pro
vides them with safety in coming out.” JH
V in ta g e V o ic e s is scheduled for 8p.m .
March 23 and 2 p.m. March 24 at Reed College’s
Kaul Auditorium, 3203 S.E. Woodstock Blvd.
For tickets, which cost $!2-$20, call
503-226-2588 or 503-275-8352. Seniors can
enjoy refreshments and socializing with their peers
during a pre-concert event at 12:30 p.m.
March 24.
The E lder G LB T O u tr ea c h T a sk fo rc e is
offering low-income sexual minority seniors the
opptjrtunity to attend at a discounted rate March
24. For more information call Friendly House at
503-228-4391.
TOM STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer
and a full-time Portland State University student
who can be reached at ruraltom@yahoo.com.
M ary Beth Brindley
&L Evelyn H all
Mary Beth Brindley (left)
and Evelyn Hall met 4 )
years ago while playing
women’s softball
or nearly 43 years, Mary Beth Brindley and Evelyn Hall have been a team, which is not
surprising considering where they first met.
It was a different time in a different part of the country— the South, to be specific—
when they met playing women’s softball. They became friends but found they had some
thing else in common during a stint on a bowling league.
That “something else” was a topic nobody in that era or place talked about, but
the two knew. And they fell in love. They started a life together. They worked
through the issues that come from living in fear.
They stayed together from that time in Memphis, Tenn., through many years
in Fort Worth, Texas. They say that they always had friends who were fellow
members of the gay and lesbian population but that they never, ever were open.
When an acquaintance moved to Portland, they came to visit. They saw something different: a freedom they never had known.
They moved out here in 1996. Today, they are celebrating an openness unlike anything they even could have dreamed about in the past.
“We didn’t know anything else,” Hall says. “Everyone was in the closet. Everyone was facing the same thing. We did things. We had house parties, and
people would have dances in their garages. But you had to be careful."
Finally being free after all these years has been an incredible experience for Brindley. She has come out to her family members and joined numerous groups.
“I never felt this kind of freedom,” she says. “This is wonderful."
Brindley and Hall, who are both in their early 60s, are thrilled to be a part of Vintage Voices. However, they admit they don’t know what to expect.
“We’re excited to do something like this,” Hall says. “For a lot of older people there is still a real fear about coming out. They are pretty invisible, which is
unfortunate. They have a lot to offer."
"I never felt this
kind of freedom.
This is wonderful.''
— Mary Beth Brindley
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