4 J u s t M a t • may 17. 2002
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Gray matters
To t h e
E d
it o r
:
I
would like to respond to the recent “Just Ask
ing” debate about Kissing Jessica Stein [May 3].
Like many critics, a number of the respon
dents seem to have misread the film. Kissing Jes
sica Stein is not, as some would have it, a lesbian
story.
This point is quite clear in the interviews
given by the two lead actresses, Heather Juerge-
sen and Jennifer Wesfeldt, who also wrote the
screenplay. Their interest was in telling a human
story, a story that defied the homo-hetero binary
so ingrained in our culture.
From this perspective, Kissing Jessica Stein
owes much to the philosophy of sexual libera
tion, so central to gay liberation and lesbian
feminism. These movements in turn drew on
notions from the free love movements of the
19th and early 20th centuries.
The great value of a story like Kissing Jessica
Stein is that it shows how all people can he freed
once they begin thinking outside the box. Jessi
ca and all the other characters undergo a process
of personal growth as a result of her foray into a
queer relationship.
In meeting her former boyfriend and boss,
Jessica does not “return" to he dominated by a
“traditional male” hut rather meets this man on
an equal footing because both of them have
grown immensely as a result of her relationship
with a woman. The relationship challenged
received notions of human love as only either
gay or straight. In the final analysis, the film
affirms the queer relationship as a positive: Per
haps it is ultimately not for everyone, hut it can
be a truly beautiful thing indeed.
As a hi woman, I found this film to he sur
prisingly refreshing. It affirms the existence and
visibility of hi-curious and hi people. Finally, I
would note that there arc in fact human stories
like Jessica’s— individual lives that do defy the
homo-hetero binary.
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M elinda M arie J ette
Mdvuaukie
T6A C H B R
Terms off endearment
To t h e
E
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11
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D e i rlo/i itt/i o n l i m 1 f t r o t i l e s
irst let me thank all of you for being such a
great resource for the community. Many of
us rely on you more than you know.
The purpose of this letter is to make one sug
gestion: Drop the term “gay rights” from your
vocabulary. Use instead the terms “civil liber
ties” and "civil rights.”
When any media use “gay rights” to tag an
issue, it causes an almost inescapable separation
in the minds of most people between your com
munity and theirs. It seems to me that the cen
tral issue always comes down to equal protection
under the law. The more you use the term “civil
rights,” the more people will identify queer civil
heroes with other civil heroes such as the Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, et al.
It will help stop the right wing’s use of
rhetoric to control people’s minds and under
mine freedom. Please don’t let the right choose
your terms and definitions!
Thank you for your godly efforts and kind
attention.
Si -recti i n /• e i i m l i i h i t e s
L oren C unningham
I h i t i n n st r nt e f s i e s
Eugene
( o m lllllll t o s t a y f m u s c i i
( . oli si i o n s I h i l i n / s ( l o s s e s
S e n si!ire o m l eonfiilentnil
To
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(.’»(11) Ml 0-02011
R obert B all
Good Government Initiative Chief Petitioner
Moral off the story
To t h e
All Portland citizens
deserve representation
Sii/i/nn t a r o u /is
; Council. If passed, Measure 26-30 will make it
so our councilors are elected by districts instead
of citywide.
It also will give us a city government that is
more efficient and costs less. It’s written st) the
combined number of politicians and staff stays
the same while improving our representation.
Why is this important? As Portland grows,
we’re becoming more diverse. Different commu
nities, ethnic backgrounds, neighborhoods and
economic levels run throughout our city.
Voting yes on Measure 26-30 will give each
of our citizens a stronger voice at City Hall. It
will require our councilors to live in and be
elected from each area of the city. Their offices
will have to be located in one of the neighbor
hoods they represent— probably in a communi
ty center or storefront so people can walk in and
discuss a problem or get information within a
short distance from their home.
When electing councilors by smaller areas,
they’ll look more like our entire city. They’ll also
know more about the areas they directly serve—
what our streets look like, the businesses, the
traffic problems and the ways each of our differ
ent citizens lives.
It will he a whole new hall game for those
wanting to run for City Council. Elections will
cost less— making officials more accountable to
us. Being in touch will matter most— not
money.
What’s wrong with our current system? The
easiest answer is that we have outgrown it.
Our charter requires every commissioner to
have two jobs: 1) trying to represent every com
munity and neighborhixxJ in the city and 2)
directly managing several bureaus. They can’t
give 100 percent to either job— and we deserve
more.
Measure 26-30 changes this by shifting the
administrative duties to one branch— hut still
under the watchful eye of the mayor. Now,
complex bureaus and problems are managed by
separate commissioners who often don’t have
the experience in that field— leaving them at
the mercy of the bureaucracy. When Mea
sure 26-30 passes, experienced professionals will
run our city departments— not untrained elect
ed officials.
Portland has changed, and our city govern
ment needs to change with it. We can do a bet
ter job of representing all of our citizens and
using our resources.
Our communities deserve it. Our neighbor
hoods deserve it— and so do you.
On behalf of the 21 neighborhood associa
tion chairs, Rainbow Coalition, Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now,
Association for Portland Progress, Portland
Chamber of Commerce, labor organizations
(including American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees Local 189,
Service Employees International Union
Local 49 and Portland Firefighters) and elected
officials including Mayor Vera Katz, U .S. Rep.
Darlene Hooley, state Sen. Kate Brown, former
state Rep. George Eighmey and a host of others
endorsing Measure 26-30,1 urge you to vote yes.
It might be the first and last chance in your life
to vote for representation.
th e
E
d it o r
:
his month voters will decide whether all of
our neighborhoods and diverse communi
ties should be represented on the Portland City
T
I
E d
it o r
:
support Marc Abrams for Multnomah Coun
ty Circuit Court judge Position 38 in Dis
trict 4. As a vice chairman of the Portland Pub
lic Schools board, he stood on the principle that
the district should ban all discriminatory
employers from recruiting students.
Fred Stickel’s Oregonian vilified Marc during
the past seven years for insisting that the board
not exempt the military from this ban because it
continues to discriminate against gay and les
bian servicemembers. A good judge must resist
external pressures and follow the.rule of law.
Marc Abrams clearly has demonstrated he
has the moral courage to perform the most diffi
cult duties of a judge. Please take the time to
mark your ballot accordingly.
F rank D ixon
Portland
Weight and see
To t h e
E
d it o r
:
hen I read Marty Davis’ editorial in the
April 5 issue, I had to remind myself to
take deep breaths [“Choose Life”]. I wholeheart
edly support your right to control your own body
and to express your opinion.
That said, I am saddened and angered by
your fatphobic assumptions about others. You
assume that if you know a person’s weight, you
know their health status; you assume that fat
people are “killing themselves.”
The fact is, diabetes, heart disease and other
health problems sometimes are correlated with
fatness, but they have not been proven conclu
sively to be caused by fatness. What’s more,
some studies say weight changes (up and down)
cause health problems.
With 90 percent to 95 percent of diets failing
within two years, losing weight might be doubly
dangerous, because you can bet on gaining it
back. Fat people’s health also is affected by, dare
I say it, fat oppression.
I’m talking about harassment, denial of
health insurance and job discrimination. And
now we have that stupid tax deduction.
Hey, if the Internal Revenue Service says fat
people are diseased, who am I to argue? Really.
So what’s a queer/bi/pansexual fat chick like
me to do? Perhaps, like many fatsos, I’ll eat a
healthy diet with lots of organic veggies and get
regular exercise— all without losing my big,
happy fat ass.
I’ve done the research, and 1 know that’s the
best way to be healthy. But you won’t know.my
health status by looking. And even if you did, it
would be none of your business.
Let’s stop fanning the flames of fat hatred.
Let’s treat our own and others’ bodies with love
and respect. Let’s stop making judgments about
people.
Let’s stop assuming fatties are interested in
hearing every random (fat or not) stranger/
friend/family member’s health advice. Let’s wear
clothes that fit. Today.
1 hear sex is fabulous for the cardiovascular
system. Or should I say... flabulous?
W
F rancie N evill
Portland
Courage off convictions
To t h e
I
E d
it o r
:
was reading with interest Marty Davis’ com
mentary about obesity. I applaud her courage
to point out that obesity is a health risk for many
people.
For many people their health is suffering
because they are overweight. (By the way, I am
overweight, so I know what I am talking about.)
Accepting oneself is important, but admitting
that there might be health problems and chang
ing one’s behavior are equally important.
Let’s take me, for example. My health is suf
fering because I am overweight, so I am doing
something about it.
I watch what I eat, exercise more and gener
ally listen to my body. I never will be a Barbie
doll, but I can be a big woman with good health.