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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 2002)
may 1 7 .2 0 0 2 - J a a t « * j 5 r r m i o u * t Oregon Crime Victims ’ N eeds 'Assessment Cl D ° y014 feel the Catholic Church is scapegoating gay priests by linking pedophilia to homosexuality? A I never have taken seriously gay men who espouse the liturgy of the church. W hat hypocrites! O n the other hand, gay men probably make very good priests (and priestesses) after suffering all the personal anguish and torment. They certainly must have excellent compassion for all the other tortured souls (can’t join the church without one). T he church’s reaction to this controversy has been, for a bunch of narrow-minded, extremely conservative old white men, surprisingly com passionate. 1 haven’t noticed the scapegoating the question alludes to. This sideshow might have an unintended benefit of demonstrating the dangers of not coming out, at least if you’re a brainwashed Catholic boy bent on perpetuating the world’s longest passion play. psychiatric and child protection organizations and force them publicly to renounce the truth that homosexuality isn’t linked to pedophilia. As my ex-nun mother would say, why does any one, especially gays and women, want to stay in the church? T om S oppe Portland Y es, it is!!! It’s easier to blame gay m en th a n to accept the fact th a t priests are n o t perfect. I was raised Catholic, and maybe this scandal will make the church realize it needs to bring itself into the modem world. It’s not a sin to use birth control; using a condom can save lives. AIDS is real. • • • S ister G uadalupe G uajardo Portland There are some genetic/medical reasons why some people are obese, but they still can try to live a healthy life. Let’s not use the term “self acceptance” as an excuse for being unhealthy and not willing to change. O ne of my best friends who is a big woman has lost so much weight within the past two years that she is feeling better, has more energy and is breathing easier. She is my role model in being patient and persistent with oneself. So thanks, Marty, for keeping the dialogue open and making us all think. P at A mes Portland Through thick and thin To the E ditor : ne of the things I love most about the les- J bian community is our ability to be out raged and vocal. W hen Marty Davis wrote her editorial about our growing “size,” I knew there would be an uproar. And, indeed, there was. Acceptance of each woman’s size has long been a benchmark of the unconditional love we give one another. T h a t’s been a hugely impor tant philosophical stance for our community.. I, for one, knew I will continue to practice acceptance and tolerance wherever I go and whatever I do in the world. However, my take $25 partcipation fee E va H offman Milwaukee I am a Roman Catholic nun, a lesbian and a theologian. It’s important to make a distinc tion between “the Catholic C hurch” and the hierarchy of the church located in Rome. T he Catholic C hurch is 97 percent laypeople and 3 percent clergy— of which 2 percent are nuns and about 1 percent are priests. So it’s not fair to blame “the Catholic C hurch” when those in authority and power are making the decisions. Yes, I believe the bishops and cardinals in fact are scapegoating gay priests for the pedophilia. According to canon law, “pedophil ia” is referred to as “the worst sin,” so they cer tainly aren’t going to pin that on the heterosex ual priests, th a t’s for sure. A heterosexual priest friend of mine told me that while he was in seminary training for the priesthood he was told, “T he best way to stay celibate is to stay away from women.” If they thought gay priests were the problem they would have said, “Stay away from boys.” For a small, confidential Focus group on Tuesday, July 2 From 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Contact Mary Louise McCIntock at (503) 493-4397 Balmcc@teleport .com • • • CHAS N ol Oakland, Calif. Seeking Gay, Lesbian, & Transgendered Victims of Crime • • • • • • y linking pedophilia to homosexuality the C ath o lic C h u rch is scapegoating all gay people, no t just priests. T he church can kill two birds w ith one stone this way as it wants to b o th have a scapegoat for the prob lems created by its unnatural, arbitrary sexual rules and further public opinion against gay rights. Despite th e fact th a t it usually comes out smelling like roses because of society’s and the m edia’s unwillingness to criticize C hristian institutions, the tru th is th a t th e church is still quite adept at demagoguery. T his is just one more way th a t th e church establishm ent hasn’t changed th a t m uch in essence since its inquisition. I bet if it could it would pull a Galileo on the B on Marty’s observations didn’t strike me as par ticularly exclusionary or overtly critical. It felt to me as more of a personal epiphany she had observing a large group of women. And even more personally, she included herself in that observation. I have to agree I’ve felt the same way when I go to events and see my beautiful sisters show up in full force. More than once, I’ve thought we really aren’t doing much to keep ourselves healthy and living a long life. And I can add myself to that group because I am overweight, as well. W hat is it about this issue that hurts so much? W hy is it that the only dialogue we can have is to defend one’s right to be fat? W here is the dialogue about how we support each other to live healthy? And I don’t think any of us believe that means being a size 2! We’re smarter than that and have worked too hard for our place in the world. But come on. Let’s really talk about how being severely overweight can limit the options you have in the world. I hate it when I can’t walk as swiftly as my thinner friends or when I have to struggle to get seat belts buckled on planes—just annoying stuff that reminds me my size influences the quality of my day. Although I certainly think my friends can slow down and those damn belts could be a little longer, I don’t think that’s the only issue here. 1 want to walk longer, and l love to get on Y es, the C atholic C hurch is anti-gay, and to preserve its way of thinking— that hom o sexuality is wrong or abnormal— it needs to blame the gay priests. Pedophilia is about power, no t sex. D iane M c A llister Portland • Hardware • Pet Food & Supplies • Gardening Tools & Supplies • Down-to-Earth Products • U-Haul Trailers & Trucks M e n tlo n t h is a d ffor 10% d is c o u n t 10920 NW St. Helens Road (503) 286-1291/Fax: (503) 286-9592 next I kki! [J So wm and Qrace suddenly want to procreate: Will this open people’s minds to the concept of alternative families, or will this set our cause back 5 0 years1 Respond at w w w .justout.com . (Don’t forget to include your name, city and daytime telephone number.) planes and travel. More importantly, 1 want my cholesterol level to come down, my knees to stop hurting and my shortness of breath to go away. Therefore— some days kicking and scream ing— I watch how much I eat of certain foods, and I make myself get out there and move. I am mindful that I can influence my own day and improve the quality in it. I am in this for the long haul, and I don’t mind spending the rest of my life thinking and living in ways that make me healthier. I don’t find that offensive or limiting. I find that loving. I urge women to take some thought and love into your hearts and find ways to support your self and others in finding the best, most work able path to a healthier and more joyful life. We really are worth it. ▼ Visit u s online at: www.reyreece.com or schedule your appointment 5 0 3 -2 5 6 -3 7 0 0 R E Y R E E C E D E A L E R S H IP S ISUZU-VOLKSWAGEN-USED 122nd & East Burnside www.reyreece.com YWCA CampPWe CampOUT ' ‘ 2 5 -2 8 R ose C raig Lake Oswego Campus hypocrisy To the E ditor : O tudents at Pacific U niversity in Forest O Grove recently held a rally to protest the termination of a wrestling coach. His supporters claimed injustice, coupled with a trail of similar • C a rin g S taff • S u p p o rtiv e Com m unity A C A A c c re d ite d For more info: (503) 294-7476 www.campwestwind.org Continued on Page 7 y y YWCA
