iugustlfi.2Û Û2 '
R»?5*I3 out
'5
5 | | C f f T T H T T H ^ ou’ should, the sexual m inorities community respond to First Baptist Church’s com plaint
*
k
about scantily clad women at Portland Pride 20021
y ^ o n ’t look, don’t watch
the parade....
Is this letter concur
rent with these teachings?
Is this the message they
want to send to their
youth? That those who
are different from them
and celebrate their her
itage in different ways are
bad and should be avoid
ed ? That “out of sight, out
of mind” is a better solu
tion than acceptance and
compassion?
E va H offman
Milwaukie
• • <
y partner and I had a
debate on this very
topic. She felt that this pub
lic display had no place in
Pride and that it put the
sexual minorities communi
ty in a bad light. This is just
the sort of thing that the
media focus on rather than
the less exciting parade entrants such as accept
ing churches, community employers and Par
ents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
I saw it from the point of view of protesting
sexual double standards in our community. No
one complained about the topless men!
Yet I also had to look at it from the viewpoint
of a parent. My 9-year-old daughter was embar
rassed by it, and we had to discuss it afterward.
I was raised in the Baptist faith, and I'm sure
that wasn’t all they complained about. In fact, if
the church had its way, we’d all be in reparative
therapy and the parade wouldn’t happen at all.
M
A lisa B rewster
Portland
• • •
hy do we always have to explain every
gay persons actions? Does every Baptist?
It’s a no-win situation with many of the church
es. No matter what we do they will nitpick.
I attended my first Portland Pride this year. I
was amazed at the number of different religious
groups represented. But yet did the media men
tion that? No, they always focus on the extreme.
I consider myself a moderate politically and
W
a staff to help me. And from my pay as a deliv
ery driver for the Irwin-Hodson Company, 1 am
running my campaign while still keeping up my
basic living expenses.
I do not have the money other campaigns
have to buy hundreds of lawn signs and bus seat
signs or even to have my own van painted.
Because of all this, I have to work even harder
to get my message out— hoping voters will look
beyond the amount of lawn signs a campaign
has and see the passion I have for the future of
this city.
But thanks to the Oregonian claiming 1 am,
as well as four other candidates who did not file
for the voters’ pamphlet, not serious about this
campaign, basically we have been written off. I
speak only for myself in saying that their irre
sponsible reporting has cast my candidacy in an
unfair, negative light. Is the Oregonian only
going to give serious attention to the candidates
with money to spend for their campaigns?
As for myself, I do not want to buy this elec
tion, I want to earn it. And so I will work end
lessly, against the negatives of the media, with
the time and resources 1 have to earn the posi
tion on the City Council.
Hopefully the Oregonian, and other news
agencies, will be respectful and give everyone a
fair chance. One voice can make a difference. I
am trying to make a positive difference, and I
hope the media will follow.
R ic B errong
Portland
A sso ci
v a t W e ^ tU e
* '° ”
,
a e n c ^ UVet
* E *T er
M te °
tW e
^ iste t'er
C ody B lan d
Portland
feel the best answer is this: If you don’t like what
you see, turn your head. There are a lot of things
that bother me, too! Like organized religion. So
I don’t give them a dime (which is probably the
part that bothers them most).
J ack L ong
Eagle Point
• • •
F
irst Baptist Church’s complaint cited two
concerns— one being the concern regarding
the topless women, the second regarding park
ing and departure after the service. Another
option would be that because they are being
inconvenienced by the parade, why not change
the time of their service this one Sunday out of
the year? This way, they would not see any por
tion of the parade nor would they experience
any problems traveling to or from the church.
Any church that is at all aligned with Chris
tianity or the teachings of the Bible should
understand the importance of diversity and
kindness and the celebration of tradition. First
Baptist Church’s Web site promotes reaching
out to others, education, diversity and cultivat
ing vital relationships.
Vision off love
T o the E ditor :
’m writing on behalf of the Hambleton Proj
ect, a direct services support group for lesbians
with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
It is the brainchild of Sharon Hambleton, a
woman who for most of her adult life participat
ed in women’s fast- and slow-pitch softball.
In the ’60s she starred in the outfield for the
Portland Erv Lind Florists, A A A fast-pitch team.
She then went on to play slow-pitch for many
years in Portland Metro Softball Association
leagues.
I noted on your “Out & About” calendar
page that the North American Amateur Gay
Athletic Alliance World Series is taking place
Aug. 19 to 25 here in the Rose City. Sharon
would have loved taking part in these games had
she not lost her life to cancer in 1998.
As her longtime friend and former teammate
on the Erv Lind Florists, I watched Sharon bat
tle her illness for more than four years. Even as
her health declined, she remained upbeat and
an inspiration to the people in her life.
After Sharon’s death, her friends and a host
of other volunteers went on to fulfill her vision
of forming a unique nonprofit support organiza
tion for women battling life-threatening illness
es. Hambleton Project volunteers perform yard-
work, cooking and housecleaning, among other
chores, for women who are too ill to manage.
Sharon’s vision is being realized. The Ham
bleton Project continues to grow, and more and
I
• • •
hat is the need to respond? There always
will be people and churches wishing to
make comments about something.
If change is something they seek, then offer a
chance to work with the community. If action is
what they seek, ask them to assist in the local
AID S association programs. If all they seek is a
chance for a headline, they have had it, and
there is nothing anyone should or needs to say
about it.
W
M icheil M ac C utcheon
Dover, N.H.
I lC X t
T he
Burnside Triangle Advisory Qroup
seem s to be facing nothing but
hostility from conservatives and
apathy from queers. Is this a doomed
effort, or can it be salvaged2
Respond at www.justout.com.
(Don’t forget to include your nam e,
city and daytime telephone num ber.)
Injured?
...Call me
more women are being served.
To honor Sharon and to further the work of
the support group she inspired, I believe it would
be a most fitting tribute if a portion of proceeds
from the North American Gay Amateur A th
letic Alliance World Series could be earmarked
for the Hambleton Project.
C hris M azzuca
Portland
Honest to God
T o the E ditor :
n justifying Metropolitan Community
Church of Portland’s banning of animal rights
advocate Roger Troen, Rich Kibbons states: “I
attend church to hear God’s word.... Everyone
is welcome— unless, of course, you don’t want
to!” (“The Last Word,” Aug. 2J
Unless we are to believe God does not care
about His/Her/Its creations in the animal king
dom, it sounds like it is Kibbons and the M CC
decision makers who do not want to hear the
word of God.
I did not witness how Troen acted at the
church. But if he was disrespectful, I stand with
him. I would not be able to respect a congrega
tion that believes in a deity that is unconcerned
with whether its sentient animal children are
pointlessly tortured and killed.
I
T om S oppe
Portland
I
Proudly serving our
community since
1989 in personal
injury claims
including:
• Auto & Motorcyle
Accidents
*
Hala Gores, P.C.
• Bicycle &
Pedestrian
Accidents
Attorney at Law
• Medical Malpractice
Free
Consultation
• Wrongful Death
No Fee Unless
You Recover
• Defective Products
503 /
You Deserve Full
Compensation fo r :.
295-1940
12th Floor
621 SW M orrison
Portland
• Insurance Claims
• Pain & Suffering
• Medical Expenses
• Lost Earnings
• Property Damage
PO RTLA N D AREA
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
• Car Rental
Integrity,
E xperience
oEesnlts
|