26 J i l t « i t • October 18.2002
"""—"*
eed started out as a Democrat
because of the party’s open
mind on social issues such as gay
equality and womens rights. She
switched to Libertarian last year.
“1 became increasingly uncom
fortable with the economic policies
of the Democrats,” she said. “It
seemed like I could never he paying
enough taxes, and no one was ever
accounting for where the money
was going.... The Democrats want
to take care of me like I’m a child,
and the Republicans want to throw
me in jail. With the Libertarians
we can do what we need to do to
make a living and we can love the
people that we want to love and
we’ve got money left over to sup
port our families with.”
Reed’s previous political experi
ence includes a stint as secretary for
the Oregon Business Alliance, Reed cheers on gubernatorial candidate Tom Cox before
which helped defeat zoning and free- the «jabbin> at the A |addin» debate 0 c t. 14
speech measures targeted at adult'
oriented companies during the mid-1990s. Her whether they be lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgen
der, kinky, polyamorous, swingers and other folks
platform embraces a mixture of views that might
seem contradictory at first: safeguarding the First
who are involved in mutually consensual adult
Amendment, staunchly supporting of the right to forms of sexuality and love. We have as valid a
own firearms, fighting the tax system, opposing the
right to speak our minds and to live our lives as
growing government surveillance of ordinary citi anyone else does.... With the Bush administra
tion using the war on terror and now the war on
zens, acknowledging the failure of the war on drugs
and taking a stand for the fair treatment of sex
Iraq as an excuse to clamp down on our civil lib
workers, queer citizens, B/D/S/M practitioners and
erties, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, I
those who live nonmonogamous lives.
think it’s especially important for queer voices to
be heard and to be involved in the whole
“ My slogan is ‘Diversity, Dignity and
.
Responsibility’...diversity of opin process."
ion, diversity of sexuality, of
om in Jackson» Mich., Reed grew up
religion, of race,” she says.
throughout Oregon— Central Point,
“All those things are won
derful, and they’re part of
Pendleton, Grants Pass— and in Burbank, Calif.
what makes this country
She settled in Portland in 1973.
The 40-year-old, who identifies as bisexu-
and this state so
important.
al/pansexual, first got involved with another
woman five years ago but had been aware of her
“That includes
voices of orientation for years. “I was never in the closet;
I just hadn’t affixed a label to myself.”
queer people—
Reed holds bachelor’s degrees in history and
anthropology from Portland State University. In
her spare time she serves as the director of com
munication and outreach for Portland Pink Pis
tols, a recently formed queer gun group.
“I’ve had a few people absolutely go sideways on
me when they find out where 1 stand on the issue,"
she said. “1 am definitely a very pacifistic person;
however, I believe in the right of self-defense, and
I think that queer people especially need to be
aware that there are a wide variety of opportunities
and options available to them, including the use of
firearms.... The question is often asked, “What if
Matthew Shepard had had a gun? ’’ JF1
PHOTOS BY MARTY DAVIS
R
Poly Sci
Oregon House candidate
Theresa “Darklady” Reed
fights for freedom
by Jim Radosta
T
heresa “Darklady” Reed, a Portland
writer who makes a living spicing up
the sex lives of readers nationwide,
is adding some kink to an otherwise
dull race for the Oregon Legislature.
The Libertarian candidate is ninning
District 42, a stKially liberal area that is a shoo-
in for incumbent Democrat Diane Rosenbaum.
Reed never intended to throw her hat in
the ring. In July she attended the Libertarian
convention to learn about the political
process— how nominations are made and poli
cy is determined— when she was approached
by gubernatorial candidate Tom C ox and his
campaign manager.
They just wanted to get Reeds name on the
ballot to raise visibility, so she agreed. “I made a lit
tle speech, and the crowd went wild.
She then sent out a press
release, and before she knew it
money was rolling in from
queer and kinky people
for
House
across
the country. “1
decided if people were
going to take me that
seriously, then I
needed to take my
self that seriously,”
she said.
Besides, Reed ad
mits, she never does
anything half-ass. “If I’m
going to do it, I’m gonna
do it all the way.”
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