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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2002)
October 1 fl. 2ÛÛ2 ' out S l i o f - C .T J H=f7n * k How do you fe d about U .S . Sen. Qordon Sm ith's advertisem ent featurin g Judy Shepard? Do you think M atthew w ould have liked him ? I feel taken advantage of. I would not object to Smith advertising a laundry list of his positions on various issues, including support for G LB T civil rights. But 1 believe singling out our issues is misleading to voters. Anyone would think from his ad that Smith is a Democrat and that he would vote according to Democratic values on issues such as abortion or the environment. As to whether Matthew would have liked him, 1 have no idea. I didn’t know Matthew Shepard or whether his political values were fully formed. Given his age at the time he died, 1 doubt it. What I don’t doubt is Judy Shepard’s sincerity or that she likes Gordon Smith. 0 0 0 atthew Shepard might have loved Gordon Smith, h it that alone is not a reason for LG BT folks and their support ers to vote for him instead erf Bradbury. Furthermore, Judy Shepard should not be telling Oregonians how to vote in our local elections. Does she know anything about the other candidate’s longer and stronger support of gay rights in Oregon? I’ll bet Matthew would have liked Bill better! M Portland • • • early all of Sen. Gordon Smith’s television ads bother me because they do not realis tically depict his alliances, priorities or record. He is trying to make himself out to be a cham pion of women, Galahad to the gay community, protector of the environment— as though he has been there all along giving full support. This is a lot of selective, election-hour baby- kissing. The most surreal endorsement of all is given by the mother of Matthew Shepard, whose death Smith has appropriated in a television ad and linked with sponsorship of a hate crimes pre vention act that he himself has acknowledged to be “nothing more than a symbol.” “Matthew would have liked Gordon a lot,” Judy Shepard is heard saying at the end of the commercial. Only G od knows if Messrs Smith and Shepard would have hit it off, but I prefer to think Matthew might have seen through what writer Truman Capote so aptly described as "spindazzledazzle.” N mith’s ad audaciously targets the heterosex ual “soccer mom” voters and not the “gay" voters with Judy Shepard’s emotional message, “Smith protects your children.” This effectively neutralizes Lon Mabon’s bigoted message, “Chil dren need protection from homosexuality," which appears frequently in rural newspapers and on radio talk shows outside Portland. Yes, Smith is politically “using” Matthew, but at least his message is positive and not bigoted. Protests should be used only against overt bigots, such as Mabon. Votes should be given only to candidates who truly seek the "gay" vote and who actually deliver positive results. Portland T homas K raemer 0 0 9 I don’t pretend to know what Matthew would think of another person. From what I have read, he was open and accepting. 1 think we need to get over ourselves and stop the witch hunts. Matthew’s mother likely knew him better than anyone in Oregon who never met him. Trust her judgment. Mabon ballot measures and into organizing rational responses to Ashcroft nationalism, we need to elect folks we can trust. Serena will be proactive, courageous and effective in protecting and advancing the free doms that Oregonians and Portlanders value. She will stand up for what is right. Please join me in voting for Serena Cruz. We need her commitment, passion and energy. And we need a strong woman to keep the boys honest. Here’s a vote you can celebrate. Cruz for council— tell your neighbors, co-workers, fellow dog owners, gym buddies, support group war riors, PTA partners— spread the word! D a n R yan To the E ditor : Portland 1 A lan B atte next Corvallis Cruz control agree and appreciate your endorsement of Serena Cruz [“Home Run,” Aug. 16J. We need her on City Council. I’ve known Serena for years. In those years, I’ve learned that she does not just talk about equality and justice. For her, these values are fundamental and involved in every decision she makes. Her authenticity as an advocate for civil liberties is refreshing. Her voice is desperately needed on City Council. As we move out of reacting to Lon S ometimes I wonder if gay activists are fight ing for our rights or just fighting for the love of fighting. I got turned off to activism working with the N o on Hate group because it seemed like all the people were more interested in fight ing each other than Lon Mabon. Now, we’ve made wonderful progress to the point where a conservative Republican actually is supporting some of our causes, and all we can do is bitch because he doesn't support them all? Just what we need to do: punish him for moving in the right direction. You don’t have to endorse him, but don’t drive him away either. Beaverton W es D. B evans F r an k D ixon Practical Guide to Estate Planning. • Schedule a FR EE 30 minute consultation to discuss your personal estate plan. James D. McVittie Attorney at Law 2310 N W Everett Suite 200 Portland, Oregon 97210 503.224.6611 000 Scappoose and • To Receive Your FR EE Booklet 4 • • • Portland J a c o b B rostoff Call the Law Office of James D. McVittie 503 - 224-6611 Lake Oswego M ichael T aylor ronmental protections, greenspaces and the equal rights of sexual minorities. She is the stealth, far-right candidate for dog catcher. The extremists are running her for Metro Council president because it is an impor tant seat that many of our region’s residents don’t know much about. As in past elections, they are counting on sneaking their extreme candidate into office when only the extremists are paying attention. Don’t let them fool you. Protect Your Assets Through Estate Planning L yle M. T ucker S R eid V anderburgh 5 Ready« willing and labeled To the E ditor : Telcome to the G LB T community of Portland. You’ve got the lesbians who still hate you because your steak touched their tofu dog five summers ago at the lesbo potluck. You’ve got the gay man who, upon taking a break m N ational Qay and Lesbian T ask Force has received flak for its C reating Change them e, uB uilding an A n ti-R acist M ovem ent." D o you feel this should be the focus of the conference? Why or why not? (P lease see related item on P age 3 .) Respond a t w w w .justout.com . (D on 't forget to include your nam e , city and daytim e telephone num ber.) from talking about himself, noticed you had a female body and, instead of dealing with his own issues toward women, made a “pussy” joke. You’ve got the Hawthorne fashion victims who still might not quite have their shit togeth er, but by god they look cool, and they kept that McDonald’s from moving in next to the Star- bucks. You have the poor but emotionally con tent social workers who are grateful for the slid ing scale and the yuppies who resent it. You’ve got the gender-questioning, the "queers” and all the old fogeys who hate both of those words. You have the hippies, the college students, the people of color, the religious and the spiritual, the slackers and the druggies, the jocks, the artists, the moneymakers, the politi cians, the homeless, the youth, the single moms, the differently abled, the mentally ill, the bisex ual, the bi-curious and the ones wfio are repelled by labels altogether. You’ve got the people who need to fit in and the ones who fight not to have to. You have the ones who take their shirts off at Pride and the ones who think that if the “straight” community sees us as being more moral they eventually will respect us. 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