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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2002)
rrm iout EIGHTH A N N U A t BEST novemûer 15.2002 I PLACES TO LIVE ■ 'W - DOING TAHITI RIGHT O « 4 o! ta C ub « ’? VACATIONS O c n $ J « l W .ltk Run. b#n. nr Kayak PACK YOUR BAGS! Miist-Hav* toy, Dt|P$3, an d Laptop CdxU, and ?l* Real 365 DAYS Off LESBIANS : * MmCvkxuMr ¡■ ■ Q * J Portland tum bles 4 2 notches down the lesbian i livability list: W hat happened? Are dykes fleeing the urban core for rustic relief, or is Girlfriends m agazine sim ply out of touch? basis of sexual orientation, initiated a ban on discrimination in city contracting, provided gender identity protection for city employees, provided domestic partner benefits to city and county employees, and created a city and coun ty domestic partner registry. On top of that, Portland was recently named “Most Livable City in America” by Mone} magazine and “Best Bicycle City in North America” by Bicycling magazine. Portland is’ a wonderful place for lesbians and gays to live, and as mayor, I am committed to keeping it that way! V era K atz Portland • • • I f indeed true, I applaud these other cities for having made such great strides in creating liv able communities for lesbian and gay citizens. In the past decade, Portland has passed a civil rights ordinance barring discrimination on the 1 am more than willing to pay a few more cents at the store to give working Americans a livable (hear me laughing.7) wage. The minimum wage never has kept up with inflation, and if they figure inflation into the raises that are made to the minimum wage hill, they will use whatever figures that make it the lowest percentage possi ble, so that the increase will he as small as possi ble and still not keep up with inflation. Another hill you endorsed with a no vote was the labeling hill. 1 would like to know what I am eating. The government keeps statistics such as how many grasshoppers, bees, spiders, roaches, etc. are “acceptable" in our food, so I see nothing that can prevent it from being more forthcom ing about genetically engineered food. The “Rxxl for Thought” letter in the Nov. 1 paper states the case better than 1 ever could, so I just must say 1 agree 100 percent with Barbara Ford when it comes to this hill. R oger S teffani Beaverton N o w is the time To E d it o r : recent editorial in the Register-Guard about the Eugene City Councils consideration of an ordinance to protect every person from dis crimination because of their gender identity misses the point entirely. The public is told to allow its possible igno rance and misconceptions about the needs and lives of transgendered people to remain unchal lenged. In the absence of any evidence to sup port the fear that giving transgendered people access to public space poses any threat whatso ever, readers still are urged to accept this biased presumption as compelling till disproven. Statistical and common-sense evidence argues for the compassionate protection of an already victimized class of people, hut there seems to he a disconnect on that for some folks. Its not the details of the ordinance on gender identity rights that are being put to a real test here hut the broader conception of a society that protects and respects all its citizens. The truth is that transgender people exist in this world, and even in Eugene. They pay taxes, raise families, work and shop next to everyone else. They assume the same risks and responsibili ties as other citizens and should be held th e A I t’s a simple answer: Girlfriends magazine sucks— always has and probably always will. The end. Seriously, though, the magazine caters to accountable on an equal basis for their actions toward others. But what they don’t need is hys terical suspicion about their motives for activi ties of daily living and for wanting to be a part of this culture. Many other cities, including Portland and Salem, passed gender identity protections, find ing that irrational fears gave way to a more inclusive, less suspicious reality. These jurisdic tions opened their eyes to the clear facts that transgender people are routinely abused, exclud ed and threatened, opened their minds to the concept of a society that cares about this bias and opened a door on a real future for folks who might have been afraid to live in public before. These topics aren’t common for a lot of peo ple, but then this is a world of many diverse indi viduals, and we all have a lot to learn about each other’s lives and struggles. Hiding behind hyste ria won’t help that, nor will an appeal to inten tional ignorance. Those people who are already at risk, and those who are willing to acknowledge this risk, are asking for a higher standard of conduct from their leaders— informed, principled advocacy for human rights and public safety. Unfortunate ly, some of what they have gotten in return is the very discrimination that already serves as an excuse for current abuses. Human rights aren’t optional, nor should they he contingent on appeals to biased stereo types and hysterical fears. The ordinance will allow for reasonable, cooperative and respectful civil conduct and a fair and consistent basis for access to gendered facilities and services. If our children are unsettled and confused, perhaps it is because of the discrepancy between our society’s statements and its actions, in sup port of those who are most at risk. That hypocrisy is still in the closet, and desperately wants to stay there. L ori B uckwalter It’s Time, Oregon! Executive Director Separate but equal To E d it o r : have been reading Just Out since its incep tion, and I always have been frustrated by its coverage (or lack thereof) of the bisexual community. Sally Sheklow’s virulent biphobic comment in her Nov. 1 “Living Out” column was simply i th e Lower maintenance than your last date. # the L.A . Lipstick crowd. Portland doesn’t exactly fit that description. Too bad for Girlfriends and its readers. Great for Portland, because that crowd won’t move there. Consider yourselves lucky! T r a c i W il l ia m s O akland, C alif. next D espite all of the documented health risks, queers smoke more than heterosexuals. Is this because of low self-esteem , youthful foolishness or sheer stupidity? Have we been duped by shrew d tobacco company m arketing techniques? (P lease see related item on Page 7 .) Respond at w w w .justout.com . (Don’t forget to include your nam e, city and daytim e telephone num ber.) the last straw for me (“Rusty Mojo”). She slams Joann Lulan, claiming she “bilked our commu nity of thousands of dollars for her workshops and books and is now married to a man for Chrissake.” I know lots of women who found Ms. Lulan’s insights liberating. Is she now completely dis credited because she dares to be bisexual? Aren’t we the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans “community” ? Oh, that’s right, that phrase is just for marketing purposes. Silly me. Marching in lockstep with the lesbian supremacist agenda, a woman can leave a hetero relationship for a lesbian one and be praised and lauded. Doing the reverse is a basis for rage and recrimination from “undefiled” dykes (and, of course, from many dykes who have enjoyably defiled themselves with men but are too cow ardly to come out as bi). Wasn’t freeing women to make their own choices one of the goals of feminism? Doesn’t it seem strange that members of an oppressed minority would demand segregation, not integration? And, like, who made them God? The freakish thing is that comments similar to those from Ms. Sheklow are made in virtually every issue of Just Out, right alongside the lovely, penetrating and insightful social commentary of “Dykes to Watch Out For.” Alison Bechdel gets the constantly evolving issues of gender and desire just right. The rest of this paper often seems mired in 1970s, with all of its ugly separatist fascism, when it comes to discussing bisexuality. Bisexuals deserve fair coverage in the paper that purports to serve them. Lisa Costello 503-372-3129 Personal VW Consultant vdublisa@hotmail.com Herzog-Meier S in ce JOS 5 Best LJ U S I Marble 6 Granite G R AN ITE BLOW OUT! Many Patterns and Colors matorlals A M M T P A Financing Starting at V Available Best Price & Quality ^ . 4 ft Just Mention Oul for G u á ra n iteeo! te ... 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