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EIGHTH A N N U A t BEST
novemûer 15.2002
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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
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T amara S wan
Portland
Cure for the race
To
t h e E d it o r :
think it’s been strange to hear some gay men
in Portland say they’re not attracted to cer
tain races, and I’ve met a few overtly racist gay
men. And wasn’t the “people of color and their
friends" party at Pride touted a bit too much like
a Special Olympics event? And why do you pub
lish racially specific roommate ads in your
paper!! ? Does everyone do that ?!
1
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