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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2003)
f’miti: ivi January 17,2003 » Ju s t o u t ^ 3 mews A S econd C hance for SMYRC — Injured? U M u ...C all me Proudly serving our community since 1989 in personal injury claims including: Joey Janssen gets personal by Kat Wilson • Auto & Motorcyle Accidents Hala Gores, P.C. Attorney at Law Free Consultation No Fee Unless You Recover 503 / 295-1940 12th Floor 621 SW Morrison Portland • Bicycle & Pedestri an Accidents mot Colorfu Women and • Medical Malpractice • Wrongful Death A • :••••• • Defective Products • Insurance Claims You Deserve Full Compensation for: featuring D erm alo g ica skin c a re products • Pain & Suffering • Medical Expenses • Lost Earnings • Property Damage Joey Janssen has been with SM YRC since its inception ver wonder what the future looks like? Meet Joey Janssen, trans youth activist, drag performer and the per son most likely to make sure the Sex ual Minority Youth Recreation C en ter stays open despite drastic funding cuts. The 21-year-old realized he was queer in middle school. “1 had a crush on my best friend. 1 thought 1 was going crazy, but then I realized, ‘There’s a word for this.’ ” He’s been involved at SM YRC since his guid ance counselor at Madison High School told him that a new rec center needed help installing carpet in 1998. He has served on the nonprofit’s steering committee since its inception. Why has he stayed dedicated to SM YRC for so long? “It’s a place where we can be open and free. You go to school or you go home and you can’t be yourself.” Although Janssen was out and had started a support group for queer and questioning youth at his school by the time SMYRC came into his life, he says, “1 know that down the road there will be another kid like me who is all scared, and then they’ll find SMYRC and realize that they are OK.” In addition to his work with SM YRC, Janssen has taken care of special needs children for several years. Though he is out of work right B ridging th e G ap ant to ensure that Portland’s queer kids will continue to have a safe place to hang out and find support? Joey Janssen is doing what he can to keep the Sexual Minority Youth Recreation Center open, and he’s made sure you can help, too. Come to “A Second Chance” on Jan. 19 at 2100 S.E. Belmont St. You can expect a fun- filled evening o f drag, poetry and music featur ing a fabulous hostess, former Imperial Sover eign Rose Court Empress Poison Waters. The suggested donation is $5-$10, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show will begin at 7. This is a chance to start bridging the genera tion gap in the sexual minorities community, Janssen says. He hopes the combination of youth and adult performers will inspire a new era of unity among people of all ages. W now, he would like to do that in the long term. “I love the kids. If I’m having a bad day, the kids will do something cute or say ‘Hi Joey!’ and everything will be good again.” Janssen worries that his work with children could be at risk if he ch(x>ses to legally change his gender. He quotes Linkin Park’s song “Crawling,” which he regularly uses in his per formances, to sum it up: “Against my will I stand beside my own reflection.” He has been performing as a drag king for more than five years at venues in Portland and Eugene. His favorite person to impersonate is 14-year-old country singer Billy Gilman. Janssen will be making an appearance as one of his alter egos at “A Second Chance,” a Jan. 19 fund-raiser he is organizing. Last year he arranged a similar event that made more than $1,000 for SMYRC. “I give major support.. .to youth who come out as anything— queer, gay, hi, lesbian, ques tioning,” he says. “It is a lot easier than it was [30 years ago], but there is still heartache and grief.” Janssen should know. When he came out, it was, as he puts it, “nonvoluntary.” “My step father walked in [on me and my girlfriend] and said we couldn’t see each other anymore.” After an initial rough patch, his family was supportive and stuck with him as he became the first out lesbian in his school at 14. When it comes to his gender identity, how ever, things are different. Except for his sister, who is excited to have a little brother, “They still call me by my female name.” A s he speaks about the situation, his anguish is clear. “It’s hard. My mom has had friends who have transitioned, and she has said, ‘Oh, it’s OK, I’ll be there, he has to do what he has to do.’ But I think it’s different when it comes down to your own kid. She thinks it’s a phase. I’m afraid to tell her otherwise. I don’t want to lose my family.” J H For more information about the SEXUAL MINORITY Y outh R ecreation C enter and the resources it offers, call 503-872-9664 or visit www.smyrc.org. K at WILSON is the youngest writer at Just Out. She plans to save the world when she grows up but m the meantime strives to be the world’s first happy perfectionist. Witty comments may be sent to kafwilson@yahoo. com. P O R T L A N D A REA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION • Car Rental Integrity, Experience ^ R e su lts Chanel • Bourjois • Dermalogica Iman • lan eig e • Youngblood Boutique Selection* Make-up Artistry/Skin C are Salon Salon 503.224.8171 810 NW 12th Avenue Portland, OR 97209 Sheila M cCoy 503.351.7254 Buying or selling y o u r hom e is an i m p o r t a n t ch oice. Let Celia & Terri g u i d e you th ro u g h the p r o c e s s ! 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