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January 17,2003 » Ju s t o u t ^ 3
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Joey Janssen gets personal by Kat Wilson
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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.
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