g J u s t o u t • febmary 7. 2003
‘T m -A V A IL A B L E , „
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Continued from Page 5
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Drivers wanted. U>/i
jrd u b lis a ^ ^ J jo tm a iL c o n ^ ^
www.rransthcrapist.com. From a philosophical
standpoint, I agree with most of what
Sarah/Sam Morrigan said in hit letter to the edi
tor ["Driven Up the Wall,” Dec. 20].
From a practical standpoint, however, I
don’t agree with all of what Morrigan said. Yes,
choosing a pronoun is a compromise of identity
for some people, though not for everyone.
However, I gauge the success or failure of a pro
gram on its outcome and the response of the
people it’s supposed to serve, not on my own
long-range dream of changing our cultural par
adigm of gender.
As with most programs at Outside In, direct
feedback from the participants drives the agen
da, not the philosophical views of the staff or
outside consultants. T he overwhelming re
sponse from the people the ID Project serves is
one of ecstasy. Finally, someone is listening to
them, taking them seriously and allowing them
to actualize a gender identity that feels more
comfortable than the one assigned to them at
birth.
While they might chcx»e a more gender-
neutral pronoun if the option were available, at
least through the ID Project they can choose a
pronoun for themselves rather than having one
assigned. These clients are not being steered
toward the program hut are accessing it because
it’s what they want.
If this were a perfect society, it would he great
if we had more than two options for pronouns.
Two words can’t begin to describe the range of
gender identity/expression that are part of the
human condition. In that sense, yes, the ID
Project is a compromise.
But change happens on many levels, some
more quickly than others. Our project, allowing
people to make these changes without financial
cost to themselves, is one level of change. Not
having any gender designation on a driver
license or ID card is a distant future level of
change.
Through my own transition and life experi
ence, I have come to have much more patience
with social change than I used to have. Com-
passion for others’ processes is the key to this
patience, as I realize we have millennia of gen
der binary socialization to overcome.
I don’t expect to change society or the world
in my lifetime— I would be one bumed-out indi
vidual in short order if that were my goal. I do
what I can with the opportunities presented to
me, and I am more pleased with the opportuni
ty to participate in the ID Project than with just
about any other that has come my way.
R eid V anderburgh , MA
Portland
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his is in response to the question about the
first same-sex couple featured on the “C el
ebrations" page ii'i The GTcgCrJjr. [“J'JSt Asking.”
Jan. 31.
So your announcement was printed under
“Commitments.” Think hack a couple of years
ago. You would not have had even the opportu
nity of an option. You are the first to do some
thing that has not been done before.
All great changes start with one step. You
have started something great. Be proud of what
you did. But please remember, to change the
thinking of an entire country or world takes
years. It doesn’t happen overnight.
If all gay couples place an ad in The Oregon
ian, that alone would start to change the minds
of the next generation. And yes, I gladly would
post my announcement to let everybody know
of my “marriage” and to send a message to the
B O A R D C E R T IF IE D P R O V ID E R S
next generation of young gay people that any
thing is possible.
D aniel C ox
Portland
Bareback w ords
To
the
E d it o r :
wanted to commend Just Out for writing, and
running, the “Risky Business” article in the
Jan. 3 issue. The article is an outstanding exam
ple of excellent journalism: eye-catching,
“mind-catching,” both interesting to read and
accurate.
1 know writing such a piece can he “risky
business,” and I appreciate you taking that risk.
The article contains important information for
our community. Also, 1 appreciate you high
lighting the strong advexacy work that Cascade
AID S Project does.
Again, thanks for writing such a balanced,
nonjudgmental piece. It is helpful and support
ive of efforts to reduce HIV and ST D rates in
our community.
I
M argaret L entell , RN, FNP
Multnomah County Health Department
Sexually Transmitted Disease Program Manager
Desperately seeking...
To
the
E d it o r :
newly developed homeopathic remedy
that apparently has improved the health
status of people with HIV and AID S in Africa
will he provided free of charge to 30 Portland
participants in a study of this remedy.
People at any stage of infection who do not
drink coffee or use street drugs are eligible to
participate, whether or not they take standard
medications. Anyone interested in more infor
mation or wishing to participate should call me
at 503-253-6334.
A
D ouglas B rown , FNP, CCH
Portland
Weight a minute!
To t h e
E d it o r :
s a health care provider, I followed with
interest, and some dismay, the fervor your
publisher created a few months ago with her
remarks about her desire to become thinner and,
therefore, healthier. It amazed me that any
thinking adult could deny the obvious health
risks accompanying obesity.
In the interest of educating the G L B T pub
lic, I submit a synopsis o f a research article in
the Jan. 8 issue of the Journal o f the American
Medical Association: “Excess weight has not
received the same attention from clinicians
and policymakers as have other threats to
health such as tobacco use, hypertension or
hypercholesterolemia,” wrote Drs. JoA nn E.
Manson and Shari S. Bassuk o f Brigham and
W om ens Hospital in Boston. “It is not sur
prising that obesity rates continue to ililTlb.”
The findings show that “obesity has a profound
effect on life span,” said study author Dr. David B.
Allison and his colleagues at University of Alaba
ma in Birmingham. According to the report, obe
sity is particularly dangerous for younger adults.
Severely obese white men between 20 and 30
years old live about 1 3 fewer years than others in
the general population. Severely obese white
women can expect to live eight fewer years than
their nonohese counterparts.
Obesity also has a profound effect on the life
span of younger African Americans. Obese
black men between 20 and 30 lose about 20
years, and obese black women lose about five
years of life.
A