* march 21.2003
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‘IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD’
TRAIN YOUR BRAIN.
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To
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Wed - Sat
P R IX MITCHELL,
E ditor :
hile I certainly appreciate your article
“Voices of Color” in the Feb. 21 edition
of Just Out, it is troubling to me just the same
that your progressive gay paper still seems to
ignore people of color who are LGBT in Port
land. I feel that the questions lacked depth and
imagination in terms of the important concerns
and interests of the African American and
African diaspora LGBT community.
The article was actually somewhat insult
ing. You not only underutilized the minds of
these brilliant and competent black gay people,
hut the article also was extremely short and
limited in scope.
Yes, the African American and African
diaspora LGBT community are small in Port
land, hut there are several issues that occur
within its confines. You could have asked ques
tions on economic empowerment and why for
LGBTs of color, particularly those of African
descent, that is not a reality.
Maybe you could have asked why still in
this city there is a lack of culturally competent
African
American/African
diaspora
HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns. Perhaps you
could have mentioned that for black men in
this stx:iety, who are more apt to he thrown in
prison than to he given a job or educational
opportunities, adding an LGBT status certainly
compounds issues such as the aforementioned
challenges.
What about asking about the role of reli
gious centers in the lives of LGBTs of African
descent? For many of us our churches, cathe
drals, mosques and life-sustaining faith in God,
Allah, the Loas, the Orishas, the Virgin Mary
and/or Jesus Christ are just as important to us
as, if not more than, whether we identify as
queer or how we “feel” about racism.
WE DESPISE RACISM IN ALL OF ITS
MIND-NUMBING FORMS!!!!! Come on,
people, do you think we like the fact we are the
descendants of people who experienced one of
the worst gencx:ides in history (slavery) fol
lowed by massive disenfranchisement to this
day, and basically suffering under the white
supremacy?
We don’t like it; you all should know that
much at least by now. I mean, my God, you ask
the same question every year! How do you feel
about racism?
Interracial relationships is yet another
issue you could have touched on. It is, in fact,
just as divisive an issue in the African Ameri
can and African diaspora LGBT community
as it is in the white LGBT community. The
attitudes surrounding it at least should have
been examined.
Going a step further, how about the fact
that for black gay men in this city it seems that
often to fit into the larger gay community we
are pushed to give up our blackness and assim
ilate? You didn’t ask questions about that,
either.
And hello, what’s up with only one lesbian
being asked to speak? I mean, were you trying
to he sexist, or were the opinions of black
LGBT females just too difficult to find? Wait, l
know: You were in such a rush to put our your
annual Black Article, you never considered
having more than one woman speak; you just
didn’t have the time.
At least you could have had two other
African American or African diaspora lesbians
and maybe even some bisexuals and transgen-
dered people interviewed to gain a full perspec
tive. They do exist.
I guess I’m just tired of the marginalization
that people of color in general are shown by
your paper. How could you even think to call
your article “Voices of O dor” when you only
the
interviewed African Americans? Latinos,
Native Americans, Asians, Arabs and East
Indian LGBT people also happen to reside in
Portland and have equally intriguing and inter
esting voices that need to he heard by Port
land’s very WHITE LGBT community.
In short, thanks for considering me and
mine in your article, hut y’all gets no luv from
me for its presentation. It was too short, the
questions asked were redundant, you under
utilized the minds of those interviewed, and
you failed to get all of the voices of color.
Also, I was more than slightly insulted that
you chose the last week of Black History
Month to release this story and then made it so
short that it seemed like you were just tokeniz-
ing us. I personally am tired of being a token
filler for someone else’s “education.”
K
yon
S a u c ie r
Portland
Thin ice
To the E ditor :
was in the middle of a planning meeting for
a size-positive event taking place May 3 in
Portland when I read Marty Davis’ shocking
editorial on obesity (“Choose Your Battles,”
March 7].
After I read it aloud, a rtxim full of amazing,
vibrant, creative, intelligent women, myself
included, sat, jaws dropped, in complete and
utter disbelief. Now, four days later, I am still
aghast.
My shock, disappointment and anger have
not faded in the slightest. Sheltering her big
otry and sizism under the protective frame of
“personal opinion,” dishing out unsound,
unproven and undereducated nutritional
philosophies in a manner that is both errantly
“matter of fact" and unbelievably condescend
ing, Marty has once again shown that her eyes
are closed to the fact that the world is not a
place of simple duality.
There are myriad plausible actions/reac-
tions, causes/effects and personal preferences
for any scenario at hand. She speaks to her
readers with the narrow assumptions that all fat
people desire weight loss, are unhealthy or are
just not doing it right.
Fitness and fatness are not always mutual
ly exclusive, and Marty would do well to
remember that. One can focus on issues of
personal health without worrying about
appearance or size.
Making disgustingly low jibes like “Run
now if you must—or if you can” is inexcusable.
We as a culture are bombarded daily with
images of an arbitrary physical ideal, are
shamed into high-priced weight loss clinics and
eating disorders, are taught to despise any devi
ation from that ideal, no matter how minor, in
our physiques.
We are taught that the unavoidable and
perfectly natural diversity of human bodies
(size, shape and color) is negative, something
to cover up or “work off." Marty’s decision to
use (or misuse) her position as editor—and
owner—of this publication to further this terri
ble mind-set is not only misguided, hut socially
irresponsible.
I agree with the goals of health and fitness,
and if weight loss is a byproduct of those
healthful activities, so he it. But if it is not, so
he it too.
I, for one, will not despise myself or my
kxly. I would rather win the “battles” of self-
love, self-acceptance and compassion than the
so-called battle of the bulge.
Health, mobility, energy and vitality are not
the rewards of only thin folk. And neither are
joy, happiness, self-esteem and love.
1 am now going to work twice as hard as I’d
planned to bring the message of size positivity
to the people of Portland and beyond. See you
in May!
S tacy B
ia s
Portland
Carry th at w eight
To the E ditor :
s you open your commentary with talks of
war and the possibility of people becom
ing numb to the issue, you end with miscon
ceptions of obesity. The commentary makes no
real connections to these issues, just your ram
bling thoughts, often confused as facts.
But there is an actual link between these
two issues. As our weight-obsessed society looks
at our bellies, will we remember to look up and
react to the war in front of us? Are we so fixat
ed on self-obsession, we forget about the world
around us?
You talk of the disease of power, and in our
stxziety money is power. The diet industry is
$40 million strong.
You talk about the disease of control. There
are few studies showing fat to he a direct link to
health concerns hut numerous studies showing
lifestyle (diet and exercise), not fat, as a con
tributing factor.
Lifestyle and obesity become intertwined
with people’s misconceptions. The fear of fat
and need for control leads to stereotypes, dis
crimination and ignorant commentaries such
as your own. Yo-yo dieting, the practice of
weight loss and gain from diet failures and suc
cesses, also has been shown to lead to health
concerns— not the stability of one’s weight, no
matter their size.
Although you may recognize the war about
to happen, you seem to forget the facts sur
rounding these issues you talk about. You’ve
become another puppet for these diseases with
your attitude that if you can do it, anyone can.
You personally attack me, telling me to go
eat a steak. Besides the fact that it was a juve
nile response to my fcxxJ choices, you ignored
my important message.
My point is I have no issues with my own
kxiy. My point is 1 am frustrated with stx:iery’s
lack of understanding and acceptance of fat
people. My point is that I am healthy and fat
and that this is possible. My point is 1 have
nothing to gain from weight loss because I
already have great energy, mobility, vitality and
health.
I have the right fuel for my kxly and mind.
Maybe with the stupid kxly wars behind us, we
can concentrate on the evolving war.
And by the way, I never referred to myself as
overweight. That only begs the question, over
what weight? I referred to myself as fat.
\
C
h elsea
L
in c o l n
Portland
Choose life
To the E ditor :
picked up your publication for the first
time the other day and was astounded to
hear the comments of Marty Davis and her
“helpful” and reprimanding advice to all the
“overweight" gay men and lesbians in the
community.
I was stunned and astonished to find such
an editorial in a publication that is pnxluced
for the purpose of creating strength and accep
tance in the community. Isn’t this what we arc
fighting against?
How far are Davis’ remarks of "She
shouldn’t say she can’t lose weight— it’s more
that she chcxwes not to” from the remarks of
people who said not long ago that gay people
1