Just out., May 02, 2003, Page 17, Image 17

may ? P O M .
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M ilk in M y C offee
U N IQ U E J
One man's attempt to demonstrate the diversity of love
by A n th o n y D a v is
hen people hear
the word "misce­
genation,”
they
often confuse it
with “misogyny,”
the hatred of women. "Miscegena­
tion,” a dastardly term used through­
out the United States for hundreds of
years, as defined by Webster’s Revised
Unabridged Dictionary, means “a mix­
ing of races; amalgamation, as by
intermarriage of black and white.”
The word rarely is applied to gay
couples, but it happens: black with
Irish, white with Asian, Hispanic
with Muslim, etc. This, too, is a mix­
ing of races, cultures and taboos.
PORTLAND
OftB&OU
—
Vmd
Th
he
Beyond Borden
Qu in e lla
Fairly Traded handcrafh and Organic (offer
G ay M en M ixing in the Kettle o f Love
is a book project under development
by Larry Cross. His aim is to celebrate
the diversity of love, cultures and
life— men coming together through
the attraction of their souls and not
their skin tone. Cross, a white man
who had a long-term relationship with
a black man, is clear to explain that
miscegenation covers more than the
stereotypical black/white scenario, as
most people assume.
“Miscegenation goes far beyond
black and white, he says. My proj- Larry Cross is developing a
ect is not black and white. That book about interracial
would be easy to do; I could do that relationships among gay men;
here in Portland. I want to do the ¡„set, Kerrigan Black
universality of love as I perceive it—
people getting together ideally because they
Cross’ own process of self-discovery and spiri-
love each other.”
tual development has made him more aware of
Cross is a perfect example of that ideal. His
the challenges of living and loving for men of
journey began in Clarion, Iowa, a far cry from a
color.
land rich in artistic and racial diversity.
“My partner and I were black and white,” he
His father was a vocal teacher, which exposed says. “Somewhere rooted in all this it’s important
him to a variety of music, including gospel, which to me because it’s such a racist society. And I’m
he immediately fell in love with. “Spirituals were trying to figure out my role in that. I don’t think
always a part of my life,” he proclaims.
you can live in this country without having
After high school Cross attended Universi- some tinge of racism. It’s very difficult, and I
ty of Iowa. He then pursued a master’s degree in don’t like it. But I do believe we are all G od’s
library science at University of Oregon and children. Society would be so much better if we
ended up in the Bay Area, where he lived for acted upon what I learned in Sunday school and
30 years, 16 with his now-deceased partner, fourth grade: G od is love, do unto others as oth-
Kerrigan Black.
ers do unto you, love thy neighbor as thyself.”
With his love for African culture, art and
This is part of the main objective of the
men, it’s pretty easy from the outside to assume project: to bear witness to the quantity and
he is just another “dinge queen” (white men quality of mixed gay male couples and to pro-
who are into black men exclusively, only for sex mote universal love. He hopes to have the
and control), and the question has to be asked:
book finished in about a year.
Just why was he attracted to men of color?
Cross also owns Heebie Jeebie Music, which
"Well, my tastes have always been quite produces educational audiovisual material
Catholic,” Cross states. “I started with an Eng- about African American history and music,
lishman, an Irishman, a Filipino, and about Recently while suffering from AIDS, he didn’t
1976, for whatever reason, the gods sent me to believe he would be around much longer to
black men. There are those who are attracted
complete his life’s work,
to black men because they view them as
“This last year when I thought I was going to
objects. They cannot have them any more die and I didn’t, I thought what is my purpose in
intelligent than themselves. All the black men life now? What am I suppose to be doing?” he
I’ve been associated with have been far more questions. “I think my real purpose is to help
encourage young people to read and hopefully
intellectual than me.”
improve the world in some way— make people
more understanding of one another.” JH
gested
R eading
7780-B $W Capitol Hwy.
In Multnomah Village
$ 03.2441752
OPEM TUESDAY 5UM0AI
Beyond Borden, tfie cra/h marketing dimion
of Tiie Paradete Sodety International, toe.,
ii a member of ttie fair Trade Federation
Keaitif ¿ mí StuH
G n o s t a lg L c . f t o u e t t i i m
o f &omf<yrtoJbl& k o n o e f u m i s k i n g s
& o c e e s s o r i& s
NÛTIVS LÛNDSCOPING ^
PLONTS R ST U R N IN CtPRI
,M -y. ...J fa M ;:
G ard en
. cut j
Rogers
• Interracial Intimacies by R andall Kennedy
• Last Niffa on Earth by Bill T. Jones and
Peggy GiUeapk
ne,, «in tic ju e s, ¿v h o m e d e c o
fro m M o r o e .o o
Le Mettour Gallery
%
•
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~ O'
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looking for biracial couples to
submit their pictures and stories for his project.
For more information call 503-232-5623 or
e-mail cross@heebiejeebiemusic com.
LARRY C r o s s is
Race (Volumes 1 , II, UJ) by J.A .
' 11
ANTHONY D a v is is
a Portland free-lance writer.
M ai 2-31
Francis Dimacali
Julie kcaton-Kccfl
'
Opening Reception Mn\ 2. 7pm
e c l
-
<
The only museum where you
get to take the treasures home.
7814 SW C apitol Hwy. Portland • 503/246-3631
WÊÊtÊÊÊBÊttÊKÊÊtKÊÊÊÊtÊtÊÊtÊÊIÊBÊKÊINÊ
17