r »'in ni; ivi 4-1 mews
may 16.2003»
Designer Rocks
T hink G lobally ,
A c t L ocally
Any Image etched in stone
We produce high quality laser
Photograph images on granite tiles
The war might be over, but three Northeast Portland lesbians
are ensuring that the peace protests persist by Patricia L. MacAodha
L
uring the past
few months,
l\ ’$iijncr Rocks
he war has hit close to home for Marty
Hoy, whose 19-year-old son, Edward,
recently was shipped out with his National
Guard unit. Although the major fighting has
ended, the dangers are still significant: T he 180
days he has to serve before coming home are
more than enough time for this mothers only
son to encounter harm.
"He and I are both against this war,” Hoy says.
“He signed up to defend this country after 9/11, not
to attack other countries without provocation."
Hoy has always been opposed to war. “1 start
ed working for peace when 1 was in high school
by protesting the Vietnam War and getting
involved in community organizations,” she says.
Hoy and her partner, Lyn Synclair, attend as
many of the Northeast rallies as they can. " I’m
getting to know more of my neighbors better,”
Hoy says, "and they are a great group of people.”
Sh e believes this brand o f neighborhood
activism becomes "a more focused group when
we get acquainted with one another personally.”
Synclair’s strong opposition to war comes
partially from being raised by an enlisted parent.
"I was raised on military bases during the V iet
nam War,” she says. Her father retired when
Synclair was 10 and moved his family to
Eugene, where “1 was active in protests around
T
360 - 699-1810
503 . 335.7173
I large peace
d e m o n s tr a
tions
have
drawn thousands of people
downtown to protest the
war on Iraq.
A smaller and subtler
approach is taking place
every Sunday afternoon in
the Hollywood District.
Each week, a recently
formed group called North
east Neighbors for Peace
rallies on the corner o f
Northeast Sandy Boulevard
and 42nd Avenue, display
ing signs that demand an
end to U.S. military pres
ence in the Mideast.
Standing on both sides
o f the street from 4 to
5 p.m., protesters talk qui
etly with each other and
flash peace signs to drivers.
Some of them chant and M arty Hoy (left) and Lyn Synclair (kneeling) take a stand for
dnim, hut generally it is a peace every Sunday afternoon in the Hollywood D istrict
sedate rally.
Response to the demon
migrant workers, the amnesty of 1983 and
strators has been consistent
addressing South African apartheid.”
ly positive in this progres
Synclair enjoys both large and small protests
sive neighborhood. Most people honk, smile and
hut finds comfort in the neighborhood group
wave in solidarity. There are more thumbs up than
because “we live close together and we live on
thumbs down, and some passersby actually have
walking-friendly streets. I know my neighbors.
stopped and joined the picket line.
We care about the livability of our community.
Three o f the regular participants in this group
That entails caring for the connections we have
are members of the Portland lesbian community.
with each other.” She adds, “It’s not a great intel
They live in the neighborhood and have been
lectual leap to see that from a global perspective.”
participating in the larger marches, but there is
Frodo Okulam has lived in the Hollywood
something different about this weekly picket that
District for more than 20 years. She, text began
draws its participants together, something that
working for peace as a high school student.
creates a stronger bond between these lesbians
“It is a long-term commitment,” she says. “1
and their largely heterosexual fellow activists.
have been marching against wars since the Viet
nam moratoriums in the ’60s.”
Okulam has attended almost every one of
the large demonstrations, connecting with the
Northeast Portland group a few weeks ago. She
echoes Hoy and Synclair’s sentiments about the
friendly nature of the area.
“We introduce ourselves to one another and
become real neighbors in the prtxess. As we con
nect with each other on a personal level and
come together for peace work, we create net
works of support that bring about community
building, one of the building blocks toward a
peaceful society. Caring about your neighbor,” she
emphasizes, “is the opposite of war and terrorism.”
Okulam sees the connection between her
peace activism and her sexual orientation. “All the
justices are related. It’s not justice over here and
peace over there, and that’s one thing we learned
in the gay and lesbian rights arena. We made coali
tions with other people and learned that the same
global interests oppress all of us. When you’re fight
ing for justice in one area,” she adds, “it’s related to
seeking justice in other areas." JT1
P atricia L. M ac A odha is a Portland free-lance
writer. E-m ail her at patm ac3l@ jttn o.com .
Lesbian Owned & Operated
Vancouver, WA.
J
i
Unique Gifts
Special Occasion
Custom Entry Ways
Mantel Designs
Award Plaques
Memorial Markers
Create Vour Own
Vision In Granite
A BALANCED
approach to fitness
A unique strength training program. Orientaton and training from
certified professional fitness trainers.
9 I HOUR CLASSES PER SERIES
l 5 8 minute warm-up using Yoga poses to
increase blood flow, joint flexibility and a
range of motion
40-45 minute strength training using
BALANCE resistance tubing (shown at left)
5-8 minutes coot-down using Yoga poses
once again to stretch, balance and energize
INFORM ATION & REG ISTRATIO N
503.481.3902oi 503.607.0018
For course schedules onci online registration
www.BALANCEtotalfitness.com
When an ordinary
Realtor simply
won’t do...
3144 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97214
office: 503-238-7617
4 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
West Linn
BOOYWORK Concepts. 5662 A Hood S t
Northwest Portland
friendly House Com m . Center. 26th & NW Thurman
Northeast Portland - 2 locations!
Cascade Yoga Center, 4415 Sandy. Suite 200
Tri-Level Fitness Studio. 4815 N t Fremont
Beaverton - Com ing soon!
BALANCE
15