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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2003)
jun>20. 2003» and elementary schools. A school counselor could force someone toward heterosexual actions, as defined by the larger society, or a heterosexual normativity. 1 think that is what often happens, and that’s just bad therapy. Let the high schooler, the teen or the adult In his new book, Love be who God created Welcomes All keynote them to be and to speaker Brett Webb- provide an atm os Mitchell contends that the church in its entirety phere in which they are now free to embcxlies education explore that in a loving, caring, compassionate environment. T K : One of the Love Won Out presenters, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, recently released a book titled A Parent’s Quide to Preventing Homo sexuality. In it, he suggests that homosexuality is a gender identity disorder caused by envi ronments or events that lead a child to reject a stereotypical male or female role. He says this can arise out of even a lack of hand-eye coor dination in sports. MH: Its not like going out and throwing a ftx>thall is going to make you straight. But what he’s saying is that the reality of our stx:iety tixlay is if you’re an unaxtrdinated child, you’re going to be ridiculed and you’re probably not going to fit into the sports world, which society has set up to be masculine. I think our society needs to look at what is truly masculine and what is truly feminine. knowledge and respond or vote accordingly. H IP Queer-affirming Zion United Church of Christ local grassroots response called Love Welcomes BWM: The problematic word there is “truly,” and again it’s a boxing in of Gtxl and of God’s cre ated order. We write histories of how or what it means to be a man or male or masculine, or what it means to be a woman or female or feminist or womanist and how all of these change and are changing and therefore are so malleable. There are all different kinds of ways of being a man. There are all different kinds of ways of being a woman. T K : What do you hope Love Welcomes All can accomplish? BW M : To be a voice and be a visible witness to G od’s inclusive, all-embracing, unfathom able, unconditional love. And in so doing repre sent the many that are still in hiding out of fear, out of the knowledge of hatred, out of the sense of destruction, harassment and discrimination. We can name— that’s one of the most powerful gestures that we can perform. Name the hurt and also name the hope. When it comes to diversity of the church, we live our lives by what Christ held up as the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord, your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. The folks with Love Welcomes All are truly about the Gospel and inclusiveness and diversity. That’s a radically hopeful message and a radi cal hospitality in a world in which such hopefulness is a rare commodi ty and is rarely found. jH The free, queer-affirming L ove WELCOMES A ll conference will he held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 21 in Gresham will be the site of the at Zion United Church of Christ, All 2025 N .E . 23rd Ave. in Gresham. For details call 503-813-2049 or visit www.lovewelcomesall.org. T K : How has Love Won Out The ana-gay L o v e WON OUT affected public policy? Brett Webb-Mitchell conference will be held from 8 a.m. to MH: We’ve given people the ability to go in and combat gay agendas in 5 p.m. June 21 at New Hope Community Church, schcxils. People have gone into schcxil districts 11731 S.E. Stevens Road in Clackamas. For details call 800-232-6459 or visit www.lovewonout.com. and, through the information that they’ve gained at the conference, been able to fight stuff that Features Editor TIMOTHY KRAUSE can be reached they thought was inappropriate in their school. at tim@justout.com. People can go forward from a base of accurate Retail Nursery-?- Landscape Services <oi iu »( itt - p Gardening Workshops: Sunday G ardening W orkshops W h ne 'MiAMiplg'? June 22, 1pm > “Edible Ornamentals: Plants for Both Taste and Beauty” Join Vem Nelson, Garden Writer for the Oregonian W hat are w ays w e can c o m e to g e th e r? June 29, 1pm • “Extraordinary Vines: Unusual Climbers for Sun and Shade" Join Paul Bonine from Viva Plants Now is the time to express your views! |jx>k for the survey in this issue of Just Out, till it out and mail it in. Or till it out online at: WWW. outwithit2003 .com A For Information Call: 503 / 543-7474 Open daily 8am-5pm 20300 NE Watson Rd Scappoose, OR 97056 We want to hear from you! nl' ilw LtiKTXj Omimimii» Onur Fund N a t io n a l C atalogue Sales ~ w s s w . j o v c r e e k . c o m
