4 Just M t * »Uly 4.2003
Metropolitan
Community
Church
of the
Gentle
Shepherd
John 10: 14-16
Rev. H arriet Barshofsky
Sunday Services:
10:30 am -6:30 pm
We are a Christ-based church.
All are welcome.
We do Baptisms and Holy Unions.
Located just minutes from
the Interstate Bridge
http://www.mccgs.org
2200 Broadway Suite F
Vancouver, W A • (3 6 0 ) 695-1480
<2,fvVo "
(n r
Experienced Hair
Care Services
(at Escapade in Hollywood)
by Appointment
V W .( V \ V M X < W y i.M ^
Safe and Confidential
Alcohol and Drug
Treatment ...
\
I
/
The Triangle Project
—
-----------------
Portland s only program designed
specifically for the GLBT community
All services are provided by
experienced GLBT counselors
If you have problems in your life related to
your alcohol or drug use, call before the
problems get bigger. We can help.
Words are powerful
To t h e
E d it o r :
read Marty Davis’ editorial “Community, Not
Conform ity" about six times (June 6]. Each
time, 1 felt more outraged at her ignorant, self-
centered confessional than the last.
Words are powerful. You managed to write
several paragraphs on the topic o f racism w ith
out any introspection of the harm it has and
continues to do to people o f color. Instead,
your m elodram atic monologue revolved
around your discomfort and fear of even talk
ing about racism.
There is nothing soft, kind or gentle about
racism. T h e country we live in has never been
kind to people of color. W hite racism has caused
slavery, lynching, segregation, police targeting
and hmtality, unjust imprisonment, silencing
and political/economic disenfranchisement of
people o f color living here.
Have you ever done anything to right these
wrongs? Participated in a protest, written a let
ter, interrupted a racist joke, cop-watched,
watched a retail employee watching a black per
son, in any way been a friend to a person of color
surviving in our racist culture?
O r are you sitting in a dark imaginary rixim,
filled with trembling white homosexuals, feeling
overwhelmed with the “R-word”? How very
unfair for anyone to make you contemplate your
own racism.
Is it really words that intim idate you,
Marty? I think maybe it’s dykes of color who
intim idate you. Perhaps your cowardly, un
examined privilege makes it difficult to look
them in the eye.
Is it really words that cause your fear and
provoke defensive reactions? Maybe it’s the
few white allies you’ve allowed yourself to
meet. It sure is hard to see people with a sim
ilar background to you acknowledging their
own racism and actually doing something
about it, isn’t it?
T h e few times I’ve read your cathartic,
worthless editorials in the past few years, you
have done such offensive things as: stated that
sliding-scale events for dykes aren’t fair to les
bians who work and look normal; said that the
Lesbian Avengers and anyone who goes topless
at the Dyke M arch are responsible for hom o
phobia; insulted dykes of size with condescend
ing remarks based on your own weight-
obsessed fad diet; dedicated an insultingly
small amount of space to black queers during
Black History M onth.
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(
s much as 1 would love to say the United
States would recognize a same-sex mamage
performed in Toronto, I think there is little to no
chance that will happen anytime sexxr. Since Arti
cle II of the Constitution (the Full Faith and Cred
it Clause) guarantees that a contract that is con
sidered legally binding in one state is honored in all
states, once (T ie state reatgnizes the marriage, all
50 states must follow. This is the impetus behind
die Christian tight wing trying to push through the
Defense of Marriage Act before Hawaii, Vermont
or California passes a law explicitly granting same-
sex couples full marriage rights. Perhaps one day
our nation will be as enlightened as Ontario, but
that’s not the planet we live on right now.
A drienne
Portland
J. D avis
• • •
W hs
S arah B arnard
Portland
On the Level
most. A n over-the-top musical encompassing all
aspects of the term “queer” represents exactly
what we are trying to create here at Level— an
all-inclusive space for people to com e together
and celebrate their personal pride while being
their outrageous selves.
For Ms. Bradshaw to say that we are
“tired” is her opinion. T o imply in print that
we are “racist," regardless o f her com edic
attem pt, is not only libelous but dangerous
and untrue.
To the E ditor :
4 ■<> \ fter The Wizard o f Oz, Level chose to
i \ screen The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
which, come on, is so tired. Actual conversation
with a friend at Level:
M e: Rocky Horror, god, how original. At
least they could have shown The Wiz or some
thing.
Friend: Yeah, that would have been gixxl.
Maybe they’re racist or something!
M e: Yes, Level is racist!
Friend: O r maybe they just don’t want to
show anything with Michael Jackson in it
because, no matter when it’s from, you always
think of how he is note.
M e: O h, yeah, they’re probably just trying to
spare us.”
Lisa Bradshaw wrote a glowing review of
what surely was the crown jewel o f Pride week
end’s tiara (“Hits and Misses,” June 20j. “Land
of O z," thrown by both Skervy and Not
A nother Q ueer N itc @ Level (Fridays at
C obalt and Sundays at Level, respectively),
saw more than 700 people com e together and
party their asses off. To see dykes, lipsticks,
trannies, fags, gym queens, hippies and alterna-
queers in the same place, having a great tim e,
truly reflects what the creators o f Skervy
and N ot A noth er Q ueer N ight set out to
do— offer an a lte rn a tiv e to th e less-
inclusive gay bars.
For Ms. Bradshaw to criticize our visuals
as “tired” is petty and trivial. “Lions and
Tigers and Q ueers, O h M y !”— th e th em e for
our Pride w eekend— is hardly a fresh and
ingenious c a tc h phrase. In fact, 1 can th ink
o f many cultural staples from the gay c o m
m unity th a t may also be co n stru ed as
“tire d .” Mommie D earest, A untie M am e,
W hat Ever H appened to Baby J a n e ? and G one
with the Wind are cam py gay classics th at
have endured and th at most queers can
relate to.
In that whimsical vein, we chose to screen
The Rocky Horror Picture Show to the delight of
B lack V enus
•J on G uidone
Not Another Queer N ile @ Level
In defense
of Sophie B. Hawkins
To t h e
E d it o r :
isa Bradshaw is either one, if not any num
ber, of the following:
• Inexperienced at attending festival co n
certs featuring live music performances by
numerous entertainers.
• Unaware that said festivals will inevitably
be challenged with delays caused by schedule
overruns, technical difficulties or even a band
member’s last-minute incontinence.
• Ignorant to what Maria said in her attempt
to explain the delay of the headliner.
• U nappreciative o f the fact th at, for the
first tim e in my knowledge o f Portland Pride,
we were finally exp eriencin g an in tern atio n
ally recognized headlining artist.
• Was distracted by oth er audience m em
bers or too busy scribbling vitriol in her note-
htxik to witness how energetically said artist
worked her ass o ff with displays o f instm m en-
tal virtuosity, provocative choreography, self-
dep recatin g hum or and h eartfelt, soulful
deliveries o f songs from her often brilliant
repertoire.
• Simply had some u n a tta in a b le irritation
with the very presence o f Ms. Hawkins.
• And/or, and this I find most reprehensible
of all, has her own definition of what diversity is,
and omnisexual isn’t recognized among the
choices.
Now, challenging opinions and negative
reviews are always w elcom e in my reading
and conversations, but m isrepresentation o f
facts, let alone blatant disrespect for any form
o f artistry and/or lifestyle, kicks me to the
core.
L
Ontario legalizes sam e-sex m arriage: A re you planning on trekking to Toronto and getting
hitched? Do you predict the United States w ill recognize the union once you cross the border?
A
Michael Paduano
You consistently lower the ethical I.Q. o f the
queer community. You are in an extremely pow
erful position as the publisher (owner) and edi
tor of Oregon’s only queer newspaper. That
power was bought, not earned.
N
o, I don’t think we will run up to C an a
da. W e got married in our own back yard
Aug. 31, 2002. 1 hope and pray the U nited
States will recognize same-sex unions soon. 1
am tired o f fighting to put my wife, Dana, on
my health insurance and for many other ben e
fits. It should not be so hard and be so wrong.
E va H o f f m a n
Mdwaukie
• • •
hy join in a failed and laughable institu
tion such as marriage? Sure, we need
equal rights and benefits under the law, but we
can attain these without having to get caught up
in the sexist, controlling and religious-based his
tory that is marriage. Abolish the religion/state-
based forms of marriage and start anew without
having any government or religion sanctify
whether two people can be together.
W
C hristina L ynch
Portland
• • •
ere’s w hat has happened in C anada:
C e lin e left. T h e U n ited S tates is hold
ing her hostage in som e sort o f R om an prison
in Las Vegas, com plete w ith dancing forest
m en, m idgets and invisible cables to allow
her to fly. A ll o f C an ad a’s gay m en have left
and im migrated to th e U n ited S ta te s to be
near her.
In an effort to get them to m ove back to
C anada, the governm ent, in an unprecedent
ed publicity stunt, actually legalized same-sex
marriage. T h e result has been a d eclin e in
C e lin e ’s atten d ance at Caesars and an influx
o f gay m en in C anada. I say, give th e C an ad i
ans back C e lin e , and give me my marriage
law.
W h y would 1 go to another country? A m I
a now a sexual refugee? 1 should be able to get
married here. I work, I pay taxes, but I ca n ’t
get married— why? Because C e lin e D ion lives
here.
H