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Continued from Page 5
background as I was (finally) giving birth to
my oldest daughter. She’s a budding young
fag hag who I’m always having to remind to
leave the budding young gay boys in her
classes alone so they can come out in their
own time. Again, there are no accidents in
the universe.
Has anyone else noticed?
S herrie T aha
Portland
Equality, e h ?
To the E ditor :
fter the very public threats to us Canadi
ans over our position on Iraq and our
recent decision to relax p o t‘laws, I’m very
curious to see what new threats will be hurled
at us over our bold decision to legalize gay
marriage. It will be equally as interesting to
see what discriminatory laws the U.S. feds
will have to put in place to invalidate Cana
da’s marriage laws and the impact it will have
on the United States.
I am very proud that our government has
the guts to not leave this issue for the
Supreme Court but to tackle it head on and
push it through, regardless of veiled threats
from conservatives. This decision shows that
Canada has a true commitment to its consti
tution, which says all Canadians are equal
under the law.
Oh, Canada. We stand on guard for thee.
C olin B rownlee
Vancouver, British Columbia
Spitzer w a s n ever a hero
To
the
Silas McGowen,
Proudly serving our
community since
1989 in personal
injury claims
including;
1953-2003
• Auto & Motorcyle
Accidents
Hala Gores, P.C.
Attorney at Law
Free
Consultation
N o F e e U n le ss
You R e c o v e r
503 /
295-1940
He is survived by his partner, Scott
Philips; best friends, Frank, Curtis, Joe and
Gary; and four sisters, two in Atlanta and two
in Florida.
A celebration of life will be held 2 p.m.
Aug. 10 at 8229 S.W. 42nd Ave. Mourners
are invited to join court and community
members as they remember the joy that
McGowen brought as well as his support for
the Devotion of the Rose and Emperor XXIX
Josef A. Foxx.
Remembrances may be made to the Pride of
the Rose Scholarship Fund of Equity Founda
tion, P.O . Box 5696, Portland, OR
97228-5696.
12th Floor
621 SW M orrison
Portland
• Bicycle &
Pedestrian
Accidents
• Medical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death
• Defective Products
• Insurance Claims
You Deserve Full
Compensation for:
• Pain & Suffering
• Medical Expenses
• Lost Earnings
• Property Damage
P O R T I A N O ARRA
• Cor Rental
BUSINf-S.S SSSIH IA T IO N
Integrity,
E xperience
Results
&
E ditor :
x-gay evangelist Mike Haley, in his June 20
Just Out interview, misleadingly stated that
Robert L. Spitzer “was the hero of the gay com
munity in 1973 for fighting to get homosexuali
ty” removed from the official list of mental dis
orders (“Gay or Nay?’’). In fact, Spitzer success
fully argued, in a 1973 American Journal of Psy
chiatry paper, to retain a mental illness category
for homosexuals who were upset and wanted to
change.
Spitzer still supports some ex-gay treatments.
He did not change his mind. He was never a
“hero" to gays.
Tcxlay, charlatan therapists are still using
Spitzer’s kxtphole to bill medical insurance for
ex-gay treatments. Unfortunately, many insur
ance providers have cited these types of sham
treatments to justify not covering genuine men
tal illnesses.
Spitzer’s reply to Just Out was also mislead
ing. While I appreciate his public compassion
for homosexuals and his support for gay civil
rights, it does not excuse him for providing help
to anti-gay organizations.
Spitzer’s feeble excuse is that the media are
oversensationalizing his work. Rut Spitzer has
decades of experience with getting his press
releases widely published. Yet, his press releases
are consistently being used against gays. Either
way, he is responsible for this happening.
My essay “Psychiatry, Pedophilia and Vixxkx)’’
(www.gaytiKlay.com/penpoints/061603pp.asp)
describes how Spitzer’s latest press release is being
used against gays. Predictably, many radio and
television stations have used it to equate
pedophilia with homosexuality. It also conve
niently supported the scare tactic of anti-gay U.S.
Sen. Rick Santomm that legalizing homosexual
sodomy will cause pedophilia to become legal.
T homas K raemer
Corvallis
Injured?
...Call me
tra n s it ions
ilas Leon McGowen, also known
as Imperial Sovereign Rose Court
Prince XXVII1 Silas Battenberg, died
June 6 in Portland. He was 50.
Slightly more than a year ago,
McGowen got a new lease on life with
a kidney transplant. Unfortunately,
with his immune system shut down hy
the anti-rejection drugs, he contract
ed an aggressive lung cancer that was
advanced and fast moving, leaving no
opportunity for treatment.
1 le was crowned during investitures in
December and had just completed Spring
Rail with Princess XXXIII Miss Ariel
View when the disease was diagnosed. He
was able to complete his life journey at
home surrounded by those he loved.
McGowen was horn Jan. 17, 1953,
in Fitzgerald, Ga. He lived for many
years in Chicago, Miami and Atlanta before
moving in 1998 to Portland, where he
worked as financial controller at the Conven
tion Center Holiday Inn.
He was lauded for his landscaping and gar
dening skills as well as his abilities in the
kitchen. Friends say his creativity, energy and
passion were boundless, especially when center
ing around a just and noble cause.
McGowen also was involved in the leather
community both Kxzally and nationally. He was
a member of the Chicago Hellfire Club, a
founding member of Atlanta SM Solidarity and
national treasurer for the leather contingent at
the second March on Washington.
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avid S. McCarthy (left) and Russell J.
Eckman are proud to announce that, after
seven years together, they celebrated their
commitment in a private ceremony June 21 at
Persimmon Country Club. They would like to
D
« * j7
thank the Portland community for its support
and friendship, and they hope all their friends
understand the financial and space constraints
that kept the ceremony smaller than they
would have liked.
BARBARA SUE SEAL
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