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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2003)
KPAM slam "People need to ask themselves, 'What do I want my life to be like 20 years from now?' They need to set a goal. They need to determine how to gel there. They need to talk to those who can help them get there." — Bill Findlay To the E ditor : his is a letter l wrote to KPAM-AM’s Victor Boc, who was slamming Kay marriaKe: Historically, marriage has been used as a contractual commitment regarding a joining of families and property or monetary acquisi tion— and hopefully the parties involved would either love each other or grow to love each other. Heterosexual marriage through the years has declined to he virtually a flight of fancy, rarely lasting because of the lack of self- knowledge prior to the marriage, baggage car ried into it and lack of true commitment— and often a lack of spirituality, whatever the belief. In contrast, within the sexual minorities community, the average couples who tmly l U S t hW If lib I Whkh M gay or lesb ian leader — locally, nationally, globally or som eone of person al prom inence to you— h as h ad an im pact on your life? B William S. Findlay Unique and expert advice for your insurance and business needs C L U ,C h F C In su ra n c e an d B u sin ess C on su ltan t Phone: 5 0 3 . 2 9 9 . 9 9 3 8 w illiam _rindlay@ com ca 8 t.n et OK lin-nM' B L ISS ' The Finest Collision Repair. • Collision Repair Problems Solved — ¿ / AUTOBODY 503 232'3600 ' 2454 E. Burnside • Portland, O R 9 7 214 www.fergusonauto.com Family Owned & Operated Since 1952 • • • • Wheel Alignment Tires Oil Changes Break'in Repairs ack in 1995,1 had been out just over a year. I had already been politically active and for a political science class in college decided to interview the five openly lesbian, gay and bisex ual elected officials in the state Legislature at the time. 1 wanted their perspective on being out and what it meant to each of them as lawmakers. Those interviews were incredibly meaningful to me in shaping my early political aspirations and activities. O n a statewide level, no one has had more o f an impact than Basic Rights Oregon’s executive director, Roey Thorpe. Her clever, measured responses as well as her political and media savvy have brought G L B T equali ty and visibility in Oregon back to the com mon denom inator o f basic fairness and humanity. O n a national level, I have always been and will always be impressed by Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign. She has an amazing clarity of mes sage and is able to create a dialogue with law makers that we need to win with on both sides o f the aisle. I will always be proud to be an Oregonian and an American because these leaders truly live out the meaning of “liberty and justice for ALL.” To the E ditor : Des Moines, Iowa N o one stands out. In the “Me” G enera tion people do what they do to get some kind of recognition. Until our “family” can at least be inclusive of all our factions as well as straights, we are just reflecting how straight society treats us. B’Zillion $$$ Producer W es D. B evans Scappoose OFFICE (503) 281-4040 v o ic e m ail (503) 301-4283 e - mail Jew e l2 U @ tele port com waaamzmgz V isit me now at: http://www.jewelrobinson.com ©H 1730 N.E. 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97212 Prudential *» ft....-, , . n o m tw tn r i upern e i H arriet C arpenter Beaverton Buyer beware CM H all • • • Je w e l A . Robinson wish to marry are doing so with the intent of remaining committed. Those who actually make the effort of unions are caring enough to put a sacredness of marriage before the casual ness found in so many heterosexual marriages. How does a gay marriage affect anyone else? Simple. It doesn’t. A sacred act between people and their divine doesn’t keep hetero sexuals from marrying or make any statements about anyone else. It doesn’t interfere with another’s religious practices. It doesn’t con done nor promote any sexual behavior for someone else to follow. The myth that this community wishes to recruit and espouse behavior patterns and has little if no morals is absolutely ludicrous and does more harm to the straight community hy focusing drastically on sex— in a s<Kiety that needs less attention in that area— and on a fear-based insecurity of “what if ‘X ’ person hits on me? What will others think? Will they think I’m that?” Who cares?! Just be happy people are recognizing your light, for it is a reflection of their own. In a society with which we wish success, a base should be built upon love, lifting one another up and supporting each other so we all may shine. To tell people they can’t do something (barring phys ical hann) because it isn’t right for yourself is pure arrogance— as if anyone is superior to anyone else. We are all divine manifestations and need to start acting like it— treating each other with the love and respect that we want from others. I ask you, Mr. Boc, to please put yourself in your gay neighbor’s shoes and love your neigh bor as yourself! Society will continue as it has. Gay marriage can’t tear away a woman or man’s desire to have kids, for it is irrelevant to the desire of parent hood. Gay marriage will not instruct children how they should live or behave— that is a parental job regardless of the relationship. Gay marriage would, yes, give positive and negative equal rights to the community, which would promote a stronger sense of morals among a society that overall has lost much of them. If you wish to uphold the sacredness of marriage, then help encourage the commit ment, communication, love and tmst that keep a relationship strong and long rather than demeaning that relationship by focusing solely on the sexual aspect of it. appointment of the first openly gay Episcopalian bishop, the Rev. V. Qene Robinson, will cause a schism in the church ? Why or why not 7 (P lease see related item on Page 2 1 .) Respond at www.iustout.com. (Don't forget to include your nam e, city and daytime telephone number.) want to let the community know about an experience I had by phone with the manager of Piccolo Mondo in Portland. The restaurant is a sponsor of the Victor Boc radio show on KPAM-AM. A s those who caught his show Aug. 1 already know, Mr. Boc dedicated his show to attacking gay marriage as well as demeaning and defaming gay people. The key points he reiterated over and over were that gay marriage would weaken marriage, lower the birthrate, demean motherhood and increase pedophilia. His tirade was no different from the anti- Semitic propaganda of the Nazi party, except for the object o f the attack. Knowing that reason and facts would he irrel evant, 1 chose not to call in. Instead, I decided to call Piccolo Mondo and speak to the manager. When 1 told her that I was distressed that her restaurant was sponsoring this kind of hate radio, and that I could not patronize a place that sup ported these views, she responded by calling me intolerant and then hanging up on me. Clearly, she is not interested in my business, and I will not reciprocate. I hope others will I
