Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2003)
4 j u s t o *il • September 5. 2003 V The big picture To t h e E d it o r : Saturday,; Sept. 6 ^ Lewis & Clark College N Drive Entrance, Palatine Hill Rd n e * V l! lo c a t i®1 11 AM-3PM memberj only: 10 11 I ü Choice bulbs, alpines, Northwest natives www berrybot org SO) 6)6-4112 / Budge!/ , ti * berry o B otanic G arden fiee fstimales • fiee Installation • 90 days same as wsh • blind a Hunter Douglas on approva/ (NÉ Serving Oregon & SW Washington C a ll N o w ! 503-590-4333 Salem 503 362-1643 - P E R S O N A L C O N C IE R G E Finally! A Personal C o n c ie rg e S e rv ic e available in Portland! Y o u r tim e is va lu a b le and w e aim to help you in cre a s e your free tim e by doing things you d o n 't have the tim e to do! • P E R S O N A L A S S IS T A N T • C O M P U TER TU TO R • W E B /G R A P H IC D E S IG N • T R A V E L P L A N N IN G S e e all o u r s e rv ic e s at: w w w .G o 4 U p d x .c o m ( 503 ) 957-9792 GQ Lord he gave me sense to teach them to love as Christ loves. I don’t know if you will put this in your pub lication. 1 hope so. Jt is tune we unite not just as gays and lesbians but as fellow believers. Christ told us to believe in him. Let all true born-again Christians who believe in the love of God take a stand. Although we understand that some people may be uncomfortable with some of the actions of SM YRC participants, many of the youth at SM YRC were upset by the criticisms. Firstly, we do not feel that anyone should feel sorry for us. The youth on the Pride float were not put on “sexual display,” as the letter stated. SM YRC youth dress how we feel most comfort able and empowered. Secondly, SM YRC youth are at a point in life where we need to make our own decisions. Tins is part of the purpose of SMYRC, to empower LG BTQ youth to make healthy deci sions for themselves. SM YRC is co-run by youth and adults, and any activities that do not follow our guidelines or that we feel are inappropriate are prohibited. We are working hard to sustain SM YRC so that all queer youth who need a safe space can find refuge at SMYRC. We do agree that youth do need to be pro tected from sexual predators. At Pride we feel very safe and supported to be who we are, and it’s empowering to us to have this freedom. ’d like to add another perspective on Matt Foremans commentary in the last issue of Just Oul (“Promise and Peril," Aug. 15J. As he states, “There’s never been a time of greater promise and greater peril for our com munity." I would add that we must see the hig picture here. This is about more than our rights. T he R ev . B onnie J ames It is about the future of our country. The Push administration will use this deci Lincoln City sion to make a useful political tool of us. Though George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove will never admit it, they love this decision because it is a great way to anger and politicize To t h e E d it o r : y family and I would like to thank Don their conservative Christian support base. Duncan of Westside Florist for his More importantly, the aftermath of the thoughtful gesture in sending floral bouquets to Lawrence decision provides a distraction from the residents of Our House of Portland on the issues the Bush administration would rather not have us talk about. We should he shouting July 16 (“Flower Power,” Aug. !]. My partner, Lee, is in the photograph just about the administrations catastrophic mishan below the article. It is certainly tme that these dling of the economy and its attacks on the residents (like most people who are institution working class. We should he drawing attention alized) are forgotten by most of the rest of us. to the administration’s efforts to undermine civil The worst part of it all for Lee is not just liberties and the ongoing attacks on reproduc R epresentatives of SMYRC’s youth tive rights. We should he asking pointed ques that health circumstances require him to live STEERING COMMITTEE, STAFF AND CASCADIA at Our House hut that the majority of the peo tions about the utter failure to stabilize Iraq and B ehavioral H ealth ca re the weapons of mass destruction lies used as evi ple who love and treasure him live near Portland Pendleton, 200 miles to the east of Portland! dence to invade Iraq in the first place. We, the LG BT community, must not let t This distance is a terrible burden for family members as well as Lee. ourselves be distracted. George W. Bush will Simple gestures of kindness and concern throw us to the wolves if it will benefit him To t h e E d it o r : such as that performed by Mr. Duncan can politically. No matter what he may say, he has was a reader of The Nation in Fehmary 2000 cause hearts to soar like an eagle, and that is no love for us. when Katha Pollitt first wrote about the case what Lee described to me on the phone the day We need to hand together to protect our of Bernard Baran. I was horrified to learn that rights and those of all Americans. We need to he received his floral bouquet. The flowers have faded, but the cup with the smiley face is he, as an openly gay teen-ager, had been target do our part to make sure Bush is not re-elected ed by the day care abuse hysteria of the ’80s and a constant reminder of one human’s gentle in 2004. was still sitting behind bars. Vowing to do what random act. I could to help him, I’ve sent some donations to Thank you as well from Lee’s Pendleton family. R( x ; er N orton his committee and have tried to get my friends We also thank the Creator for the caring and Portland interested in his case. dedicated staff and volunteers at Our House of Today Bernard Baran is still behind bars, and Portland. We know they do the best they can for their residents, including our bright young star: Pollitt wrote an update about his case in a July To t h e E d it o r : edition of The Nation. Her comment in her last “Mr. Lee!” paragraph is quite telling: “Gay groups won’t have just read an article in the Aug. 15 issue touch the case— the stigma of pedophilia is tix) M icheál L. M in jh o r n that has disturbed me and upset me greatly Pendleton great. All he has is his family and a small band (“Commissioners to Address Clackamas County of supporters." at Anri-Gay Church”]. I would like to know one thing: How can any One of the things that makes me proudest in being an Oregonian is our independence and true minister of our Lord and Savior stand up our determination tí) make up our own minds. I behind the sacred pulpit and tell people they To th e E d it o r : have to deny their sexuality in order to he a his letter is in response to the “Act Your am writing in the hopes that you would want Christian?Or to tell parents to disown their sons your readers to know about this case so that they Age” letter in the July 4 edition of Just Out. or daughters? The letter was a complaint about the repre could make up their own minds about support In my Bible in John 15:9, Christ said, “As sentation of sexual minority youth on the Sexu ing Bernard Baran in his quest for freedom. For more information about the case, please the Father hath loved me, so I hath loved you, al Minority Youth Resource Center’s Pride float. continue ye in my love." To me, this means we love each other. We Do you feel the appointm ent of the first openly preach love, not hate. When they are telling gay Episcopalian bishop, the Rev. V. Qene parents to disown their children, that is hate. That is Satanism. Robinson, m il cause a schism in the church? Why or why not? Wake up. Don’t let the blind lead the blind. My Lord called me into the ministry 11 do not feel that Gene Robinson’s sexual ori cared-for garden, can only be expected to flour years ago. He knew me before I was born. I entation will cause any problems whatso ish after a good weeding! did not come out of the closet until 1 was 54 ever. He is what 1 personally believe to be a years old. That was after hours and hours of man of God, and although there have been D a v id N e l s e n agonizing prayer. problems in the past with clergy, I do not get M ilwaukie that feeling from this man. 1 think this is Just because I came out of a straight marriage another bold move we are finally making in and accepted I was gay does not mean that 1 love my Lord any less or that he loves me any less. tmly having gay rights! * 1 am not welcome in any church that I - E arl Blum enauer, D-Ore., has used to attend. How I miss that. But I have S h a n e D is q u e Portland not preached hate against these people. I did decided to run fur re-electum, do you say people. It is people who are the church, feel Satn A dam s, Vera K atz’s former • • • not the building. chief of staff, shtnild throw his hat Parents, stand up for your children. I have a into the m ayoral race? Is Portland son who told me he was gay before I faced who don’t believe that this will cause a schism. I really was. I did not love him any less, maybe The love that most Episcopalians have for ready for an openly gay mayor? rheir church transcends the occasional discom more. It takes nerve for young people to tell (P lease see related item on Page 7.) their parents they are gay. fort of G od’s call to a life of inclusion and jus Respond at ww w .justout.com . (D on’t I have four children by birth. None of tice. Sure, there will be a number of members forget to include your tutme, city and them turned their back on me. 1 have grand and parishes that choose to bail when they daytime telephone num ber.) children and great-grandchildren. I thank my don’t get their way, but the church, like a From a distance Free Bernard Baran Seeing is believing I Age appropriate T justh.HN lil-1 n ext ITSTTTSl ¡5 & I
