4 j u s t o *il • September 5. 2003
V
The big picture
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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
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