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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2004)
march 5. 2004 » , SfMSout Continued from Page 5 Today a barrier to true justice has been removed. A barrier removed tor one person is a barrier removed for us all.” L inda J. B lomberg La Grande Pursue To the E ditor : hinking l had escaped the caudillismo and the dictatorships of Latin Am erica, I woke up to the news that un-President Bush has begun a campaign to amend the C on sti tution in defense of the mythic and founda tional heterosexual union. In the past, amendments to the Constitution have served to broaden human rights and help the dis enfranchised. This call to arms against queer Americans will instead infringe upon the human rights of our friends, our loved ones and our families. With the auspices o f this administration, the terror of civil injustice will he institutionalized yet again. I urge your readers to contact our local and national candidates and Congress to halt this process. Instead of highlighting queer unions, the coming elections should he about the state of the union, including the war, the economy, health coverage, Social Security and education. I hope we are discerning enough to know that the call to arms against queers is a ploy to dis tract voters from the issues of the day and to empower the already homophobic perverse right and its minion of voters. At this juncture in our history, resurrect ing the Declaration of Independence seems critical as we begin to think about changing our governing principles: “T hat whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness], it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new govern ment, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” O scar F ernandez Portland No limits on love To the E ditor : N o-talent pop princess Britney Spears recently celebrated her “out-of-control joke” wedding for about 48 hours before having it simply annulled. And yet I, as a gay man, can not share in the basic rights of celebrating my love with my partner. Marriage is about two people in love. I should have the equal right to celebrate my commitment to my partner. If President Bush want to steal this right away from me with a constitutional amend ment, then they should add that anyone who is gay or lesbian never has to pay taxes again. With his efforts to treat me differently just because of who I am meant to he with, he is proving again he is not a president for all Americans. I am a proud, respectful, taxpaying gay man. I am going to work with all my energy to have the same basic rights as anyone else. For those who claim marriage should he legally defined as being between a man and a woman, I would like them to first define what love is. If anyone can convince me that what I feel for my soul mate is not love, then I will gladly give up my efforts to share the same basic rights that many straight married cou ples titke for granted. But since that is impos sible, with as much passion as I hold in my devotion to the one who holds my heart, I will work with all my energy to ensure I am allowed the same rights and benefits as a “straight” married couple. Because I am so vocal about what I believe, I have been told I am shoving my beliefs onto people. I apologize to those who cannot understand that all I am seeking is to he treat ed with the same human respect as anyone else who has the courage and faith to love. How can wanting to commit your life to someone he a sin? Being gay is not a lifestyle. A lifestyle is something you can change or alter, like your religious beliefs or being narrow-minded. Just like my black or Asian friends, I was horn gay. I do not love my partner because of our sex life; that is no one’s business. I am faithful to my partner because his heart blends with mine. Our experiences have created a bond that is unbreakable. We should move away from the term “same- sex marriage,” because it is not about sex. A same-gender marriage is about finding that per son with whom you see the future and you share the truth with. If I am to he judged, he it not for who I love hut for my lack of effort in not protecting my own basic human rights and the rights for all that G od created. I have great pity for those who use their energy in exploring ways to place limits on the meaning of love, instead of using their own passions to celebrate and acknowledge that love is alive. R ic B errong Portland Aii ounce off prevention To the E ditor : R egarding a piece in the Feb. 20 issue of Just Out, “L.A. Officials Ordered to Regulate Bathhouses,” I wanted to make a clarification. Once again, I feel as though I have been misrepresented. I stand behind my quote, and as I leave my position here at Cascade A ID S Project, I can feel free to say that prevention in Portland has hit a low point. Not entirely due to C A P ’s efforts, hut also due to a general apathy and lack of interest on the part of the community. I resigned my position because I will soon get my real estate license, and not in any way due to the “brouhaha” around the Just Out articles. I wanted to make that clear, as I feel that the way it was mentioned in the Just Out article indirectly linked my leaving to the bathhouse issue. I believe that, in my almost three years at CAP, they (and Thomas Bruner) have been scapegoats for a lot of issues around HIV in Portland. The outreach and prevention department can only do as good a job as the community allows it to— and right now, the community is so far removed from healthy sexual norms that 1 find it very difficult to continue to work in HIV prevention. I wish C A P the best in the future, hut this time as your average gay Portland joe. Thanks. P hilip K nowlton Beaverton The 15th Annual G LA A D Media Awa and the First /** Favorite O U T Image Aw anf*" PRESENTED BY s » e i-ra Club , 1i5ïS« COÄ c t SïïSffls* Vote for your favorite out image of 2003! And register to win the LA Awards ceremony Saturday March 27th. B i g 1* 1* Los Angeles - Saturday, Mardi 27th New York - Monday, April I 2th San Francisco - Saturday June 5th When you buy or sell a home with me, you'll know your dollars are helping support a greater cause. I contribute at least 10% of my earnings to community and environmental organizations. ^ Millynn Jam es 'W f ® * ' •d w A gtfV /A ,'/': Broker. Graduate Realtor Institute ABR: Accredited Buyer's Representative 1 0 3 .3 3 0 .H O M E (4 6 6 3 ) 1. 8 0 0 . 8 2 5 . 9 9 4 8 RI 7 MA< equity group w w w .m i l l y n n .c o r n Email: millynn(ii>aol.conn ,t tup to
