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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2004)
4 J U S t O U t • april 2 . 2004 r r m i o u t absolutely fantastic, the service was excellent, and the ambiance was both elegant and homey. The experience was truly one that fit the occasion. : To the E ditor : To the E ditor : Our waiter, Lon, was especially wonderful. his is a copy o f a letter 1 sent to The t seems that Portland has been thrust into the At one point during dinner he came hy to chat Oregonian: firestorm, not hy an angry angel seeking jus for a minute, and we intrtxluced ourselves. Lit I receive the daily and Sunday papers. After tice or even a malevolent devil, hut hy Christian tle did we know that his goal was to find out our right homophobes and their agendas. All of reading your story asking for the recall of the names. At the end of our meal, he brought us a Multnomah County commissioners because of , their uproar and indignation is very perplexing beautiful (and delicious) candlelit dessert with the same-sex marriage issue, I have decided to as I attempt to understand why anyone would he “Congratulations, Anne and Tamara” written end my subscription to your paper. so opposed to the life partner another chooses— in chocolate syrup around the edge of the plate. As a gay man who just received a marriage especially if you aren’t a close friend or family license, I will not spend my money on a news We had never been to the Chameleon member. before, hut we will definitely go back. Our din Complete strangers are upset at whom com paper that puts me in a category that is less than ing experience nourished us in both Ixxly and plete strangers choose to marry. O f course, their someone else. Please send my final hill to me and STO P sending the paper. Thank you. soul. Thank you, Chameleon staff and guests, argument is that same-sex marriage somehow for embracing us as though we were dear friends. undermines opposite-sex marriage. That one K elly O’S haughnessy just doesn’t stick with me. How my marriage T amara O lcott Portland affects anyone other than whom 1 am married Portland to (and perhaps our immediate families) leaves me scratching my head every time 1 hear it. When that argument fails, out comes the To the E ditor : Bible and the timeworn verses hateful people am a volunteer with Love Makes a Family, TO THE EDITOR: love to spew. They forgo the loving verses and and I had the honor of serving coffee, treats chcxise (or reinterpret) the verses that “support” t’s March 13, and we have scheduled a I p.m. and flowers to many couples getting their mar wedding at Metropolitan Community their argument that homosexuals are a scourge riage licenses on those first few exciting days in Church of Portland. It’s 12:15, we are in Beaver on society and cause perfectly normal straight people to divorce for no apparent reason! Portland. The weather wasn’t the best, hut ton and realize it would he nice to have some everyone’s spirits were so high, and the positive I am finding that there is just no reasoning flowers for Cynthia to carry. with those who have nothing hut hate in their energy and sense of “community” was so strong. We stop into the Enchanted Florist at hearts— so I stopped going that route. But 1 will On March 5 I spent almost four hours at the 6155 S.W. Murray Blvd. and start Itxiking do this: On behalf of the board of Pride North busy intersection of Southeast Hawthorne around. The owner approaches Dawn and says, west, I wish to shout out a rousing TH A NK Boulevard and Grand Avenue with a large rain “So, you’re going to do it?!” Dawn tells her that YOU! to the four Multnomah County commis bow pride flag. Vehicles constantly slowed down we are and that Cynthia needs something to sioners who have put everything on the line for to honk their horns, give us thumbs tip and carry down the aisle. me and everyone like me. We appreciate the shout, “Ya-HOOOO!” Straight ally families The owner grabs a large packed rose bouquet courage it must have taken to follow the path of stopped traffic because their children wanted to from a vase, takes them into the hack, wraps inclusion and equality. As this storm rages on, them with a ribbon and creates a beautiful bou give us treats and friendship bracelets. know that Pride Northwest, the people of Mult quet of pink and red roses. She also creates a I just can’t begin to express how incredibly nomah County and those watching in other boutonniere for Dawn while we wait. When all uplifting and encouraging this experience has cities, counties and states, even around the is done, she announces that she doesn’t want been. I have personally witnessed how Kith the world, applaud you and are behind you. We will gay and straight communities have come togeth any reimbursement—she’s just happy for us! all ensure that it is not in vain. We wanted the community to know that the er to show support for the couples getting their The time had long passed that this fight was ’ licenses and for the marriages that happened Enchanted Florist in Beaverton supports us and due, hut you brave women stepped up to the ask that you consider her business when you right there in front of the Multnomah Building. plate, and now it is time to reconcile what true 1 haven’t cried that many tears of joy in my have floral needs. She was incredibly gracious diversity and citizenship mean in this country. and supportive, and we thank her for helping entire life, hut then I always cry at weddings. We can’t continue to call ourselves the land of My message is to N O T let the negative mes make our special day even more beautiful! the free and the home of the brave otherwise. sages against us bring you down or tear our com C ynthia K ulow munity apart. We need to stick together as the T obin B ritton D awn H utt “family” we are, and we must remember there Pride Northwest President Beaverton really are a LOT of people out there supporting and nxiting for us. Congratulations everyone, j ! and best wishes to live “happily ever after” ! The perfect storm Ju st say no to The O I Cheveu» Safan t Wlery ISIS MW 23rd Avenue. Portkxl. OR 9 72» 503/248-4747123—Karry Bnnrael U n it, araMf, A m l Udy ca t Thtnfay l Fndoy » i n - 8 pm Soturdoy by apoomkMnt Never tear us apart 1 instead! 503 752 3692 www.9randstyie.biz Ot c<b I 5 %S %6 i mam furniture The compassion off the Christians □ □ When one o f a kind is important... 503 481-1323 - JifnO ailinoiniac.com http://homepage.mac com/jimdailing/ Flower power I Piece off cake K urt K oester To the E ditor : To Portland I Fantastic ffeast A the E ditor : am ashamed of the Christian Coalition of Oregon for being the primary organizers o f the recall of the Multnomah County commissioners. The coalition is upset because this change was done behind closed d(x>rs, and it feels moral ly against this issue. The actions of our county commissioners did nothing to affect the lives of these people in any way, shape or form. This is no reason to recall any of our commissioners. If the coalition is unhappy with the perform ance of our commissioners, then it should find its own viable candidate to nin against them in the next election. Not to mention spending $300,000 or more on a special recall election— what a waste of my (our) tax dollars. Coalition members should focus their collec tive efforts on trying to solve the really important issues facing our community— i.e., the growing number of people going hungry in Oregon, the homeless problem in Portland, cxir rising crime rate, the plight of our seniors and disabled people who are going without due to Oregon’s budget crisis, people living with AIDS or HIV, to name a few. Where is their compassion and sensibility? D avid W. H artsook Portland To the E ditor : M y partner and 1 got married last month, and laughed and cried and marveled as we felt the impact of the experience. I’ve been describ ing it to everyone 1 know. In this letter, however, I’d like to talk about Chameleon Restaurant and how its staff and customers generously and delightfully helped us mark the occasion. To celebrate the day of our marriage, we want ed to go out to a special restaurant. We decided to try the Chameleon upon the recommendation of gcxxl friends. They had told us the food was excel lent, hut little did we expect that our dining expe rience would turn out to he magical. The staff and customers at the Chameleon made our dinner into an event to remember. When we sat down we were greeted hy our wait er asking, “How are you.7” and we responded with, “We just got married!” For the next 2 1/2 hours we found ourselves surrounded hy friendly people congratulating us and celebrating with us. One couple came up to us to offer their warm wishes, another bought us a round of drinks, and a third offered to buy us dessert. Everything was perfect— the food was s many o f us rush out to get married while we can, let us remember to take our wedding-related business to individuals who have supported us over the years, regard less of our legal Status. Case in point: 1 just learned of dear friends who are getting mar ried and ordered a cake from one o f Portland’s well-known bakeries— one that has repeated ly denied requests for donations for “A Class A ct,” the annual springtime benefit for the Bill & Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of Equity Foundation. Three bakeries have donated thousands of dollars’ worth of world-class pastries to us over the decade we have been prcxlucing this benefit. They are, in alphabetical order, Holiday Essence Quality Cake Shop, Joseph’s Dessert Gimpany and Piece of Cake. These businesses are either gay-owned or have strong ties to (xir community. I can honestly say that I have made countless A N D REPEATED phone calls to every other bakery in town to donate to us, and they have, just as repeatedly, turned us down. So, please, everyone— let us eat wedding cake, but let us eat one that has been made by hands that have been supporting us for years. S usie S hepherd Portland
