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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2004)
A re you tired of talking ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEMS? we continue the hard work we’ve done this past year, then we’ll eventually have equal rights.” J oe Dressman works in public relations for Multnomah County as his day job, so it was a natural fit to have him take on the media rela tions position on the Pride hoard, in addition to his duties as treasurer and chief organizer of the Family Fun Tent. He says he got involved to “do my fair share of the work— and there’s a whole lot of it. I wanted to reach out to new audiences, includ ing the growing number of G LB T Q families in the Portland area, and encourage more political and economic awareness.” Queers have many reasons to celebrate this year, and Dressman encourages everyone to participate. “Because of everything that’s happened over the past year and all the atten tion the G LB TQ commu nity has received in the media and the courts, there will be a heightened sense of excitement and pride,” he says. “We need to take the time to celebrate our victories, rally around our supporters and plan for the future. We’ve made incredible leaps forward since the Stonewall rebellion of 1969, but we need to stay politically and economically aware and active or we’ll lose the ground we’ve gained.” Dressman notes other major highlights of this year’s event: having the Lofton-Croteau family as grand marshal of the parade, honoring the folks at Basic Rights Oregon with a Spirit of Pride Award and recognizing the four Multno mah County commissioners “who made the dream of marriage for same-sex couples a reality” with a special Champions of Pride Award. Alliance of the Deaf, and it was through her work as an American Sign Language instructor that she met former Pride president Jack Kee gan, who encouraged her to join the board. She jumped at the opportunity. “1 really want the deaf community to feel welcome being involved with volunteering, committees, as speakers and so on,” she says. “1 would like to show the larger community that deaf people can do it.” Her key job is to make sure the festival runs smoothly, and she insists this year’s event will includy “a wonderful variety of speakers and booths.. .and so much diversity.” One of the more personally important to Duckworth is the fact that Portland Pride 2004 will feature its first-ever deaf keynote speaker, Drago. Deaf & Hearing O U T Reach also will deliver a comedy performance. The idea behind Pride, Duckworth says, is for everyone to feel wel come and involved. “1 think it is crucial for all — Jeska Duckworth of us to come out and be proud of who we are. This is an important form of community educa tion...letting everyone know queer people are in every walk of life.” "I think it is crucial for all of us to come out and be proud of who we are. This is an important form of community education... letting everyone know queer people are in every walk of life." D ave Whitney came out only five years ago, but he has quickly immersed himself in queer community activities ranging from his work with the Oregon Bears to his duties as entertainment chairman with Pride Northwest. “Being so active has given me exposure to many different groups within the G LB T com munity," he says. “ Being on the Pride board is allowing me to interact with even more of the groups and broaden my knowledge while giving back to the community that has helped me grow as a gay man.” Whitney says his favorite part of Pride is that many facets of the sexual minorities community are able to come together, celebrating and “show ing the rest of the city the pride they have.” Because he is relatively new as an openly gay man, he passionately hopes others who have never taken the time to attend Pride will do so this year. “Come see how much diversity there is in the G LB T community,” he says. “There are many groups and activities to be dis covered, lots of things to leam or be educated about, and it will really help to open your mind to the whole commu nity, not just a small piece of it.” I eska Duckworth j brings yet anoth er side of the sexual minorities commu nity to the Pride board. She has long been involved with Northwest Rainbow N icole Browning keeps a hectic schedule. As the sponsorship and volunteer coordi nator, she is responsible for recruiting sponsors and donations to support Pride Northwest as well as coordinating the huge group of volun teers that it takes to put on the annual event. She balances those many duties with her life as a full-time returning student at Portland State University, where she is completing her under graduate studies in community health education and sociology and plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work. Browning joined the board “to lend my ener gy and voice to increase the visibility of queers of color in the Portland queer landscape.” She notes that because of the many victories in the queer community during the past year, Portland Pride 2004 will become even more important as “the world will be watching.” “ Pride 2004 presents an unprecedented opportunity to display the size of our communi ty and supporters and reinforce our commitment to the fight for equality,” she says. “It is impera tive that we show our strength and refuse to be ignored.” JP1 Do YOU UNCONSCIOUSLY SABOTAGE YOUR OWN BEST INTERESTS AND/OR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS? W o u ld yo u u k e to break d o w n THE BARRIERS TO REACHING YOUR HIGHEST POTENTIAL? E N E R G Y i^ Y C H O l1 H a P 0 P V T H E M IN D - B O D Y C O N N E C T IO N Doug Beebe Associate Broker Healing from the Body Level up (HBLU) Seemorg Matrix Thought Field Therapy (TFT) Nuero-emotional Technique (NET) 503 . 471.3479 And more. Find Your New Home at OregonDreamHome.com • Anxiety • Depression • Phobias • Relationship issues • Trauma • Self-esteem • Weight loss • Allergies Deb Rodgers, MSW, LCSW Gotham Building 2256 N. Albina, Suite 177 Portland, Oregon 97214 503.306-2975 BARBARA SUE SEAL PROPERTIES Sierra Levy, 503 . 224.7325 N atural B o rn P s y c h ic M e n t io n t h is a d T ells past , p r esen t , f u t u r e , i.OVE, M ARRIAG E, BUSINESS H elps & advises o n FO R $ 2 0 D IS C O U N T O N PALM R E A D IN G S C o m e in t o d a y F O R A B R IG H T E R TO M O RROW ALL M ANNERS O F LIFE. To volunteer for P ride NORTHWEST call 503-430-5488 or e-mail sponsorship@pridenw.org. T o m STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer and a full-time student at Portland State University. He can be reached at ruraltom@yahoo .com. Te0lin! joh Hotline: 503-9M-503S T T Y : 5 0 3 -9 8 8 -5 1 7 0 an equal opportunity employer Pride Northwest recruits hundreds of volunteers to put together the annual celebration of Portland’s sexual minorities community MULTNOMAH county www.multcojobs.org
