|UM 18.
E a rn o u t
Are you concerned that the Defense of Marriage
j u s t ETH Nili! I Coalition might collect enough signatures to
qualify its anti-gay constitutional amendment for the November ballot? How
can we convince rural Oregonians to decline to sign?
he question isn’t whether the Defense of
Marriage Coalition will collect enough sig
natures, because 1 don’t think that there’s much
doubt about it. While persuading voters to
refuse to sign in support of the amendment is a
worthy goal, 1 will be surprised if we don’t see
this discriminatory amendment on the ballot.
The real question is this: How will we con
vince voters not to listen to the bigots who use
scare tactics to keep voters from thinking about
the issue for themselves? Oregon voters defeat
ed anti-gay measures previously, and 1 hope we
will do so again. I do have some confidence that
even those who wouldn’t support our civil rights
will understand that writing any kind of dis
crimination into the state constitution is wrong,
but I’m worried that the emotional nature of the
question will override that understanding.
Progress in civil rights is not easy. It’s fre
quently two steps forward and one and three-
quarters back. We’re seeing that now across the
country in the form of conflicting court judg
ments. Our own president supports discrimina
tion against us. We must persuade Oregon vot
ers to refuse to agree with those who would per
manently make us second-class citizens.
T
• • •
I
am concerned about what I call the “Defen
sive Marriage Coalition," its amendment
and the pressure it can put on people in rural
areas. In the rural part of the Midwest where 1
grew up, the social rule was that no one should
be very outwardly political or opinionated—
unless of course their opinion was one shared
by the vast majority of their particular rural
community (usually a conservative opinion).
Open-minded rural Oregonians need to be
able to feel and say they aren’t alone in oppos
ing the amendment. They need to know there
are others like them in great numbers in their
communities so they can subvert the peer pres
sure to sign the petition,
In rural areas we should identify and net
work community leaders who are brave enough
to speak out against this in their communities.
Then others who do not want to sign will feel
emboldened enough to refuse to do so. Few
people want to feel like they will be perceived
as the only one in their community who did
not support a petition that (supposedly) all
righteous, normal people are signing.
P atricia H ansen
T om S oppe
Portland
Portland
celebration, particularly the new parade route. Did you notice any
improvement, or should things have been left alone? Respond at
www.justout.com. (Don’t forget to include your name, city and daytime
telephone number.)
nonstraight kids and that you do those veterans no
honor by attacking their sons and daughters and
grandchildren. Open your heart and mind, and be
the person our fathers “saved the world” for.
D onald
Portland
F inch
J ohn R. C astle II
Portland
Thank you
An open letter
to David Reinhart!
To the E ditor :
To the E ditor :
I
read with great emotion your June 6 editorial
in The Oregonian regarding gratitude toward
our fathers who fought in World War 11. My
father joined the Navy underage, became a
member of the Underwater Demolition Team,
observed the dropping of both atom bombs and
was decorated several times. He, like your father,
takes no thanks and speaks rarely of his experi
ences. As you said, it was all about liberty.
So excuse me for saying he would be the first
to kick your butt for your misguided and mis
informed attack on gay people and same-gender
marriage; he wouldn’t much care for you trying
to take away the liberties that he and his friends
fought and died for. Especially since these mar
riages wouldn’t affect you and your family in any
way, shape or form.
He would also remind you that many of the
brave men and women who fought and died in
that conflict, as well as in the current war, were gay
men and women who laid down their lives so that
ALL people, regardless of sexual orientation, could
enjoy the fruits of liberty. Even bigots like you.
He would probably also point at himself and
remind you that many of the straight veterans, like
himself, that you attempted to honor are parents of
I
would like to thank the LGBTQ community
for the incredible support for my re-election
campaign. I am extremely humbled and grateful to
the individuals, families and community members
who believe in me and helped me get re-elected.
The best part of my campaign was the oppor
tunity to meet and get to know people in our
community. I was overwhelmed by the personal
stories I heard and by the many words of encour
agement. I cannot adequately express what this
has meant to me.
Please accept my gratitude for your generosi
ty and support. I commit to continuing to stand
up for equal rights, respect and acceptance for
everyone.
M aria R ojo
de
S teffey
Multnomah County Commissioner
Equal ju stice fo r all
To the E ditor :
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H P » | I rT T 'T T H I Once Portland Pride 2004 wraps up, tell us how
" r'T - 1 - l "~ m
feei (jbw t the changes made to this year’s
By using religion to dictate morality for the
general population is no better than living in a
society that does not grant constitutional rights
for freedom of religion. After all, what makes
this country great is having the freedom to be
who we are.
nation in so many ways, in every comer of this
country. And in return, you ask only for equal
treatment. LG BT Americans deserve the right
to make medical decisions for one another in
times of crisis, the right to inherit a house pur
chased together and equal access to health
insurance, Social Security and retirement bene
fits. Together we can provide this simple justice.
The Bush administration repeatedly uses gay
rights as a political tool to divide the nation.
That’s just wrong. I am committed to using the
power of the White House to advance equal
rights for all Americans, including gay Ameri
cans. We don’t need a constitutional amend
ment to ban gay marriage. We need to find a
way to provide all American families with full
and equal rights. We don’t need opposition to
hate crime legislation. We need to reject hate
and embrace acceptance. And we don’t need a
president who plays politics with gay adoption.
We need a president who works every day to
protect and support all children and families.
I want to lead an America where the inscrip
tion “Equal justice Under the Law” has both
meaning and value for all Americans, not just
some Americans. And I need your help to make
that happen. Stop by the John Kerry for Presi
dent booth to join with me today as we cele
brate Pride. Let’s work to make an America
where all Americans are celebrated with pride
and treated with dignity and fairness.
s Portland celebrates Pride, I am excited to
join the LGBT community in fighting for
equal rights for gay Americans. I believe that
Americans should embrace the diversity that
makes our nation strong and recommit ourselves to
ensuring that all Americans receive equal rights.
The LG BT community contributes to our
True colors
To the E ditor :
his year, as you watch or take part in the
Pride Parade, as you linger among the ele
phant ears, pay attention to the community that
surrounds you.
I don’t just mean stop and talk to strangers,
buy fun souvenirs or people-watch. Pay atten
tion to the real diversity of our community.
It is more than just family and LG BT diver
sity. We are also racially diverse. Too often we
forget that our LG BT community isn’t just
white and that we aren’t all the same.
It is easy to assume we all come from the
same cookie cutter, especially living in the
Northwest. It is also easy to make assumptions of
people and to place them into stereotypical
boxes. Oftentimes we talk a good talk about
diversity— but the talk ends at the LG B and T.
What about those in our community who
ride the great racial and ethnic Pride Divide?
Those people who find comfort and acceptance
in one community but not both? This year, as
Love Makes a Family’s MultiQueer/Flavors pro
gram coordinator, I challenge and encourage
you to look around, pay attention and truly take
Pride in our community.
T
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Portland
I am not proud
To the E ditor :
1
am no longer proud to be a citizen of Port
land. How can I have any pride in a city that
allows people of color to be murdered and the
cops to get off scot-free ? The news coverage triv
ial izes the protests against police violence or pits
one group against another.
Several weeks back, due to recent gang
shootings, my North/Northeast neighhorhcxxl
was supposed to “regain our pride" by a neigh
borhood cleanup involving the youth. Although
hopeful, it’s a stretch to say this is a panacea for
the current mood of the community.
Continued on Page 7
602 SE 38th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
503.231.3911
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PF)UL M ITC H ELL