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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2004)
La ^mwvâhjô piesuLntlol eanÀJûjte/*s Wj&w ew IMI Paige Richardson and her wife, Michele Wren, get ready to watch the first presidential debate with other Kerry supporters Sept. 30 at Billy Reed’s JLt has been a big year for Paige Richard son. O n May 16 she married Michele Wren, her partner of more than six years. The next day she took on the job of a lifetime. Richardson, a Democrat, has worked on political campaigns since 1988. So when she received a call from Mary Beth Cahill, national campaign director for John Kerry, she says she “suspected that [Cahill] was not calling for shopping tips.” In fact, Cahill called to offer her the position o f Oregon state director for the Kerry campaign. “ I asked Michele first because I expected she might say no,” Richardson recalls. "But she said: ‘N ot only do I think its OK, but I think you have to. This election is too important.’ ” It turned out that the job had its perks right from the beginning. Kerry made a stop in Oregon on May 17 and 18, and he was aware o f Richardson’s recent nuptials. ft ^¡jf "Unfortunately. in politics we've gotten into tne Habit of driving wedges as opposed to bringing r people together. -P a ig e Richardson by Stephen Blair “Nice to meet you. I understand con gratulations are in order,” she remembers him saying. Then he gave her a big hug. “That meant a lot,” Richardson says. The 41-year-old has lived in Portland since 1991. She grew up in Charleston, W.Va., the daughter of liberal parents who raised her to believe in “equality and fairness and all the basic Democratic principles.” R ichardson’s own political activism took flight when she was just 5 years old. When a friend of the family ran for gover nor, she took part in a kiddy car parade, pedaling around in a metal c^r to show her support. When her father ran for office a few years later, Richardson adopted a guerrilla approach to campaigning. “I would grab my friends and my red wagon and fill it up with stuff from the headquarters,” she says. A s a teen-ager Richardson decided she didn’t want to follow in her parents’ foot steps, so she tried to focus on nonpo litical pursuits. This was far easier said than done. "Politics was my framework for everything,” she explains. “Every time there was something that wasn’t working or there was an injustice, this was the way I knew to fix it.” A s a student at University of Denver, Richardson felt compelled to run for student government because it refused to recognize the eduardo mulero dds pc 6rti0W.twthwl'i,,Mdflst g e n eral a n d e s th e tic d e n t is t r y scientifically The loom ! In-Office Whitening System U will nuke your tr a il dramatically i I whiter in a little over an hour. ji queer student organization. But her decisive plunge into political activism came in 1988. She was fed up with the Reagan administration and eager to see a Democrat take the White House. Michael Dukakis’ loss in the 1988 election did not quell her enthusiasm. She has worked on numerous campaigns during the past 16 years and helped secure A1 Gore’s narrow vic tory in New Mexico four years ago. For all of her boisterous enthusiasm, Richardson is not the type to get in your face with her political ideologies. “Typically when I meet people, I don’t tell them what I do," she says. “People make assumptions. Now, unfortunately, in poli tics we’ve gotten into the habit of driving wedges as opposed to bringing people together.” Could Richardson take off her campaign manager’s cap and become, say, an accoun tant? N ot likely. “ I couldn’t get excited about doing any thing else for a living,” she explains. “There are unfortunately always more wrongs to right.” When she’s not working umpteen-hour shifts at the Kerry cam paign office, Richardson enjoys the outdoors with her wife and two dogs. (They have two cats at home, too.) The couple met in a martial arts program, and both continue to train. They’d like to travel more, but Richardson’s 'round-the-clock schedule puts a damper on their wanderlust. jj , l The world is a different place than when your parents bought a home. The 30-year fixed loan they got might not be the best loan for you today whiter smile! Take your first step to We offer the latest in interest only, deferred interest and $0 down loan programs We will help you find the one that will benefit your whole financial picture. feeling good, looking great and making a memorable impression every time you smile! S tephen B lair is a Portland free'lance writer. Not your parents mortgage company ««I look qfMt With Vv A . U W h y should queers vote for Kerry? For Richardson it’s a no-brainer that Kerry is the best choice for the queer pop ulation. She concedes that his and running m ate Jo h n Edwards’ “one m an, one woman” stance on marriage has been frus trating for queers but insists that "they are aligned with us on every other issue." “ I know there’s controversy and some frustration in our community about his position on marriage,” she says. “Kerry and Edwards may not be saying the ‘marriage’ word, but... we shouldn’t judge them on just that one thing because they are fully for equality. Both o f them believe civil unions would be a great thing. Kerry and Edwards are probably two of the most tol erant individuals we could ever hope to find.” And then there’s President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. “T h e Bush folks d o n ’t accept us,” Richardson says. “They don’t want to help us, and they’re totally beholden to C h rist ian fundam entalists. Bush and Cheney can’t even say ‘transgender.’ They don’t even know what that is.” Richardson’s philosophy boils down to one peppy little campaign battle cry: "If you’re homos, vote for Kerry!” J H ¿ Let us show you how choosing one of these programs can save you thousands of dollars in interest 00 M Rose Cit Offer good after ru m and x rays fo n *w patients Offer expires December 31st, 2004. www.RoseCity Mtg.com 503.768.4248 Mortgage Specialists
