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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2005)
may 6.2005 - jUSt OUt{25 because Bonnie is so focused on the marriage Wilkins says she chose to distance herself issue.” and the Community of Welcoming ay what you will about Bonnie Tinker. Some parents have said Love Makes a Congregations from the Equality Coalition. Some have called her methods “radical” Family dropped the ball in filling gaps in service “I felt like theirs was a disgruntled viewpoint and her nonprofit organization “ineffec in areas including lobbying schools, holding that they were going to organize around. To me, tive.” But her efforts are tenacious in justifying parenting and adoption forums, continuing it seemed kind of toxic. CWC doesn’t want to her family, and yours, to Oregon voters. anti-bullying education and hosting more participate in anything like that,” Wilkins said. Tinker has been in the public eye for two community-building events. Tinker’s organization also makes referrals to decades, introducing her interracial family led “When Love Makes a Family was doing the services available to queer families in need. by two moms to mainstream America. She has work about bullying in schools, that was gtxid “Call us for tips about marriage, adoption appeared on various talk shows including Ricki work. Then Bonnie, who was working on the (legal referrals and agencies), counseling, crisis Lake, Investigative Reports and 20120, touting marriage issue for many years, got her feelings support, nonviolent parenting, friendly church nationwide that love makes a family. hurt because she was not first in line to get es or school advocacy,” urges the Love Makes a In 1992, she founded the nonprofit organi married,” said Jack Danger, a local activist and zation by that name. Tinker describes her group talk show host. “I believe that Love Makes a as part of a grassroots social movement, blend Family has been stuck on stupid, because when ing rights for queer families with the anti-war you talk to Bonnie, all she can do is criticize movement, police accountability and economic (Basic Rights Oregon]. 1 hope people are saying oppression—a stance some have labeled un to her, ‘Remember the work you did in the focused or too political for the everyday con schtxils, because that was critical work.’ ” cerns of families. Tinker admits she’s had to scale back proj “We know there are LGBT families from ects because she needs more money and volun across the political spectrum. Our particular teers to run them. MultiQueer, a program view is the oppression of LGBT people is geared toward queer youth of color, and the directly linked to the oppression of other Middle Schrxil Transitions Project have been minority groups and economic oppression of shelved for lack of funds. working people,” Tinker said. “Therefore, when Love Makes a Family holds two monthly we address systems of oppression, we look at it support groups for sexual minority parents and across the board.” children. The organization charges a fee to con While her ideologies resonate with many, duct speaker training workshops on nonviolent implementation of those beliefs has often alien ated Tinker from a movement of which she fan cies herself the grandmother. “rte’ve picked up the pieces that I thought Some of her activist tactics have included calling for the picketing of heterosexual wed would have been right up Love Makes a dings, advocating for queer tax resistance and Family’s alley because Bonnie is so focused hijacking press conferences called by other groups. on the marriage issue.” Rumors swarm around the mismanagement of Love Makes a Family and its effectiveness in —The Rev. Tara Wilkins putting these tactics to work when serving Portland’s queer families. A financially strug speech techniques. Family Web site. gling organization, the group has cut programs “Our main interest in marriage is not to Tinker has made allies and admirers along and staff to keep its doors open. come up with what the right answers are but to the way. She has gained the respect of former “I see out in the field that there are a lot of do speaker trainings which unleash rhe power AmeriCorps volunteers assigned to Love Makes missed opportunities,” said the Rev. Tara of grassnxits people to tell their own stories,” a Family. Wilkins of the Community of Welcoming said Tinker. “If people call because they need something, Congregations, who worked on the campaign Besides speaker trainings and the support Bonnie is almost always able to help them, and to defeat the same-sex marriage ban. “While she will go to the nth degree to help them. group, Love Makes a Family is involved with marriage equality certainly does support gay and the Equality Coalition, a group composed of 1 have a lot of respect for her,” said Sima lesbian families, Love Makes a Family used to Love Makes a Family members and students Teherani, who finished her AmeriCorps assign do more programmatic things to build commu ment last June. who meet at Portland Community College’s nity with gay and lesbian families. We’ve Cascade Campus to discuss civil rights for sexu Amber Hicks, also a former AmeriCorps picked up the pieces that 1 thought would have volunteer who worked as the Middle Schixil al minorities. been right up Love Makes a Family’s alley Á Face on Family S Family and Friends coordinator for Love Makes a Family, described Tinker as an ancestor deserving of respect. “I believe we need to be looking locally at successful queer history and progressive queer leaders and respecting the success that we’ve had historically,” said Hicks. “I respect my ancestors.” Staying Afloat ccording to Tinker, foundation grants comprise 40 percent to 50 percent of Love Makes a Family’s budget, and member contributions range from 15 percent to 30 per cent. The balance is made up in speaker training fees, newsletter sponsorships, fund-raisers and T-shirt sales. Member contributions were down in 2004 because, Tinker suggests, most resources were poured into the No on 36 campaign. “Election years are period ic problems because every one’s coffers are drained,” said Tinker. During these hardship years, Tinker is laid off from Love Makes a Family, her sole source of income, and collects unemploy ment. Tinker is currently in that circumstance, working only six hours a week for the nonprofit she directs. “The way it gets made up is perkxlically 1 am unemployed and therefore 1 can only work six hours a week,” she said. Love Makes a Family is in g<xxl standing with most of the foundations that fund it. Officials from Portland’s Equity Foundation, Seattle’s Pride Foundation, Black United Fund of Oregon, Rosenberg Fund for Children and McKenzie River Gathering Foundation have all reported that Lives Makes a Family is eligible for funding in the future, and some have recently awarded grants to the group. Meyer Memorial Trust, however, did not receive a required evaluation on how Live Makes a Family spent its grant. That report was due June 1, 2004. The $32,000 award, which was distributed over two years beginning March 2002, funded the Middle Schixil Transition Project. * A Continued on Page 26 <£iW extraordinary flora Visit us online at: www.reyreece.com or schedule your appointment Cary L Smith Licensed Real Estate Broker Quality Service Certified - Awarded Rising Star 2004 503-256-3700 1-800-283-0592 REY REECE DEALERSHIPS VOLKSWAGEN-MITSUBISHI-USED 122nd & East Burnside www.reyreece.com Helping you is what I do. 1019 nw 11th ave p 503.228.1558 casmith@pru-nw.com 503-350-7525 Direct Line 503-341-8713 Cell visit my website www.casmith.pru-nw.com Prudential ®- hu . ÊL PORTLAND PICTURE ERAME Give spring a jump start with some fresh art for your walls! 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