4 jUSt OMt • june 3. 2005
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We’re sending our
returned license fee to
Love Makes a Family
Family. I believe Bonnie was personally attacked
for having a vision different from Basic Rights Ore
gon regarding our marriage/civil union politics.
Your reporter’s obvious lack of knowledge
To the E ditor :
about our community’s history produced an arti
he cover story Just Out published May 6
cle so full of negativity and biased reporting that
about longtime community activist Bonnie
it was completely disgusting to see Just Out print
Tinker was so mean-spirited and based on such it.
a Are we expected to fall in line and follow
shallow understanding of the history of our com only BRO’s lead? Is there no room for other
munity’s struggle for civil rights that I was stunned
opinions around this important issue? Is Bonnie
(“Is Love Makes a Family Still Effective?”].
being punished for not agreeing with BRO and
Tinker’s contributions to Portland queer
voicing her views? Why is Just Out supporting
culture have included, among others, founding
this tactic?
(with others) Bradley-Angle House, the West
Why would Just Out’s reporter try to embarrass
Coast’s oldest and longest-ninning domestic
Love Makes a Family by interviewing foundation
violence shelter; activist with American
representatives? Every nonprofit I know that has
Friends Service Committee and Multnomah
survived more than five years has occasionally
Friends Meeting; founder of Love Makes a
been late on a grant report. It is not unusual, but
Family; and participant in annual Pride cele
it was reported in JO like it was a major crime and
brations, peace coalitions, numerous ballot
pnxif of flakiness or irresponsibility or some
measure campaigns and the Freedom to Marry
such....
Coalition.
Are you trying to cripple Love Makes a Fam
Tit is article makes it easy to deduce that Just
ily financially—to make it harder for it to suc
Out has decided to align itself with Basic Rights
ceed in the valuable work it does? And why
Oregon’s vision only, but that may be too simple
would grant givers and the American Civil Lib
a conclusion. Certainly BRO’s vision could have
erties Union spokeswoman even dignify Just
been put forward in the paper without tearing Out’s reporter, Jaymee “NOT-SO-CUTEE,”
down Love Makes a Family. So, the goal and
with an answer? This kind of muckraking only
agenda must have been more complex.
serves to tear our community apart by marginal
Or perhaps there was no goal, no-agenda, no
izing dissenting voices.
thought at all behind such a vicious attack on a
I urge all members of our community to
small institution that has impacted many indi
think carefully when we are told we must only
viduals positively, and one woman who has
follow a narrow path dictated by a few self
been a valuable voice for reason and communi
proclaimed leaders. A truly democratic society
cation across lines of difference for 30 years.
has room for dissent and difference of opinion,
Perhaps the idea of a “controversial” story was
and a truly useful press would bring differing
seen as a g<xxJ thing for selling more advertising
ideas together in a way that encourages a broad
and getting more people to pick up the paper,
er understanding of complex issues, rather than
and Love Makes a Family was just the unfortu
promoting viciousness or suspicion and attempt
nate vehicle.
ing to discredit a longtime activist. Must we now
For me this sort of muckraking puts Just Out
fear our own press if we have another opinion?
clearly in the same category as Willamette Week,
My partner of 25 years, Kristan Aspen, and 1
a comparison 1 do not mean as favorable. It’s so
will be sending our marriage license refund to
disheartening to be faced with the reality that
Uwe Makes a Family, in order to help it contin
Portland has no queer press representing an
ue the fine work that it does, including speaking
intergenerational, community-building view
for true marriage equality. 1 urge others to con
point. There is no one printing articles about
sider doing the same.
how to survive fascism by coming together
despite our differences. There is only a blatant J anna M ac A uslan
attempt to marginalize and discredit an individ
Portland
ual activist with the result of further solidifying
the power base of a larger, less radical institution
Multnomah County
that is positioning itself to be the only voice for
should secede
the LGBT community.
To the E ditor :
In my opinion this article is both a symptom
of and contributes to the problem of our inabil
believe that now is the time to consider form
ity to tolerate dissension and difference of opin
ing new states in this nation of ours. Since
ion. I used to believe that we as LGBT queers
reading about how journalists view North
had the potential to lead the rest of society in
America as a region of nine nations due to the
bridging our differences. But until we can find a
influences in those regions, I’ve thought long
way to listen, hear each other and find common
and hard on that Ixxik.
ground, we are going to continue to self-
Many areas have chosen to pursue secession
destruct. 1, for one, do not find this to be
since the ’70s when that book came out.
CUTE-EE in any way, shape or form.
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Islands in
As a longtime activist myself (Lesbian Com
Massachusetts and the upper peninsula of
munity Project, Pride Northwest, the Conversa
Michigan are examples of this longing to go
tions Project and now Bradley-Angle House),
their own way. Even the San Fernando Valley
I feel sad, embarrassed, disgusted and deeply dis
voted to split from Los Angeles. California
couraged about the likelihcxxl that our commu
recently voted to separate into several states.
nity will ever get itself together. As thinking
Now that the presidential election has come
individuals who understand that civil unions do
and gone with the recognized division of the
not provide equal status, my partner and I are
nation into blue and red states, which brings to
sending our returned license fee to Love Makes
mind the old division of blue and gray, we have
a Family.
other issues that confront us as a nation and as a
state.
K ristan A spen
I propose that Multnomah County become
Portland
the 51st state with Diane Linn as governor. This
way Portland won’t be the brunt of attacks by
the rest of the state as taking most of the rev
linker coverage
enue for schools, providing most of the revenue
embarrassing
for the rest of the county and forcing our way of
To the E ditor :
viewing marriage upon the rest of the state. We
was embarrassed for our community and
could provide two new Dem<x:ratic senators to
extremely upset at the recent attack on com
the nation.
munity leader Bonnie Tinker and Love Makes a
I would even suggest this to San Francisco
T
I
I
County and Gavin Newsom for the very same
issue. Also Sandoval County in New Mexico.
Our flag can surely hold two or three more stars.
P hil R oberts
Portland
Oregon Public
Broadcasting is not
feeling the Pride
To the E ditor :
just received my June Oregon Public Broad
casting Member Guide.
As in previous years, I eagerly looked for the
symbol indicating the special programming cel
ebrating GLBT Pride Month. 1 was astounded
when 1 couldn’t find it. Not the symbol, but the
programming.
Of course the monthly In the Life was there.
Brother to Brother mentions homophobia, so
maybe that contains some Gay Pride. And, of
course, Judy Garland is always fabulous.
That is not much of an offering celebrating
our special month. It is obvious that OPB is not
very proud of its GLBT audiences and donors.
This year we were rewarded with very little con
tent and no acknowledgment.
In the last issue Marty Davis suggested we
spend our money at those businesses that support
us and refuse to patronize those that don’t [“Sur
vey Says...” May 20]. I invite the community to
join me in finding something better to do with
our money than support an OPB that doesn’t
really support us. Next time there is an OPB
pledge drive, call in and tell them why you are
not donating this time.
I
K en V annice
Portland
Furious about parade
route change
To the E ditor :
just read Tobin Britton’s explanation of Pride
Northwest’s decision to bypass Stark Street
this year in the May 20 issue of Just Out [“Pride
Northwest Explains Parade Route Change”].
Give me a break! I am sure that the board
has worked hard during past year, ¿Mid that such
an event is a challenging undertaking is without
question. But to write—twice, no less—about
all the “thousands of man [person!] hours volun
teered” seemed to smack of self-aggrandizing
whining about the board’s volunteerism.
Pride Northwest’s focus on the tasks and
work of putting together Pride seems to have
obscured the spirit and traditions of Gay Pride.
The birth of Gay Pride was at a little bar in New
York called Stonewall because queer folks had
had enough of police oppression and city gov
ernment ignorance. Remember, folks?
For all that can be said about bars in our
community, they are without a doubt represen
tative of major gay businesses that have gener
ously and faithfully supported our community’s
efforts through a health crisis and numerous
political and social actions for decades. It is, to
my mind, an absolute insult to not include these
businesses in our parade celebration.
Moreover, for Tobin to suggest the route
changes are due in part to “city projects” and
“police bureau issues” is only salting the wound.
This year Tom Potter and Sam Adams were busy
glad-handing constituents in the Bumside Tri
angle and Chinatown during their campaigns to
gamer our support. They got it.
Now is the time for both of these men to give
back some of the support we showed them. I am
betting that with some effort from the mayor’s
and City Council’s offices, the Works Bureau can
make accommodations for our one-day celebra
tion parade and the Portland Police Bureau could
resolve its “issues," whatever they might be.
I