FEBRUARY 3, 2006 jUStjOUt
I ette r s
Brokeback Fan
To the E ditor :
Four reasons to encourage a straight person to
see Brokeback Mountain:
A) Recognition that love is love. Makes no dif­
ference it it’s same-sex or opposite-sex. Love just is.
B) A whole generation of lesbians and gays are
already born and growing up as children and
deserve a society that is more understanding, con­
siderate, wholesome and sensitive to gender, trans,
bi, straight, gay.
C) Good box office business shows Hollywood
that a quality same-sex movie can make money.
D) Touches the heart.
In order to donate the clothing, I had to be
there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.
What the fuck! Are you kidding me? 1 want to
donate to an HIV-related help network for those
who cannot afford the basic living amenities rhe
rest of us take for granted. We are given a four-hour
time limit one day a week on nonworking days to
donate clothing in Milwaukie?
As the lady behind the counter said to me,
“Who would have thought it would be this hard
and out of the way to try and help people?”
Does anyone know of an HIV-related charity in
the city I can donate these clothes to?
M arcelino P erez
Portland
S teve A. E ngel
LCP Alive and Kicking
Portland
To the E ditor :
Don't Use "Pussy"
in a Pejorative Way
To the E ditor :
As a gay male, I was put off by a header in your
article about “The Cowboy Way” [Jan. 6]. How can
an organization belittle all women by titling some­
thing “Gay Rodeo Is Not for Pussies”? Are you kid­
ding me? You ask for all people to accept you, then
you use a pejorative word like “pussy” to describe
the kind of person who couldn’t do “gay rodeo.”
1 do not believe much in shame, but you really
need to re-evaluate what you write. Considering
Just Out has a publisher and managing editor who
is a woman, I am hard pressed to understand how
in the hell you got away with this.
Joshua Ryan, you need to look at the way you
view the world if you want any sort of compassion
from those not like yourself.
T homas R. A nderson
Portland
Donation Hell
To the E ditor :
Why is it so hard to donate clothing to gay-
associated help networks?
I went to Project Quest on Jan. 20, thinking it
would accept the clothing I no longer needed—
clothing, for the most part, I’ve never worn. To my
surprise, 1 was told by the nice ladies behind rhe count­
er that they only accepted women’s clothing. They
tried to help me find a place to donate to in the city,
but they, as well as 1, were dumbfounded to find out
from Cascade AIDS Project that I had to drive south
to Milwaukie just to donate clothes at Tod’s Comer.
This letter is in response to your commentary in
the Jan. 6 issue [“Road Map to Equality”]. It has
become apparent that there may be a misconcep­
tion on what our organization does exactly!
The Lesbian Community Project has been an
active organization for 20 years, with ups and
downs just like many nonprofits that are volunteer
run. We are listed in the phone book under our full
name, so we are one of the first organizations that
lesbians contact when they first come out or when
just moving to the Portland area. LCP has a couple
of annual events that serve as social gatherings (the
New Year’s Eve Dance and the Lesbian Softball
Tournament), but it also serves as a resource and
support network for women. LCP also provides the
opportunity as a nonprofit, sheltering lesbians who
want to organize conferences, book groups, educa­
tional forums, concerts, workshops, discussion
groups, support groups and social gatherings.
On a daily basis, LCP receives e-mails, letters
and phone calls from lesbians locally as well as
nationally who seek support, referrals, advice, con­
tacts, friends, partners, business, information about
Portland and much more! We just received a letter
from a young woman at a military base in Great
Falls, Mont., seeking pen pals for herself as well as
her new friend just coming out.
Our membership and support is strong and still
growing. The Web site is accessed frequently, and
we receive positive feedback regarding our quarter­
ly newsletter. Members and the community can
look forward to several exciting, educational and
empowering events this year, so stay tuned! LCP is
still very much utilized and needed. You might say
that LCP could be the Energizer Bunny of the com­
Now her trips to the clinic
for her pap and checkup
don't bring Susie down!
Bridge City...
Your Clinic That Cares!
munity. This cultural icon serves as a symbol of
longevity, perseverance and determination. Just
like the Lesbian Community Project. It just keeps
going and going!
D ebbie C aselton
LCP Board of Directors
Thanks to the Angels
To the E ditor :
This is just a note to tell you and our communi­
ty that wonderful people exist in our midst!
In mid-November, my apartment caught fire.
I lost much and maybe more as 1 go though what’s
left upon moving back in after the refurbishing.
On Jan. 15, the crew from “La Femme”—
Celeste, Daneska, Darcelle, Roxy and many oth­
ers—did their annual benefit show to help me.
I will be eternally grateful to all of you! Thank you
so much for your thoughtfulness.
Yes, Portland, we have angels in our midst!
D. T imothy B ealer
Portland
TRANSITIONS
Sarah Tucker, 1979-2006
Sarah Ellen Tucker, known to her friends as
Tucker, was involved in a
hit-and-run accident at
the intersection of Polk
and Geary streets in San
Francisco while riding her
bike home and died
Jan. 12. She was 26. She is
survived by her parents,
B.J. and Charlie, and
younger siblings, Adam
and Leslie.
Tucker was born
Dec. 26, 1979 in Santa Clara, Calif. She attended
Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vt., beginning in
1998.
After her first year, she moved to New York City,
where Tucker began to live a life that would be full of
self-imposed challenges and adventures. In the fall of
2000, she moved to Portland to attend Reed College.
At Reed and in New York, Tucker cast a wide
net of love and positive energy that led to many
lifelong friendships. While at Reed, she planned
the school’s first ethnographic and documentary
film series. She also collaborated with Portland
State University to host the Margaret Mead
Traveling Film and Video Festival.
Lead.
Tucker’s dedication and desire to break down
barriers within her community led to her involve­
ment in a variety of organizations. While in New
York, she worked for Blue Stockings Bixikstore and
An Uncommon Legacy Foundation. The founda­
tion was an organization Tucker felt deeply con­
nected to. While in Portland, she worked for
Artists Repertory Theatre. When she moved to
San Francisco in the summer of 2004, she worked
for the San Francisco Film Society and the
California Academy of Sciences.
Tucker was a motivator in the queer communi­
ty. She was constantly thinking of how to bring dif­
ferent groups of people together, whether it was
trading Photoshop knowledge for silk screening les­
sons, hosting memorable game nights or planning
a queer dance night. She never stopped pushing
herself and never stopped sharing with others, and
her energy was immeasurable.
There are two things that one hears over and
over when talking to Tucker’s friends. One is how
she always followed through—she never let you
down, ever. The other is her laugh. Her laugh was
just another example of how her huge, gregarious,
incredible spirit filled a room.
Tucker’s uncanny ability to bring people togeth­
er is one thing that made the dance night she start­
ed in San Francisco, PYT, so successful. She loved
pugs, soul music, dancing, acronyms, sticky buns,
film, friends and friendship, fashion, aesthetics,
feminism and being gay.
Tucker was a fierce feminist—a true lavender
menace. She was known for her ability to push her
friends and loved ones to confront their prejudices
and preconceived ideas. She was also just as willing
to turn that microscope on herself, critiquing her
own assumptions every day.
Second wave feminism and fashion were essen­
tial to the way Tucker presented herself to the
world. Tucker is a legend in queer fashion. She was
an artist. Her life was grounded in learning and cre­
ating. Tucker worked on several experimental films
and had a deep and dedicated interest in visual art
and critical theory. She never shied away from
complex issues or different ways of approaching
political and artistic problems.
Tucker was, and will continue to be, a catalyst
for action and inspiration.
Memorials can be sent to Katharine
Greenbaum, California Academy of Sciences,
875 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 97103, or to a
scholarship that has been set up in Tucker’s name
at An Uncommon Legacy, P.O. Box 33727,
Washington, DC 20033.
Inspire.
Contribute.
For every Portland police officer there is a story...
Officer Charles Lovell
“The thing that really makes Portland unique
is the commitment to community policing.
Another aspect is the diversity and the acceptance in
the City of Portland. There are lots of people from
different backgrounds and different ideas and
thoughts are embraced here. It is a really good
place to work."
Join us and write the next chapter.
B ridge C ity F amily M edical C linic , PC
2821 NE 58th Avenue • Portland, Oregon 97213
fOoM Street is Sandy Boulevard)
www.bridgecitymedical.com Monday - Friday 8:30am- 5:00pm
Contact: Officer Larry Anderson 503.823.0473 or apply online:
www.joinportlandpolice.com
Apply by: February 10, 2006, 4:30 p.m.