4 JUStjOUt
JULY 7.2006
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I ette rs
Breaking the Queer Mold
To the E ditor :
1 would like to raise concern regarding Marty
Davis’ comments in rhe “Shutter to Think”
column [June 16).
It's hurtful that you have so much shame for your
community. It seems to me what you’re saying is that
you waftt people to see that there are those of us who
prefer to adhere to the typical heterosexual arche­
type of monogamous coupling. There’s nothing
wrong with that, and I fully support your reach for
such. But 1 don’t feel that sentiment is being
. reciprocated on your end. 1 think it’s important to
not forget where we came from and who we are.
Regardless of your religious background, what­
ever brought the human race into existence,
sexuality is a part of that, and I feel there’s no need
to be ashamed or embarrassed by it. There are those
of us in the community who recognize and push for
our sexual freedom—the same freedom that allows
us to be homosexual in the first place. Freedom
from bourgeois morality, freedom from oppression
and freedom from being railroaded to live life
according to rhe “moral majority.”
There are those of us who are proml to be sex­
ually free, and we have every Tight to demonstrate
in the Pride Parade...right along next to the drag
queens, leather daddies and “normal looking” gays
and lesbians.
Those queens in buttless chaps and lesbians run­
ning around topless say to the world: “We don't feel
pressured to fit in to the mainstream to be accepted.
We're not hurting anyone, and we have every right
to demand that you accept us into society as well.”
Grandma being too mentally challenged to under­
stand it doesn’t make it wrong, and hiding those
members of the GLBT community is not going to
help rid society (or you) of homophobia.
I, for one, can identify with this attitude. I don’t
want to be “married.” 1 don’t strive to live up to
heterosexual role models. I don't feel that 1 need to
(or should have to) to he a part of this society, and
I don’t have passive-aggressive subconscious
tendencies that dictate my self-worth according to
how easily 1 can emulate heterosexual couples. My
opinion is that we should be defining ourselves as
a community instead of letting mainstream society
do it for us. However, I fully support your right to
he treated as an equal and to have this option
available to you should you choose this path.
Are you saying that only conservative members
of the GLBT community should be accepted? That
sounds a lot like “Only rich white heterosexual
men should have rights in this country” to me.
In your article you state, “1 fail to see the corre­
lation between Pride and nudity/inappropriate
behavior.” Your willful blindness to our communi-
ty will aid in tearing us apart. You also mention
that you’re far less inclined to empower those who
do. Shame on you for perpetuating disgust for your
own community. Shame on you for not supporting
those of us who don't believe exactly as you do
(sounds pretty “Bush-y” to me), shame on you for
leaving us behind and helping the right wing keep
us down, and shame on your close-minded attitude
toward your fellow GLBT brothers and sisters. It’s
unfortunate that you cannot find a place in your
heart for those of us who do not fit into the mold
of what you think a homosexual should be.
J im H oward
Portland
For a Good Time,
Call the Democratic Party
To the E ditor :
The Democratic Party of Oregon State
Convention was a fantastically awesome experi­
ence. As a delegate from Multnomah County, 1 was
not sure what to expect and 1 was nervous.
Most of my political activism has been around
queer issues and working within a mostly queer
environment. I’ve volunteered at Basic Rights
Oregon, worked on No on 36 and a number of
candidate campaigns, and joined the Oregon
GLBT Democratic Caucus. I hadn’t been active in
anything like the Democratic Party on an organi­
zational level.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, chairman
of the Democratic National Committee, spoke to
the delegates. In his windup portion of his speech,
typically the part meant to get everyone excited
and revved up, he dosed with a statement about
equality for every American, including gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender people. For me, it was
pretty significant statement for two reasons. One
reason was that he actually used all the words and
not just “GLBT” or just “gay and lesbian.” The
second and possibly more personally significant
reason was the fact he said the “t word,” trans­
gender. OK, so little things make me happy. When
you are possibly the one and only “t” at the DPO
convention, it’s a bright and hopeful day.
One of the most meaningful things that struck
me while attending the platform discussions was the
support of marriage equality and anti-discrimination
legislation based on sexual orientation and gender
identity coming from the overwhelming majority.
All in all, it was a wonderfully rejuvenating
experience. I’m happy I decided to get involved
and participate. I was impressed with the overall
strong and respectful support for queer political
issues by such a broad spectrum of everyday people
from all over Oregon. I felt that 1 had a place at the
table and that my voice was heard and acknowl­
edged. However, we must continually work as hard
as possible individually and as a community to
achieve equality.
We, the GLBT community, have an excellent
viable opportunity to greatly strengthen our polit­
ical goals of true equality and end discrimination
based on sexual orientation or gender identity by
becoming more actively involved in the
Democratic Party on a local level. Winning
elections is tedious and sometimes hard work.
Often, volunteers do the bulk of the work. By
stepping up and volunteering, you become more
of a part of the process and you amplify your per­
sonal influence on many levels, which also means
you are more likely to influence your personal
social circle. If one or two of your close friends
volunteer some of their time, you can see the rip­
ple effect starting to take place. By volunteering,
you have more opportunity to be heard on the
issues that concern your well-being and future by
those who represent us in government. It’s also a
very powerful and wonderful way for people to put
a face with words like “gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender” who might not otherwise.
L aura C alvo
Portland
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