___________________________________________ JULY 8.2007 jUStjOUtJ 7
outstanding
just asking
Opening Up with Jill Nelson
With the announcement that state
Sen. Kate Brown, D-Portland, will not
return to the Oregon Legislature next
session, Just Out asked readers,
"What should Kate Brown do next?"
s pastor for Metropolitan Com
munity Church in Salem, Jill
Nelson leads her fellowship in
faith, providing them with guid
ance for a life lived in accordance
with God. In private practice she works as a
life coach, helping people achieve their
hopes and dreams. Nelson is a new mother
to a baby girl at 48 years old. She spoke with
Just Out about her busy present and future
aspirations.
My biggest challenge is figuring out what
1 really want to do, because I cannot do it all.
1 see so much potential in the world and so
much possibility for people that I just want to
be there for everybody, but I can’t. I cannot
volunteer for every organization, participate
in every march, show up for every vigil and
write every letter.
perfect day in Portland would be spent
hanging out at the Grotto. I would have
a nice, long walk with my partner, a picnic
with my daughter, some fun in the park, then
I’d relax and have a massage.
My name is Jill Nelson.
I am known for a lot of things. 1 have
worked as a consultant, run businesses, con
ducted training programs. I am an ordained
minister and the interim pastor for the
Metropolitan Community Church in Salem.
1 am also known as a life coach. As a life coach
1 help people discover who they are, determine
what they want in life and then help them to
achieve their goals. This is similar to what 1 do
as a minister, only 1 do it one-on-one. 1 help
people bring their lives into a balanced sense
of wholeness. 1 give people a safe place where
they can be introspective, work through their
difficulties and discover who they want to
become. I give them the support and encour
agement they need to get there.
My cause is to bring joy to the world.
I am 48 years old. But 1 don’t feel like it.
It’s not the years, it’s the mileage—and I’ve
had some really good miles. I feel very young
and very invigorated. It sometimes surprises
me to say that I’m 48.1 feel the same way 1 did
when I was 36, just a little bit smarter.
Right now I am settled here in Portland.
1 live with my partner, Susan Van Houten,
who is a schoolteacher, and with our 3 1/2-
year-old daughter, Kristina, who is one of the
joys in my life. 1 am really at a great place in
my life.
My childhood ambition was, 1 had so
many. There were times in my life when
1 wanted to grow up to live in the wilderness.
There were other times when I wanted to
Life coach Jill Nelson helps people
discover their path.
run a large corporation. In high school, I was
very active in Junior Achievement, ]which
led me to believe] that 1 would make a really
great boss. I strived to be the best at whatever
1 was doing, and 1 had no qualms with telling
people what to do. There has always been
a part of me that wanted to change people
and help make the world a better place. I was
a first-class Girl Scout, and I became the
president of my company.
My first same-sex crush was on my
fourth-grade sch<x>l teacher. 1 remember she
drove a really cute little blue sports car. She
was an assertive, capable woman. 1 remember
her getting really upset with how messy my
desk was one day, so she picked it up with one
hand and shook it clean. 1 was amazed by her
strength.
My proudest moment was holding my
daughter for the first time. I never expected
to have a child at 40-something years old,
but 1 was very blessed to be in a relationship
with someone who really wanted a child.
Susan wasn’t sure that she would be able to
have a child at her age, but she was able to
conceive on the first try. I was in the deliv
ery room when Kristina was bom and was
the first person to hold her beside the doc
tors. Spending the evening in the hospital
with just the two of them was wonderful. It
was the most amazing moment of my life,
and it changed me forever.
My first job was detasseling corn. 1 grew
up in Iowa, where 14-year-old kids can work
in the summers. Kids head out to the corn
fields where farmers are genetically altering
corn via cross-pollination. In order for the
cross-pollination to be successful, the tassels
have to be removed from the corn, and that’s
what I did. The next year 1 was a checker,
running my own crews and inspecting the
work of others.
A nne V iola
Caregiver
“Perhaps governor, because it
would say a lot about our ¿tare
to have a woman in the
highest office. Because she has
integrity and has been
successful, it’s almost a natural
progression for her.”
P eter L ewis
Manager, Old Wives’ Tales
“She should stay in public
office, working her way to
being the second woman
president.”
My vice is convincing myself. I am very
persuasive, and 1 have a lot of self-confidence.
My inspiration is Jesus. I think Jesus
is a really cool guy. Jesus embodies what
I admire; so does Martin Luther King Jr. and
Gandhi. These were people who were willing
to risk their lives for what they believed in
and managed to transform the world. Troy
Perry, founder of the MCC, has been another
huge inspiration. He single-handedly brought
gay rights to the forefront of public attention.
The last queer or philanthropic event
1 participated in was the fund-raiser for the
Elevation band at MCC Portland. I donated
my services, free coaching sessions, for the
auction.
My highest hope for the cause is that
there will be a day that we all have real
equality. 1 would like to see a society of peace
and justice, in which the cause of gay rights
is a nonissue. ©
—Evan Nehring
B eth A llen
Partner, Allen" Law *
“I suggest that she come work
for our law firm, because we
could use another smart, savvy,
fun and fantastic attorney.
Besides, we don’t have any
bisexuals yet.”
P atrick L ee
Local Loudmouth
“She should become an MC at
Darcelle’s, because I’m sure she
has all kinds of fabulosity and
everyone loves her.”