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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2007)
NOVEMBER 2.2007 iUStOUt outstanding Have you experienced discrimination or negative consequences in Portland because of your sexual orientation or gender identity? A Perfect FIT ast month Jackie Thomas was spotted in a powdered wig and pink hali gown, hosting Basic Rights Oregon’s mas querade gala. However, she is more comfortable sporting the Nike logo. She was recruited to Portland by Nike and works as a marketing executive in its Beaverton headquarters. Prior to her relocation to the Northwest, Thomas, who is Jamaican, was training top athletes in San Francisco at her Focus on Individual Training (FIT) Gym. She has trained the Stanford womens basketball team and the U.S. women’s national basketball team, which became the Olympic team in 1996. Thomas and her partner, DeeAnn McCoy, live in the hills of Southwest Portland. They keep active by snowshoeing, hiking and playing golf in town, central Oregon and Palm Springs, Calif. A aron R idings Research and Development Coordinator, Equity Foundation “I’ve experienced gay-bashing directly and indirectly in Portland for the last 10 years. Mostly slurs and verbal insults and threats of, or actual, violence." A rielle W hite Cat Tamer My name is Jackie Thomas. 1 am known as a passionate and driven person who is not afraid to tackle the tough issues. “We get lots of gross comments from guys saying we need a man somewhere. Other than that, people are nice.” My cause is, like any gixxl black female lesbian, social justice and equality for everybody. I am 43 years old. 1 feel 43 years old. 1 think 43 is fabulous. 1 have a lot more wisdom. I’m definitely not 20 anymore, because my body does not recover the way it used to. S inead P ullen Library Worker Right now I’m m my office, lixrking out at the lake and trees. It’s times like these I’m reminded why Oregon is so special. My childhood ambition was, like every good young black kid, Nike brought Jackie Thomas to Oregon 12 years ago. to be a doctor. I wanted to be Marcus Welby, M.D. My first same-sex crush was on the bionic woman, Jamie Sommers. My first job was when I was in college, making sandwiches at the Solano Deli in Berkeley. “People talk about diversity until it’s in their face. Even with the laws as they are here, I’m still met with de facto discrimination. I’d hate to see du jour discrimination.” My vice is a great single malt scotch and a great Oregon pinot. I like to spend my down time curled up on a sofa relaxing with some kind of home design magazine. ♦ My proudest moment was receiving a scholarship to go to boarding school in Danville, Calif., outside of San Francisco. It fundamentally transformed my whole life. My biggest challenge is making time for all the things I have a passion for and finding some balance to find some quiet time for myself and for my partner. A perfect day in Portland would be spent playing golf with DeeAnn out at Pumpkin Ridge on a sunny day. OPEN 9 am - 10 pm PAILY 5 3 • 2 I 7 • www.albertagrocery.coop The last queer or philanthropic event I participated in was the Basic Rights Oregon masquerade 25th anniversary dinner. “At my old job at the Gay and Lesbian Yellow Pages, 1 called a woman who owned a funeral home who was confused that we had our own pages. She asked if it was a secret society and said we are going to hell. I said, ‘The Bible says those who judge are condemned.’ She apologized and signed up.” My highest hope for the cause is that my sexuality ceases to be a topic of conversation. I resent the fact that we have to write a check to keep hateful things off the ballot. I’d rather spend my money helping homeless kids or the Humane Society or to endow a scholarship in my parents’ name at an educational institution. © —J ay mee R. Cuti Jnietwi Ji Fxteùwt Sxxasivies of the íf aót <£ íhitute o 1500 NÉ Alberta Street S haundell T aylor “Gay Black Token" YESTERDAY £ TOMORROW Grocery choices forali diets and budgets member-owned. open to all! My inspiration is the power of the individual to make a dif ference, the human spirit and people’s capacity for gixxl. 4 3 3 3 Coventry Cycle f/Works A LESBIAN-OWNED I3&I3 AND EVENTS CENTER LOCATED JUST 22 MILES FROM PORTLAND Local 8 National Artists’ Creations Vintage • Carden Art Statuary 8 Fountains Corner of N. Lombard 8 N. Albina (2 Blocks east of 1-5 on Lombard) 7506 N. Albina Ave. • Portland, OR 97217 503-459-3230 Wednesday-Monday 9-6 • Closed Tuesdays See y au .yean! -Jacq X 'Helen P erfect for romantic getaways . GROUP GATHERINGS. COMMITTMENT CEREMONIES AND MORE. Folding Bikeo 888-875-1670 ...and More! WWW.SCAPPOOSECREEKINN.COM Open Tuesday-Sunday (503) 230-7723 2025 SE Hawthorne 53758 W est L ane R oad S cappoose . OR 97056
