24ijustiout
MARCH 21, 2008
Did you know
that hearing aids
are a tax write-off?
• Hearing Tests
• Hearing Aids
• Custom Ear
Plugs and more!
pacificaudiologyclinic
5010 NE 33rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97211
503-284-1906
www.pacoregon.com
where the queers go to hear!
THE ESSENCE
ACCLAIMED AUTHOR BELIEVES WE POSSESS THE ABILIT
TO LEAD SOCIETY’S NEXT PHASE OF CULTURAL REVOLUTION
BY GEORGE WINBORN
cclaimed writer, photogra
pher and former Advocate
Soul: “Gay men...need to awaken to the freedom
yourself and others, and by catching your projec
of their inner world as much as the outer. For I
tions...grab them before they hurt someone else.
editor Mark Thompson
believe [we] possess the ability to lead society’s
Take them back and examine them and acknowl
edge them as part of the shadow of your wound.
month to discuss his trav
eling exhibition of photographs, Fellow Travelers,
next phase of cultural revolution—liberating of
the soul—if only [we] realize that potential.” He
also believes, “The gay spiritual movement is the
As Thompson writes, our wound is an initia
which is on display at Q Center. He accompanied
most healthy way to go forward.”
came
to
Portland
this
tion, a gift. It is meant to temper us and make us
stronger. It’s the call to action to work on our
his longtime partner, spiritual writer and former
Episcopalian priest Malcolm Boyd, who read from
his latest satirical story collection, Samuel Joseph
for President.
2539 Southeast Madsion. Portland. OR 97214
503 239 4846 www dharma-rain org
THE GAY WOUND
selves from the inside out.
Everyone carries scars from traumatic past
“The work of gay liberation,” says Thompson,
experiences. How we react to these experiences
“has to be an inside-out job. All these things are
Thompson has written or edited three books
on gay spirituality: Gay Spirit, Gay Soul and Gay
forms much of our personalities and views on life.
going on inside us...liberation of self, self-aware
What Thompson points out is that there’s a spe
ness... having the capacity for self-love, to accept
Body. During a recent interview, he said: “It’s
cific wound that all gay men share. “We’ve been
oneself...to say, Tm going to not just survive, but
been my life work to try to figure out [the es
sential characteristics] of being a gay man. There
deeply damaged; we’ve been cut off from our fam
thrive.’ ” In other words, it’s our duty to transform
ilies, from being healthy,” he says. “We’ve been
our wound into self-love.
are some unifying cultural roles that we seem to
do...which led me to the archetypal.”
cared for, but often emotionally abandoned.”
Through impressive, probing interviews with
DHARMA RAIN ZEN CENTER
Don’t fling it on someone else.”
.
REFLECTING NARCISSUS
Why are gay men rejected? Around age 4 or
5, during the Oedipal phase, where straight boys
The myth of Narcissus tells the story of a man
»
leading gay poets, activists, psychologists, histori
ans and artists as well as a candid account of his
transfer the love for the mother to another femi
who rebuffs offers of love from his many admirers
nine source, “Where does ours go?” asks Thomp
and instead falls in love with his own image in a
own life story, Thompson has uncovered the ar
son. “To the masculine source.” The straight
pool. Stricken with grief that he could not reach
chetypes, myths and stories that form the essence
father, often subconsciously, sees this aberration
the depths of love for his own image, he falls into
of gay spirituality. (For the record, Thompson has
and rejects his son. Sometimes this leads to the
the pool and drowns.
only worked on uncovering the archetypes of gay
mother becoming more nurturing and supportive
of her son; other times it leads to the mother emo
We see the Narcissus story enacted among
us when the haughty queen prepares for a public
men. He says he doesn’t feel qualified, as a gay
POSITIVE
LIVING
appearance, creating “some idealized person...an
£
image of someone else,” Thompson writes in Gay
Body. Or in our own need to primp in front of
the mirror to “bolster and rearrange a flawed self
image by will.” We re-enact the dilemma of Nar
cissus whenever we “attempt to possess the self
through a reflection of self.”
Thompson goes on to show how gay men,
“who’ve been deficiently mirrored by parents and
society in their youthful years, have nothing but
AID
their own reflection to confirm existence.” When
A SEVEN WEEK
we’re cut off by neglect, or homophobia, our “au
WORKSHOP FOR PEOPLE
thentic self is not affirmed,” so whoever’s inside us
LIVING WITH HIV
must not really exist. To attempt to retrieve our
true selves means having to accept the damage
C ontact J ulia at OHSU/P artnership
P roject 503-230-1202 for more
and despair of the past. It’s a tough place to be.
INFORMATION ON UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
According to Thompson, “Gay men live Narcis
sus’ myth each time we try to cover up our own
intrinsic insecurity with behavior that’s contemp
tuous of others.”
OdRHEY
KOINONIA
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
Mark Thompson (right) celebrates the release of partner Malcolm Boyd's latest satirical story
collection, Samuel Joseph for President, during a reception March 3 at the Heathman Hotel. The
couple will be honored with lifetime achievement awards from Lambda Literary Foundation on
May 29 in Los Angeles.
man, to tell the stories of our lesbian sisters.)
tionally distancing herself from her son.
The effects of Narcissus spread beyond this,
too. A lifetime of being devalued can lead to feel
ing hopeless, unworthy of love or, once it arrives,
suspicious of love; to being unable to accept a
compliment for accomplishments; to needing to
Either way, this withdrawal of love and sup
be the center of attention—all are signs of Nar
F aith • J ustice • C ommunity
As Thompson writes, myths are the way the
psyche speaks to itself. Unlike the stories and
port from one or both parents leads to low self-
| All arc welcome at our table:
parables of the Bible or other texts, myths exist
esteem in gay boys. When compounded by rejec
cissus’ presence in our lives. Thompson adds,
“Covering up the pain, and the rage bom of it, is
outside of any time or place. Myths tell the es
tion from peers, this low self-esteem can morph
Narcissus’ biggest talent of all.” Once again, only
sential truths of the human experience. So when
into active self-loathing. This wound can take
when we learn to own the dark sides of our souls
you uncover the relevant symbolic significance of
years to overcome. While it’s being overcome, it’s
a myth, you can enact its wisdom in your everyday
the source of many sad stories within our commu
life. Once you find your story in the lives of the
nity, from bitchy repartee to suicide.
can we know the true love of self.
From their expertise in all things Narcissus,
many gay men excel in helping others create and
*
E aster V igil
Sat., Mar. 22nd at 8pm
1432 SW Clay • Portland
www.joumey-catholic.org
archetypes, you can use them as your guide to un
derstand, and ultimately rearrange, your thoughts
This wound, though, doesn’t have to end as
project their own image. From fashion designers
a sad story. Thompson says: “You go through the
to hair stylists, graphic designers and PR mavens,
and behaviors.
wound, you acknowledge it, and you keep on go
where there’s an allure of idealized perception,
ing. By self-examination, by being honest with
there you will find a son of Narcissus.
Thompson says in the introduction to Gay