MAY 30, 2008 juStOUt'5
letters
TRANSITIONS
Marty Lostheart, 1950*2008
Sharks in Red Dresses
To the E ditor :
This letter addresses a concern raised by Ben
Brown Jr., “Mr. Oregon Leather,” regarding a se
ries of assaults that he and his partner were vic
tims of during the Red Dress Party a few weeks ago
[“Red Dressers Cut Off,” May 2].
Let’s be real here, folks: Portland is not very
gay-friendly. I’m sure it wants to be, and it genu
inely tries to be, but this is still the United States
of America. And under most circumstances, when
you combine straight American men and alco
hol—particularly young straight men in crowds—
you’re going to get the potential for violence. It’s
more or less guaranteed.
There’s an old saying: If you swim with sharks,
you’re likely to get bit. Don’t let your rose-colored
glasses befuddle your view of where you live—
Portland just doesn’t live up to its hype as an
ultraliberal haven for minorities and gays. While
it takes cajones to cavort around town in gender-
fuck drag, it takes an absence of logic to think
that drunken, tribal straight men are not going
to confront you when they see you in drag. I hear
homophobic comments every day from Portland
ers, mostly about strangers they don’t know but
assume are gay. This isn’t the promised land, and
it never will be.
S andy D alton
Portland
Get on the Train, Congressman
To the E ditor :
After reading Barney Frank’s comments in the
May 2 issue, I am compelled to correct some of the
mischaracterizations and misrepresentations he offers
to justify his dishonest dealings on the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act [“Frankly Speaking’’].
One of the more blatant misrepresentations
Frank makes is a flippant statement about how
the.“trans” part of the LGBT acronym isn’t a “car
on the train” of LGBT civil rights. Aside from
the fact that it was the trans community that first
pushed back at Stonewall, he ignores that dispar
agements in the media focus on the most gender
nonconforming individuals of the LGBT commu
nity to drive home an anti-gay agenda. These me
dia portrayals showcase the most flamboyant drag
queens (complete with pink feather boa), multi-
pierced/tattooed dykes and queers, and nearly any
other aspect of the LGBT community that will
make the American heartland squeamish.
As a result, one of the primary reasons for the
success thus far of LGBT civil rights initiatives
has been due to the ability of people like Frank
to showcase the (no pun intended) homogenized
view of the gay people who appear straight— the
ones about whom people remark, “I didn’t know
s/he was gay!” In showcasing this aspect of the
LGBT community, he and his legislative cohorts
have carved off from the LGBT community any
one who does not fit neatly into a distilled “Ozzie
and Harriet” stereotype of male and female.
Which means that for all you femme boys and
butch girls, you don’t have a car on Frank’s train,
either. If an employer wants to argue that you’re be
ing fired because you’re too femme/butch, instead
of being gay or lesbian, then you’re out of luck.
But Frank isn’t finished being dishonest there.
Why did the legislative efforts “fail” in New York
and Maryland? Because the gay-and-lesbian-only
advocates, who more or less controlled the leg
islative language and agenda, vehemently opposed
trans inclusion and offered a “we’ll come back for
you” palliative on which they have yet to follow
through. Contrary to Frank’s argument about failing
to amend existing legislation in three states, it should
be noted that 13 states have passed trans-inclusive
nondiscrimination legislation, including Oregon, Il
linois, Iowa, Colorado (former home of the infamous
Amendment 2) and the District of Columbia.
Meanwhile, Frank, the Human Rights Cam
paign and others have opposed and/or under
mined efforts by the trans community to lobby
Congress outside the purview of HRC or an
officially sanctioned lobbying effort. It’s a dis
ingenuous argument for Frank to make a blanket
statement that the trans community has done a
“terrible job of lobbying.” As of July 2007, a fully
inclusive LGBT lobbying effort has been success
ful in getting fully inclusive LGBT nondiscrimi
nation legislation passed in 91 cities and counties
and 13 states—the vast majority occurring in the
past eight years.
So what is it that you are really afraid of,
Rep. Frank?
R ebecca K astl
Lone Tree, Colo.
nia Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 22
(ban on gay marriage) is based on reasoning that
I’ve stated for quite some time: that allowing one
class of people to marry, but barring another, is
discrimination and unconstitutional, not only in
regards to the California Constitution but the fed
eral Constitution as well.
Opponents of gay marriage in California are
gearing up to launch an initiative that, they hope,
will put a ban on gay marriage in the state con
stitution. They claim that once that’s done the
decision will be final and not even the California
Supreme Court can override it.
Wrong!
A simple reading of the federal Constitution
shows why that’s wrong. The U.S. Constitution
in Article 6, Clause 2 states: “This Constitution,
and the laws of the United States which shall be
made in pursuance thereof, shall be the supreme
law of the land.” The Constitution is the highest
form of law in our legal system. State judges are
required to uphold it, even if state law or constitu
tions conflict with it.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitu
tion guarantees "equal protection of the laws.”
Before passage of the 14th Amendment, many
states continued to pass laws that restricted the
rights of former slaves. One of the objectives of
the 14th Amendment was to address this. The
equal protection clause limits the ability of states
to discriminate against people based on their race,
national origin, gender or other status.
The extensive history of litigation under the
equal protection clause in fact mirrors the struggle
for civil rights of all Americans. When one class
of people (heterosexuals) is accorded rights (mar
riage) while another is not, this certainly isn’t
equal protection of the laws.
The Constitution is seldom taught in schools,
and if it is, it’s just a few paragraphs. That’s a
shame. Ask a high school or college student what
the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
says and you’ll probably get a blank stare.
Why isn’t gay marriage a religious issue? Be
cause in regards to law and government, it isn’t;
marriage is a legal contract, and gays have as
much right to contract as anyone else. Indeed,
the right to contract is written into many state
constitutions.
Marty Lostheart
died May 14 in
her home with her
family and many
friends. She was 58.
Lostheart had
lived in Portland
since 1980. She
loved children and
legally adopted a son and two daughters, not to
mention the many young people who referred to
her as mom.
Lostheart was proud of her time she spent in
the Army and connections with the gay and les
bian community. She was a onetime member of
the Metropolitan Community Church.
She is survived by her partner of 14 years, Glo
ria Lostheart; sister, Kathy; son, Ben; and daugh
ters, Sarah and Misty.
Sean Paul May, 1972-2008
Sean
Paul
May died of com
plications from
a seizure May 3.
He was 35.
May was bom
June 1, 1972, in
Milwaukie.
He
graduated
from
Cleveland High
School and was a rate review specialist for Con-way.
May was the first Aspirant of the Portland Sis
ters of Perpetual Indulgence and took final vows,
adopting the name Sister Tasha Salad.
Survivors include May’s mother, Alice Fraser;
father and stepmother, John and Fran; brother,
Jeremiah; stepbrothers, Doug Finck and Mike
Finck; and stepsisters, Theresa Murphy and Deb
bie Grina.
Remembrances may be made to the Oregon
Humane Society.
CORRECTION
In the May 16 article “Against the Tide,” Sho
Dozono for Mayor supporter Gregg Macy’s employ
er was inadvertently omitted; Macy is employed by
Azumano Travel, of which Dozono is the CEO.
Contractual Issue
To the E ditor :
The recent landmark decision by the Califor
Submit your letters to the editor,
commitment announcements, transitions
or list your events online at
www.justout.com
T ara T aylor
Portland
CLICK ON THE READER SUBMISSIONS BUTTON.
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