OREGON S CMWUEffBMmiei/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE
APRIL 17 2009
; -y.t
no
Portland Authors
Answer U/ho's Your
Mama?
Who's Your Mama?: The Unsung Voices of
Women and Mothers, a recently released an
thology featuring four Portland residents, is
a multi-faceted exploration of the beliefs,
relationships and socioeconomic re
alities that shape female
perspectives on mother
hood (Ed. Yvonne Bynoe,
Trade Paper Original,
$15.95).
“We’ve heard way too
much from white, affluent,
married women,” said local
author Mary Foulk. “There
are not enough voices in
volved in talking about be
ing a parent, talking about
being a mother. The editor
was really intentional about
what she wanted.” Foulk’s
piece, “Which One is the Mother?,” deals
with her experience watching her wife carry
their child.
“I talked about some of my fears about
not being biologically connected, being
separate, worrying about intimacies of
genetic connections,” Foulk said. “A lot
of those fears were put aside the moment
[their son] was born. I just realized then
that we were a family.”
The anthology is groundbreaking be
cause “motherhood is still regarded as some
thing women ‘do’— maybe choose—but not
something we actively craft,” said Liz Prato,
another Portland writer. “And I don’t mean
craft in terms of creating schedules and
plans and futures for our kids, but creating
our own lives, and what being
a parent will mean to us.” Her
piece, “Is Life Without Chil
dren Worth Living?,” answers
its titular question, and also
defines her family to include
cats, not children.
“Just recently someone
asked me, ‘Do you have a fam
ily?,”’ continued Prato. “And
at first, I didn’t understand
her question. Aren’t we all
part of a family—whether
it’s the one we re born into,
or the one we create for
ourselves? And then I real-
ized she was asking if I have a husband
and kids. It made me bristle, like it’s not as
valuable to participate in those other kinds
of family.”
Foulk and Prato, along with the Took’s
other Portland-based contributors, Sonali
Sangeeta Balajee and Kelly Jeske, will read
their work at 4 p.m. April 25 at In Other
Words Books (8 NE Killingsworth St.,
'WA/illainette Financial
Ww
Group, LLC
503-232-6Q03) and at 7:30 p.m. April 30
at Annie Bloom’s Books, (7834 SW Capitol
Hwy., 503-246-0053).
—Adina Lepp
Symposium on Same-
Sex Marriage and the
First Amendment
On Sunday, April 19, the Clark County
and Columbia Chapters of the Americans
United for the Separation of Church and
State are sponsoring a symposium on mar
riage equality, entitled “Civil Rites: Same-
Sex Marriage and the First Amendment.”
The symposium is free anj open to the
public, and will be held at Portland State
University. Co-sponsors include the PSU
Women’s Studies Department, Basic Rights
Oregon, Love Makes a Family and the Port
land Japanese American Citizens League.
The symposium will feature a panel
discussion moderated by Steven K. Green,
director of the Center for the Study of
Religion, Law, and Democracy at the Wil
lamette University School of Law (Salem).
Panel members include Tamara Metz, pro
fessor of political science at Reed College;
Beth A. Allen, attorney-at-law with Allen2,
LLC; Reverend Tara Wilkins, executive
director of Community of Welcoming
(t) Join Hearts
'i.
THINK YOU CAN'T
AFFORD TO BUY?
Congregations; and Rabbi Daniel Isaak of
Congregation Neveh Shalom.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Con
stitution provides the legal basis for reli
gious organizations to practice their beliefs
without interference from the government.
But what happens when a same-sex couple
attempts to form a marriage based on the
Constitution’s guarantee of equal protec
tion under the law? To further complicate
the issue, there is also the Constitution’s
Establishment Clause, which requires the
separation of church and state.
Recently, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled
in support of same-sex marriage by strik
ing down a state law that banned it, and
the Vermont legislature overrode a veto in
order to preserve marriage equality. The
two states join Massachusetts and Con
necticut in allowing same-sex marriage. In
Oregon, domestic partnerships are legally
recognized, but same-sex marriages are
prohibited by the state’s Constitution.
Specifically, Article XV, section 5a
states, “It is the policy of Oregon, and its
political subdivisions, that only a marriage
between one man and one woman shall be
valid or legally recognized as a marriage.”
(Basic Rights Oregon’s Executive Direc
tor Jeana Frazzini discusses the statewide
ramifications of these national develop
ments in a story on pg. 5.)
continued on page 8
ôt. James
• Downtown Historical District •
• On the corner of Park & Jefferson •
• 100-year-old (Sanctuary •
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
planning for your retirement
evaluating your current portfolio
managing your inheritance
saving for your children’s education
managing distributions from vour
retirement accounts
♦ utilizing unique
planning strategies
for singles & same
gender couples
♦ aligning your
financial goals with
your environmental
and social values.
NORTHWEST BRIEFS
LUTHERAN CIIUPCII
Together, let’s create a
personalized strategy for your
goals and dreams, whether
ôunday (Services 8:30am and 11am
Jazz (Services 3pm every third Sunday evening
Jazz (Service for April:
The Alan Jones (Sextet April 19th at 5pm
First Unitarian Church
1011 SW 12th Ave., Portland
Commitment Ceremonies Welcome.
www.firstunitarianportland.org
1315 <$W Park Ave. Port land. OP 97201
503-227-2439 www.stjamespdx.org
"(St James «hares God’s inclusive
and eternal Love with everyone’
Go to my web site and
get info on how a mortgage can
be more affordable than rent.
Great tax benefits, too!
Before making
any investment decisions, call...
' RortlandsCondoPro.com
Committed to client success since 1987
Financial Planning Strategist
Retirement Income Distribution Strategist
RECONCILING IN CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCHES
Willamette Financial Group
3529 NFS Broadway, Ste 101
503 445 9390 ext.101
floreid(® wfgadvisors.com
www.wfgadvisors.com
NE 21st Ave, Portland, www.centralportland.org
PROPERTIES
(503) 484.3166
email: RonMilligan@Remax.net
2717 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 282.4000x143
(503) 282.8558 (fox)
Floreid Walker’ ChFC
I’AFVAx.
* Floreid Walker is an Investment Representative offering Securities
and Investment Advisory Services through AIG Financial Advisors.
Inc., a registered broker dealer and SEC registered investment advisor.
Member FLNRA/SIPC
Bethlehem Lutheran
NE 39th Ave, Portland, www.bethtehemportland.org
Central Lutheran
Mission of the Atonement Lutheran/Catholic
Beaverton, www.motaspirit.org
Mt Carmel Lutheran
SW Portland, www.mtcarmellutheran.com
DHARMA RAIN ZEN CENTER
2539 Southeast Madison. Portland. OR 97214
503.239 4846 www.dharma-rain.prg
¿9
Redeemer Lutheran
NE 20th Ave, Portland, www.redeemerlutheranpdx.org
St. James Lutheran
Park Blocks, Downtown Portland, www.stjamespdx.org