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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2009)
J0 1 2 O WWW JUSTOUT COM JULY Ì, 2009 PRIDE 2009 Run for The Border V an cou ver Parks It For Its 15th Annual Pride C om m ittee m em ber D ustina fiSseOL H aase w ent to Vi ^¡L her first S aturday . in the Park not ^ long a fte r fin d in g jgw » "die dyke ca rve d g L iM k on th e h o o d of B y KIRA LESLEY There’s big news about Vancouver - and it has absolutely nothing to do with the Colum bia River crossing. July 11 marks Vancouver’s 15th annual gay pride event, Saturday in the Park (SITP). SITP began as a resistance to two 1994 ini tiatives that would have prohibited state and local laws banning discrimination against the gay and lesbian community. W hen proponents tailed to gather the required number of sig natures to make the ballot, resistance became rejoicing. “I t’s a celebration of, literally for us, ev erything that makes up our lives,” said M i- cheil MacCutcheon, committee Sponsorship Chairperson and member of the Saturday in the Park Pride board. That’s important in a place where diversity is not always welcome. The last fifteen years have seen positive changes for queer residents of Southwest Washington. The event has fewer anti-gay protesters, said MacCutcheon, and more churches are welcoming gay, lesbian, bi and trans members. And Washington state now prohibits dis crimination against sexual and gender minori ties in such areas as housing and employment and includes both groups in hate crime law. At the same time, queer Washingtonians face losing some key rights. The “everything but marriage” bill, signed into law earlier this year, expands the state’s 2007 domestic part nership law, extending to same-sex partners all the rights and benefits given to married heterosexual couples. Opponents of the bill arc currently circu lating Referendum 71, which would send the domestic partnership law to the November ballot if the camp can gather 120,577 signa tures by July 25. Finally, in 2007 Clark County saw the larg est percentage increase in hate crimes of any county statewide, said MacCutcheon, who also volunteers for Equal Rights Washington. Committee members say the event is a fun, safe space for all. They emphasize the event’s family-friendly atmosphere. It’s a “bring your blankets, bring your picnic meal and come on down and sit in the park with your kids” type of day, MacCutcheon said. The festival will feature musical perfor mances, food, a beer garden for the adults and activities for children. Booths include schools, social agencies, gay, lesbian, bi and trans-wel- coming congregations, and an administrator of on-site rapid H IV and STD testing, counsel Your real estate needs are my #1 priority. Contact Vernon Herriott for all of your Real Estate CAFE & ESPRESSO BAR Voted the Best Breakfast in Vancouver and lunch too! needs in the SW Washington area. I can assist you in finding the right home, and I can assist you in selling your current home. No matter what your Real Estate needs are, I will make them my TOP PRIORITY! Congratulations to 15 years of C o n g r a tu la tio n s to SATURDAY IN THE PARK I 5 YEARS OF SATURDAY IN THE PARK z Special Omelettes Vernon L. H e rrio tt Coldwell Banker BSSP Espresso * p. 3 6 0.4 49 .4 3 5 3 e. vlherriott@ yahoo.com « Gourmet Salads -?■ Homemade Soups & More C O L O U I G li. HAN^CH □ Corner of Main & McLoughlin • Vancouver (360) 737-9907 • Hrs: Tue-Sat 7am-3pm / Sun 9am-2pm S r i E AL a r m u t O M O II U N lir CertoPro Painters' Licensed. Bonded. Insured. Experienced-Professional-Employee Painters Velinda Sloan 360635-5311 Cell 360-772-2851 Vancouver www.CertaPro.com * BBB ESnEZHQ wuSdEnop 4 ^ B her car. "[SITP] was the first tim e I re a lize d there was a safe sp a ce in C lark C o u n t/ ... th a t was my ste p p in g p o in t to h e a lin g . I g uess.” ing and breast exams. Pride-goers can also buy unique retail and jewelry - some of which you didn’t find at Portland Pride. In keeping with the family-friendly focus, MacCutcheon said, the planning committee works hard to make sure adult items are kept discreet and the music is language and content appropriate. A politicians’hour begins at noon with Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard issuing an official proclamation naming the second Saturday o f July “Saturday in the Park” day. This year’s theme, “40-15=LOVE,” recog nizes both how far the gay rights movement has come and how much work remains. Small print under the word LOVE reads, “??EQUAL RIGHTS??.” “We wanted to encompass our roots,” said Domestic Violence and Child Advocate and committee member Dustina Haase, “because it is the 40th year since Stonewall, it is the 15th year o f Pride ... but we feel like we’re still fighting.” Haase, who is also Ms. Vancouver Gay Pride 2008, first attended SITP four years ago, just after her car was vandalized; the words “die dyke” were carved into the hood. Police, she said, did not see the crime as hate-driven because they did not think she looked like a lesbian and because she has a son. Before then, Haase was unaware Vancouver had a gay pride event. For her, that first SITP was a truly transformative experience. “It was the first time I realized there was a safe space in Clark County ... that was my stepping point to healing, I guess.” The issue of a safe space in Clark County is an important one. W ith Portland just across the river, it’s easy for members o f Vancouver’s queer community to look south for acceptance. According to Committee Chair Daris Fre- imuth, who was born and raised in Vancouver, some gay people he knows try to diminish their association with Clark County. “They won’t even acknowledge the fact that they’re from Vancouver when they’re in Portland,” he said. But the members o f the SITP Pride Com mittee want people to know that there is a queer community in Southwest Washington. They are proud to be who they are - and who they are where they are. “We survive in a more negative environment and we keep fight ing to be a more positive environment,” said MaCutcheon. Added Haase, “I would say we thrive.” vW) S aturday in the P ark w ill be held Satur day, July 11, 10 am-6pm at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. More information is available at www.sitppride. info.
