OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE
JULY 17. 2009
7
.
TRANSITIONS
» BONNIE TINKER. 1948-2009
A Publisher
Remembers on Iconic
Communit/ Activist
BY MARTY DAVIS
Late in the afternoon on July 2, Portland’s
gay, lesbian, bi and trans community lost a
friend and leader with the passing o f activist
Bonnie Tinker, 61. Tinker was a co-founder
o f Bradley-Angle house, a shelter for female
victims o f domestic violence. To many, she
was best known as the founder and executive
director o f Love Makes a Family.
Just Out staff was putting the final touches
on its July 3 issue when word came via Face-
book messages that Tinker had tied. My
immediate thought was heart attack. A quick
jump to the OregonLive link revealed even
worse news - Tinker’s death was the result
o f a horrific accident. While attending a con
ference on the Virginia Tech campus, Tinker
went for a bike ride - and a collision with a
truck ended her life.
A woman o f incredible energy, vision and
accomplishment was taken that afternoon.
Tinker did not always march hand-in-hand
with other leaders and activists in our com
munity. Oh, no. This was a woman with a
mission, and zeal. Her passions were marriage
equality and peace activism, combined with
a strong desire to see reform in the Portland
A c tiv is t a n d ic o n B o n n ie T inker, rig h t,
w ith p a rtn e r Sara G ra h a m
Police Department. When not raising hell
with local leaders and authorities, Tinker
could be found kicking up her heels at square
dances with the Rose City Ramblers.
My first joint project with Tinker came
during the tumultuous days o f Portland Police
Chief Mark Kroeger. After Kroeger’s anti-gay
slurs were discovered - and the community
was in an uproar - Tinker assisted me in put
ting on a community forum where Kroeger
showed up to address the public’s concerns. It
was quite an evening and Tinker taught me
valuable lessons in community activism and
leadership.
On another occasion I bemoaned to
Tinker my discomfort with the increasingly
prevalent use o f the word “queer.” I remem
bered the term as a hateful slur and voiced my
objections to its now popular usage. Her sage
advice about my predicament - Get over it.
That was many years ago, and those words
have stayed with me. Get over it. Keep mov
ing, forge ahead. Stay focused. Get over it.
Those are my memories o f Tinker. That, and
her seemingly relentless ability to usurp the
spotlight at public events and press confer
ences. Damn, she was good. Tinker was a
woman with a message and she’d pass up no
opportunity to be heard.
Tinker’s methodology in obtaining her
goals raised hackles on occasion, and com
munity concerns and questions about Love
Makes A Family practices were addressed in
Just Out's pages. That’s one reason why I am
writing this piece; Tinker and I butted heads,
Tinker rose to her own message, as noted
above. We got over it.
Tinker’s Facebook page has become a
tribute to the role she played in the lives o f
so many people, as has Just Out's initial blog
posting about Tinker’s passing.
Here are a few o f the memories and
thoughts shared by Just Out readers.
“This news about Bonnie’s death is hor
rible. She was a wonderful advocate for social
justice, especially G L B T justice. I’ll miss her,
especially the spirited debates and her strong
hugs afterward. My deepest condolences for
her family, and also for all of us whom she
touched.”
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“I worked at Love Makes a Family for a
brief time and I was just amazed at Bonnie’s
energy and passion. I just hope our commu
nity will honor this amazing woman for all
she has given and shared, by getting involved
and making a difference ...ju st as Bonnie has
done.”
“I last saw her two weeks ago, drum
ming up support for the new Black/African
American PFLA G chapter - she needed
people to staff the Love Makes a Family table
at the Oregon State Fair: Now is everyone’s
chance to help by signing up for a block of
time there!”
I greatly admired Tinker and L M A F ’s
annual stint at the Oregon State Fair: what
better place to take your message to people
who likely need to hear it most. At the State
Fair, the state comes to you .Just Out will be
following up with Love Makes a Family re
garding plans for staffing this year.
There’s been talk of hosting a tribute for
Tinker at the Q_Center. But the tribute I bet
Tinker would most appreciate is an outpour
ing o f support to continue to her work at the
Oregon State Fair later this summer. We’ll
keep you posted o f plans.
Tinker’s family has scheduled a memorial
service for 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25. The ser
vice will be held at Portland’s First Congrega
tional Church, 1137 SW Broadway.
Arrive early; the place will be packed. J K
( 503 )
484.3166
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