O R E G O N S LE S B IA N /G A Y /B I/TR A N S /Q U E E R N EW SM AG AZINE
JULY 2. 2010
|7 J IM
m
PRO FILES
and I didn’t like that image at all.”
Another source of gay imagery came from
the 1970 film The Boys in the Band. Willamette
Bridge staff had been given press passes to
preview the movie, but Wilkinson used the op
portunity to organize the distribution of fliers
protesting the film’s stereotyping of gay men.
“Even though it’s become a kind of classic,
my reaction at the time was that the represen
tation of gay men in that film was decidedly
negative,” Wilkinson says. “They were bitchy,
they were depressed, they were heavy drinkers
—just all of the stereotypes rolled into one.”
Given the limited opportunities LGBTQ_
folks had for public socializing, it’s not sur
prising that they were painted so narrowly in
the media.
“W hat I saw was a community in the bars,
such as it existed,” he says, “and community
in the streets, such as you can call that a com
munity, and then in the privacy of homes, and
that was it.”
Stark Street was, as it is now, a hub of gay
activity, and SW Yamhill Street was known as
a place “where hustlers and gay men would
congregate,” W ilkinson says.
The rejected classified spoke to the lack of
public places for gays to connect and W ilkin
son’s article in response struck a nerve with an
isolated community.
“I guess in some ways [that article] started
the movement. That was my role,” Wilkinson
recalls. Soon after, an ad ran in the Willamette
Bridge announcing a meeting for LGBTQ_
people interested in “galvanizing a community
around the possibility of having more openness
and more freedom for gay and lesbian people,”
held at the Centenary W ilbur Church.
By the group’s second meeting on March
24,1970, momentum was building. Wilkinson,
M YHA W THORNEPLUM BER.C OM
who saw himself as “a writer and to some extent
an agitator, but certainly not a leader,” let others,
such as Holly Hart, Neil Hutchins and George
Nikola, take the reins while he continued to
write articles about the fledgling movement.
The group went on to establish an all-ages
coffee house, called “Night Street Exit,” at
the church that doubled as a social spot and
drop-in center. Hutchins founded The Second
Foundation, the first true gay organization in
the city, according to Wilkinson. Churches
and universities stepped up to the plate, re
sulting in a “real tumult of activity.”
But it is that March meeting that remains
politically and personally pivotal for W ilkin
son. Not only did it mark the launch of an
organized gay rights movement in Portland, it
was also the fateful day he met his husband of
40 years, Dave Davenport.
The couple married during the brief win
dow it was legal to do so in Oregon, eventually
moving to Seattle, where they co-founded The
Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington, now
a part of Equal Rights Washington.
As Wilkinson looked forward to another
Pride season, he reflected on his first Pride in
San Francisco in the 1970s, captured in a photo
he took at Golden Gate Park’s Elysian Fields.
“It’s just a huge, huge crowd o f mostly
men, mostly shirtless, with moustaches and
’70s haircuts. There’s so many of them they’re
just kind of a little cloud of dust rising up,”
he recalls. “It really symbolized for me people
being together, happy, the possibilities.”
Possibilities that— thanks to Wilkinson
and his cohorts—are now realities. >1®
To see copies o f Wilkinsons movement-in
spiring articles, visit the stacks at the Oregon
Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave., ohs.org.
Everyone's looking for an encouraging sign in today's economy.
The fact is, they'll see one in over 17,500 locations across North
Am erica. Because for over 86 years, State Farm agents have
been there helping people protect the things that matter most.
That's why more people trust State Farm. And we consider that
a very good sign.
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR,
STATE FARM IS
Lisa Parks, Agent
11157 NE Halsey Street
Portland. OR 97220
Bus: 503-256-3077
www.lisaparksinsurance.com
Monday-Friday 9:00am-6:00pm
Evenings & Saturdays By Appt
Hablamos Español
P R O V I D I N G I N S U R A N C E AND F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S
P 08708 ? ii/oe
Slate Farm. Bloomington IL
5 0 3 . 5 0 5 . 2 7 4 5
CCB# 184 87 4
Make a difference in the life o f a
child — becom e a foster parent.
• Singles and couples welcome to apply.
• Seeking foster parents in all counties
to work with high needs teens,
sexually reactive youth and/or gang
related youth
We provide free comprehensive
training, 24/7 professional sup
port, paid respite and a generous
daily rate per youth in your home.
^
m
contact Crystal Sneddon at
> 888-MSOREGON
'JIM
yj
Maple Star
Oregon
503.838.1514
mameresbandb.com
212 Knox St N, Monmouth OR 97361