called Defense o f Marriage [act]. So the con
grammed to be a public servant as a result. I
cerns are mostly the same concerns every other
didn’t set out at the beginning to be an elected
Portlander has with a sort o f unique and
official so [I] worked for 19 [years], almost two
heightened interest around safety— personal
decades as a campaign manager ... and now as
and public safety— which, you know, we’ve got
an elected official for six years I feel very fortu
work to do there. W e’re a great progressive, lib
nate to be in a position to get stuff done....
eral city and an open city but we need to make
There are others whose style is to do one or
sure that we have services and partnerships in
two things a year, and there’s a reward for
place that prevent anyone from abusing that to
that— everyone knows the one or two things
the detriment o f anyone else in Portland, in
you’ve done. My approach is to actually get sig
cluding the queer community.
nificant change done. I ’m not going to have
this job [all my life]. You have it for a certain
JO : Since elected, your distinction as openly
period o f time and I want to get meaningful,
gay mayor o f a major American city has been
long-lasting improvements to this city under
eclipsed by Houston’s Annise Parker. W hat
way or in place.
observations can you make, looking back just a
Being a queer public servant and now elected
couple o f years, not only as an openly gay man
official, I don’t think most Portlanders care. I
in public service but from the larger perspective
don’t think they should, and I feel as great a
o f two decades in public service?
sense o f responsibility to every Portlander. I ’m
THE QUEER C O M M U N IT Y [IN
P o r t l a n d ] h a s s h o w n h o w y o u
CAN REALLY CHANGE PEOPLE S
PERCEPTIONS AND THEIR INTERNAL
LEVELS OF ACCEPTANCE BY GOOD
O LD -F A S H IO N E D ORGANIZING. BY
STANDING UP AND BY CREATING
ALLIANCES AND CREATING
P A R T N E R S H IP S .... AND I M PROUD TO
BE A PART OF A OUEER C O M M U N IT Y
THAT HAS THAT SET OF V A LU E S .'
up and by creating alliances and creating part
nerships. ... And I’m proud to be a part o f a
queer community that has that set o f values.
JO : W hat else would you like the community
to know?
Adams: I’m vigilant on the issue o f bullying
... As we make progress, there’s always a certain
amount o f backlash and ... as we move for
ward— I hope one, either legislatively or thru
the courts— as we get our basic rights, I’m on
the lookout for bullying. I ’m on the lookout for
that kind o f push back especially in the schools,
and [alongside] folks like G L S E N and Gay-
Straight Alliances around the state. W e’re well
positioned to try to intervene positively. “It
Gets Better” is really important, using social
media to do that.
-SAM ADAMS
Adams: I come from a hard-working family
the mayor o f everybody whether they like me
that had a tough time making ends meet, a high
or not, or agree with me or n o t.... I put extra
school dropout mom who was largely single, and
effort into those Portlanders who have been
stamped out,” at least legislatively. And so our
thanks to food stamps and other government
historically shut out o f equal opportunities, and
community is more integrated than most other
Adams: Someone on Twitter suggested I do
support she was able to go back and get her high
that’s people o f color, especially, low-income
queer communities in the nation. W e’re more
it. I hadn’t heard much about it, so I went on
school and college diploma. So my passion for
families, certain geographies within the city
accepted, we’re less viewed as stereotypes and
line and said sure. That was one take! ... I was
public service is rooted in my early experiences
like East Portland— and the queer community
more viewed as human beings like everybody
surprised toward the end, I was getting choked
o f government being a force o f positive change,
is amongst the group....
else, and that’s a great basis on which to serve
up because, you know, especially middle school,
as mayor ...
high school can be pretty brutal. It’s supposed
JO : Since you mentioned “It Gets Better,”
what prompted you to shoot a YouTube video
for the project?
but I also saw through my upbringing how hard
The other day I was describing how the
it was for people that wanted to make a better
queer community, because o f the attacks o f the
The queer community [in Portland] has
to be fun, can often be brutal and not being ac
life for themselves ... to truly get something use
Oregon Citizens Alliance [in the 1980s-’90s],
shown how you can really change people’s per
cepted is tough enough but to be bullied is
ful from government as well. So [I was] both
actually had to go through a maturation process
ceptions and their internal levels o f acceptance
horrible, unacceptable. It’s a small contribution
appreciative and frustrated— I think I was pro
much quicker. It was “get our act together or be
by good old-fashioned organizing, by standing
I could make, being a gay mayor. JW
..... ■■■ ■■■ D avid W. O wens ^
P.C.
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