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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2011)
voices- Don’t Forget Your Roots 38 APRIL 1.2011 N ote : Some names have been changed to protect both the guilty and the innocent. Prior to becoming a card-carrying member of the Oregon Bears, I had a heart-to-heart talk with then president Frank Armstrong, as I had slight apprehensions that I wouldn’t fit in or be welcome. After all, I’m not exactly a classic Bear specimen. There’s nary a hair on my face and you couldn’t convince my chest to grow any hair— not even for all the tea in China. During our chat, Frank allayed my fears and explained the Bears’ roots to me and how the movement came into being. I le told me Bears are usually more accepting and diverse because, in the past, they were shunned and ostracized for being different than other gays. Since they know what it feels like to be excluded, inclu siveness is one of the Bear movement’s tenets. Frank also said being a Bear is not just physical but a state of mind. If you think like a Bear and act like one, you are a Bear. So I signed up and became a member. As a whole, the Oregon Bears have been very wel coming. I was embraced from the outset by this fun-loving group of men (and a few women). In this group, I found a sense of community, brotherhood and camaraderie. It wasn’t long before some Bears started calling me “Panda” and the nickname stuck. « WWW .JUSTOUT.COM panda say what?! BY BENNIE TAN As accepting and diverse as Bears self-proclaimed Bear, spotted her posting on Facebook and decided to email her saying she are, there are always exceptions. wasn’t welcome to the event because she was a My mother has this saying: “ In every woman. He claimed the bar where the event was held was a “sanctuary” for Bear men only. bushel of crabs, you always find a I was stunned. few that are hollow.” Terri felt uncomfortable, and she didn’t go. I But as accepting and diverse as Bears are, was beyond livid when Terri told me she later there are always exceptions. My mother has this discovered Karl was not local but lived in Alas saying: “In every bushel of crabs, you always ka and Colorado. I couldn’t fathom why an in find a few that are hollow.” dividual who wasn’t involved in the local Bear This past February, I coordinated a fundraiser community took the time— had the audacity— for Shane, a fellow Oregon Bears member who to tell someone they weren’t welcome at a had to have emergency colon surgery. He didn’t charitable event because of gender. It was a have health insurance and was growing over fundraiser, for heaven’s sake! I really wanted to whelmed with medical bills. I created a Facebook give Karl a piece of my mind so I searched for event page to spread the word and Terri (not her his profile on Facebook, to no avail. real name), a mutual friend of ours, wrote on the I’ve had an experience similar to Terri’s. event page’s wall that she would love to support Last June, right after our Bear run called Shane. Terri attended high school with Shane’s BearTown, I received hate mail on my official sister, self-identifies as queer (bisexual) but is Oregon Bears email account from Dick (not currently married to a man. She is very much a his real name but indicative of his character), part of the queer community, so I was surprised an Oregon Bears member. In it he opined I when she didn’t show up. was “downright silly” for considering myself a The next time I saw her, Terri explained Bear. Dick went on to explain, “A white guy what happened. Karl (not his real name), a may support civil rights and speak out against i---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- racism and even join the NAACP, but he does not become black!” Isn’t Dick a lovely person? I decided to pull a Margaret Cho and post Dick’s message, complete with his email ad dress, on my Facebook page. Several of my friends—who are Bears and consider me a Bear—emailed Dick, chastising him for being a bigot, demanding an explanation and apology. Needless to say, being the bully and coward that he is, Dick never responded. W hat is perplexing to me is how quickly people like Karl and Dick forget their roots. As Bears, how can they forget what it felt like to be singled out and discriminated against and start doing the same to others? W hat I’m writing about isn’t exclusive to the Bear community. As queers, we’re all inherently different from heteros and have, at some point, been discriminated against. I get very disheart ened when I witness and experience instances where queers hate on each other when we really should be rallying together. It is vital for the Bear community— and queers in general— to always remember where we came from and learn from our past. We must never forget our roots, lest we turn into the very people who shunned us. J#] Genetically , the gian t panda was recently proven to be p a rt o f the bear fam ily, so don't you tell Bennie he is not a Bear. This Panda accepts non hate emails a t pdxpandacub@gmail.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ST0B*s 7 0 9 SE 1 2 2 N D AVE. PO R TLA N D OR. 9 7 2 3 3 5 0 3 .2 5 7 .8 6 1 7 2 L O C AT I O N S O P E N 24 H R S 7 DAYS A W EEK ! 2 0 6 2 5 SW T.V. HW Y ALO HA, OR. 9 7 0 0 6 5 0 3 .3 5 6 .5 6 2 4 WWW.MfiPEEPS.CaM It’s a beautiful thing. Quick Easy No physical exam Call for an appointm ent for our M onday a Friday “JU S T C H EC K IN G service H^L^MPARTM^NT STD HIV HepC Program 5 0 3 . 9 8 8 . 3 7 0 0 ROSE C I T Y V E T E R IN A R Y HOSPITAL / 809 SE POWE LL / 503.232.3 I 05
