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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2011)
OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE MAY 6, 2011 3 just out Pay It Back? Pay it forward? Just plan on paying. VOL. 28. NO. 11 MAY 6. 2011 INSIDE he unfortunate truth is that to quite a :e few there are as many reasons to vote against the Portland Public Schools bond d is and levy, Measures 26-121 and 26-122, as there are reasons to vote for them. The combined measures will have a de »- cided impact on the average Portland ho meowner. And Portland, for many voters, is )f still far away from approaching a state of pre-recession fiscal well-being. For a city y with an unemployment rate hovering in the e 10 percent range, with water and sewer rates :s :r going through the roof and highest-ever fuel costs on the immediate horizon, the e additional $200-$300 per year in taxes will 11 be felt by many, painfully. Non-homeowners s might think they’re off the hook but the fact :t is that even renters will see higher costs as is landlords simply raise rental rates to accom - modate new and higher property taxes. Other complaints about the measures s focus on bloated administrative costs, un - necessary staffing levels and excessive waste, :, amid other hard-to-prove accusations. In n many homes, complaining about waste in n government has now replaced “Mommie”or r “Daddy” as baby’s first words. W hen pressed d for specifics, most voters would have a hard d time, citing only the predictable seven road d crew workers watching the one guy with a shovel—said crew becoming the stereotype e for government waste. In our LGBTQcommunity, I most often l hear or read the muttered complaint,“! don’t t T have children, why should I pay for schools?” Well, if you’re reading this you likely went to school, probably a public school, and you know what? Someone paid for you to do so. In the simplest of terms, it’s now time to pay it back. You are also paying it forward. You’re paying for the education of people who will fill the jobs and provide the skills to keep the city, the county, the state running efficiently for many years to come. Education is the key to a performing and skilled workforce. A skilled and prepared workforce is key to a vital and thriving economy. A vital and thriving economy is key, as we have noted in its recent absence, to some pretty basic quality-of-life issues for a lot of people. The fact is one way or another we are all going to pay for the quality of education produced by Portland public schools. We can pay with our wallets, while demanding accountability and standards of perfor- mance, or we can pay with our apathy—and get what we pay for that way. There may be those who attempt to equate lack of marriage equality with taxing measures. Please don’t. Your current inability to marry your same-sex partner in Portland has nothing to do with earthquake safety in the schools. Don’t punish the students of today for the laws passed by their parents and grandparents yesterday. ^ chools, students, youth and the gay W and grey all have a place in this is » FEATURE 18 IT GETS BETTER. GRANDPA Gay &. Grey program raises awareness of invisible generation >» NEWS/EVENTS 6 NORTHWEST NEWS IN BRIEF »> COMMUNITY. 14 THE Q MUST GO ON sue of Just Out. Seldom are we able to showcase such wide age diversity as we are here. O ur feature story focuses on Gay & Grey, and an increasingly visible segment of our LG BTQcom m unity. Per haps it’s time to consider adding another color to our rainbow flag symbol, a glim mering, shiny slice of silver glory. W e’re here, we’re queer, we’re old! G et used to it! Wouldn’t it be grand if Portland’s Pride parade were led off by a full contingent of gay-and-greys, followed immediately by the youth of SMYRC? I’m seeing batons, I’m seeing pom-poms, I’m seeing our his tory lead our future through the streets of Downtown Portland. We’ve got elders in wheelchairs; we’ve got youth with energy to spare. It all sounds like a perfect match to me. I cannot tell you how much I would like to see this happen. Everyone should consider coming to the Gay 6c Grey expo. It’s pretty simple—if you’re not old(er) today, you will be soon. It’s rare that I can speak with such certainty about anything. Hope to see you there. »IM JUST OUT RECOMMENDS A YES VOTE ON THE PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOND AND LOCAL OPTION LEVY RENEWAL MEASURES 26-121 AND 26-122. Anniversary Sale May 14-M ay 31 15-25% off Q_Center gears up for Pride season as search for director continues 15 THE RIGHT WAY TO FIGHT Community to discuss response to violence at safety forum 16 A CAPSTONE YEAR Community nonprofits 22nd annual art auction exceeds expectations 17 MAKING IT BETTER Queer youth do it for themselves at annual summit » ARTS & CULTURE 25 OUT & ABOUT 29 ON STAGE 36 MONKEY BUSINESS 100th Monkey Studio partners with SMYRC for fifth annual art show 38 ANOTHER YEAR OLDER, ANOTHER YEAR FIERCER 40 30 YEARS OF XXX CC Slaughters rings in anniversary all summer long » COLUMNISTS 31 32 35 42 43 LIVING OUT LOUD LADY ABOUT TOWN SASSY GARDENER PANDA SAY WHAT REMEMBER TO BREATHE » PHOTOS 50 RED DRESS 51 ROSA Dianne Appleqate 1 1 O D.D. S. select in-stock and special orders org an ic + m o d ern sustainable furnishings open LATE M-F 11:00- 7:00 PM 4830 SI 39th Avenue S 0 3 .7 7 5 .9 S 0 0 ♦ www.drdi.Hmc.ippleg.ue.c6wi
