OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2. 2011
Gregg Ruffin
Gregg Ruffin, who died Thurs
day, August 11, moved to Portland
from the Emerald City in 1970.
He worked for several years at the
Organ Grinder, where his love of
the food and beverage industry
originated. From the beginning,
Gregg was friendly and outgoing,
forming many lifelong friendships.
In the mid ‘70s he transferred to
EarthQ uake E thel’s, the Disco Mecca, honing his skills working as
an assistant manager. In 1979 he flipped from the straight to the gay
world and deputed on Stark Street, combining his professionalism
and provocative wit. A great example was during his first Stark St.
Rose Festival, when he made T-shirts proclaiming, “I’ve never been
in the Navy, but the Navy’s been in me!”
W hen Gregg started bartending at CC Slaughters, he found his
true calling, making every customer feel im portant and welcome. His
complimentary style and unreserved personality became a big hit.
Gregg was the consummate hostess, always greeting patrons with a
smile, maintaining his work ethic and sense o f humor while never
missing a beat. Many people attributed their ease in “coming ou t” to
sitting at Gregg’s bar. He was accommodating to his customers, who
soon became regulars, often saving phantom places at the bar—
knowing they would want to chat while enjoying their favorite cock
tail. In 1990 Gregg was reunited with the owner of E thel’s, working
at both The Brig (now Red Cap Garage) and Boxxes. He remained
an integral part of the staff for 21 years. He will be dearly missed.
Anti-Gay Seattle Church Expanding
to Portland
A controversial and anti-gay church based in Seattle is
starting a new ministry in Southeast Portland.
Mars Hill Church has purchased a castle-like building
at 3210 SE Taylor Street, where it plans to start services
September 10.
Mars Hill was founded in 1996 and has since become
a mega-church with eight locations in Washington and
one in Albuquerque, N.M . In addition to the new loca
tion in Portland, two other locations are planned for Ev
erett, Wash., and Orange County, Calif.
The church is popular among young people. Its various
media have a slick production value, and its pastor, Mark
Driscoll, has been known to give sermons on such topics
as “Biblical Oral Sex.”
Nevertheless, Driscoll preaches that homosexuality, as
well as any sex outside o f heterosexual marriage, is a sin.
“I will never say that homosexuality is okay because it’s
not,” Driscoll said in a sermon posted on the church’s
YouTube channel. “I will likewise never say that it is the
only sin or it’s a sin that rises above the other sins and
that the gay guy who comes to Mars Hill and sits next to
the couple that is dating and sleeping together is any less
or more righteous.”
The belief is not uncommon among conservative evan
gelicals, but even among them, Driscoll is controversial
for his hyper-masculine views o f how Christian men
should behave.
“The problem with the church today,” Driscoll said in
another YouTube video, “it’s just a bunch of nice, soft,
tender, chick-i-fied, church boys.”
LGBTQ.religious leaders in Portland are wary o f the
church, but they say the community should have dialogue
with the church’s members.
“We don’t get anywhere by bouncing our rhetoric off of
each other,” said the Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of
the nonprofit Community of Welcoming Congregations,
“because relationship matters. It’s hard to form a relation
ship with someone who believes the exact opposite o f what
you do, but that’s where transformation can happen.”
At one of the largest LGBTQ^welcoming churches in
Seattle, University Congregational United Church, ad
ministrator David Anderson said the LGBTQ_commu-
nity in Portland shouldn’t feel threatened by Mars Hill.
“They have not made my life as a gay man more diffi
cult, and I think they have challenged me to be more ar
ticulate in my faith,” he said.
Representatives from Mars Hill did not return calls for
comment by press time.
Visit blogout.justout.com fo r updates on this breaking story.
— A a r o n S pf . n c e r
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