Transition
Kevin Grant Peppel of Vancouver, Wash,
died September 13 at the age of 39. As of press
time,Just Out was in the process of obtaining a
transition piece to commemorate Peppel’s life.
Pick up the October 21 issue for more.
Letters
W elcom e Mat
To T he E dito r :
In reading Aaron Spencer’s “They Came
From Mars (Seattle, actually)” [Vol. 28, No.
20, Sept. 16, p. 13], I was struck by a phrase
he used to describe MCC Portland. He
wrote: “The Rev. Nathan Meckley of the
LGBTQjwelcoming Metropolitan Com
munity Church of Portland.” Referring to
MCC Portland as “welcoming” is kind of
like referring to Just Out as “[an] LGBTQj
welcoming newspaper.” For 43 years this
month, Metropolitan Community Churches
all over the world have been offering a place
for those who wish to find or reclaim the
Christian identity that has been stripped
away or denied them. MCC has been “mar
rying” same-sex couples for 43 years, offering
commitment ceremonies of couples’choosing,
from private ceremonies with witnesses only,
to full blow-out weddings with bridesmaids,
groomsmen, gowns and tuxes. One time I
met a man there, who works at another “wel
coming” church. But he said that he attends
MCC once in a while, “So I can sit through
worship with my arm around my partner.”
This is not to slam the term “welcoming,”
nor to discount those congregations who are
doing the good and difficult work of chang
ing the culture of their denominations one
congregation at a time. They are true heroes
and are constantly being challenged to push
the status quo further and further in the pur
suit of justice. I think MCC deserves a little
recognition for being the pioneer, the all-or-
nothing church that has LGBTQ_persons on
its board of directors or as clergy, as Sunday
School teachers, ushers, Elders, choir direc
tors, in any position, and we welcome our
straight friends and allies, too. You see, we are
a welcoming congregation.
Gail Bumala,
member of MCC Portland since 1982, Sandy
Correction
In Just Out's September 2 story on the
Portland burlesque scene, we incorrectly
stated that the Rose City School of Bur
lesque was established in March 2008 [Vol.
28, No. 19, p. 30, “Crowd-Esque”]. In fact, it
was March 2010. We regret the error.
OCTOBER 7, 2011
►
5_JS
MARTY DAVIS
« nw new s
OREGON S LGBTQ NEWSMAGAZINE
Bill Dickey and Dr. Craig Quirk with their special awards
from the DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital
DoveLewis
Recognizes Dickey,
Quirk with Awards at
Annual Fundraiser
DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital
held its annual My Wet Nose Soirée benefit
Saturday, October 1 at the Governor Hotel,
recognizing two prominent contributors dur
ing the gala.
Bill Dickey, owner of Morel Ink, and Dr.
Craig Quirk, owner of Rose City Veterinary
Hospital, were both honored with Dove
Awards for their continued support of the
mission of DoveLewis.
“It's an honor to be recognized by one of
the top nonprofits in Oregon,” said Quirk.
Quirk’s recognition also served as a birth
day present of sorts for the centennial of Rose
City Veterinary Hospital, which celebrated
100 years of service to the Portland metro area
this summer. As a member of the DoveLewis
Board of Directors, and as president of the
Portland Veterinary Medical Association,
Quirk works closely with both organizations.
“I think he took on that role more strong
ly than almost anybody else who’s ever been
in that role,” said DoveLewis director of
marketingTiffini Mueller. “[The award] was
really a salute to his dedication to veterinary
i ............
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