letters
YES, OUR PANEL SHOULD
HAVE BEEN MORE DIVERSE
In the July 7 Slant column, the Week-
ly suggested that City Club of Eugene
should have had more female repre-
sentation on our July 8 program, “Can
Local Newspapers be Saved?” A week
later, Lou Caton asked why the Weekly’s
editor declined an off er to ask a ques-
tion at the program (“Why Not En-
gage the City Club?” Letters 7/14). The
Weekly’s editor noted that they brought
their concerns to the City Club Program
Committee instead.
City Club appreciates this feedback.
It helps us to be accountable and to bet-
ter deliver our mission: “to build com-
munity vision through open inquiry.” We
acknowledge that the range of speakers
on this subject should have been more
diverse, and we are committed to de-
livering programs that represent and
engage perspectives from our whole
community. We also appreciate that
the Weekly acknowledged the qualifi ca-
tions of the speakers, and encouraged
its readers to listen in, both before and
after the program.
The First Question at the program was
asked about diversity, by Molly Newhard,
editor of LCC’s The Torch, and it deserves
a more expansive answer. We hope to
work with the Weekly and other local jour-
nalists to coordinate a program about di-
versity in the media in fall 2022.
Lastly, a reminder that anyone can
suggest an idea for a City Club program.
Please visit CityClubofEugene.org, se-
lect the “Forums” tab and click “Sug-
gest a Forum” from the menu. Fill out
the form with your idea, and we look for-
ward to hearing from you.
Joel Korin
Program Committee Chair
City Club of Eugene
WOMEN ARE TIRED
OF BEING IGNORED
Kudos to Eugene Weekly for encour-
aging some non-dude-centric letters
(Letters, 7/14). In this sexist world, I
needed a little encouragement.
In the middle of the grief over the loss
of every woman’s right to choose, my
19-year-old daughter is struggling with
severe endometriosis. I have watched
her experience sexist treatment in
health care routinely. Endometriosis is
not widely known, as it is estrogen-driv-
en and therefore largely aff ects people
with uteruses. Her severe pain has been
belittled even by her own gynecologist,
who last month said, “Call us back when
the pain is more severe.”
The countless times she has ended up
in the ER with severe pain, she has been
given a pregnancy test routinely. It does
not matter that she explains she has not
been sexually active. Even when I have
been with her and verifi ed information,
a pregnancy test has been given “just to
make sure.” Sometimes, she’s been test-
ed without her knowledge and told after-
ward, “Well, you’re not pregnant.”
There’s an underlying assumption
that if you’re a woman of a certain age,
complaining of abdominal pain, you can-
not be trusted to simply verify that there’s
no way you could be pregnant. You’re told,
“We just want to be on the safe side.” Per-
haps the thinking is, as a woman you’re
having sex with people without your
knowledge, or maybe it’s the hope for an-
other immaculate conception.
This seems to fi t right in line with our
national fundamentalist Christian be-
liefs. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Melissa Ivan
Eugene
541-342-6107
181 E Broadway, Eugene
MON-SAT 10-6 PM & SUNDAY 11-5 PM
LTD SHOULD SERVE
ALL THE PUBLIC
Thank you for your eye-opening
June 23 story “Oregon22 Transit Re-
lay.” Reading it motivated me to contact
Bill Bradley with the transit union to in-
quire who I should contact at LTD with
my concerns.
Then I emailed LTD spokesman Pat
Walsh and sent the same email to interim
General Manager Mark Johnson. I don’t
know whether I’ll receive a direct response
from LTD, but I’m now motivated to write
to you folks at the Weekly because I haven’t
seen any letters (in your print edition) from
readers about your story.
Without a car for the entire 20 years
I’ve lived in Eugene, and currently as a
64-year old woman who still rides LTD
(wearing a mask, though it’s not re-
quired), I feel especially concerned for
myself as well as other regular riders
who depend on LTD. I’m not only refer-
ring to the track and fi eld champion-
ships, when the buses might be very
crowded and not wearing masks.
Public transportation needs to be
in the interest of the public, both local
and global. LTD is not addressing some
of these basic needs, and so I wanted to
speak up.
B. Lynne Schwartz
Eugene
Award
Winning
Burgers
and
Comfort
Food
at Three
Locations.
CORNUCOPIAEUGENE.COM
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