Local News
Dialogue
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look at the truth around this stuff, no matter
how uncomfortable it is.”
Perspectives on the event’s Facebook
page varied with many QTPOC (queer/trans
people of color) as well as many white
queer people expressing frustration with
some white respondent’s inability to see that
blackface performances are racist. Some
took offense to the framing of the event and
called the Q Center’s credibility into ques-
tion, noting it’s a relatively new organiza-
conversation didn’t have enough educa-
tion,” says Aine.
She says the framing exemplified white
privilege by equating the sentiments of
Black women who felt harmed by the
Eagle’s event to the hurt feelings of some
white respondents who didn’t appreciate
being called racist.
Aleksandr Peikrishvili, who works as a
therapist, was one of the facilitators for the
proposed event and says that the framing
was meant to bring all sides of the
debate to the table.
“The way I framed the event was to
reflect what was happening in our
community,” he says. “In my mind,
there were 100 people that bought
tickets to this performance. There
must be a question in their mind of
whether blackface is racist or not.”
While Facebook comments from
both sides often strayed away from
what is commonly perceived as politi-
cally correct, some particular racist
comments brought calls for modera-
tors to step in. Some respondents con-
tended that if the comments in
question were going to be regulated then
people mentioning white privilege should
be regulated too, because they were engag-
ing in bullying.
Aine finds it disheartening that instead of
engaging with a discussion on white privi-
lege, some white queer respondents simply
dismissed use of the term as name calling.
“When you say, ‘We hear your concerns
but could you say it in a way that doesn’t
make me feel bad,’ are you really inviting
them to the table?” she asks. “When the
safety of white cisgendered men is consid-
ered as important — that we need to build
structures around their safety — as queer
women of color, both cis and Trans, there
really is a lack of understanding of what
racism is.”
The Q Center hasn’t announced a new
date for the conversation yet. It released a
statement on Feb. 28, laying out plans for an
elder panel and opportunities for other com-
munity groups to come and educate people
involved with the Q Center.
Despite these efforts, there are still reser-
vations from those that don’t think the Q
Center reached out enough to people of
color, and Black queer women in particular.
Aine expresses frustration with the
assumption of some that people of color
aren’t organizing. She points to organiza-
tions like Black Pflag and resources like
Portland State University’s Queer Students
of Color Conference as spaces where queer
people of color can have their voices heard
in a more authentic way.
“One of the egregious things about the Q
Center event is many people posit it as
either it happens at Q Center or not at all,”
says Aine. “Somehow, if we don’t have
white leadership or if white people aren’t
involved, then the conversation isn’t hap-
pening.”
For the full version of this article, go to
www.theSkanner.com.
having this conversation. Scientific research
has shown that people who are addicted to
gambling have many of the same changes to
their brains that occur in addictions to
cocaine, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
For these people the cravings to gamble are
incredibly strong. Another factor that makes
gambling so hard to stop, when people are
addicted, is that they usually have big finan-
cial debts. Yet they see the very thing that is
destroying their lives — gambling — as a
possible quick and easy fix to solve all their
someone they trust — usually a family
member. That can be a tough decision to
make. As their recovery gets stronger, they
can often resume financial control. Other
common triggers are being in or near places
where they used to gamble. For many peo-
ple uncomfortable feelings are a trigger —
depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness, guilt.
An important part of treatment and recovery
is learning to tolerate difficult feelings with-
out doing something self-destructive, like
gambling, as a distraction.
And how much does it cost?
RB: We are one of several problem gam-
bling programs in the Portland area. At all
of these programs, counseling is free for
Oregon residents and for Washington resi-
dents who do a majority of their gambling
with Oregon Lottery products, like Keno or
video poker at Oregon retailers. Counseling
is free not just for the problem gambler, but
also for family members, friends or anyone
else who cares about them. If you call 1-
877-My-Limit
or
go
online
to
www.1877mylimit.org/ you can find excel-
lent free, professional, and confidential
counseling services that are convenient for
you. Each program has its own special fea-
tures.
Our new program, Lewis & Clark Prob-
lem Gambling Services, has five unique
features: (1) We are open for services on
Saturdays and Sundays; (2) We are central-
ly located on Barbur Boulevard near down-
town Portland with eight bus lines that stop
at our door; (3) We have the advantage of
being part of an academic institution that
brings the latest research findings into our
work; (4) We have a strong focus on the
family and combine the specialties of addic-
tions counseling with marriage, couples and
family therapy in our services; (5) We have
a commitment to social justice and to cul-
tural competency in counseling; for exam-
ple, currently providing services in English,
Spanish and Korean.
TSN: Is treatment effective?
RB: Yes. Eight out of ten people who
receive problem gambling services in Ore-
gon report they either stopped gambling or
that it was greatly reduced. Nine out of ten
people report being satisfied with the serv-
ices they received.
‘There were actually
people in conversation
saying gentrification has
nothing to do with it,
which says people
coming into the
conversation didn’t have
enough education’
tion located in a gentrified, historically
Black neighborhood.
According to Lynn, in 2002-03 then Com-
missioner Sam Adams released a survey on
what was needed, what people were looking
for in a community center or in general
LGBT services, and where that center
would be located. At the time, the center
was located on South Water Avenue, but
Lynn says they outgrew it. The location on
Mississippi was seen as valuable because it
was part of an “emerging neighborhood.”
“There were actually people in conversa-
tion saying gentrification has nothing to do
with it, which says people coming into the
Coming
Out as a
Person of
Faith
A
multimedia
exhibit
premiering Thursday tells
the stories of faith leaders
and people of faith who
support the freedom to
marry,
including
the
Edwards family, pictured.
The exhibit, a project of
the Basic Rights Oregon
Education Fund, will travel
to churches throughout
Oregon. The event is
Thursday, March 7, 5:30 - 7
p.m., at the Augustana
Lutheran Church, 2710
N.E. 14th Ave. More
information at www.basic
rights.org.
Gambling
continued from page 1
away a billion dollars)?
RB: Signs of a gambling problem include
betting more than planned; lying to people
you care about regarding your gambling;
borrowing money to gamble or to pay bills
that you can’t pay due to gambling losses;
gambling more to try to make up for your
gambling losses; gambling to escape your
problems or uncomfortable feelings; being
preoccupied with gambling or with how to
get money to gamble; finding you have to
gamble more than before to get the same
level of excitement or enjoyment. Another
sign is involvement in illegal activity to pay
for gambling, which is what the former
mayor of San Diego has been accused of
doing. She allegedly embezzled several mil-
lion dollars from a foundation to pay for
gambling.
TSN: How does the issue disproportion-
ately impact specifically the African Amer-
ican community?
RB: A 2011 national study of more than
32,000 people found that rates of problem
gambling are twice as high among African
Americans as whites. About a third of the
white problem gamblers were women, but
half of the African American problem gam-
blers were women. So it’s a significant
problem for both women and men in the
African American community. This study
and other studies suggest that, compared to
problem gamblers in other communities,
problem gamblers in the African American
community are more likely to also suffer
from depression, substance abuse or other
mental health problems.
TSN: How do you respond to people who
say that gambling addicts just have to “man-
up” and stop?
RB: If it was that easy we wouldn’t be
If you call 1-877-My-Limit or go online to
www.1877mylimit.org/ you can find excellent
free, professional, and confidential counseling
services
long-term problems, looking for the big
win. Their addiction impairs their ability to
think logically. People addicted to heroin or
cocaine see their next hit as a way to avoid
their problems for a few hours, not as a way
to pay the rent that’s overdue, turn the lights
back on, or avoid bankruptcy. But many
people addicted to gambling see the last
dollar in their pocket as a possible ticket out
of crisis and try to convince themselves
they’ll stop gambling if they get a big win.
TSN: What are some of the triggers for
people who are dealing with a gambling
addiction?
RB: The biggest trigger for most people is
easy access to money. Most people find that
at the beginning of their recovery they need
to turn control of their finances over to
TSN: What can family members do to
support someone who is trying to break
away from problem gambling?
RB: That’s a great question. The first
thing family members need to do is take
care of themselves, which includes assuring
safety in the family, especially financial
safety. It’s important for family members to
learn more about problem gambling so that
they can better understand the difference
between helping the person and helping the
problem. Family members can do this by
going to counseling sessions, which are
free, with or without the person who has a
gambling problem. They can also attend
Gam-Anon, which is a support group for
family members.
TSN: What does your program involve?
March 6, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 3