Katie Carter, Pride Foundation’s Regional Development Organizer in Oregon, recently interviewed a 2015 scholar to learn about her experience immigrating to the United States and what it’s been like to live in Portland, Oregon. For her safety and anonymity, this scholar requested that we do not share her name. Katie Carter: To get us started,
Imagine that you’ve just started a new job. You’re ushered through Human Resources to get your benefits started and are thrilled to finally have health insurance after going without it for some time. As you go through the process of filling out the paperwork, you’re suddenly filled with anxiety and fear. How do you safely
The motto for Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO)—a Pride Foundation grantee in Portland, Oregon—is to “build, organize, and activate.” In the words of Zack Mohamed, CIO’s LGBTQ Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, the organization “…supports members from the immigrant and refugee community by giving them the tools and necessary training to organize their community.” This includes
When Jeanne St. John moved to Lincoln County, OR from the Bay Area in 1990 the culture shock was overwhelming; “It was stunning—like a time warp, but in a bad way.” She and her partner went from being out and open to being closeted. Many people in their new town assumed they were just friends
Like so many people, I have been glued to my computer following the events of Michael Brown’s death and the actions unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri through social media and other news sources. Horrified and outraged by the blatant injustices that were occurring, I felt helpless sitting at my desk thousands of miles away in Portland,
When you think of the challenges confronting members of the LGBTQ community, obtaining a driver card is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But if you ask Luz—a Latina, lesbian, and first generation college graduate—she would tell you that this issue is crucial to her and 80,000 other immigrant families that live,
When I arrived on a bright Saturday morning to set up Pride Foundation’s table before the Oregon Queer Youth Summit (OQYS) began, I was surprised that a sea of brightly-dressed youth were already milling about, drinking coffee, eating bagels, and eagerly chatting and laughing. Most of us have a hard time being anywhere at 8am
Achieving marriage equality in Oregon has been a winding road with many unforeseen turns over the past year—which unexpectedly led us away from taking the fight to the ballot box in November. In May, U.S. District Judge Michael McShane’s ruling brought the freedom to marry to Oregon and thousands of couples have already gotten married.
On Monday, May 19th, the long-awaited decision on marriage equality in Oregon finally came—and I am so excited to say that we won! In an eloquent and powerful ruling from Judge Michael McShane, the ban excluding LGBTQ couples from marrying was determined unconstitutional. LGBTQ couples were allowed to get married, effective immediately. And get married
With all the much-deserved excitement around the possibility of marriage equality in Oregon, many folks may have missed another initiative that, until last Friday, had been gaining momentum and posed a significant threat to LGBTQ Oregonians. The so-called “religious freedom” measure being pushed forward by the Oregon Family Council would have created exemptions in already