LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[February 8th, 2006] I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR

I am writing in response to Willamette Week's review of Transamerica ["Lost in Transition," Jan. 18, 2006]. This review included a very important quote from director Duncan Tucker about casting lead character Bree Osbourne: "It was always going to be an actress, not a guy in a dress. I wanted to honor where the character was going and not mire her in what she left behind."

I find it really ironic that Byron Beck and David Walker included this quote in their review because unlike Tucker, they refer to Bree as a "pre-op transsexual man" and use the term "he/she" through the entire article. While they praise the director for treating Bree with "cinematic respect," they fail to do that themselves. In a culture that turns a blind eye to the beating and murder of transgender people, I would expect a progressive publication like Willamette Week to treat this subject with more sensitivity. Being a transsexual woman myself, I get sick and tired of the media blatantly disrespecting us. If gender has to be defined (which it shouldn't), then it should be determined by what's between our ears, not our legs.

Rebecca Nay
Southeast 76th Place

WET NAPKINS BAD, PEOPLE GOOD

Regarding Ryan Alexander-Tanner's PDX-EXPOSED! comic published on Jan. 18: I worked at Tiny's for six months with some of the best people I have ever met in my life. Ryan caught me on a lousy night, and I took the opportunity to rant about my minimum-wage job, like any normal person would. I'm just writing to apologize to Tiny's for making them look like a bunch of assholes, when in fact I'm the big asshole. All of the customers at Tiny's are totally rad, the managers and owners are rad, and despite all the crap that comes with working in food service, I absolutely LOVED that job.

I don't work there anymore because I'm moving out of town at the end of January, but again, I wanted to apologize. Sorry, Suzy. Sorry, Phil. Outside of the context of giggling over some funny comic with a friend of mine, it's obvious that I was way out of line. I hope you guys don't hate my guts, and I probably won't see any of you ever again, but just so you know, I still love you all.

Alicia Lynn Carrier
Southeast 16th Avenue (formerly)

"FEEL-GOOD"? FEEL THIS!

The "Gunning for Saltzman" piece by Nigel Jaquiss [WW, Jan. 4] dismisses the Portland Children's Investment Fund as the city commissioner's "feel-good Children's Initiative."

For the record, the Children's Investment Fund annually assists 10,000 of Portland's neediest children. The fund helps support 47 nonprofit organizations in every corner of the city with programs in early childhood, after-school and mentoring, and child-abuse prevention and intervention. And we have kept our promise to ensure that 95 percent of the tax money raised by the Fund goes directly to these programs.

New data from Portland State University and Portland Public Schools show that we're making a difference: Children receiving these services are meeting key milestones in growth and development and showing improvements in academics, attendance and behavior. Now that's something all of Portland can feel good about.

Mary Gay Broderick
Portland Children's Investment Fund
Southwest Washington Street

MURMUR OF DISCONTENT

Once again, Willamette Week's taken the path of ill-persistence. The murmur about Jean Ann Van Krevelen [Murmurs, Jan. 18] was a magnificent display of how off-the-mark your editorial choices were—including the title ["Where nepotism meets despotism"]—not to mention how out of context the facts were presented. The incidents between me, CAP and the dissemination of the information didn't transpire as "reported."

However, conveniently, there was no willingness on your part to provide space for the facts. The Real Story, about a skilled, passionate woman being selected out of numerous nationwide applicants, who brings a gold mine of public policy, health and management skills to Cascade AIDS Project (CAP)—and thus the citizens of Oregon—you opted not to tell. Such has this selective bypassing been the case with the many other positive stories we've presented to you for editorial consideration over the years I've worked with CAP, including efforts related to save the lives and prevent HIV and AIDS among children, families, people of color and the gay community, through comprehensive, life-changing programs and services.

Whose reputation are you calling into question? Mine? Jean Ann's? CAP's? Or really, at the end of the day, doesn't the poor decision that this is the story you focused on discredit your own? It's clear how your editors spend time and energy focusing on the agenda of discrediting others, and from this instance, you've truly provided this community nothing but a disservice through your one-step-above-National Enquirer style of "reporting."

Janna Mock-Lopez
MediaWrite
Southwest Scholls Ferry Road

Editor's Note: Just so readers understand, WW published two murmurs about this subject. The first murmur, on Jan. 18, discussed the press release written by Mock-Lopez, which stated that the new head of CAP was Oklahoma Woman of the Year when in fact she was one of 50. The second murmur, which ran on wweek.com the next week, noted that, as a result of the brouhaha, CAP had decided to end its relationship with Mock-Lopez. As to the heading "Where nepotism meets despotism," it referred not to this story but to other items in that week's Murmurs column.

CORRECTIONS

Last week's Mailbox misidentified Ashley Henry's current employer. She no longer works for the Oregon Business Association. Also, WW's Jan. 25 cover story about Craig Berkman ("The Talented Mr. Berkman") incorrectly reported one of the foundations Berkman served on, and the gathering that brought Nelson Rockefeller to Portland in 1975: Berkman served on the Multnomah County Library Foundation, and the 1975 gathering was the Western States Republican Conference. WW regrets the errors.