Yesterday's post about the Portland Rescue Mission's decision not to sponsor a queer-themed Christmas event has ricocheted around local media outlets over the past 24 hours. From Just Out to KATU to a gay-rights blog, even out to St. Louis, Mo. (And, you've seen, we're helping with our own Queer Coat Drive.)
After playing phone tag this morning and yesterday (while I was at city hall and the Portland Building) I finally got a chance today to have a long conversation with Bill Miller, the development director of the Christian-based mission.
He says that while he didn't dispute the voice mail one of his employees, Brian Merrell, left for queer performer Jeffrey (aka Fannie Mae) Darling, organizer of the Queer Quistmas event, Miller does want to air the mission's side of the story and clear up a few things. So, here goes...
First off, Miller wanted to mention that the Portland Rescue Mission serves anyone and everyone who walks through its doors. He also said it won't turn away any donations. Even "queer" ones. In email traffic that followed the message left with Darling, he explained, the mission still offered to muster its collection barrels, even if it wasn't going to be a backer. But, by then, Darling (who was justifiably upset) had "decided to move in another direction."
Miller and I spent a lot of time talking about "miscommunication" over that distinction—a key nuance, as he sees it. Sponsorship, he says, means a much bigger commitment—at a time of the year when the mission's resources are more stretched. He says Darling's event, scheduled for December 20, was too soon. Other groups have also been turned down, and he says he wanted to talk to Darling more about that before things went south yesterday.
"Usually, we promote it. We communicate it to the media, and our donors and volunteers, etc. We put our name and logo up there as a major player in the plan," he says. "We just don't do that on a quick turnaround. We needed more time."
Sounds reasonable. But I had a question. If that was the reason all along—it was about sponsorship, not coats, logistics, not queerness—why did Merrell, in his voice mail, even bother to venture here: "We are a faith-based organization and there was some concern with how it might come across to some of our donors."
Keep reading to see his answer.