Need ways to show your Halloween spirit? See Living, pgs. 8-9 for tips!
The
Megan Rapinoe to visit UP for Pilots soccer versus LMU on Sunday, Oct. 28. See Sports, pg. 16
BEACON
Vol. 114, Issue 8
Students cooperate, but still can’t party
Even when students follow Public Safety rules , legal party hosts still clash with enforcement and neighbors
THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Thursday October 25, 2012 www.upbeacon.net
d e i n e D s s e c Ac
Kelsey Thomas Staff Writer thomask15@up.edu Senior Chris Roberts thought he had followed all the rules. He called Public Safety to register his party. He gave each of his neighbors his number to call if any problems arose. And when Saturday night rolled around, he strictly turned away minors from his door.
“The only way I feel allowed to throw a party is if there are under 15 people there and there isn’t any excessive noise.”
Jana Peters Senior
And yet, at 10:30 p.m. on his 22nd birthday, Roberts found himself standing in his yard telling celebrators they couldn’t come in because his party had already been shut down by Public Safety. “I work hard all week so during the weekends I can let loose and have a good time,” Chris said. “But P-Safe was shutting us down.” This situation is a familiar one for many UP upperclassmen who are living in the residential neighborhood surrounding campus. While students just want to have a good time, many of the surrounding neighbors frequently call in noise complaints to Public Safety. When even a gathering of 40 students over 21 get “busted,” however, some students find themselves wondering if there is such a thing as a legal party at all. Senior Jana Peters said that although she thinks Public Safety is doing their job, having parties continually shut down is frustrating. “Sometimes I think they handle it a little too aggressively,” Peters said. However, Director of Public Safety Gerald Gregg said students need to remember that they do not sit around thinking “okay lets go find a party and end it.” “I can’t emphasis this enough,” Gregg See Parties, page 4
Design by Laura Frazier | THE BEACON Jackie Jeffers | THE BEACON
The Bureau of Labor and Industries investigates local hangout after it closes its doors to transgender customers Philip Ellefson Staff Writer ellefson15@up.edu For senior Connor Reiten, the Twilight Room Annex is a nice place to spend a low-key evening. And he was never bothered by other customers there, including the Rose City T-Girls, a group of transgender women who used to frequent the bar. He said they were polite customers. “The one time I saw them they seemed to keep to themselves,” Reiten said. But now that the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has investigated the owner of the bar for complaints of discrimination against the T-Girls, it might not matter how polite they were. An investigation by the Civil Rights Division of BOLI earlier this month found substantial evidence that Christopher Penner, the owner of the Twilight Room Annex, has discriminated against transgender patrons of the bar. The bar, which was formerly known as the Portsmouth Club or the P Club, is on Lombard next to the Twilight Room, a bar popular
among UP students. For two years, the T-Girls went to the Twilight Room Annex every Friday night. In July, Penner asked the T-Girls to stop patronizing the bar because he felt they were driving customers away. According to the BOLI claim against Penner, he left a message on one of the T-Girls’ phones. “People think that A, we’re a tranny bar, or B, we’re a gay bar,” Penner said on the voicemail. “We are neither. People are not coming in because they just don’t want to be here on a Friday night now.” Shortly after Penner notified the T-Girls, it was brought to the attention of Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian. Avakian filed a commissioner’s complaint to have the bar investigated on charges of discrimination. “I do think it’s important for people to know when discrimination occurs and that there’s someone out there who is standing up for them,” Avakian said. Now that the investigation is complete, the case will move to a BOLI prosecution unit, which will decide whether or
not to send the case to a judge for a hearing. According to Bob Estabrook, communications director for BOLI, the damages will be filed along with the formal charges against the Twilight Room Annex. These may include fines and an order for the bar to change its policy and hold mandatory training for all workers. The T-Girls are a group of transgender women, people who identify as women but were assigned male at birth. The BOLI investigation report said some of the T-Girls have undergone sex reassignment surgery, while others normally identify as men but sometimes dress as women. According to the BOLI investigation, Penner has hired gay and lesbian employees. He also hired a transgender male but referred to this worker as a woman despite being asked to stop, the investigation said. Under Oregon law, discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression is unlawful. Gender identity and expression are a subclass of sexual orientation that protects transgender people.
Beth Allen, the lawyer representing the T-Girls, said the transgender community faces particular obstacles. But because of the message left on the T-Girl’s phone, Allen said it should be easy to prove discrimination occurred. “It’s unusual to have a case with a smoking gun. Lawyers talk about wanting a smoking gun,” Allen said. “This is one of those cases, and it makes our job a lot easier.” In the meantime, Allen said boycotting is the best way for customers of the Twilight Room Annex to support the T-Girls. “It’s important that students who have patronized the P Club understand that money does talk,” Allen said. “If they feel that discrimination is wrong, then they should not spend money at the P Club.” Avakian said it is important to remember that the case in ongoing. “Nobody has been found guilty of anything yet,” Avakian said. “The P Club is gonna have their opportunity See Discrimination, page 5