Skip to main contentTRANS ACTION
It is odd that Mr. Beck admits to barely covering the trans communities, yet spends his entire article giving voice to the Mr. Lady PR machine [Queer Window, WW, Oct. 10, 2001]. While he could have chosen to report on the protests and the trans people involved, he chose instead to allow Sarah Dougher space to deflect with flat-out misinformation justly deserved criticism directed at her labelmates.
To this day, all protests against all bands that play MWMF have been non-violent with the exception of a Le Tigre fan attacking a protestor in Boston. While most people have the sense to realize that it's silly to attribute the acts of a lone crazy to an entire group, it seems Ms. Dougher lacks that ability.
Mr. Lady is being boycotted because they have publicly stated that they support the policy at MWMF. Le Tigre and the Butchies, both Mr. Lady bands, play at MWMF, and their shows, like those of all performers who played last year, are being protested as well.
If Mr. Lady wants a dialogue with the protestors, then they'll stop deflecting the issue at hand with slanderous claims. While I agree with Ms. Dougher that it is up to trans and non-trans people to work towards trans-inclusion, it is laughable that the entire article is just a poor defense of Mr. Lady Records' transphobia.
Next time, try asking some trans people about their lives and their activism, instead of allowing people to weasel out of well-deserved criticisms.
Elizabeth Flanagan
Philadelphia
SWOOSH TO THE RESCUE
I will leave the opinions included in Willamette Week's "hatchet review" in your column The Nose about Nike founder Phil Knight's gift to the University of Oregon [Oct. 3, 2001] to be judged by others on their own merits. However, to leave your readers with the impression that all Nike did in response to the Sept. 11th horrors was to provide 11,000 pairs of socks to rescue workers would be a disservice to your readers and to our employees who are part of this community.
Both local and national Red Cross agencies identified immediate financial support as their most critical need. For that reason, the Nike Foundation has been collecting contributions from individual Nike employees and factory partners across the country and throughout the world. Through matching funds, Nike has made a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross and a variety of other local relief organizations. In addition, Nike partner factories in Asia, Feng Tay and Pou Chen, have donated $100,000 each to the American Red Cross.
Nike also is working with relief agencies in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania to provide donations of Nike products for victims who are affected by these tragic circumstances, as well as for those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. These donations include more than 14,000 T-shirts, 11,400 pairs of socks, 1,200 pairs of Nike ACG work boots and 1,000 towels.
For more information about Nike's corporate responsibility efforts, we invite your readers to visit nikebiz.com.
Lee Weinstein
Director, Nike US Communications
Beaverton
WWeek 2015