Opinion
Prison push only aggravating women’s public health crises
When the vast majority of incarcerated women battle addiction, are victims of assault or have mental health diagnoses, criminal justice can be squarely classified as a public health matter. And as Oregon lawmakers weigh whether to open another complex for more women to be imprisoned, we face a public health crisis. Oregon’s only prison for…
A farewell letter to our friends at the Boiler Room
Dear Boiler Room, I am deeply saddened to learn that you will no longer be able to service the community. You all have been an inspiration to me. Last year on February 22 – my 37th birthday – I had discovered a hidden talent, and that is karaoke. Truth be told, I’ve never sung any…
SR editorial: Canada’s policy on heroin another lesson for U.S.
It’s been nearly 100 years since the U.S. sent heroin underground, banning the sale of what was, at the time, a marginalized opiate. In the time since, heroin use has reached ever-increasing levels, spanning all socioeconomic classes and touching every community, town and metropolis in America. It’s well past the time to rethink our approach…
News
Susan Faludi traces a journey of identity
In 2004, Susan Faludi received news that her estranged father had recently transitioned into a woman. He was well into his 70s when he flew to Thailand for the surgery. Steven re-emerged as Stefánie, or “Stefi,” and she had reintroduced herself to her daughter via email, complete with photographs displaying her new look. In an…
Lindy West on being fat, internet trolls and cancer
If two people are sitting in broken chairs and they fall, who takes the blame? Is it the chair? Or the person? Seattle author and former staff writer of The Stranger – sister paper of the Portland Mercury – Lindy West offered the analogy to her former boss Dan Savage at a restaurant in…
A man with many hats at Community Transitional School
Tom Lechner sits at a schoolroom-style desk in one corner of a busy office, a computer screen in front of him, folders of paperwork on the desk, pen in hand, phone at the ready. He’s a tall, slim guy with tightly curling black hair showing wisps of gray, and frameless glasses perched on his nose.…
Canada OKs prescription heroin
The Canadian government legalized prescription heroin this past week. The move comes four months after Health Canada proposed the regulatory change, and ahead of the country’s planned legalization of recreational marijuana in 2017. Doctors in Canada can now prescribe laboratory-manufactured prescription-grade heroin, which can be imported from Europe, to patients who have failed to beat…
