Out Of The Shadows III

Gay couple find a church home
Published: October 9, 2007

By DEE MOORE
Of the News-Register 



Each Christmas, Don Hutchinson and his partner, Lee Swantek, would host an open house at their McMinnville residence. They would invite members of their church, First Baptist, and its gay and lesbian support group, Together Works, along with their entire neighborhood. 


Swantek died of cancer in 2002, but Hutchinson is continuing the tradition. It's just one of the ways he tries to teach tolerance. 


"I knew I was gay by the age of 12," said Hutchinson, now 72. "I think God created me this way for a reason. I consider myself lucky to be this way. The only thing that is different is who we love." 


He and Swantek forged a long and loving relationship. They were together 47 years, and it would have been longer but for Swantek's death. 
That, Hutchinson said, demonstrates conclusively that gay men are not excluded from maintaining monogamous long-term relationships. 


The two met on March 28, 1959, at a theater in Portland. The balcony there had become something of a gay hangout in the absence of any gay clubs or support groups. 
A relationship gradually grew out of that chance meeting. And it still brings tears to Hutchinson's eyes when he reflects back on it. 


"It's so wonderful to have to feel love," he said. 
Hutchinson said it was tough to watch his partner slip away. He said it took a big toll on him. 
He has saved some of Swantek's personal effects. 


"When I start feeling sorry for myself, I put these on," he said. "I couldn't do it without him. That's what got me through." 


They were living and working in Newberg when they learned about the Together Works support group Pastor Bernie Turner had created at McMinnville's First Baptist Church. 


It piqued their curiosity. 


A Baptist church in Yamhill County hosting a gay support group? It seemed too good to be true. 
Hutchinson and Swantek had long been looking for a church home. But their sexuality and relationship always seemed to get in the way. 


They finally found one at First Baptist, thanks to Turner. Along the way, they became active members of Together Works. 
Though the church provided a welcoming atmosphere, the outside community did not. So the group felt it had to take some security measures. 


"We met in the fireplace room, which had big glass windows," Hutchinson recalled. "We would put newspaper over the glass."


Thankfully, he said, fellow parishioners were both supportive and protective, easing concerns.

"I am so thankful for this church," he said. 
Hutchinson believes that society is slowly becoming more accepting, that much progress has been made. "I believe the atmosphere is changing from it was," he said. 


He and Swantek eventually sold their Newberg home and business and moved to McMinnville, as it had become the center of their lives. 
And together, they dedicated themselves to giving back to a community that had given so generously of itself to them. 


Hutchinson continues to volunteer at the St. Barnabas Soup Kitchen. An avid quilter, he also donates quilts to programs like Court Appointed Special Advocates, which works with victims of violence and sexual assault. 


Though now a widower, he is determined to continue setting an example. He wants to show others that being gay does not have to be the defining aspect of a person's life. 
He long ago came to the conclusion that there was value in his life and he should share it with others.

After all, he said, "If you don't love yourself, no one can love you."

Copyright owned by the News-Register.