Inspired by his parents and the encouragement he received from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a child to use the talents and opportunities he has and to "make this world better for those who come after you," Lew Frederick has dedicated his life to making a difference, especially for young people.

Fighting for equality "basically comes down for me to a long-term reality," says Lew, an ex-schools spokesman, educator and TV reporter who ran for Multnomah County Board of Commissioners last year. "I am African American and I grew up in a time, the middle of the civil rights movement, demonstrating and doing a number of other things, being very heavily involved. I can pretty much say that I have been involved in issues of equality as long as I can remember."

Lew's awareness of the struggle for gay rights stems from the 1970's when he had friends, roommates, and dormmates who were being treated unfairly as they tried to find jobs and places to live. He also had relatives who also struggled with the same type of discrimination, "afraid to talk about it because they felt they would not be supported."

Witnessing his friends' and relatives' experiences, he resolved that he was not going to allow discrimination to happen.

"We have had in our lives, in our society, too little attention to encouraging and supporting a basic concept of love," says Lew. "I think that the idea that for some reason it's okay to tell people who they are supposed to love is one of the most ridiculous concepts you can imagine. I grew up in a time and place where interracial love was taboo." He concludes: "I don't care who people love, I just want to have as much love as possible out there. That's how I've looked at this issue for some time, and will continue to."