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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1985)
Health support group grow ing Recent reports from C om m unity Health Support Services (CHSS) indicate that this new group may grow to be am ong the most dynam ic service organizations in Portland's Gay com m unity. Using $2400 in organiza tional funds provided by Portland Gay Men s C horus’ O ur Best concert, CHSS seeks to provide and coordinate social support ser vices for lesbians and gay men facing term i nal or life changing illnesses. O riginally dubbed Chicken Soup Brigade after a similar organization in Seattle, CHSS is now in the process of formal organization under the Phoenix Rising umbrella. A central com m ittee has been meeting weekly since July to plan training and screening processes for prospective volunteers and clients. Sub com m ittees on needs assessment, volunteer coordination, training, and public relations also meet to help expedite actual services. The group has been in close touch with gay health care groups nationwide, as well as local hospice centes and the Physician's Task Force. Four members are already participat ing in an intensive hospice training program before form ing a similar program to train CHSS volunteers. By spring, the group hopes to be ready to provide emotional and practical support ser vices to help relieve unnecessary pressures including tansportation, housekeeping and shopping, while assisting clients in locating financial, legal, and medical assistance. The group does not intend to provide di rect funding and will work closely with other organizations, including Phoenix Rising and Cascade AIDS Project to assist gay men and wom en dealing with the anxiety, fear, aliena tion and isolation which often accompany serious illness. Persons wishing more information should contact Steve Fulmer at 287-7838 or Tim at 233-5011 (eves.). Lesbian Forum series slate The Lesbian Forum is a once-m onthly gathering of lesbians and gay-positive women to discuss topics of interest at Westminster Presbyterian Church. See calendar for details. WE HAVE CHOICES! See Us For Cold Care Products Fresh F ru it V itam ins H erbal Teas Open to All The next Forum series includes: Jan. 15 — "Kids, mamas and partners.-' Feb. 12 — "Balancing — Paths to self- healing" (note change from usual "3rd Tues day" schedule) March 19 — “Alternating Currents: Women Relating to Women Relating to Men." April 16 — "Breaking Up." May 21 — "Lesbian Business Fair." The Forum Planning Committee meets once m onthly and needs gour input, energy and ideas. If you’d like to help on an ongoing basis or assist on one particular Forum, call Willow at 236-4386 or write to Willow/Forum, 1620 SE Ladd Ave.. Portland. 97214. Multnomah County Commissioners pass g a y rights ordinance On D ece m be r20 ,1984,almost lOyearsto the day after the City of Portland had done so. the Multnomah County Commission added the words sexual orientation to the county's civil rights ordinance. Commissioners Caro line Miller, Arnold Biskar and Richard Levy voted in favor of the charter amendment: Com m issioner Gordon Shadburne voted against the change: Commissioner Earl Blumenauer was absent when the guestion was called, but comments he made during the hearing indicated tht he was in favor of the amendment. Com m issioner Biskar. whose term ends on January 3. introduced the am endmeiit and worked diligently for its passage. "Civil rights legislation promotes human dignity," Biskar said in his opening statement, "and m inority status must be protected from m ajority coercion." Approximately two dozen witnesses testi fied and were split about evenly for and against the ordinance. Most of those in op position cited religion and morality as a basis for their objections. Rabbi Emanuel Rose of Congregation Beth Israel cited distinctions between private and public morality. “ There are people here today who follow lifestyles we don't all agree with," he said, "but do we judge people because of adultery or because they are divorced?” The ordinance will become law thirty days after the date of passage. Scene around town G ay Males Together — by Jim H unger Food Front COOPERATIVE GROCERY If this recently passed year of grim harbin gers has caused you to pause and, a la Bob Dylan, ask yourself, "Where have all the flowers gone?" you may find some of the more positive glimmers from that era still glowing at the Wednesday evening meetings of Gay Males Together, a m en’s rap group which can proudly boast one of the longest histories of any gay organization in Portland. Arising, like many other social consciousness efforts, out of the altruistic liberation era of the sixties and early seventies. GMT has been a consistent com m unity resource for over twelve years. GMT’s genesis in the early 70 s, was largely the result of the energies of six men who lived together and were known as “ the collective"; under their aegis the group thrived, providing a conduit for a variety of activities, such as consciousness raising, politically oriented events, and newcomer groups. Membership clim bed rapidly, approaching forty to fifty members. Then, as now, the primary func tion of the group was to provide an outlet for discussion of topics o f interest to gay men, and meetings have been held on a weekly basis in Sm ith Center of Portland State Uni versity since the group's inception. Traditionally, GMT has been a relatively un structured group, with no elected officers and no established by-laws. The purpose of the group has been to provide a friendly and inform al alternative to the bar scene, and GMT has possessed the flexibility to evolve according to the perceived needs of the m em bers at any given time. Periodically vol untary steering com m ittees have been generated when the need for them has arisen, and members frequently accept re sponsibility for facilitating during discussion sessions. In addition to weekly meetings, GMT members have engaged in a variety of ac tivities: potlucks; parties — m ost recently a Halloween party; game nights; and a few picnics. A num ber of guests have been in vited to speak before the group as well. Newly-elected M ultnom ah County C om missioner Gretchen Kafoury m et with m em bers of GMT, as did several m om s from Parents and Friends o f Lesbians and Gays; men of the leather persuasion have attended meetings to present their views, as have drag queens and others. Although GMT meetings presently are at tended by fewer participants than they were during the auspicious, heady period of the group's infancy in the early seventies, with numbers ranging on the average of between six and twenty, this trend has also resulted in get-togethers that continue to be relaxed and informative, but which are naturally more inti mate. Discussion topics cover a variety of topics o f interest to gay men; some of the recent areas of consideration have been: masturbation; spirituality; AIDS; relations between lesbians and gay men; intimate rela tionships; and com ing out. Topics are som e tim es brainstormed ahead of tim e and then scheduled for upcom ing meetings, but as often as not they arise automatically from m em bers’ ideas and com pelling concerns during the meetings. One im portant aspect of the association's strength is that it does provide an understanding and empathetic peer group for gay men when they feel a desire to relate experiences and feelings which could only be shared fully with gay brothers. Gay Males Together meets every Wednes day night at 7:30 P.M. in room 229, Smith Memorial Center, Portland State University. Anyone interested in participating is welcome to com e and join in the repartee. Whole foods. Real Groceries, natural Treats, fresh Produce Open 7 days, 9 a m to 8 p m 2675 NW Thurm an 222-5658 TRI MET BUS 53 6 Just Out, January. 1985