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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1985)
The Coffee Merchant ♦ C aterers 233-8690 N \V Ü4ili • l’ortluml. Oregon 1)7210 Unique Food Presentations IV >\ Lime lies • I 'inin.T' I V n i i ' Inouïe >>r Our l\irn i> • I'm .irc or IVonu-" L i i k - W ' i i u ' S c k - iiio n » • I I ' t m t ; ' The finest imported coffee beans, teas, chocolates, and beverage brewing accessories. ♦ THE BROADWAY COFFEE MERCHANT 1637 N.E. Broadway • 284-9209 ♦ THE HAWTHORNE COFFEE MERCHANT 3562 S.E. Hawthorne • 230-1222 Northern Italian Cuisine Mon.-Sat., 5.30-10:30 p.m. 2832 SE Belmont Portland, Oregon A visit to Faerieland by Billy Russo I solicited the following story from a 15- year-old m an who contacted our 24-hour switchboard. He had gotten the number from a youth-oriented gay/lesbian group in Hew York. He contacted them after see ing their address during a Donahue Show. He was passing through our area while on a bus from Eastern Oregon to the coast, and he wanted to lay over in Roseburg. He planned to stay in a motel Saturday night and join us at M C C the following day, be- The Roseburg Report 238-1464 Call for reservation s. fore continuing on his way. He had never m et a gay person that he knew of. After discussing the situation at a semi m onthly switchboard committee meeting, I volunteered to chaperone him. He made his quantum leap into the homophile community during the week end o f the GALA general meeting. Besides which, the Roseburg Court was hosting a pot luck after church Sunday. So, during the 26 hours he spent here, he got a dose of activism, religion and high camp: he got a look through the gay window. — billy by Jeff, as told to Billy P eter de G arm o Don O m an 20 3731 S.E. H a w th o rn e P ortland, O regon 97214 (503) 232-1010 I stepped off the bus to wade through the crowd of people, scanning their faces, look ing for the kind m an I talked to on the phone, not one of them had a dam n mustache! O ut of the corner of my eye I spied a m an with long, black hair and a mustache. I first thought no, he couldn’t be gay! "Are you Jeff?" he asked with a smile. "Hi!” I said, and dropped m y bag and shook his hand. I thought it appropriate. Billy — as he put it — was the first “queer” I had ever m e t * As we left the bus station we talked. He asked m e a few questions about m y reasons for com ing. And I told him. Before long we arrived at M ark and G eorge’s house. They all hugged Billy when they greeted us. I wasn’t quite sure what to think, but m y eyes de voured all they saw. And we talked. I felt really stupid sitting there, and everyone knew that I was up tig h t W e went to Billy and Doug s place and “did the goats." Doing the goats consists of separating the kids and the does for the m orning milking. O nce we settled in for the night, Billy went to bed. And Doug and I talked for a long time. D o ug told m e som e of his experiences and enlightened m e about life in the Lavender Culture. He gave m e som e books to read, and I read late into the n ig h t For the first time in a long tim e I felt safe and secure. I awoke the next m orning and found 1 had not dream ed it all. I proceeded to the dining area. There stood Billy in robe, busy taking yellow ice cubes from the freezer. Puzzled, I m oved closer for a better look — the water co u ld n ’t be that bad!! Well, obviously he didn’t notice m e, be cause when he turned towards m e he gasped, held his chest, and giggled. He said he forgot I was there! After breakfast and goats, D oug and I re turned to M ark and G eorge’s where we w atched "Brothers" episodes and the Port land G ay Pride M arch which M ark had videotaped. I enjoyed this very m uch and wished we had “Brothers" in La Grande. W hen we were leaving, I hugged another gay m an for the first tim e. Wowee! For some insane reason, that was a big m o m en t for me. I d o n ’t know why. I m et a very neat w om an when we returned to the farm . Her son, Billy’s good friend, is gay. It really was great that she accepted her son with love and pride. I wish m y m other was like her. For dinner that day we had the m ost in credible lasagne that I had ever eaten, after which we drove into Roseburg for the GALA m eeting. I m et a lot of fascinating people. Then, sitting there, listening, the idea popped into m y head to start a young gay people’s support group in La Grande. I asked the group for ideas and suggestions. I alm ost forgot about the boy w ho ran into the m eeting room and asked, “Is this where the faggots are m eeting?” S o m eone said, "Yes. It is. May I help you?” T h e youth ran back out and sped away in a car that was waiting outside. I realized that no matter w here you go, or what you do, the threat of bigotry will always be there. The following day was m y first tim e at an M C C service. W e sang som e beautiful songs. And during Fam ily Prayer we got into a big circle, held hands, and shared things. I told everyone how happy 1 was to know 1 wasn’t alone. I wanted to get to know everyone. 1 went up for the last supper dem onstration. T h e w om an serving co m m u n io n filled m e with such happiness. W hen M C C broke up late that afternoon we went to a potluck at the hom e of the Roseburg C o u rt T h e first person I m et was Frances I, our host and reigning m onarch. W e had a delightful conversation. W h en I was leaving he gave m e a ring. It’s a sym bol of m y first journey into the gay com m unity. At ten o ’clock we drove to another couples’ h o m e to watch the latest episode of “Brothers." Pat and Andy were a very accept ing m iddle-aged straight couple. Jesse, Mark and G eorge joined us. Before Billy and I headed back into Rose burg to catch m y m idnight bus, Jesse gave m e a hug and a kiss (I m issed and kissed his m ustache). I hugged D oug, too. Billy took m e uptown. W e got a pop and waited for m y bus. W hile we waited for the bus Billy told m e how I did a scientific- som ething-jum p from m y family in La Grande to the gay com m unity in Roseburg. W e talked until the bus cam e in. As we said our goodbyes I put m y arm s around him and kissed him right on the m outh. “You radical thing, you!" he said with a smile. O nce I boarded the bus, and Billy drove out of sig h t I quietly wept. Just Out, November. 1985