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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1985)
Good times, bad times by Billy Russo The period between Thanksgiving and Mew Year’s Day has always been a focal point fo r me. F o r years it m eant gaining 15 pounds flittin g fro m holiday feast to holiday feast, ten o f w hich I’d always manage to lose between Mew Year’s and Thanksgiving. D uring this tim e in 1979 after butting my head against the establishm ent wall for m onths trying to help an adm itted sex offen der, m y long-tim e friend, Lillene Fifield, jo in e d m e in giving the local authorities a taste o f gay pride. We were allowed to make an appeal on the defendant’s behalf to sent- The Roseburg Report ence him to the sex offenders program of Gay and Lesbian C om m unity Services C enter (GLCSC) in Los Angeles. Lillene testified on GLCSC’s behalf at the sentencing trial. We accom plished very little in term s of affecting the outcom e o f the sentencing trial, but we m anaged to raise the consciousness o f this one boy-lover. W hen we first m et at the county ja il he thought o f him self as the lowest scum o f the earth. And he believed that no punishm ent was to o severe fo r him . After six m onths o f me and Lillene, his parting com m ent after being sentenced to thirty years; w ith a nod towards the judge he said, "Mow I know w ho the real crim inals are." It was tw o days after Thanksgiving the fo l low ing year that Roseburg's Gay And Lesbian A lliance cam e into existence. By New Year’s Day we were w orking on ou r state charter, a 2 4 -h o u r hom ophile helpline and gay m en’s consciousness raising groups. D uring the follow ing holiday season we celebrated the previous year’s accom plish m ents: the 24-hour switchboard, our m onthly newsletter, and the com pletion o f our first gay m en’s consciousness-raising group. We celebrated com m unity. The 1982 holiday season was a frustrating tim e. I boycotted the O ctober through De cem ber GALA m eetings because o f a hom o- phobic w itchhunt that was raking our co m m u nity and the role the now -defunct GALA Executive C om m ittee played in this police action. I spent those fall m onths offering sup p o rt to the victim s and com posing the two- page letter I sent to about 100 local residents denouncing one GALA m em ber as a police in fo rm a n t Those were ugly tim es filled with anger and distru st Frances I o f the Roseburg C ourt spent the 1983 holiday season at the state prison as a result o f the preceding season’s w itch hun t I visited w ith m y new found friend regularly. A nd I d id n ’t let anyone forget his p lig h t 1984 was a tim e o f focused unity. Nearly broke by sum m er’s end, and w ith the m em bership roster at an all-tim e low, m em bers rallied to GALA’S s u p p o rt Like a phoenix, Ju«t O ut, Decem ber. 1985 Sw itchboard Theater rose from the ashes of Movie M ight and became a m ajor fundraiser. Mixed Com pany went all out for the Hallo ween and Xm as/Solstice pat ties. And many subscribers to our m onthly newsletter. Gay O l Tim es, sent generous donations. By the tim e o f the Xm as/Solstice party there was enough m oney in the bank to pay the bills through the winter. GALA had been granted no n-p rofit status by the IRS. And our Speak er’s Bureau was starting up in earnest We were a strong com m unity once again. D uring this same holiday season MCC Roseburg was celebrating its first anniversary as a church. At the annual congregational m eeting the board o f directors was expanded and the m em bers were feeling optim istic about the future. We begin the 1985 holiday season stronger than ever. A lthough still sm all in num bers, MCC Roseburg's congregation is focused on grow th. Mixed Com pany is doing two fund raisers fo r the little church and m em bers of the board are also raising m oney in the com m unity with raffles. GALA, thanks to a $ 13 50 grant from the C hicago Resource Center, has grown consid erably. Its m em bership roster is at an all-tim e high w ith 29 dues-paying members. We’ve expanded ou r m ailing list by 50%. And after num erous radio spots on the local rock sta tio n s sw itchboard calls are up 30%. The C ourt, Roseburg’s oldest hom ophile organization is slowly getting back on its feet after the w itchhunt o f 1982. Many "Floats' were organized during the past sum m er where faggots and dykes rafted and inner- tubed down the North U m pqua River. The floats were follow ed by feasts hosted by the C o u rt hoenix rising foundation a le s b ia n /g c iy s e rv ic e c e n te r Winter Program How to Survive Social Situations Or everything you wanted to know about small talk. Half price, sliding scale from $12.50. Thursday, December 5 Alcohol, Drugs and You A free one-day educational workshop. Saturday, December 7 Co-sponsored by Medical Center Hospital. Financial Survival Skills A 5-hour class for investments and money management, $20.00, normally $35.00 Led by Judy Hylton Saturday, December 7 Gay People and the Law An evening seminar covering living-together agreements, medical authorizations, powers of attorney, wills, taxes, and trusts. Wednesday, December 4 and Thursday, January 16. And more . . . For more information call 223-8299 The Brinker Fund The Chester/Esther Brinker Medical Memorial Fund FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 1986 CALENDARS NEW BOOK RELEASES • CARDS • T-SHIRTS • JEWELRY Patient grants and loans for persons with AIDS or ARC A W O M A N ’S P L A C E A Feminist Bookstore and Resource Center 2 3 4 9 S.E. A n k e n y (One block South of E Burnside) The Brinker Fund Board urges you to generously support the Cascade Aids Network (CAN) Fund Drive. 2 3 6 -3 6 0 9 Open Noon to 6 p m M onday to Saturday NEW HOLIDAY HOURS" 12 — 4 SUNDAY 17