STOPPING KADOAFh REAGAN'S OPTIONS
Newsweek
Growing Up Gay
T « M c it r o M a n u
m e
n m rs ousts
had wanted things that way, d o n ’t you think
he w ould have created Adam and Bruce?") In
the week following publication, Kelly
C hronister says there have been co m m u n i­
cations from all over the US and Canada. The
sentiments of one caller speak for many:
"You are helping more people," he said,
"than you can possibly imagine."
K Falls educator
thwarts education
by Scott Michaels
Chronisters getting
used to notoriety
The courage and understanding of a local
fam ily made it to Newsweek last month. The
story o f Paul and Joan Chronister and their
acceptance of their son Kelly, made the cover
o f the weekly news magazine January 13.
Kelly Chronister and his Vancouver, WA fam ­
ily were featured in the story "G rowing Up
Gay,” a generally sensitive and intelligent arti­
cle w hich placed gayness in a journalistically
innovative environm ent — not in a clinic, not
in a bar, but in a family. The Chronisters, a
close-knit, traditional family, agreed to go
public with their experiences of com ing to
term s with their gay child and with Kelly's
co m in g out and realization o f gayness, when
Newsweek contacted them last June. News­
week wanted to do a positive “ supportive"
story about gayness, says Kelly’s m other
Joan, and contacted a hew York City branch
o f Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
The magazine, though, wanted to feature a
fam ily with a gay son in a smaller m etropoli­
tan city, and due to the national visibility of
Portland’s ParentsFLAG group Portland was
selected. The Chronisters were subsequently
selected because they are more “ o u t’ than
som e other families in ParentsFLAG, says
Joan Chronister, and they have a gay son
(Newsweek specifically wanted a fam ily with
a gay son, not a gay daughter).
W hen contacted, the Chronisters and Kelly
agreed readily.
W hile m ost response from the Newsweek
article and the parallel article in the Vancouver
Columbian has been positive, there have
been adverse reactions, particularly locally in
the Columbian. (One letter queried, "If God
In the past, I have blasted Klamath Falls for
being so restrictive in its beliefs, and its popu­
lation for being society-m olded zombies. I
reserve these statements as being true, but
with a m ore open m ind to change, which has
occurred.
Recently, I was asked by a student from
one o f the local high schools to com e to her
C ontem porary Family Living class and speak
on the subject o f Homosexuality and AIDS.
I was, needless to say, thrilled. I have spo­
ken before to large numbers of people on
various subjects, but this would be a first.
After speaking with the instructor, I was in­
form ed that the school administration would
not allow me to speak to those students on
those particular subjects. He said, “ I do n’t feel
the school is ready for that."
In m y opinion, I feel he is, in essence, say­
ing the students should be kept from the
facts. The students, to coin a phrase, should
be kept in the closet about homosexuality.
I am close friends with a couple of those
students, and I have been asked questions
that they were curious about. They had asked
me, for the simple reason, that there wasn’t
anyone else who could answer them.
I feel this kind of repression is unnecessary
and especially in this case, stupid. These stu­
dents are obviously mature enough to under­
stand, and cope with these subjects. Why else
w ould they be in the class?
There are enough “ closet cases” in every
city and town in this vast country and world.
W ith people like the principal of the high
school, so closed-m inded about this subject,
no w onder there aren't more "closet cases"
still w ondering about their sexuality.
As the lyrics of Depech M ode’s song
"People are People" so elegantly put it, "help
me understand... takes another man to help
me understand."
Shadburne
"stronghold
of Satan"?
by W. C. McRae
In Decem ber 1985, M ultnom ah County
C om m issioner Gordon Shadburne, in a letter
on county stationery to "Christian Leaders,"
characterized the Portland gay and lesbian
co m m u n ity as a “ stronghold of Satan." How­
ever, in the February 13 Willamette Week
Shadburne was him self accused of being a
m em ber in that same stronghold. In a
strongly-worded editorial, WW editor Mark
Zussman condem ns Shadburne's hypocfisy,
and points out that Shadburne’s wife alleged
that Shadburne, a fundamentalist Christian
and bitter opponent o f gay rights, himself has
had affairs with other men.
G ordon Shadburne has suddenly found
him self at the axis of contending stories in­
volving homosexuality. Richard Levy, who
briefly served as County Com m issioner in
late 1984, spearheaded efforts behind the
county gay rights ordinance that was passed
during his tenure, with Shadburne’s being
the sole dissenting vote. When his term was
com pleted, Levy next surfaced as Shad­
burne’s staff assistant Levy was a form er
m em ber o f the political lobby of Portland
Town Council, and has always been openly
gay. His presence on the Christian hom o­
phobe S hadburne’s staff raised eyebrows,
and fueled speculation about Shadburne’s
intentions. Even political opponents voiced
concern when Shadburne “ com prom ised
h im s e lf' by appearing in gay bars and other
gay establishments.
S hadburne is still involved in a bitter d i­
vorce s u it In the divorce papers filed in
September, 1984, his wife, Linda, accuses
him o f physically assaulting her in the pre­
sence o f their three children. She registered
apprehension that Shadburne would take the
children and move them to Napa Valley,
where Shadburne has invested in real estate.
This has resulted in an acrim onious custody
battle for the children involving allegations of
hom osexuality on both sides.
Linda Shadburne has a relationship with
another woman. Shadburne finds that living
arrangem ent unsuitable for his children.
Linda Shadburne has in her turn alleged that
Shadburne him self has had affairs with men,
the names of w hom she w ouldn’t reveal since
they were “ fam ily men." They are rum ored to
be m en linked politically to Shadburne.
Shadburne has characterized the allega­
tions against him as “ lies." He refused to
return calls to Just Out.
W hen contacted by Just Out. Levy
claim ed that he is looking for a new job, but
Shadburne says he will stand behind Levi in
his present position. Levi also said that the
C om m issioner is not contem plating any
legal action against Willamette Week.
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