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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1986)
Why gay men must vote for abortion rights by W.C. McRae "Gay m en may not think about it,” says Jerry Weller, “ but a wom an's control over her body and the rights to abortion '»»vo same issues as gay rights.” Weller, w ork ing to defeat Ballot Measure 6. which would bar state paym ents for abortions, says that the right to abortion is, for him “ as m uch a bottom line issue as gay rights." B allot Measure 6 w ould bar state payment fo r abortion except for cases where the m other s life is endangered by continued pregnancy. Low incom e wom en would be prim arily im pacted by passage o f the initia tive, w hich would not allow state-funded abortion even for rape or incest victim s. A ddi tionally, passage of the anti-abortion measure could prevent state em ployees from using state insurance m oney to pay fo r abortions. In C olorado where a sim ilar initiative became law, the courts ruled that state insurance funds constituted state m oney and could therefore not be used to fund abortions. W eller says that “ Gay men may not think about it, but the abortion issue form s a natural political alliance for gay rights activism .” Both issues involve a person's "rig h t to privacy" and control over one's body. Also, the same people who want to deny a w om an’s right to abortion are the same people who deny civil rights to gay people. State Senator Tony Meeker, a R epublican, is spearheading the Ballot Mea sure 6 effort, according to Weller. Meeker, no friend to the gay com m unity, is also running against incum bent Les AuCoin in Congres sional D istrict 1. The Oregonian, on September 16, reported that a poll showed a close vote on Ballot Measure 6. A strong gay vote against the initiative could insure the continued right of w om en to make their own reproductive decisions. Recently back from Chicago. W eller’s chance to work with NARAL cam e up just as he began “ looking for ways to get involved." W eller claim s that m ost o f the m em bers of the coalition that make up Oregon Tax-Payers fo r C hoice actively support gay rights. m unicable diseases and AIDS. M issouri is the first state to reaffirm the crim in a lity o f gay sexuality in light of the June 30 anti-sodom y decision of the Supreme C ourt. O n a m ore enlightened note from the “ Show-M e State," the M issouri C ourt o f Ap peals struck down a S t Louis ordinance which m ade it a m isdem eanor to appear "in any public place in a state o f nudity or in a dress not belonging to his/h e r sex or in indecent or lewd dress." The ordinance, enacted in 1870, was used to bring charges o f "lewd and indecent" be havior against two men, one a female im personator, the other a transsexual. The ap pelate co u rt found the language o f the ordi nance to be "unconstitutionally vague." Briefly Noted Beaverton com pany to work on AIDS test by W.C. McRae Missouri court upholds sexual misconduct law The M issouri Suprem e C ourt has upheld that state’s sexual m isconduct law w hich out laws sexual activities between consenting adults o f the same sex. The m ajority opinion specifically cited the CIS Suprem e C ourt’s recent ruling which allows states to criminalize gay sexuality. The 5-2 decision upheld a state law which bans hom osexual activities, thereby “im ple m enting and prom oting public morality." The state also argued that forbidding hom osex ual behavior would in hibit the spread o f com - The Right to Privacy Political Action Committee announces the Fifth Annual LUCILLE HART ★ E pitope, a Beaverton clinical testing com pany, is developing a new AIDS test, accord ing to the Portland Business Journal. W hile present tests for AIDS screen only for anti bodies to the HIV virus, E pitope’s test would indicate the presence o f the virus itself. E pito pe’s test utilizes a synthetic, dyed antibody, w hich attaches only to the AIDS virus, thus m arking and rendering it identifi able. W hile conventional tests are quite reli able, especially when used in tandem, false positives and false negatives are still possible. Also, no t all people with antibodies to HIV go on to develop AIDS. A test proving presence o f the virus would represent an im provem ent in the technology o f keeping the blood supply safe, and better indicate those people in danger o f develop ing frank AIDS. There is a considerable m arket for im proved tests due to what one analyst called “ intense” fear o f contam ination o f the na tio n ’s blood supply. “ Even a m arginally better test w ould be likely to be marketable.” AIDS treatment announced Late last m onth, federal health officials an nounced that an experim ental drug has pro longed the life o f certain AIDS patients. The drug, called AZT, was first developed in the 1960s as a cancer treatm ent, for which it proved unsuccessful. Prelim inary tests with AIDS patients showed that, in patients given AZT, num bers o f T4 helper cells actually in creased and fevers decreased. In later federal tests, only one o f 145 pa tients given AZT since February have died, w hile 16 in a control group o f 137 AIDS patients have died. (The federal tests were DINNER October 11, 1986 Benson Hotel Portland, Oregon Tickets: $6000 ($5000 tax credit) per ticket $70°° the day of the dinner Make checks payable to: Right to Privacy PAC 2164 NW Aspen Portland, OR 97210 Paid for by the Right to Privacy PAC Scott Lucas. Treasurer 6 haled a fte r controversy em erged concerning the ethics o f giving placebos to AIDS patients.) AZT works by interfering with the proces ses by w hich the AIDS virus takes over cells. W hen AZT enters a cell, an enzyme is pro duced that inhibits the virus’ RNA from repro ducing DMA copies o f itself, effectivey pre venting reproduction o f the virus. AZT is not a cure fo r AIDS, and it has been proved effective only in patients with pneum ocystis c a rin ii pneum onia. Further m ore, the drug will be made available, at least initially, only to those patients whose first inci dence o f pneum ocystis has occurred in the previous 90 days, and who are not participat ing in other drug treatm ents. AZT, m anu factured by Buroughs W ellcom e, w ill be sup plied free to those deem ed eligible by health institutes. The story on AZT made the fro n t page of the Vancouver (B.C.) Sun. San Francisco C hronicle. N ew York Times, am ong many others. The O regonian, w hich enjoys com paring itself to the Times, found room for the story on page A 15. G a y Righisi, Oregonian 0 An O regon state legislative com m ittee w hich sets em ploym ent policies fo r legisla tive em ployees voted not to adopt a rule granting protection against discrim ination to gays under its adm inistration. Debate on the m atter elicited the follow ing fro m L.B. Day (R. Salem ): "I’m n o to rie who believes hom osex uals have rights.” ( O regonian, 9 /1 3 /8 6 ) Two days later, the O regon State Bar As sociation passed a resolution supporting les bian and gay civil rights. The O regonian chose not to m ention the Bar A ssociation’s support fo r gays and lesbians, but did find the space to report on several other resolutions w hich were passed at the same m eeting. I fin d it d ifficu lt to im agine criteria (except a hom ophobic agenda in the O regonian editorial departm ent) w hich could argue that a vote against gay and lesbian rights is news w orthy w h ile a vote in support doesn’t m erit m ention. W hile no news in this case was good news, at least at the O regonian, the daily gives extrem ely spotty coverage to positive gay news. The O regonian has been tim orous at best when covering the annual Gay and Les bian Pride celebrations: but ignoring the re cent ParentsFLAG convention here is beyond measure. Apparently, even after the O regonian's m uch ballyhooed form at changes to attract a “ Y uppie" readership ( O regonian Lite?), it will continue not to offer positive news and events o f interest to gay people. .o\C^ CApLN ^ P h y ^ ty . o Discover the healthy you! § Nutrition and weight-loss counseling, immune system evaluation, stop-smoking programs, non-sexual massage, homeopathy. § Natural therapies fo r: chrome fatigue, high blood pressure, diabetes, back pain, prostate problems, ulcers, allergies, alcoholism and many more. § A naturopathic physician spends more time with his patients - to talk, to listen, to explain, to help you learn better ways r-.> care fo r vour health. Please call 244-8476 7912 S. W. 35th Avenue, Portland, O R 97219 Just Out. Octooer1986