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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1986)
PSU Women's Union addresses many issues To the E ditor: In lig h t o f recent articles in R a g Times and Just Out, we are concerned that the co m m u nity understand the function and services o f the P.S.U. W om en’s U nion and P.S.U. W om en’s Studies Certificate Program . The "A dhoc W om en’s U nion/W om en’s Studies" was started at Portland State University by w om en students and faculty in 1970 to ad dress w om en’s issues in an academ ic set tin g . Since that tim e, the W om en’s Studies and W om en’s U nion have been com m itted to being responsive to com m un ity issues and concerns instead o f focusing exclusively on academ ic concerns. O ver the past 16 years, the W om en’s U nion and W om en’s Studies have hosted several events includ ing tw o film series about les bians and gays; conferences including “ Sex, Violence, and the Law” ; and various w ork shops and support groups — returning wo m en students, single parents w ith children, eating disorders, and lunch tim e get-togethers fo r lesbians. The W om en’s U nion and W om en’s Studies have also brought several speakers including J ill Johnston, Audre Lorde, Barbara Sm ith, Starhawk, Rosemary C urb and Nancy M anahan (The Lesbian Nuns), Robin Morgan, and Gerd Brantenberg. M any o f these events have been co-spon sored w ith other groups in the com m unity. We continue to strive to address issues that people fro m the com m unity bring to us. U pcom ing events include “ W om en, Body Im age, and Self-Esteem ,” a fou r-h our w ork shop w ith Linda M oore on Saturday, Novem ber 1st; "The Lesbian C om m unity C onfer ence” on N ovem ber 8th and 9th in conjunc tio n w ith the Lesbian C om m unity P roject Furtherm ore, classes offered by W om en’s Studies include “ W om en in the Visual Arts,” "H istory o f Fem inism ," “ W om en-ldentified W omen,” and “ W om en and W riting.” The intent o f W om en’s Studies and the W om en’s U nion has never been to tell the w om en’s com m unity how to th in k o r behave but to provide a place and atm osphere con ducive to exam ining the diverse perspectives o f w om en in the com m unity as they relate personally, locally, nationally, and internation ally. These program s also exist to recognize and celebrate the achievem ents o f women such as sharing in the Tenth Anniversary Celebration o f “A W om an’s Place Bookstore." If you w ould like m ore inform ation or w ould ju s t like to talk about your concerns as they relate to W om en’s Studies or the W o m en’s U nion, please call us at 229-3516. Am y Sutton W om en’s U nion C oordinator, 1983-84 Dianne Louise W om en’s U nion C oordinator, 1984-85 Internalized hom ophobia strikes again To the E ditor: As a m em ber o f both the P.S.U. and lesbian com m un itie s I was both saddened and angered by you r news article on the (non)- debate o f w om en’s erotica, or pornography (depending on your perspective) at P.S.U. Internalized hom ophobia, in the form o f hos tility to heterosexual fem inists, and defensive ness around oru choices as lesbians, has w idened the chasm between m ovem ent ac tivists and academ ic activists. I have som e tim es excused lesbian abuse o f heterosexual w om en in the fem nist m ovem ent as the re sult o f o u r pain and oppression in this society. I no lon ger find this to be a valid excuse, fo r if we are to be free we m ust take responsibility fo r o u r w ords and actions. I w rite this letter not to attack o r blam e, but to point out that nam e calling and refusing to dialogue w ith others is the m ost potent form o f censorship and polarizes issues so that allies are viewed as enem ies. Lesbians have been discussing the por- n o g ra phy/erotic issue; som etim es respect fully and som etim es viciously. Public dia logues have been lim ited due to fears o f divi sion w ith in the com m unity. These fears may be valid as attem pts are still being made to organize our diverse com m unity, expand safety and tolerance fo r opposing views, and com e to term s w ith issues o f censorship. The organizers o f the P.S.U. forum did not fu lly realize the can o f w orm s they were open ing in calling fo r public dialogue. Some o f them are heterosexual, som e are new to the m o ve m e n t all wanted inform ation on the is sues involved. They may have been naive, but they were not acting in bad faith. For their efforts they have been trashed by parts o f the lesbian com m unity. Can we afford to do this to our allies? O r m ore im p o rta n tly, are ou r fear, self-hatred, and internalized hom ophobia so great that we are unable to dialogue w ith wom en whose experiences as w om en and as fem inists are diffe ren t fro m ours? Try a bi-cultural bed. Futon (fo o '-ta w n ) m a ttre sse s have been a h it in Japan fo r m o re th a n 2 0 0 0 years. We m ake fu to n fo r A m e rica n b o d ie s rig h t here in th e N o rth w e s t a n d th e y ’re th icke r, m o re c o m fo rta b le , an d lo n g e r w e a rin g th a n a n y o th e r fu to n o n th e m a rke t. So com e in fo r a te s t re s t o n an o rig in a l N o rth w e s t Futon fu to n an d g e t th e b e st o f b o th w o rld s ! B ring th is ad In for 10% off on an y regularly priced Item. Fram es ♦ F u rn itu re ♦ Futon B e d d in g ♦ L ig h tin g K im o n o s ♦ A ccessories & N o rth w e st Futon C o m p a n y 4 0 0 SW 2nd 2 4 2 -0 0 5 7 Hours: Mon-Frl ll-6 /T h u r s 11-7/ Sat 11-5 In struggle, Laurie Todd CAN I BE IMMUNE TO AIDS? Some people use this excuse for continuing the practice of Unsafe Sex: “I was exposed to AIDS a long time ago. Either I’m already going to get it or I’m immune. Why practice Safe Sex now?” Can a person develop an immunity to AIDS so that Safe Sex isn’t necessary? Here’s what Dr. Robert Bolan, M.D., President of the Board of the San Francisco AIDS Founda tion, has to say about expo sure to the AIDS virus: “We don’t know how much of the virus is needed for AIDS to result. We don’t know if multiple re-infections are necessary. Any infectious agent must get into the body in sufficient numbers to over come the body’s defenses. This is called a ‘virus load.’ We don’t know if this load can be acquired at one time, or if many exposures are necessa ry. “By continuing Unsafe Sex practices, you virtually assure that you will be repeat edly exposed. It’s a dangerous risk.” Using the past as an excuse to take risks today is a dangerous gamble. There is no medical justification for the idea of an immunity to AIDS. And the virus may be mutating so that even if an immunity could be developed to one virus, it may not protect A Just Out. November, 1986 against a slightly different strain. There’s another equally important reason to stop hav ing Unsafe Sex: you may infect your partner and continue the spread of this disease. Your best protection is to avoid Unsafe Sex, take good care of your health, and get help and advice whenever you need it. Call our information line, 223-5907, for Safer Sex infor mation, and for details about Cascade AIDS Project’s “New Attitudes” Safer Sex work shops. There is nothing you can do about your past. There’s a lot you can do about your future. c A S C A D E A I D S P R 0 J E C T CASCADE AIDS PROJECT 408 S.W. Second Ave. Suite 420 Portland, Oregon 97204 (503) 223-5907 Call for more information. This material is published with the permission of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. portion of this ad donated by Just O u t 5