A Sense of Pride
hough we may not yet call the tour
naments Gay Olympics, any doubts
about the Olympian stature of the
athletes at Gay Games II are quickly dis
pelled as one flips through A Sense of
Pride: The Story o f Gay Games II. Written
by Roy M. Coe, with principal photography
by Scott McLennan, A Sense o f Pride
documents a week in San Francisco when
more than 3,500 athletes, most of whom
are gay or lesbian, joined in a celebration
ILLUSTRATION: E. ANN HINDS
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of skill and courage.
Interspersed among the superb photo
graphs (the work of nineteen women and
men) are profiles of several athletes.
Shaun Wardinsky, a medal-winning
powerlifter from Portland, is one of those
profiled.
A Sense o f Pride is an inspiring record of
healthy, productive, creative people
having a wonderful time. No household
should be without a copy.
Back in the late ’60s, I lived in a house
just one-half block from Kezar Stadium
where many of the Gay Games events
were held. I used to curse the Sundays
when the 49ers played at home, but I sure
would have enjoyed living on that street
during the Gay Games. Those are my kind
of folks.
•
A new kind of hero
o wimp would flout the traditions
of centuries by refusing to live
one’s life as a militarist, especially
if his father is the commanding officer. In
my book, Prince Edward is a new kind
of hero.
Besides that, he’s interested in litera
ture, theater and art. He’s also cute in
a kilt.
*
N
Russo announces
candidacy
illy Russo, longtime gay activist has
announced his candidacy for a seat
on the Winston-Dillard School
District Board of Education. Russo’s
candidacy will swing into high gear in the
middle of February, leaving about a month
to go before the election.
Through his high profile in Douglas
County and his advocacy of gay/lesbian
civil rights, Russo has gained the respect
and trust of many. For about ten years,
Russo has been employed at the Roseburg
B
Veteran’s Administration Hospital,
where he is also shop steward for hi?
union local.
Before moving to Douglas County,
where he and his lover own a farm, Russo
lived in Los Angeles and was active in the
Gay/Lesbian Service Center, one of the
first of its kind in the nation.
Congratulations to Russo’s campaign
fund and words of encouragement may be
sent to PO Box 942, Dillard, OR 97432 •
Delta Park dangerous
anging out in Delta Park has
become a dangerous activity
recently, reports a resident whose
home is near the North Portland park. The
harrassment encountered by Steven Howe
came from an unexpected source, though.
“ It was about 7 p.m. and I was sitting in
my car listening to the radio, when all of a
sudden this cop is yelling at me to get out
of the park,’’ Howe said. “ Since the park
closes at 10 p.m. and it was barely 7:00
when this happened, I told him that I was
not going to leave because I was doing
nothing wrong.”
At that point, Howe continues, the
policeman became verbally abusive and
told Howe “ he could throw out anyone he
wished” and “ he’d had it with ‘you kind
of people.’ ”
Repeated attempts by Howe to deter
mine the identity of the policeman proved
fruitless; he would neither divulge his
name nor his badge number. “ When I tried
to read his badge number he blinded me
with his flashlight.” Howe said.
Howe reported the incident to the of
ficer on duty at North Precint. In addition,
Howe talked with Congressman Ron Wy-
den, who told Howe “ he would make sure
the Mayor follows through on this.”
•
Safety first
or the past several years, since the
discovery of the ubiquitous HIV,
sales of condoms have skyrocketed.
Most of the surge in condom sales has
resulted from “ safer sex”
campaigns aimed at gay men through,
local AIDS organizations and from
advertising aimed at heterosexual women.
(Women purchase half the condoms sold
in the US [Fortune 11/24/86]).
The Surgeon General of the United
States, C. Everett Koop, in his recent re
port on AIDS recommends that a condom
be used with all acts of sexual intercourse.
Condom manufacturers refuse to go as far
as Surgeon General Koop; they do not
recommend condom use for anal inter
course.
In other words, as condoms are now
made, the manufacturers do not guarantee
that condoms will prevent the transmission
of HIV when used during anal intercourse.
According to a spokesperson of Schmid
Laboratories, producers of Ramses and
Sheik, condoms are manufactured for use
during vaginal intercourse. The manufac
turer claims that a condom is liable to
break when used during anal intercourse;
therefore, they take no responsibility when
the product is used improperly.
So where does that leave gay men? Still
shelling out the bucks with no guarantees
of protection, just like always.
•
F
Reaching into the closet
he Cascade AIDS Project is seeking
ways to reach gay and bisexual men
who do not frequent bars nor belong
to community groups, men who are out
side the gay mainstream, and men who
have sex with men but who do not identify
themselves as gay or bisexual.
“ CAP is developing a Needs Assess
ment of gay and bisexual men to determine
T
their level of knowledge about AIDS,”
says Scott Ekblad, CAP Director of Edu
cation. “ We are trying to develop educa
tional programs to meet their needs and
desperately need input from all men at
risk, including those not accessed through
the usual means.”
Anyone who may be able to help get
CAP’s educational materials to men at risk
for AIDS or who may have related sugges
tions should call Scott Ekblad at the
Cascade AIDS Project, 223-5907.
•
International Women's Day
The tradition continues with a strong
multi-cultural celebration.
ortland’s annual celebration of Inter
national Women’s Day will take
place this year on March 7 at the
Northwest Service Center from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. All people are invited to attend and
participate in this celebration of women
and their accomplishments. This event
will have a strong multi-cultural, interna
tional flavor to it, as it is indeed a celebra
tion of all women.
During the day, there will be many ac
tivities from which to choose: Films, art
exhibits, poetry readings, folk singing,
dance performances, live music, dramatic
presentations, ethnic food booths, arts and
crafts sales tables, and organizational in
formation tables that will be operating
throughout the day. At noon, there will be
a political forum, speaking to the issue of
Women and Social Change.
In the evening, there will be a concert
featuring Edwina Lee Tyler and A Piece of
the World, a seven woman group from
Brooklyn, New York, who perform utiliz
ing African percussion, chants, dance and
song, as a celebration of their African heri
tage. Pat Parker, black feminist poet from
the Bay area will do a poetry reading prior
to the Tyler concert. Beginning the
evening will be the critically acclaimed
short Film “ One Fine Day,” highlighting
the accomplishments of women through
out the ages.
In the two weeks preceding this event,
there will be a speaker’s series, held at
Portland State University, with the same
theme of Women and Social Change. Vari
ous speakers from Portland, as well as
other states, will be speaking on subjects
such as women in Asia, the Nairobi Peace
Conference, and MADRE, an organization
of women and children in the United States
who are working with women and children
from Central America for peace and health.
The Northwest Service Center is located
at 1819 NW Everett. It is handicapped ac
cessible. Many of the events will be in
terpreted for the hearing impaired. Child
care will be provided on the site.
•
See Vue
Experience the unusual
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95590 Highway 101
6.2 miles South of
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3029 S.E. 21st
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Tri-Met bus #9
phone 232-9051
Open 10-8, Monday to Saturday
12-7, Sunday
1909 S W Sixth Avenue
224-0311
DOWNTOWN
222 S W Washington
224-5477
VISTA SPRING CAFE
2440 S W Vista Avenue
222-2811
Just Out S February. 1987