and sisters.
After Stonewall
I watched Before Stonewall on televi
sion last night. This morning I feel more
than a little depressed — not because of the
movie, but because 1 see how little the lot
o f lesbians and gays has progressed in the
eighteen years since the Stonewall
rebellion.
What 1 want to discuss here is not Before
Stonewall but political pressure, without
which the film would not have been broad
cast at all. Before Stonewall, originally
broadcast nationally on PBS in December,
was bypassed by Oregon Public Broad
casting. After publicity and pressure con
cerning the program deletion, the film was
scheduled for March 25.
“ Every tune I had [a confrontation]
with bigots, there was no one to stand at
my back,” a lesbian in Before Stonewall
says. “ What I’d hear was ‘Gee, it’s too
bad it happened to you, b u t . . ” Un
fortunately, many people who believe in
equality are still unwilling to stand up and
protect their friends; not to mention the
future generations left unprotected.
The religious right, on the other hand,
are experts at militantly rallying their
forces; and as in the past they are com
municating their opposition to gay/lesbian
rights to their (and our) legislative rep
resentatives. The religionists are writing
letters at a rate which overwhelms mail
urging passage of HB 2325.
At the House of Representatives Judi
cial Committee subcommittee hearing on
February 23 the numbers were reversed.
The forces testifying in favor of HB 2325
were formidable indeed while the opposi
tion was represented by a pathetic little
band of religious zealots led by Priscilla
Direct action gets results
Martin and Betty Freauf.
The religionists, however, didn’t stop
there. They're now out getting those letters
to the politicians in Salem. (The latest esti
mate is 35-1 against the legislation.) Some
o f the politicians are also out on the stump
against HB 2325. John Minnis (R-Port-
land), for example, has expended quite
some energy in this vein.
Lesbians and gays and their friends
made a big show in Salem, but HB 2325
will not even get out of committee unless
representatives know that more people
support the bill. The representatives need
their backs covered, too.
Those people representing rural districts
need special urging. Gays and lesbians and
their friends must tell their state repre
sentatives that HB 2325 grants equal treat
ment under the law to a sizable minority —
to sons and daughters, fathers, and
mothers, nieces and nephews, brothers
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Just Out é . April. 1987
The stalemate was broken on March 6;
Congressman Ron Wyden agreed to meet
with representatives of Portland’s gay and
lesbian community. W yden’s constituency
includes what must be the largest concent
ration of lesbians and gays in Oregon. Wy
den represents the Third Congressional
District, which stretches from the
Willamette River to Eastern Oregon.
It wasn’t because o f that mass of les
bians and gays in his district which promp
ted Wyden, after four years, to sit down
and talk with some people in our commun
ity, though. It was because the Rev. Gary
Wilson of MCC Portland, after six months
o f getting the political runaround,
threatened a sit-in in W yden’s Portland
office.
Rev. Wilson says that the idea for a
meeting with Wyden resulted from MCC’s
50 Hours AIDS Vigil which was held last
September. “ We had ascertained that
Congressman Wyden had not spoken to
the subject o f AIDS; we sought to meet
with him,” Rev. Wilson said. “ But, from
September 9 to March 6 he played a
stalling game. Our congregation prayed
faithfully for months. And then I threat
ened a sit-in — we got our meeting within
a week.”
Rev. Wilson says the meeting, which
lasted about half an hour, was taken up
with trying to gain some commitment from
the congressman to look into local prob
lems with AIDS funding. Also high on the
gay and lesbian agenda is a commitment
that Wyden will sign on as a co-sponsor of
the national gay/lesbian rights bill as well
as continue his good record on legislation
sensitive to our communtiy.
Besides the Rev. Wilson, those meeting
with Congressman Wyden were Cathy
Siemens, Tom Koberstein. Keeston Low
ery, John Baker and Sandra Ford.
Coors boycott update
Just in case you're buying Coors, Killi-
lan’s Irish Red, Herman Joseph beers or
Colorado Cooler, we thought you might
like to know where your money goes. It
has been ascertained in Congressional
hearings that the John Birch Society re
ceives an annual donation from Joseph
Coors, according to the New York Native.
Also, contributions have been made to
Jerry Falwell’s Liberty Foundation,
Am erica's Future, as well as other right-
wing organizations which allegedly funnel
millions o f dollars to Nicaraguan contras.
The Coors family also sits on various
boards, including the Council for National
Policy, where Holly and Joseph Coors
serve on the Board of Governors with
Falwell, Jesse Helms, Herbert and Nelson
Hunt. Richard Viguerie, Pat Robertson,
and Phyllis Schlafly; Morality in Media,
which lists Joseph Coors on the National
Planning Board; Pat Robertson’s CBN
University, which lists Holly Coors on its
Board of Regents; and the Heritage Found
ation, the Washington think tank which
came up with the anti-gay Family Protec
tion Act.
U.S. Judge upholds
textbook censorship
Forty-four textbooks have been banned
from Alabama public schools because they
espouse the theory of “ secular humanism”
in an opinion handed down by US District
Judge W. Brevard Hand. The book-
banning resulted from a suit filed by a
group of religious fundamentalists who
say that the absence o f religious teaching
in textbooks constitutes the teaching of
“ secular humanism.” which they say is a
religion.
The American Civil Liberties Union
and People for the American Way have
pledged to appeal Judge Hand’s decision,
and warned that H and's action could un
leash widespread challenges to public edu
cation by religious fundamentalists seek
ing to promote their sectarian views.
The fundamentalist battle against “ sec
ular hum anism ” is not new, but according
to John Buchanan, a Baptist minister and
former Republican congressman from
Alabama who is chairman of People for
the American Way, this is the first time in
history that a religion has been defined by
its adversaries.
“ They have taken neutrality about reli
gion and turned it into a religion,” Bucha
nan said.
PD takes tucks , adds faces
Primary Domain, one o f the communi
ty ’s hottest nightspots, will reopen on
April 10 after a quick facelift and re
arrangement of parts. On hand to show off
the new dance floor and sound system is
new manager, Shannon Duffy.
Well known in the sports community
(she’s played softball since adolescence).
Shannon brings a wealth o f experience and
personality to her new job. An alumnus of
St. M ary’s Academy, Shannon grew up in
Portland. She says she has always been a
good athlete and was BMOC in high
school, and ” . . . I always knew I was a
lesbian; I had a lot o f healthy role models
all through my teenage years.”
One o f Shannon’s first projects is to
transform the Primary Dom ain’s back
room into a quieter space. Two sets of
double doors now separate the large front
room from the smaller back room.
“ We want to provide an alternative
space,” Shannon says. “ The back area
will be available for meetings; and at other
times w e’d like to keep it a lower-volume
alcohol area.” Another plus, and more
conducive to intimacy will be week night
opening o f the back door.
Shannon says that the back space is just
about perfect for use as a cabaret,
“ . . . comedy, dinner theatre, one act
plays.” It would really be nice to have a
space where lesbian and gay performers
could showcase their talents.
And speaking o f talent, Chris Schlegel
aka Donna Delgado, former Dyketone,
will be overseeing the revised and
expanded menus in both lounge and bar.
Breaking the chain
Judy Tailwing o f Portland was named
International Leatherwoman in San Fran
cisco last month. Ms. Tailwing, a native
American, broke tradition by appearing in
a native American headdress and leather.
She also performed an authentic tribal
dance as part o f her presentation.
Ms. Tallwing won the local Leather-
woman contest at the Primary Domain in
February.