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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1987)
herself, and on Azure’s assent, asked if she wanted it recirculated. “ When I said yes, she put it right on the top of the pile. And she said, 'Good for you!’ ” Azure says she was shocked when, after spending money stamped LESBIAN $ for almost six months there, the management at The Daily Grind on SE Hawthorne re fused to take her money. The Daily Grind has had a sizable lesbian/gay clientele, but maybe they are not aware of it yet. Let them know where their business coming from — your pocket. A Gay Republican [sic] story Bend was the scene of the latest outrage against HB2325. Oregon Republican Party chairman T.J. Bailey, in a speech to the Deschutes County Republican Central Committee on April 21, said that sup porters of HB2325 are “ bozos” for “ going out and supporting fairies.” Bailey’s name-calling included Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, Secretary of State Barbara Roberts and the Oregon Education Association. A couple of days after Bailey's out burst, I heard the following story from an employee of a well-known Portland firm: “ My boss stormed into my office, threw The Oregonian on my desk and shouted 'Did you see this shit?' He was pointing at the Bailey story. 'What the hell is going on?’ he raged. After he calmed down a bit we talked about options. What could he do about this, he wanted to know. The man is in top management in the firm, he is a Republi can who financially supports his party, and he is gay. 1 suggested that he write a letter on company stationery to Oregon Republi can Party Chairman Bailey and state his objections to Bailey’s statements. “ I can’t do that," he said. “ Then write a letter on plain paper,” I countered. “ I can't do that,’ he said again even though there had been no mention of revealing his sexual identity. We left it at that. And I began to wonder how many disaf fected Oregon Republicans, gay or straight, there are today.” While the Oregon Republican Party may consider gays anathema to their agenda, others in the national party are using gays to raise millions of dollars to fund the contra cause. According to numerous news reports in late April (see Straight Stuff), Carl (Spitz) Channell, founder of the National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty, is gay. A Village Voice report by James Ridge way (April 14) alleges that Channell is also administering Western Goals, the right- wing group founded by the late congress man Larry MacDonald. Western Goals amassed extensive files on American leftists over the past decade. In the report, Ridgeway says that Chan- nell’s primary source of donation to NEPL has been two elderly women, who together gave nearly $5 million to the Contra cause in the past two years. According to confi dential records the women’s donations to NEPL were traced through “ a maze of organiztions to the Lake Resources bank account in Switzerland. Lake Resources funds, in turn, went to purchase arms for the Contras.” Church insurance cancelled, radical groups cited “ . . . the reason for cancellation) is we are not a market for this class of biz,” reads a memo from a nationally marketed insurance carrier to a local broker. The memo confirmed the cancellation by Penn-America Insurance Company of lia bility coverage for Metropolitan Community Church of Portland. MCC Portland received notification of the cancellation nearly a year ago. Puz zled. church officials inquired into the reason for the cancellation at that time Just Out. 6. May, I9H7 Gays aren’t being snubbed entirely, however, ” . . . posters [of sexually active heterosexuals] will be used in clinics, restrooms in gay bars, bathhouses, and other places frequented by high risk individuals.” Two Portland advertising and public re lations firms. Turtledove Clemens, Inc., and Pihas, Schmidt, Westerdahl have been signed to develop the campaign. Each company will produce one four color pos ter, one billboard, one radio commercial, two print ads and one TV commercial. Adventure beckons B Y J A Y B R O W N and only recently learned they’d been had by a capricious insurance company. In another memo from Penn-America to the local broker, the text reads, “ When we initially wrote this account we thought it was a Church for religious services. When the inspection came in we found that the building is also used for meetings of radi cal groups.” The Rev. Gary Wilson, Pastor of MCC Portland, has requested Insurance Com missioner Ted Kulongoski, in a letter dated April 2, to “ pursue this matter and take appropriate legal action.” In his letter to Commissioner Kulongoski, Rev. Wil son included a list of groups “ now using our facility or having used it in the past. . . American Civil Liberties Union Rosetown Ramblers Hope Without Dope Radical Women Sullivan Gulch Neighborhood Association Persons With AIDS Exercise Group Portland Women’s Theatre Company National Organization for Women Christian Lesbians United Men of All Colors Together Motherlode.” Persons wishing to communicate with the insurance carrier may write to Irvin Saltzman/President/Penn-America Insur ance Company/420 South York Road/ Hatboro, PA 19040. The telephone number is 215-443-3600. LESBIAN $ long run hits snag Last fall we ran a couple of stories about the GAY $ action by the Chicago gay/lesbian community. The Chicago ac tion demonstrated that the lesbian/gay community wields considerable dollar power, a fact not lost on banks which re fused to handle GAY $ stamped money and saw millions of dollars in accounts removed from their institutions. A similar action in Portland has run into its first snag — and, in a not unexpected establishment. Azure Slavin received a rubber stamp which reads LESBIAN $ as a gift at Hanukkah last year and since that time has stamped LESBIAN $ on all her cash (see Just Letters). Azure says it hasn't always been easy. She says she has experienced anxiety but she has also received much positive reinforcement. On one occasion. Azure says a bank teller asked if she had stamped the money The places to be this spring and summer are wherever Phoenix Rising’s Adventures might lead you. Outings scheduled for May and June include an urban garden tour, rock climbing and a wildflower hike in the Columbia Gorge, and rafting the Deschutes River. Adventures is a new Phoenix Rising program devised and administered by board member. Bob Gandolfi. A profes sional in outdoor recreation, Gandolfi says, “ Phoenix Rising is a wellness or ganization. We should use the outdoors.” Gandolfi says that the outings which have been planned so far do not require special skills for participation. “ No skills needed. We’re geared toward the begin ning participant. We welcome people out there who have ideas” and who would be interested in helping to plan future Adventures. While most outings are led by skilled volunteers, those like the Deschutes River rafting trip are led by professionals. The nominal fees pay for transportation costs, except for the rafting trip. Adventures are geared for both men and women. “ We’re dedicated to having mixed groups,” Gandolfi stresses. Phoenix Rising Adventures “ meet people just like you who aim to utilize the won derful opportunities for outdoor recreation available all around us.” “ My main goal is to get more people outdoors.” The number to call to help Bob Gandolfi meet his goal is 223-8299. A schedule of some upcoming programs ap pears elsewhere in these pages. Invisible gays The gay community’s extensive AIDS education efforts are so successful that when the Oregon State Health Division's AIDS Education Program gets off the ground in August, gays will not be seen nor targeted. AIDS Is Preventable is the theme of the “ comprehensive” education and media campaign, which includes bill boards, posters, radio public service an nouncements and safer-sex brochures. Apparently, infection from HIV needs to be prevented in heterosexuals only at this point To quote from the Oregon State Health Division AIDS Education Program Request for Proposal: “ The safer sex brochures will be speci fically targeted to sexually active hetero sexuals with photographs or drawings of models who are identifiably male and female. “ The [six] billboards will be for specific target groups — prostitutes and sexually active heterosexuals. “ The radio PSA’s will be specifically targeted to sexually active heterosexuals and carried on youth-oriented stations.” Annette St. Pierre and Bob Gonzales. New game in town Mr. Hunky and Foxy Lady are no more. That is, after fourteen years of pageants based on pulchritude and fantasy, Sandy Director and Darcelle are “ bringing these pageants into the ’80s by addressing civic, community and charity needs.” “ We would like all of the organizations and businesses to nominate their choices for Men of the Year and Women of the Year,“ Sandy says. “ Qualifications and guidelines would be men and women who have served, worked and dedicated time and energy for our gay and lesbian com munity. These unsung heroes deserve to be recognized.” Nomination forms have been sent to about eighty organizations and businesses. The deadline for nominations is May 23. Winners will be announced at the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year Event at Darcelle XV Show Baron May 31. “ The evening will contain a fabulous star studded reunion show, featuring high lights of fourteen years of the past Mr. Hunky and Foxy Lady Pageants,” Sandy says. “ It will also be the stepping down of the current Foxy Lady, Annette St. Pierre, and Mr. Hunky, Bob Gonzales.” Sandy requests that all past contestants in the Mr. Hunky and Foxy Lady Pageants who would like to participate in the show call him at 223-1679. 0 .