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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1987)
The Straight Stuff The underwear trail in Washington; Phyllis Schlafly jerks her chain; the siege of Queersville; is * *gay actor redundant? And more. ' w B c. M LA slap echoes in Portland he Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cited Pacifica Foundation, owners of KPFK-FM radio in Los Angeles, for po tential criminal prosecution due to air ing gay-oriented material that the FCC deemed obscene. In August 1986, KPFK’s lesbian and gay radio show “ IMRU” aired segments of “ Jerker,” Robert Chesley’s play about phone sex. “ IMRU” is broad cast at 10 p.m. Sunday evenings (like KBOO’s “ Queersville” ), and a warning was issued about the play’s sexual content. KPFK is the only radio station cited by the FCC for potential prosecution under an expanded obscenity ruling, and “ IMRU” was cited specifically. Pacifica Foundation subsequently filed suit against the FCC, claiming that the FCC decision was “ poli tical harassment.” “ Queersville” anchor Howie Bagga- donutz says that the FCC’s action “ is meant to instill fear.” “ Queersville,” KBOO’s lesbian and gay radio show, airs material that is fre quently, well, robust, and has been the target of angry phone calls. “ Now every one threatens to call the FCC. We defi nitely feel we’re being monitored.” Bag- gadonutz said that KBOO has told its broadcasters to be “ self-censoring.” “ Queersville” will air portions of Port land’s Spread Eagle Production o\' Jerker. Baggadonutz says that the increased pressure from the FCC has aided his deci sion to curtail production of “ Queers ville.” He says the radio show will end some time this summer. T AIDS, syphilis, sexuality nder a headline reading “ Safe Sex warning ignored.” The Oregonian reported statistics which indicate that gay men in Oregon are practicing safer sex. Figures from the State Health Division regarding an “ epidemic” of syphilis shows that the number of cases of syphilis in Oregon have more than doubled compared to figures from the same period last year However, the number of cases of syphilis in gay men has decreased this year U by about half, compared to figures from last year at this time. Dr. Larry Foster, State Epidemiologist, claims that the fi gures indicate that gay men are practicing safer sex, and heterosexuals are not. The Health Division is concerned about the implications of the figures for heterosex ual transmission of AIDS. “ What’s hap pening this year with syphilis we’ll be see ing in four to five years with AIDS.” A causal link between AIDS and syphilis is being explored by a West German scientist. The New York Native, a gay newspaper which championed theories that AIDS derives from African Swine Fever Virus, reports that AIDS may be a form of tertiary syphilis, and can be treated with massive doses of penicillin. Appa rently, symptoms of tertiary syphilis re semble AIDS symptoms, but cases of tertiary syphilis were thought to be so rare that doctors surveyed by the Native admit ted that they would not recognize it. The West German physician. Dr. Stephen Caiazza, tested twenty patients with AIDS and found syphilis infections in all twenty. Three quarters of these were not being treated for syphilis1. Caiazza reports that penicillin has been an effective treatment of so-called AIDS infections. Indignities, etc. ignity. an organization for gay Catholics, ran a full-page advertise ment in the April 27 Newsweek. The ad, which cost between $20,000 and $30,000, begins, “ What Jesus said about homosexuality:4 What the Vatican has to say: ‘Intrinsic moral evil. .. an objective disorder . . . behavior to which no one has any conceivable right’. ’ ’ The text of the ad goes on to discuss the purpose of Dignity. Dignity attempted to place the ad in Time magazine, but the ad was rejected. A spokesman for Time said that the magazine gives no reasons for rejecting or accepting advertising. The Oregonian apparently subscribes to the same lofty ideals as Time. Diane Gunderson has begun * The Gay/Lesbian Dating Line,” a phone dating service for gays and lesbians. When she contacted the Oregonian and attempted to place an ad under the name, “ The Gay Dating Line,” D AFFORDABLE QUALITY! FERGUSON AUTOBODY PAINT she was told that the paper wouldn’t ac cept an ad with the word “ gay” in it. When she asked how she might alter the wording to accommodate the paper’s scruples [Intrinsic Moral Evil Dating Line, perhaps?], she was told that the paper would not accept any ad for a gay dating service. “ We’re a private newspaper and can print what we like,” she was told. Fresher perspectives and less bigoted heads are prevailing in the obituary depart ment of the Oregonian, however. The Oregonian (and now, the New York Times) will acknowledge lovers of the same sex as survivors, along with family members. Bob Caldwell, of the Oregonian staff, says that the paper is “ Changing policy to acknowledge reality.” Reality, unfortunately, is frequently homophobic at the Oregonian, and we’re left to puzzle that a dead queer is somehow less objectionable than a queer who’s dating. Under Whose? Under where? ne of the enduring sideshows of the Iranamuck circus is the lack of news coverage regarding Spitz Channel’s side payments to his male lover, from money patriotically fleeced from elderly warmongers. After National Public Radio’s Frank Browning broke the story in April, the mainstream press has gingerly ignored the fact that a principle fundraiser for the Contra war is openly gay (Time, which we know is sensitive about these matters, identified Channel’s long time lover as his “ roommate” [Roommate Dating Line?]). In These Times, a news weekly associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, noted the lack of coverage of the story, and queried: If an Administration insider had handed an op posite sex lover healthy slices of Joseph Coors’ money, would the media have thought it was news? In the light of Fawn Hall, Donna Rice and Jessica Hahn, it seems unlikely that the media could be detered from parading more bedroom pranks. In These Times sardonically assumes that dalliance and pilfering are news only when straight people do it. However, self-righteousness cuts both ways. Accompanying the story in In These Times is a pie graph displaying how Chan nel’s money was spent. A tiny slice of the pie is identified as the Contra's share, while larger segments are identified as “ Men’s silk undies” and “ Nitrous oxide.” Such lurid stereotypes seem un justified, even if directed at Republicans. Silk underwear seems a commendable use of money originally extracted to arm mercenaries. Washington has been hearing a lot about underwear recently. Channel’s buddy. Oliver North, whom the Washingtonian identifies as “ the latest unofficial sex symbol of the DC gay community” re O portedly used some of the $90,000 in traveler’s checks solicited form Contra leader Adolfo Colero to buy lingerie. What did he buy, and when did he wear it? Use that whip, Phyllis! ight-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly sent letters to sponsors of a dinner to honor Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, and succeeded in forcing the withdrawal of support of several sponsors, three of whom are Republican presidential hopefuls. In her letter, Schlafly attacked Koop's views on AIDS education, which she characterized as the advocacy of “ safe sodomy,” and urged the sponsors not to attend the dinner. As a consequence of the letter. Senator Robert Dole, former Delaware Governor Pierre DuPont, and Rep. Jack Kemp — all of whom have been jostling ever right-ward — cancelled their appearances. Kemp’s campaign, by the way, has been dogged by allegations, a la Gary Hart, of Kemp’s gay carryings on. In God’s right- wing mansion, apparently, there are many closets. It is not known how many of them contain men’s silk undies. R I was a queen fo r eight weeks ovies with gay themes are enjoying a vogue this summer, with Prick Up Your Ears now showing and Maurice due to arrive. A side industry has sprung up around these films in some of the better glossy magazines: the candid interviews of self-professed straight actors who play gay roles. May’s Vogue contains interviews with the effete actors of Maurice, and Vanity Fair printed a long profile of actor Gary Old man from Prick Up Your Ears. Playing a gay character is clearly a challenge of a magnitude to command many column in ches, and is obviously NEWS. The actors devote much of the interviews to talking about their girlfriends, and the preparations necessary for a straight actor to play a gay character. Quoth Oldman: “ To play Joe Orton, you just think about cock a lot. I went off sex; Lesley and I didn’t make love, and Fred [Molina] went through the same thing with his wife, and we both became very camp. It’s fun for eight weeks to be a gay man; we were like these two screaming queens by the end.” M Quote o f the month 4 4 C ? tU(^es at Army laboratories have shown that the AIDS virus would be an extremely poor biological warfare agent.” Col. David L. Huxsoll, chief of the US Army Research Institute, as reported by the Gay Com munin' News. & PRECISION COLLISION REPAIR UNIBODY SPECIALISTS ( FRAME STRAIGHTENING TOWING ARRANGED QUALITY WORK AT A FAIR PRICE VfSA' 2454 E. Burnside Charter Member Autobod) ( 'raftsman \ssoeiation 232-3600 Fam ily O w ned & O perated Since 1952 Just Out. 6 . June. I4H7 MEMBER PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE GALLERY • Fine photographs • Books and posters • Custom framing 503-224-3543 208 SW First, Portland 97204 AT OAK STREET STATION