Lies and consequences
Voices in the wilderness
A
I n three different surveys of the gay popu­
lation in San Francisco, the rate of neve AIDS
infection was show n to he essentially zero. That
is remarkable. The rest of the world is asking us
how we did it It was done with these educa­
tional materials.”
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— Dr. David Werdegar, director o f
the San Francisco Department o f Public Health,
defended and praised sexually explicit educa­
tional materials distributed by the San Francisco
AIDS Foundation and the Harvey Milk Club
after the state Republican Party called for
criminal prosecution o f the two organizations
for ' distributing obscene material?' (New York
Native. 1119/87)
A l l vse have at hand is education. We do
l. >t h a\e time to get into moralistic, philosophi­
cal. or academic debates.”
— Senator Lowell Weieker (R-CT)
appealed to the Senate to reject an amendment
by Jesse Helms to an appropriations bill which
prohibits federal funds being given fo r any
AIDS education, information, or prevention
materials which ‘ ‘promote or encourage,
direetlv or indirectly, homosexual sexual
activities." Sen. Weieker and Daniel Patrick
Moynihan (D-N. Y.) cast the only votes against
the Helms amendment. (New York Native.
/ / 19/87)
&
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, \ | D S kills Republicans, too! There are mil-
I. ons of gay men. their friends and families who
are beginning to question their support of a
party that doesn't care The Republican Party
must chixisc: does it want GOP to stand for
Grand Old Party or Gu a m o r s o f Plague?"
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— An anonymous Republican (The
Gay News-Telegraph. October 1987)
Custom- limit One-Owner Home
S t o p Naito. Stoops for Mayor."
— Graffito on a wall near NW Third
and Everett.
M a k i n g it
lie Lucille Hart Dinner was quite a do this
vear it could even be called historic. For
Ihi rsi hi; e. evei. a governor formally ao-
dressed a gay political gathering of this caliber;
television news cameras were allowed to tape*
the program; organized anti-gay demonstrators,
many accompanied by children, picketed the
function.
Mayor Bud Clark, in his welcoming remarks,
said. “ Our best resource is ourselves. It is the
courage to stand up and he counted that makes
Oregon a special place." M ayorClark also gave
credit to the Portland City Council for "turning
this thing around."
The audience, however, was not quite so
willing to give credit where it is due. As the
introduction of political guests progressed,
former City Commissioner Margaret Strachan.
clearly a crowd favorite, was greeted with a
musing standing ovation. Keeston Lowery then
introduced City Commissioner Earl Blumenauer.
citing his skill at maneuvering new City person­
nel and neighborhood association rules which
prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation to acceptance by the City Council. If
I may speculate here, based on the response of
the crowd. I’d guess that those new rules are
small potatoes to the people attending the
Lucille Hart Dinner
In all. more than forty officials and candi­
dates (mostly Democrats) were introduced;
they included two congressmen. Peter DeFazto
4th District) and Lcs AtiCoin (1st District) who
were also on the program. Secretary of State
I Barbara Roberts and Sen. Frank Roberts. Mult-
; nomah County Executive Gladys McCoy and
Commissioner Gnetehen Kafoury. and Public
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Merry Christmas &
Happy New Year
&
^
Thank You for All Your Support
Scott Bottaro
230-0429
B ridgetown
R ealty
2305 N.E. Broadway
Portland. OR 97232
Just Out • 4 • December. 14X7
couple o f weeks ago I received a new
novel from Grove Press; it could not
have come at a more appropriate time. In
George W hitm ore's Nebraska, things happen
to Craig McMullen that aren’t supposed to hap­
pen to young boys in 1950s Nebraska, or any­
where else, for that matter.
Sent out to buy bread. Craig is hit by a truck
and loses a leg. His father has disappeared, his
mother has palmed him off on her parents.
C raig's sister tells him. “ Be prepared to die."
Then one day his Uncle Wayne comes back
from the navy, larger than life and w ith an eye
for the future.
But a casual encounter and a childish lie all
but destroy Uncle Wayne and C raig’s entire
family.
" I t isn’t right?’
“Sure it is."
' ‘Not fo r a Baptist.’ ’
‘ 'D idn't you do it. Wesley? D idn’t you do it
once with m e?"
' 'Once I did it with you? ’
"W ell, I bet other boys do it in the Scouts? ’
" I bet they d o n 't!"
" I bet they do."
Wesley must have known that was true fo r he
could only repeat It isn't right.
“Sure it is."
"N o it isn't."
Then I was inspired to say, ‘ ‘They even do it
in the navy. My Uncle Wayne told me. You don't
think they have girls on ships, do you? They
have to get rid o f their jizz on ships too. I f they
d o n 't it impairs performance? ’ I was talking so
fa s t I was almost out o f breath. I wanted to roll
over on top o f Wesley. ' ‘Let me do it to you first
then?' I said. ' 'If you don’t like it, well you
don’t have to do it to m e?'
' 7 don't believe that ship stuff? ’ Wesley said.
‘ 'My Uncle Wayne told me. Wesley. He even
showed me how?'
"L iar."
' ‘He did. Lots and lots o f tim es?'
’ ‘Liar? ’
‘ 'He showed me the best way. Wanna see?"
‘ ‘ You' re lying and they don ’ t do that in
Scouts either."
Craig later has a crisis of conscience, " I felt
ashamed for telling those lies about Uncle
W ayne." Day after day Craig lives with what
his lie reaps.
Utility Commissioner Ron Eachus.
Most people who attended the Lucille Hart
Dinner live in the Portland metropolitan area.
H* iwever. people came from as far away as
Klamath Falls, Wolf Creek and Roseburg. Not
as many lesbians attended as were there last
year; they were in the vicinity, though — come­
dian Kate Clinton was playing to a sold out
house just up the street at the Portland Center
for the Performing Arts. If the picketing homo­
phobes had been on the hall they could have
spread themselves out a little and been objec­
tionable to twice as many lesbians and gays.
Governor Neil Goldschmidt delivered the
formal address of the evening. "W e know there
is a right to privacy " he said. "It is my right to
he left alone in private conduct.. . The govern­
ment is ourselves . . . This administration will
not keep anyone out."
The governor reminded us of the dangers of
unbndled bigotry by quoting Martin Niemoeller;
In Germany they came first fo r the Com­
munists. and I didn't speak up because I wasn't
a Communist. Then they came fo r the Jews, and
I didn't s/ieak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then
they came fo r the trade unionists, and / didn't
speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came fo r me. and by that time no one
w o / left to speak up.
Governor Goldschmidt concluded by telling
the largest political gathering of gays and les­
bians in the history of this state to "link your
interests to the wider interests."
PANIC in Beaverton
telephone call brought the disturb­
ing news that a LaRouche-sponsored
initiative petition was spotted at the Beaverton
post office. According to our caller the petitioner
displayed a sign which said Quarantine people
Lesbians lead, voters approve
with AIDS, mosquitoes just won't wear con­
gay rights
doms. The sign was emblazoned with a logo
identifying a group called PANIC. (Any infor­
n ordinance which adds sexual orientation
mation on PANIC will be appreciated.)
to existing anti-discrimination law in
No initiative petition fitting the above
Boulder. Colorado, was narrowly approved by
description has been registered with the Secre­
votes in a referendum election on November 3.
tary of State, according to a spokesperson with
According to a story in the Washington Blade.
the Elections Division. Statewide petitions not
organizers o f the campaign in support of the
registered with the Secretary of State are invalid
ordinance consisted almost solely of lesbians.
and will not appear on the elections ballots.
Boulder’s gay men are either involved in AIDS
service programs or are not politically active, the
story said.
Benefit who?
Supporters of the ordinance raised and spent
ersons who attended the evening with
S6.000 on the campaign. Organizers obtained the
Randy Shilts. author of And the Band
names of 300 prominent Boulder residents, in­
Played O n, and who expect to itemize the ticket cluding six members of the city council, to ap­
price on their tax forms should check with Pow­
pear in newspaper ads and campaign literature
ell \s Books to discern the deductible amount. The
supporting the ordinance. Boulder is the site of a
evening was billed as a benefit for the Oregon
campus o f the University of Colorado and has a
AIDS Task Force, but according to our sources,
population of 90.000.
the real beneficiary for the event is Powell » Books
Voters repealed a similar ordinance in 1974.
Advertisements for the event, which cost
after the city council had approved it a few
$7.50 per ticket, did not specif) that onlj a
months earlier. Opposition to the recently ap­
portion of the proreeds would benefit the Ore­
proved ordinance was led by a Catholic activist
gon AIDS Task Force. Aboi t 350 o r 400
who based his opposition on moral grounds Pro­
persons ¡«tended More than 50 copies of
ordinance organizers noted tha? other churches in
Shilts s book, at S24 95. were sold at the event.
the city did not join the opposition.
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