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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1988)
[ VETERAN DRIVER OW NED Monitoring Monitor Radio It infuriates me when a so-called progressive organization dismisses us by overlooking homophobia B Y B I L L Y Roseburg Report homophobia as practiced by the Christian Science Church does not diminish the integrity of its programming: “ Monitor Radio is doing a thoroughly unbiased job of covering the news of the day, whatever the standards of the Christian I T U Bob De Walt ob DeWalt, a well-known and well-loved activist and friend in Portland’s gay community and a former director of Phoenix Rising Foundation, died Saturday, August 20, at his northeast Portland home of complications related to AIDS. He was 36. Bob was bom August 12, 1952, in Kansas City, Missouri, and had lived in Portland since 1980. He held a master’s degree in counseling the deaf from Gallaudet University in Washing ton, D .C ., and worked as a treatment coordi nator from 1980 to 1982 at Woodstock House, a former mental-health facility for deaf adults; as a counselor from 1982 to 1984 with hearing- impaired students in Portland-area schools; and as a counselor with the Oregon Commission for the Blind from 1984 until illness forced his resignation in 1986. From 1983 to 1984, Bob directed Phoenix Rising Foundation, a counseling and service agency for Portland’s gay community; he worked there as a private therapist and group leader as well. He also served on the board of the Cascade AIDS Project, provided sign- language interpretation for musical per formances by the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, and participated in a number of other gay-related causes and events. Bob’s family and friends suggest that remembrances be made to the Bob DeWalt Memorial Fund at the Oregon Commission for the Blind, 535 SE 12th Ave., Portland, OR 97214. The fund will be used to help deaf-blind clients of the commission and AIDS service organizations in Portland. B POUT I ANO BEAV ER TO N G AI SHAM MHW AURK O V E R TOO C A B S A S C l O S f A S Y O U R PHO N* Science Church.” This letter was accompanied by a TLN reader’s letter explaining that KLCC airs Monitor Radio. With its blatantly discriminatory hiring and firing policy, how can we expect Monitor media to be thoroughly unbiased in reporting issues relevant to the homophile community? If I were a KLCC subscriber, I would call every time that program aired and express my rage. It infuriates me when a so-called progressive organization dismisses us by overlooking homophobia. ' Furthermore, when we support an organization’s decision to overlook homophobia, we are just as guilty. There are many ways we can express our rage about this issue. Monitor media has given us an excellent opportunty to do so at its expense. The Christian Science Monitor is offering a free one-month subscription. After the first month, it will send a bill for the next two. If one is dissatisfied for any reason, one may cancel the subscription after the free month. A number of us here in Douglas County have taken advantage of this offer and have formed a study group to decide if, in fact, the Monitor can report the news objectively while ignoring the gay and lesbian community. When it comes time to renew the subcription, we have the option to cancel and inform them of our dissatisfaction. We intend to be fair about this. If we feel that the Monitor is unbiased and objective, we can show our support by renewing and paying for the next two months. The Monitor's toll-free number is 800-257-1257. • A B orivirs PASSENGER SERVICES DELIVERY SERVICE R U S S O few years ago the Christian Science Monitor fired one of its reporters because she was homosexual. The woman fought her dismissal in the courts, but the firing was upheld on First Amendment grounds. Last February a letter by Monitor Radio’s executive producer defending the church’s policy of not hiring homosexuals appeared in The Lavender Network. He claimed that O “ courteous N o n s sio M A i A R I E IK , ARO Haircuts, Perms, and Color Work All custom designed to YOUR requirements. Massage therapy to clear tension and increase your body awareness LICENSED FOR TRIPS AN YW M * R l S IG H T S !I.N O TO UR S S T A T IO N W A G O N S UPON R EQ U E ST PACKAGES PARCELS ENVELOPES G EN ER AI C O M M O D ITIES • 24 H O U R S Ì O A V S B O N O IO C O U R R A S • P ASS*N G f A BUSES A V A R A B LI A ll this a n d lavender walls, too! N O WEIGHT LIMIT • JUMPER CABLE SERVICE F A S T CO UR TEO US SERVICE CALL 227-1212 till « • UUKI C all 236-1607 for your appointm ent time 8707 S.E. 17th* Portland 3 S Bob is survived by his wonderfully supportive parents, Dorothy and Stan DeWalt of Little Rock, Arkansas; his brother and sister- in-law, Larry and Melinda DeWalt of Bothell, Washington; and other family and friends, among them, Fred Allemann, Matt Bailey, Pat Macdonell, Patty Newland and Larry Whitson. Bob’s family and friends gathered at Hoyt Arboretum on Thursday, August 25, to honor Bob’s memory with words, music and poetry. His ashes will be scattered on the Buffalo River in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, where Bob as a young man had liked to canoe. By all who knew him. Bob will be deeply missed for his boundless energy, his sense of humor, his intelligence and sensitivity, and for his capacity to love and be loved. He taught us to be proud of ourselves as gay people and to celebrate the differences that make each of us unique. In the more than three years since his diagnosis with AIDS, Bob also taught us to be courageous and proud in the face of adversity. He showed us that AIDS is a disease, not a disgrace. Farewell, our good friend. We will never forget you. — Matt Bailey Obituary policy Just Out publishes obituaries as a community service. In many cases, we depend on relatives and/or friends of the deceased to notify us of the death and provide us with information. Mail to Obituaries Editor, Just Out, PO Box 15117, Portland, OR 97215. v y just out • 2 5 • September 1988