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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1988)
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NO FEE) CRIMINAL LAW * DUII DIVORCE ANDCUSTODY just om • é • September I9HH ‘My best and closest friend— a straight woman V ve lived with for 10 years was being discriminated against by QUACs policy — — Fred Menard 253-0310 1721 SE H aw th o rn e ‘ • WILLS & ESTATES • BUSINESS LAW AND LITIGATION • REAL ESTATE • LITIGATION IN ALLSTATE AND FEDERAL COURTS BY A N N D E E H O C H M A N broad, bridge-building outlook of its members. “ Unite to fight the Right,” said one; another he group that began as Queers United urged people to “ Support Immigrant Rights: Against Closets is now divided, its membership split by an emotional — and occa Stop AIDS Testing” ; yet another called to “ Stop Union Busting.” sionally hostile — struggle over the organiza Adrienne Weller said she found QUAC’s tion’s purpose, breadth and composition. statement of purpose “ gay-chauvinist and gay- QUAC started in June, conceived out of the separatist. We think the movements should be political urgency and anger ignited in many gay linked to each other, that we should be support men and lesbians by the Oregon Citizens ing each other.” With a vote coming up on Alliance’s “ No Special Rights” petitions. November 8, she said, political expediency is Shortly afterward. The Oregonian published as crucial as ideology. “ The most important David Reinhard’s homophobic column, and thing is — we’ll lose. This was started as an Transit Ads Inc. ordered the “ We can live. activist group to fight the right wing. That’s Together.” posters yanked from 15 Tri-Met why I came. Why should people stand by and let buses. Those events only nurtured QUAC’s momentum, and by July 14, more than 150 this gay-chauvinist philosophy lead us to defeat?” people came to chant in a QUAC-sponsored demonstration at The Oregonian. For other members of the original QUAC, the more narrow statements about purpose and But at weekly meetings, the core of energy membership rang sour for personal reasons. and anger that was QUAC began to split. Now two distinct groups (one still calls itself QUAC; “ My best and closest friend — a straight the other has yet to choose a name), they seem woman I’ve lived with for 10 years — was being like a pair of warring fraternal twins, related in discriminated against by QUAC’s policy,” said some essential way yet divided in outlook, Fred Menard, who now attends weekly meet personality and method. ings of the unnamed group. The disagreement pivots on two basic To many, the verbal battling carries echoes 15 questions: what should the group do, and who years old — when the gay and lesbian com should take part. The group presently called munity, taking its first tentative, angry steps out QUAC confines its actions to specifically gay of many closets, wrestled to define itself. In the and lesbian issues. Its statement of purpose process, it created rigid lines of political “ cor describes the organization as “ a citizens action rectness” that were as divisive as they were committee and anti-defamation league dedicated precious. Fifteen years later, some of those to the eradication of homophobia.” And it divisions haven’t healed. limits voting membership to lesbians and “ Some old luggage was brought with gay men. people,” said Menard. “ I haven’t been real The mission statement of the other group proud of the community.’ ’ begins in almost the same manner: the group is Many members of the original QUAC ended ” a non-partisan citizens action group dedicated up choosing one side of the split; a few seesaw to the eradication of homophobia.’ ’ Then it goes between both groups’ activities. And others on to outline the group’s wider scope:4 4 We also simply left, opting to wage their political battles support the fight against racism, sexism, by themselves. ageism and discrimination against the disabled. Carol Steinel, a member of the original QUAC welcomes the full participation of all QUAC, wrote a letter to the group in which she people. . . . We realize that none of us will be urged it not to exclude non-gay members. free until we are all free.” “ We have to draw in everyone we can. We In pursuit of these differing visions, mem have to illustrate the link between our com bers of the original group have accused each munity and the larger community, or we will other of practicing bigotry, thus diffusing never win our struggle,” she wrote. “ We must energy and wasting time. And both groups suf demonstrate acceptance or we will never fer the loss of original members who rejected obtain it.” this particular brand of high-drama politics and Then she stopped coming to meetings. now are working with other groups, alone or not Instead, she has been writing letters to friends at all. and family members about Measure 8, talking Members of the present QUAC say the group to non-gay acquaintances and finding creative was founded for a specific, single purpose. ways to enlist support. “ I wanted to be in a gay and lesbian group. I “ I did an issue-trade with a friend of mine,” have limited time and wanted to devote my time Steinel said. “ She’s really worked up about the to a group run exclusively by gays and lesbians ‘greenhouse effect.’ I said, ‘Write to your con with nothing but gay and lesbian issues as its gressman about the gay issue and I'll write to focus,” said Stewart Jolliffe, one of QUAC’s mine about the environment.’ We’ve got to founders. make inroads with people we’ve never involved “ I joined QUAC because it was queer,” said before.” Pat Bates. “ And I feel the voting membership People on both sides of the ideological crevice ought to be limited to queers — who better said they wish the other group well, plan to knows the kind of oppression we’re under?” support its activities and hope the split will not Members of the other group maintain that the drain energy from the immediate issue on both only way to counter homophobia is to capture groups’ agendas: defeating Measure 8. the energy of other people who are oppressed, ‘‘I hope the misunderstanding will die creating links between ongoing human strug down,” said Amanda Colorado, a member of gles and gathering allies to fight Measure 8. the current QUAC. " I think the more groups At an August 19 rally sponsored by the there are to deal with this, the better. More unnamed group, posters and signs indicated the power to all of us.” • T