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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1988)
lust news Doing what hurts most: giving money United Way estimates that more than $87 billion was given to almost 900,000 tax-exempt organizations across the United States in 1986 B Y D E L L __ R_ I C H A R D S ecause of Reaganomics and a slowing economy, nonprofit organizations face an uphill battle. Although the need for social services increases steadily, the government has quit picking up the tab. As Congress struggles to meet limits set by the Gramm-Rudman Act and budget cuts go into effect, the amount of public money available is dwindling. That leaves the private sector— you and me — to make up the difference. Nonprofit organizations are also being pinched by the 1986 Federal Tax Reform Act, which limits deductions for the upper and lower ends of the financial spectrum. If you don’t itemize, charitable donations are no longer deductible. If you are a true philanthropist and give a lot, the deduction is reduced. With both the government and the public giving less, nonprofit organizations will find it even harder to survive. Many will not. The national trend is even more exaggerated in the gay and lesbian community. Although no one knows how much money gay and lesbian nonprofit organizations take in annually, there are almost 2,500 organizations nationwide that B will be affected. Not all of them are tax-exempt, but all will have to struggle to survive. For example: Phoenix Rising serves hundreds of clients a year, gives 5,400 hours of counsel ing to 2,400 clients and provides educational and referral information to almost 8,000. To do this, it has 23 part-time staff, one unpaid intern and 65 volunteers — and is short-staffed. Like most gay social-service agencies, it offers counseling and emotional support to people with AIDS, their families and loved ones, as well as to people who test HIV-positive. It also provides counseling to lesbians and gay men who were molested as children, adult children of alcoholics, gay youth — any gay person and/or their family about any issue. In addition to counseling services, the foundation also gives seminars, weekend retreats and workshops, has a Speakers’ Bureau, a Big Brother/Big Sister program for youth, and answers a continuous stream of tele phone questions as part of its information and referral service. The cost: close to $200,000 per year. Although that may seem like a bank-full, it’s only a drop in the bucket. United Way estimates that more than $87 billion was given to almost 900,000 tax-exempt organizations across the United States in 1986. But that's peanuts compared to the amounts raised by the real pros: the television evangelists. Before their fall, Jim and Tammy Bakker pulled in more than $100 million in 1986 alone. And they were but one of six major television evangelists. In addition to strategies like the PTL Lifetime Partnerships — costing $ 1,000 each — these religious organizations solicit donations on a daily basis with one of the most powerful tools imaginable, bringing pictures of dead fetuses and starving children right into the viewers’ homes. With these vivid appeals, money pours in like pennies from heaven. The truly amazing aspect of the television evangelists’ power has to do with numbers — or the lack of them. Most of the telegenic ministers depend on a small minority of followers. Their viewing audience is less than 2 percent of the United States population and is made up mostly of elderly women in their 70s from blue-collar backgrounds. Clearly this tiny audience is not a hindrance. It may be very small and very poor, but it is very dedicated. And with the money television preachers get. they are changing the course of history. If nothing else they are slowing down progress — and people are suffering as a result of it. Whether the effects are felt immediately or not, the fact that many gay men and lesbians don’t think they can afford to give money hurts the community badly. Let's face it. Most people aren’t rich. And no matter how much anyone earns, it’s never enough. There are always emergencies that come up and bills that have to be juggled from month to month. But United Way offers this tip: give one hour of your salary a week. It won't hurt at the time, but it will make a difference over a year. Or if you already give to an organization like United Way, ask that your donation go to a designated organization — like a gay nonprofit or AIDS foundation. Providing services and fighting for rights costs money. If the gay community is going to win its battle forequality and human rights it is going to have to reach into its pockets on a regular basis. Fighting AIDS is the most costly and immediate battle now being faced, but even with AIDS draining the community’s resources, the idea of leaving behind a better world cannot be abandoned. For the sake of all human dignity, the future cannot be ignored. • Phone harassment increases wants to go straight and ask if Phoenix Rising can cure homosexuality. Lottridge said that when told there is no “ cure” for any normal, legitimate lifestyle (including homosexuality), hoenix Rising Foundation has experienced “ they'll ask if we try to get heterosexuals to be a significant increase in telephone harass homosexuals. They’re quite insistent about this ment in the past four months. The harassment and will not take ‘no’ for an answer.” has taken two forms: the phony intake and the Phoenix Rising’s Information and Referral “ recruitment” game. No-shows for new intake Service provides an average of 800 callers per appointments have increased more than 200 month with community resource information, percent, from a steady low of less than 10 per “ which include referrals to lawyers, doctors, cent to as high as 25 percent since the Oregon dentists, accountants, realtors, professional and Citizens Alliance began gay-bashing in earnest social organizations, hiking groups, religious, in June. groups, custom car clubs, the bowling league, Typical “ recruitment” harassing calls bars, parenting groups and many, many others. involve a caller who attempts to “ get us to say Of course, we don’t help people to ‘find sex,’ that we ‘recruit’ or ‘convert’ people from being and it’s frustrating to spend time and expensive, heterosexual to being homosexual or that our limited resources talking with people who try to information and referral service includes help get us to say we do.” ing people ‘find sex,' " according to Helen Lottridge believes the harassing calls are the Lottridge. Phoenix Rising executive director. result of an organized effort because they began Many of the callers in the “ recruitment” abruptly in late June to early July, they continue category represent themselves as county social at a fairly constant rate, and they follow a con workers but refuse to identify themselves sistent pattern. • further. Others say they have a gay relative who P sce n ts o f B ea u ty For your bath, beauty and health needs. Bubbles, lotion, potions, oils for your Massage, Bath, Body & Soul featuring Uncommon Scents products First Floor, Y;imhill Marketplace 2 2 8 -8 6 7 0 ROLYN LAMBERT, M A MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST '2250 N W EL ANDERS, SUITE 112 PORTLAND, OREGON 97210 (503) 299-4464 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS ADULTS MOLESTED AS CHILDREN LONG TERM PSYCHOTHERAPY DEPRESSION SHEAR ^ SUNSHINE Dog & Cat Grooming & Cat Boarding NOW OPEN Sundays 11-5 pm “walk-ins” welcome 2115 S.E. 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