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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1989)
participated in the anti-war demonstrations have to be a little wistful when we watch the latest street theater by the vocal crew at ealth experts, including those trying to ACT UP. stem the spread of AIDS, have had to rely on statistics gathered by Dr. Alfred Kinsey 30 to Though there is some questionable value to strewing 1,000 condoms throughout The 50 years ago and on magazine-sponsored surveys among the skewed samples of people Oregonian Building and tweaking Senator who volunteer to participate. Much of that Hatfield over rumors (some very old) of being information is suspected incomplete and gay. you can't help but admit this group is doing erroneous. w hat a lot of us would like to do: shake up the establishment of newspaper publishers who are Recently an expert panel of the National afraid to face the realities of AIDS and politi Academy of Science's National Research cians who continue to sport voting records that Council who were looking into AIDS preven are less than favorable to homosexuals. tion urged more federal agencies to sponsor The traditional gay organizations do much to promote our welfare and no one should take that w&mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwmm away from them. But we all know that working with the establishment does not always produce results. For instance, the state’s AIDS educa tion campaign with the media is an absolute farce. Gay groups were involved in the prepara wmmmmmmmmmmmmrnmmmmmmm tion of that campaign and effective ads are still not getting in print or on the air. So as long as there is a cause that needs • • • Between the Lines attention, here’s to ACT UP. There is not a mmi place in some gay organizations for the rank and file and those without a lot of spare cash to donate (some of us are not “ Old Portlanders” w m sm m like Sanford Director). But ACT UP doesn’t Y J__ A C K R I JL E _Y need your cash as much as your body and soul out in the streets. more research on sexual behavior, since several new studies indicate that sexual practices Skinheads escalate attacks among Americans are now quite different than what previous surveys suggested. he racist and anti-gay fliers distributed by For example, a recent regional study revealed skinheads and their followers in southeast that an unexpectedly high percentage of Portland are a grim reminder that these hate American women regularly engage in anal groups never go away; they just subside for intercourse, a high risk activity as far as AIDS is awhile until they find enough supporters to concerned. Another study found that many gay resurface and continue spreading venom. men and lesbians have intercourse with mem Fliers that vilify Jewish businesses, taunt bers of the opposite sex. That should come as no blacks as “ burrheads” and condemn gays and surprise to most gays, but it might be a revela lesbians are nothing new. Vet for Portland, it is tion to the “ straight” community. disquieting that these New Age Nazis are The Kinsey Institute of Sex Research at getting national media attention for their Indiana University reports that studies indicate aggressiveness. about two-thirds of homosexual men reported Be aware that these groups are violent and having engaged in heterosexual intercourse. 70 posting bills is not theironly pastime. If you like percent reported having sex with a married man to party downtown be very careful not to travel and 20 percent said they had had sex with six or alone if you have been drinking. Better to take a more married men. In addition. 45 percent of taxi home than the bus or MAX. And avoid the lesbian women said they had sex with men since bus mall at all costs. It is not safe after dark if 1980. during the onset of AIDS. you travel alone and are intoxicated. What this research emphasizes is that AIDS educational material should not focus solely on Letters kill harassment law so-called “ risk groups" because sexual revisions behavior passes across identification boundaries. Harold Lief, marriage and sex counselor at fforts to expand Oregon’s harassment law the University of Pennsylvania, told the New to include cases of harassment based on York Times in a recent interview that “ It’s sexual orientation were shot down in Salem this behavior, not risk groups, that really counts.” past month, despite support for such new legis For example, he said many Mexican- lation from Governor Neil Goldschmidt. American men of mixed Indian and European Legislators pointed to stacks of correspon heritage who have anal intercourse with other dence arguing that specific language referring men do not consider themselves homosexual to the sexual orientation of victims would in unless they are the receptive partners. Anal effect give homosexuals special status and would intercourse is often used to preserve the recognize what opponents called “ an immoral “ virginity” of women with similar heritage, lifestyle.” One guess where most of those he added. letters originated. A properly done national sex survey could All that despite some pretty convincing help family planning organizations define the testimony in legislative committees that violence need for contraceptive services and target more against gays has escalated. accurately education programs to prevent other The political reality is that gays as a group sexually transmitted diseases. cannot be successful in changing laws until they That survey should include the sexual help change political opinions . . . and one way activity of homosexual men, teenagers, to help change a politician’s mind is to bombard bisexuals, and divorced people, men who have her or him with letters telling the truth about sex with other men and just about anyone else what is happening to a group of people who who can operate a zipper. deserve protections against victimization. Aside from aiding AIDS researchers and health officials, more accurate data could help High schools snub AIDS survey overturn sodomy statutes in some states that ban t ’s going to be more difficult to coordinate such activity. If anal intercourse is found to be AIDS education efforts in public high practiced more by heterosexuals than homo schools in Oregon as long as school districts sexuals. then using sodomy statutes to keep refusing to participate in a state survey to prosecute gays would be discriminatory. gauge students' knowledge of the disease. The Oregon Deparment of Education says Acting up: youth revisited almost half of the state’s high schools have hose of us who stepped out into the streets turned down requests to participate in the study in the late 60s and early 70s and were conducted by Eastern Oregon State College. promptly met with FBI cameras, hostile The negative attitudes toward the study are citizens, and nasty local cops. Those who summed up by a Salem-Keizer School District Who’s having sex with whom? H T official Skip Liebertz: “ Unless a survey has a very direct benefit to the school, we have a policy o f not conducting any,” he told the Associated Press. “ We get hundreds of different surveys every year and don’t have the time or the staff to do them.” The research is planned to span five years in an effort to assess the impact of the new AIDS curriculum on students. It’s too bad AIDS is looked upon as a moral issue, instead of a major health issue by those school officials not responding to the survey. There is no doubt that they are objecting to the subject matter and the controversy it may bring, rather than the problem of administering the survey. • HALLOWEEN ’89 IN KEY WEST — ANDA THREE-DAY CRUISE TOO! OCT. 26-30 SPECIAL! SPECIAL! SPECIAL! BANGKOK — CITY OF MYSTERY Remember the lesbian and gay community in your will. AIR — 7 NGT DELUXE HOTEL — FULL AMERICAN BREAKFAST — DAILY SIGHTSEEING TOURS — FROM $ 1020 PPDO SINGLE ADD $125 THAI ROYAL ORCHID SERVICE FROM SEATTLE HELSINKI AND STOCKHOLM — TWO CITY SPECIAL BEST Bikes . . . In Two Cities 10 DAYS — INCLUDES AIR — DELUXE HOTEL — DAILY BREAKFAST — AND TWO NIGHT BALTIC CRUISE - FROM $1447 PPDO SINGLE ADD $329 WAIKIKI STILL A BARGAIN 7 NGTS HOTEL FROM $409 PPDO ALSO OUTER ISLAND SPECIAL 90 DAY FINANCING NO INTEREST CICL< HALLOWEEN IN KEY WEST SPORT SHOP RSVP 3-NIGHT CRUISE STILL SPACE ix P im SfRVC£ OLD TOWN PORTLAND-' 35 NW Third Ava 227 3535 ^ LAKE OSWEGO VILLAGE CENTER S Stale SI •3 « 3521 D IA M O N D B A C K w M A N C H I ~ R iU O f O t S M C I A l ll f D E I imunityAIDS urns for Gay 3al Men HEALTH A N D TREATMENT ISSUES: Wayne Boulette Travel Counselor A Panel of Health C are Providers Will Discuss Traditional an d Non-Traditional Approaches to Treating AIDS an d HIV Infection. Concludes with a Question & Answer Session. WEDNESDAY 7-9 p m , April 26th, 1989 The Portland Building, Hearing Room, Second Floor 1120 SW Fifth Avenue Free Parking in the garage available, enter on Fourth Avenue side VISTA TRAVEL SERVICE 224-5000 200 S.W. MARKET • PORTLAND. OR For Further In fo rm a tio n C on tact: TOLL FREE USA ( 503 ) 223-5907 1 800 245-5557 T - - FAX: 503 299-6831 Our best defense against AIDS is e a c h other. just out ▼ 5 ▼ Apri I I 9R9