MHfATH
This space is the newsletter o f ACT-
UP Portland and is made possible by a
grant from the M acKenzie River
Foundation and Just O u t
Just who do
we think we are?
The Portland chapter of the AIDS
Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP/
Portland) is part of an international and
nationwide network of grassroots, democratic
and militant organizations for AIDS activism.
Our aim is to challenge the reluctant and
inadequate response of the government and
the public to AIDS; we desire to stimulate and
create effective AIDS policies within all
sectors of society through non-violent direct
action and public protest. While the focus of
ACT UP/ Portland is AIDS, the multiple
issues surrounding the disease force us to act
on several fronts at once.
We haven’t been sleeping
February 1990—We distributed condoms
in Pioneer Square as part of Condom
Awareness Day II.
March 1990— A counter demonstration at
the Oregon State Capitol with a coalition of
other pro-choice groups against kick off
campaign of common enemy Oregon
Citizen’s Alliance’s ballot measure restricting
abortion.
April 1990— Demonstration against
homosexual deprogramming at Hinson
Memorial Baptist Church in SE Portland. 250
demonstrators gathered.
Zap against US Senator Mark Hatfield.
Alteration of two campaign billboards, one
reading “Closeted Gay. Living a lie— Voting
to oppress” and the other reading, “Making
AIDS Deaths a Reality.” (See below).
Fifteen ACT UP members marched for
racial equality with Black United Front.
Several ACT UP members demonstrated at
Pacific University in support of a lesbian
student who received death threats after
posting advertising for the Portland Lesbian
Choir.
ACT UP/Portland called for national
phone zap against New Dimensions M agazine
(Published by Foundation for Human
Understanding, based in Grants Pass,
Oregon), after the publication of an issue
containing misinformation about AIDS and
antigay diatribe. Under pressure from ACT
UP groups around the country. New
Dimensions changed their 800 number and
Andy Rooney, a contributor, pulled his
column.
ACT UP/Portland members joined ACT
UP chapters from around the country in
Chicago at a demonstration protesting
insurance restrictions against PWAs and
demanding national health insurance.
Phone zap against Philip Morris tobacco
conglomerate. (See below.)
May 1990— Demonstrated with members
o f Anti Racist Action (ARA), Skin Heads
Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP), and
Radical Women against performance by
“comedian” oam Kinison, whose misogynist,
anti-gay, racist “shtick” contributes to the
attitudes that foster growing numbers of hate
crimes reported in the Portland area.
Coalition of groups (Bushwhackers)
demonstrated during the Bush fundraiser for
Frohnmayer campaign.
June 1990— ACT UP marched at Lesbian
and Gay Pride. Initiated postcard to the gay
and lesbian stars campaign.
Eight ACT UP members attended national
ACT UP conference. International AIDS
Conference demonstrations and boycotted
against U.S. discriminatory policy of barring
people with HIV from the U.S.
ACT UP sponsored community kiss-in at >
the Immigration and Naturalization Service
over discriminatory immigration policies.
ACT UP met with Police Internal
Investigation Audit Committee over their
homophobic policies: wearing rubber gloves
when touching lesbians and gay men.
Stay tuned-
upcoming actions
July activities include a benefit for ACT
UP at the City Night Club with entertainment
on July 29 at 9pm.
Demonstrations and activities are usually
very spontaneous. If you would like to be on
our phone list for upcoming events, please call
232-1038 and we will keep you informed.
Jesse Helms is the
real Marlboro man
for HIV antibody. (According to Immigration
law it is illegal to enter the U.S. if you have
the HIV virus.)
Hatfield voted in 1987,1988 and 1989 to
prohibit the use of federal funds for “AIDS
eduction, information, or prevention materials
and activities that promote or encourage,
directly or indirectly, homosexual sexual
activities.”
The 1989 vote was also against language
which would promote or encourage
homosexuality or to use words stating that
homosexuality is “normal,” “natural” or
"healthy."
The billboard zap followed Hatfield’s vote
to change the District o f Columbia Human
Rights Law to allow the local Big Brothers
organization to bar gay men from
participating in any program that “educates,
coaches or trains any minor” or “holds out (a
gay man) as a role model, mentor, or
companion to any minor.”
It is contemptible for a closeted gay man
as powerful as Mark Hatfield to perpetuate the
lie that all gay men are child molesters who
prey on innocent youth.
ACT UP groups around the country have
planned a series of actions designed to bring
attention to the fact Philip Morris, Inc. is the
single largest corporate contributor to the
election campaigns of Senator Jesse Helms,
(R-N.C.).
Since 1986, Helms has had 29 chances to
vote on issues that directly affect the lives of
lesbians, gay men and people with HIV. On
eight votes, Helms blocked efforts to provide
AIDS information materials specifically
targeted to prevent HIV infection. During the
same period Helms tried to invoke mandatory
testing four times.
Philip Morris Political Action Committee,
(PHIL-PAC) has been the top corporate
contributor ($21,000) to Helms’ campaigns
since at least 1977. They have also
contributed $200,000 for the Jesse Helms
“museum” and library scheduled to open at
Wingate College in 1992.
ACT UP/Portland’s long awaited t-shirt
was designed by local graphic artist Reed
Darmon. Marty thanks, Reed! It is a black
shirt with an exploding pink triangle over
which is written, ACT UP FOR YOU LIFE!
If you would like to buy one ($10), call us at
232-1038.
Marlboro boycott
Dear Santa
ACT UP/Wash. DC called for an
international boycott of Philip Morris, Inc.’s
Marlboro brand which has 26.3 percent of the
domestic cigarette market. If Marlboro drops
even one percent, Philip Morris would stand
to lose more than $250 million. ACT UP
urges you to boycott Marlboro.
ACT UP/Portland received notice that the
opening reception of the Democratic Party
Campaign School (held in Newport, Ore.,
June 8-10) was sponsored by Philip Morris.
One call to Peter Toll at the Senate Majority
Office was all it took to get information
materials distributed at the conference. The
Senate Majority Office had not known of
Philip Morris’s support of Jesse Helms.
We hope that the gay and lesbian
community will join us to fight AIDS,
homophobia, racism, sexism and classism.
Whether you join ACT UP, join us in
coalitions or lend support with contributions,
we want you to know we appreciate your
support. ACT UP/Portland stays busy pointing
out what’s wrong and demanding what’s
right.
We need money to keep our efforts going.
No one in ACT UP gets paid, we have no
office and no staff. Every dollar we receive
goes directly into fighting the AIDS epidemic
through meetings, demonstrations and actions.
Help us stop the dying. Give what you can
and help keep us acting up!
If you have old but working items we also
could use: stapler, copy machine, office
supplies and file cabinets.
‘News’ in the Oregonian?
Several large newspapers have run stories
on ACT UP/Portland’s billboard zap against
Senator Mark Hatfield. If the Miami Herald,
Seattle Post Intelligencer, Oakland Tribune,
San Francisco Examiner and the Washington
Times can run the story (as well as National
Public Radio and three local television news
stations), why can’t the Oregonian?
All of you who think that “at least Mark is
a ‘liberal Republican’,” must think again.
Senator Hatfield was on the honorary
committee of a Jesse Helms $1000 per head .
cocktail party fundraiser held in Washington,
DC on June 14. It is not too late to call the
senator and tell him that Oregon voters will
not tolerate his support of the anti-civil rights
hate campaign of Jesse Helms. Call 326-3386
(Portland) and 399-5731 (Salem).
Just for the record
June 1987— Hat ¡field voted for an
amendment that sought to test all immigrants
3731 SE Hawthorne
Portland. OR 97214
___________ (503) 232-1010__________
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Meeting schedule
We meet the second and fourth
Wednesdays in July only at 7pm. Please join
us. Metropolitan Community Church at the
comer of NE 24th and Broadway, enter
through basement door on Broadway.
TAKE A SUN BREAK
Key West
8 days/7 nights
R/T air, hotel, transfers
cont. break, daily
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RUSSIAN RIVER
4 days/3 nights
R/T air, hotel, car
from $470 p.p.d.o.
ALOHA Waikiki
8 days/7 nights, taxes
welcome breakfast, R/T
air, transfers, hotel from
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Call Norm for all your
travel needs - still quality
and caring, new location.
*
ACT UP/Portland, PO Box 6352,
Portland, OR 97228. Please write or call
Laura White at 775-4763 with questions or
comments regarding this newsletter.
Travel
INC
656-4881
1 - 800 - 255-5387
just out ▼ 2 7 V July 1990