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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1990)
Just out • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 C O N T E N T S steppin out Publisher Lette rs...........................................................3 Renee LaChance Just B rie fs .....................................................6 Editor Just N e w s.....................................................9 A C T U P N ew sletter.................................11 Beth A. Allen Calendar Editor ■ Just N e w s...................................................12 7 Philip Anderson A ID S 101 ...................................................14 Entertainment Editor Amazon T r a i l ........................................... 15 Between the Lin e s.............................. . 14 Sandra de Helen Just Be Aware........................................... 16 Coming O u t..............................................17 Staff Reporter Anndee Hochman R e lig io n .....................................................18 Recovery....................................................19 P ro file ........................................................ 21 Advertising Director Yvonne Mammarelli Out About T o w n ..................................... 22 Photo essay...............................................26 Advertising Representatives Just Entertainm ent...................................28 Brant Fether, Kristin Pressey M usic ......................................................... 30 Books......................................................... 31 Art and Production Director Cinem a......................................................33 Carla Jean Looney Comics....................................................... 35 Computer Manager Littlejohn Keogh Proofreader Printed on recycled paper Philip Anderson Typesetter Steven Apodaca, a tenor, sings with the Portland Gay Men's Chorus during the opening of the Oregon Convention Center last month Maggie Powers Graphic Inspiration Rupert Kinnard, E. Ann Hinds Distribution LeeAnn LaBar T O R I A L P ut on a masl t fo r H allow een, take it off fo r C o ming O ut D ay Robin Bentzel Contributors I O c to b e r has th e g a ye st holidays Subscriptions Cyd Athens Steve Warren Dell Richards Matthew Nelson Jerry Exel Dr. Tantalus E D PHOTO BY BETH A. ALLEN Rosearme King Erin Rouse Richard Francis Lee Lynch Jack Riley Dakota Stone Jeffrey Zur linden Just Out it published on the first day of each month. Copyright 1990. No part of Just Out may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The submission of written and graphic materials is welcomed. Written material should be typed and double spaced. Graphic material should be in black ink on white paper. Deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Out About Town is compiled as a courtesy to our readers. Performers, clubs, individuals or groups wishing to list events in the calendar should mail notices to Just Out by the 15th of the month preceding publication. Ustings will not be taken over the telephone. Display Advertising will be accepted up to the 17th of each month. Classified ads must be received at the office of Just Out by the 17th of each month, along with payment. Ads will not be taken over the telephone. Editorial policies allow the rejection or the editing of an article or advertisement that is offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Just Out consults the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual on editorial decisions. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publishers. Subscriptions to Just Out are available for $17.50 for 12 issues. First class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues A free copy of Just Out and/or advertising rates are available upon request. The mailing address and telephone number for Just Out are: POBox 15117 Portland. OR 97215 (503)236-1252 ju if 9 u f W2 T ftctofkr I he two gayest holidays o f the year are A upon us: H alloween, Oct. 31, and N a tional Com ing O ut Day, Oct. 11. Both can be pretty frightening and a whole lot o f fun. Halloween, like no other day of the year, has becom e a gay holiday filled with fun and frivolity. O ur practice o f feigning to be som eone w e’re not finally pays off and the rest o f society has to take a backseat to the pros o f pretending. Fantasies becom e reality, if only for one night. Vam pires, pirates and Joan Rivers stalk the streets. • Unlike Halloween, National Com ing O ut Day gives gays and lesbians a chance to quit pretending. W eeks before donning the masks, all the m asks can fall. O f course, there is no guarantee that com ing out will always be fun and frivolous. B ut as often as not, the experience is a lot less horrifying than the im agination has envisioned. For som e the thought o f com ing out strikes fear into the very bow els of their being. Com ing O ut Day isn’t sanctioned by all of society as H alloween is. But it can be a joyous and freeing experience. Especially if we have each others’ support. W e all com e out at different speeds and to different degrees. Som e people com e out as soon as they understand their sexual orienta tion. Som e people never quite m ake it out o f the closet. For some, being out m eans being out to everyone and at all times. For some, being out m eans telling close fam ily mem bers and friends. For some, realizing and accepting the reality o f their sexual orientation is as out as they can ever im agine being. W hat we can do as a com m unity is support everyone’s personal speed and degree of outness, w hile gently prodding our friends on. W e need to help each other to com e out as far as feels safe. W e can do that by accepting our sisters’ and brothers’ individuality and under standing that no two persons’ circum stances are the same. If som eone is locked tight in a closet, the thought o f com ing out to the whole world will likely m ake him or her throw up on the shoe tree. For totally closeted people, com ing out to one friend or one fam ily m em ber will be a great success. M any gay m en and lesbians fear losing their jobs if they are out. T hat fear is often justified because discrim ination is socially acceptable and also, unfortunately, because discrim ination is still on the record as lawfully acceptable. Perhaps a good first step for these folks would be to celebrate Com ing O ut Day by writing a letter to their representative in Congress and let them know o f another vote that will be tied to their record on gay and lesbian rights. M any gays and lesbians consider themselves out, but still hide behind a m ask of anonym ity when relating to people they com e into contact with on a casual basis. At work, at school or while shopping, the subtle lies or om issions are like a hand gripping the closet doorknob. Tell the florist why y o u ’re sending flow ers to another wom an. Tell your buddies at work why you want to get hom e early on the night o f your anniversary. D on’t just say no when som eone asks if you are m arried, tell them your actual status: I’m a single lesbian; I ’m a gay m an in a com m itted relationship; w hatever the truth may be. ' If y o u ’re one o f the fortunate few w ho is out with no holds barred, find som eone who is ready to com e out a little farther and share your stories, your strength and the freedom that being totally out brings. Practice patience, though, because no two people’s com ing out will be the same. Rem em ber, this is a day o f celebration. A holiday of m ajor consequences. Take off your mask and throw away your costum e. This is the one holiday w here we can celebrate being who we really are. T • come out! come out! wherever you are! October 11th is national coming out day*
