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To the Editor:
This letter is in response to ACT UP’s What
About the Women? piece in November’s Just
Out. When I read the piece, I felt like it was a
statement in a vacuum. Having spent several
years working to see that education and services
are available and directed to women, I wanted to
provide some history and information to fiU that
vacuum.
The article says that there are no AIDS pre
vention or education efforts directed at women in
Oregon. Although in the past this statement
would have been accurate, today it is not. In
1987, a group of women came together to form
the Oregon Women’s AIDS Network (OWAN).
We were all drawn together as a result of the first
Women and AIDS conference produced early
that year by the Coalition for AIDS Education.
For the first few years, OWAN worked to in
crease awareness about the particular issues that
affect women with HIV. What we managed to
do was to accomplish our very simple goal: to
increase knowledge of HIV and it’s affects upon
women, and to increase women’s access to serv
ices provided by agencies. Shortly thereafter, we
began the first support groups for women with
HIV disease.
Just this past September, OWAN and the
Coalition for AIDS Education held the second
women and HTV conference. This time, it was a
major regional conference called Women, Chil
dren & HIV. This conference, held right here in
Portland, attracted over 250 people. ACT UP
Seattle’s Women’s Caucus sent 10 representa
tives. Several new education and support pro
grams for women have been developed across
the Northwest as a result of this conference.
Meanwhile, many individual women have
stretched to provide education to other women.
There have been safer-sex workshops for lesbi
ans in Bend. There have been several radio
shows locally, and just recently a new show is
being produced in hopes of winning public
broadcasting grant money to be aired nationally.
Many, many articles have been written in the
women’s press, and several TV shows have spot
lighted the issues o f HIV and women. Large
coalition, or small grassroots, the fact is that
education and prevention efforts toward women
have been happening for years. I will be the first
to say that it isn’t enough. But it is far from
nothing.
Like education and prevention, the history of
services for HTV positive women in our state is
a young one. For someone not involved in the
history of this effort, it would appear from read
ing ACT UP’s article that nothing exists. In fact,
several agencies and a group o f HIV positive
women have worked to implement services spe
cifically for women. The newest amongst these
efforts is a statewide telephone network connect
ing HIV positive women together. At the very
least, and for many, the very best, this network
will allow the opportunity to break down the
walls of isolation.
There is most certainly lots of work that
needs to be done-lots. What efforts and services
exist right now are not enough, for anyone. But
those efforts and services are a mighty start.
Anyone wanting to respond to Lucy’s call to
action, please do get involved. Join the work,
add presence and energy, diversity and thought
ful input. For information about CAE, CAP or
other groups mentioned in this letter, people can
call me at the Hotline. ACT UP is forming a
women’s caucus, giving one more opportunity to
get involved.
Mimi Luther
Oregon AIDS Hotline Coordinator
Portland
Buncher alert
appreciated
To the Editor:
Please thank Bea Johnson o f Eugene for her
letter regarding “bunchers.” We had not heard of
this practice and are grateful Ms. Johnson took
the time to alert us and your other readers.
Ginger wishes Bea Johnson — and all people
who care about animals — puppy kisses.
Lee Lynch
Grants Pass
Out of line
To the Editor:
So there I was sitting on the front porch at
LC’s and Carmella’s party tossing back a couple
o f brewskies (not Miller) hanging out with the
good old dykes...up walks Lisa Loving. Hey,
Lisa, what’s up? Oh, I ’m writing an article for
Just Out on bisexuality. Well, you all know my
response to that statement since it was printed in
Just Out. Yo, let’s spend some time thinking
about journalistic responsibility. The next day
Lisa called my machine and left a message about
how I had som e juicy things to say and she
wanted to talk more but she never called back.
So I ’m mildly pissed. So, do I really think that
bisexuality doesn’t exist? Yup, that’s certainly
true. Do I really think that whoever you sleep
with defines who you are ... no I don’t I cer
tainly said it on the front porch along with hours
o f other bullshit but I don’t believe i t Being a
lesbian means much more than who I’m sleeping
with. Of course you can’t deny that where I have
my fingers or tongue- is a component of how I
define myself. So what am I trying to say here
is Dyke Culture is falling apart in Portland, we
have no bookstore, we have no bar, we have no
café, no place where we can be together and love
and dance and talk and plot the next revolution.
W hat’s going on here?? Does anybody give a
shit? Oh yeah, the next time I ’m talking shit
with my friends at a party I really would appre
ciate it not being printed in your paper.
Linda Shirley
Portland
Editors note: Thanks fo r setting the record
"straight."
D a rc e lle 's
omitted
To the Editor:
We heard from Darcelle that Entertainment
Publications, Inc. made the decision this year to
delete them from the book. This deletion was
done with no consultation or explanation at all.
I do not see how we can support such blatant
bigotry in our society. W e have already pur
chased our 1991 book, but we will not use it if
this is how they choose to operate. Somehow we
need to get the message out to the participating
restaurants and businesses that we cannot be a
part of this bigotry. We are asking that the gay
community and all supportive people participate
in this boycott and write letters to Entertainment
Inc. expressing the same. Our letter is in the
mail.
The address to write is:
Entertainment Publications, Inc.
8196 SW Hall Blvd., Ste. 100
Beaverton, OR 97005
Patrick Corcoran
Arlyn Hummel
Portland