ju st o u t ▼ J a n u a r y 1 9 9 1 ▼ 3
Ju st out
since 1983
steppin’ out
PUBUSHER
contents
Reneé LaChance
ACTING EDITOR
VOL. 8 NO. 3 JAN. 1991
Linda Kliever
CALENDAR EDITOR
Philip Anderson
FEATURE
STAFF REPORTER
Ann dee Hochman
Winter reading
Ice and snow outside? Stay
home with a good book.
ADVERTISING
REPRESENTATIVE
(p. 15)
Linda Shirley
Profile
Donna Cooper comes from a
long line o f women-supportive
women.
PRODUCTION
Sutree Irving
(pl 3)
PROOFREADER
Philip Anderson
'
TYPESETTERS
DEPARTMENTS
ACT VP Portland blocked the Burnside Bridge on Dec. 3 to
commemorate 1,000 cases o f AIDS in Oregon.
Jesse Jordan
Amanda Colorado
COVER
Letters
Dan O'Neil
(p.4)
GRAPHIC INSPIRATION
Rupert Kinnard
publisher's note
Lee Ann LaBar
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Carol Steinel
Dr. Jerry Exel
Lee Lynch
Jack Riley
Marti Staehle
Dr. Tantalus
Steve Warren
Rex Wockner
Jeffrey Zurlinden
Just Out is published on the first day of
each month. © 1 9 9 1 .N o p a ita f./u rt0 u /
m ay be reproduced w ithout written
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material should be typed and double-
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for grammar, punctuation, style, liability
concerns and length. We will reject or edit
articles or advertisem ents that are
offensive, demeaning or may result in
legal action. J u st O ut consults the
Associated Press Style Book and Libel
M anual on editorial decisions.
Letters to the editor should be limited
to 400 words. Graphic material should be
in black ink on white paper. Deadline for
su b m issio n s is the 15th o f the month
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in letters to the editor, colum ns and
features are not necessarily those of the
publisher.
Display advertising will be accepted up
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o ffice o f Just Out by the 17th o f each
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T h e m ailing address and telephone
num ber for Just Out are: PO Boa 15117,
Portland, OR 97215; (503) 236-1252
(P-8)
Not down and
out-Just Out!
DISTRIBUTION
CONTRIBUTORS
National briefs
T
he love and support I have experienced in the
past month have made me very proud to
serve this community, and I thank you all for
that. The cards, letters phone calls and hugs
have helped me, and without them I wouldn’t
have survived as well as I have. I especially
thank Sarah Koehl, my lover of seven years and eight
months for standing with me through all of this. It has
been a lot of stress to bring home, and has been very dif
ficult for both of us.
In the seven years that I have been publishing Just
Out I have always been out on the front line, accessible,
accountable and vulnerable, fighting for our right to love
whomever we choose. I have never been as vulnerable
as I am right now with the “exposé” about myself and
Just Out on the cover of the Dec. 5 Willamette Week.
One of the most difficult things for me to deal with
about this situation is that the troubles at Just Out were
brought to Willamette Week before they were brought to
me, by people within Just Out whom I considered to be
my friends and family. I have always believed that con
flict is best resolved with each other, within our commu
nity or at the very least within our organizations and not
in anti-gay media or through homophobic institutions.
The most heartbreaking part of all this is the violation of
that trust.
To date, none of the former board members or staff
have attended a mediation session, though Mary Forst
has been doing her best to intervene and get us all to sit
down at a table and work this through.
I have been encouraged by some to tell my side of
the saga, and to give details conveniently left out of
Willamette Week's smear article. Others have encour
aged me to just let it rest. I will be happy to talk to
people who have concerns. I can be reached at the Just
Out office from 10 am to 4 pm most weekdays. I en
courage anyone with questions to contact me.
Most of all I want people to know that I have done
nothing wrong. No crime was committed and the alle-
World briefs
(P .6)
Local briefs
(p.io
Just news
gations of the former staff members quoted in Willam
ette Week are distorted and unjustified. The most I can
be accused of is making some bad business decisions.
The other business ventures I engaged in were all done
as Out Media, Inc., the parent corporation of Just Out,
and all
want
to filled voids in the gay and lesbian community.
In August 1989, Jay Brown and I decided to keep the
businesses separate.
The staff that went to Willamette Week seemed to
want Just Out destroyed. I am happy to say that it has
had the opposite affect The lesbian and gay community
will finally mobilize against Willamette Week’s gay
bashing and homophobic articles (see Letters, page 4)
and support for Just Out is as strong, if not stronger,
than ever. In fact, the Willamette Week article has drawn
the attention of several individuals who want to see Just
Out survive and are so committed to that end that they
are willing to invest money to see it grow and prosper.
Which means that publishing every other week, a long
time goal, is just around the comer. In addition, I have
not been contacted by the police or the Internal Reve
nue Service.
Be assured that Just Out will continue to publish
because the word must come out, and that word is that
gay men and lesbians live, love and work throughout the
world and are proud to do so.
More troubles in the Soviet
Union.
(p. 7)
COLUMNS
Amazon lYail
(p-2 7)
Counsel
(p.28)
Recovery
(p.29)
ARTS
Books
More books fo r your winter
reading.
(pp.16,17)
Music
Special thanks
I particularly want to thank our wonderful advertis
ers who continue to believe that Just Out is still the best
way to reach our community. I also want to thank the
people who have volunteered this month to answer
phones and greet people who came into the office (shifts
available in January). And I want to thank the staff that
did not abandon ship, Anndee Hochman, Philip Ander
son, Lee Ann LaBar and all the writers and columnists.
Plus thanks to the staff that jumped in to help, Linda
Shirley, Linda Kliever and E. Ann Hinds.
— Rend LaChance
Reviews o f PLC's and PGMC's
holiday concerts
(pp. 25, 26)
Theater
Portland Women's Theatre and
Oregon Shakespeare-Portland
reviews.
(p.24)