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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1991)
14 ▼ S ep te m b e r 1 9 9 1 T ju it ou t Ten seconds in a pseudo-queer's brain A story fo r the still unsure What's in and what's out Trends and fashions help lesbian and gay youth to answer "Where are the faggots and the dykes?" V by Paula Jean O’Brien by Kimberly Lynn Stedman noticed she had been careful to cross out that last clause in her note to me, but still keep it scaldingly legible. It showed re straint, but still gave the full impact of her contempt for me. I looked up at her over the page and she flashed me a razor-white smile. Ouch, I thought. Wait, what if she’s right? Wait, wait...I do tell just about everybody I meet that I ’m queer-could I really be doing it just for show? What if I’m really just as straight as a rod? What if I ’m just playing around? How can she be so sure that she’s genuinely queer? Is there some birthm ark that all Real Queers have that no-one has told me about? How can they all be so sure that they’re Real Queers when it’s such an intangible thing? They all look so rock-solid sure that they’re Real Queers-1 do n ’t feel like that at all! God-what if I ’ve been going to all these Queer Nation meetings and all those queer functions and I ’m really just as straight as a ruler? God, I’ll bet they can spot me a mile away! I must look like a fool! I ’ll bet they lean over to one another and say “There is a HETeroSEXUAL in our midst, comrades,” and raise their right eye brows, and then go and secretly tell everyone there about how I don’t belong with-I bet they’re all outside right now, forming a big mob to os tracize me from the queer community; they’ll barge in and tear off my honorary “Fuck Your Gender” sticker, and then-Or maybe they won’t even want to degrade themselves by coming face to face with a little wannabe Pseudo-Queer, maybe they’ll just write me a note and tack it to 1 my door with a vibrator filed to a point, and on it will be “Vee know hvat yeew are, yeew deesgusteeng ztraight leetle HET-ER-O-SEX-U- AL” scrawled in red lipstick and- But, wait, wait, wait, wait just a minute here. What am I accusing m yself o f here? Experi menting? Am I actually accusing myself of ex perim enting? W hat the HELL is wrong with experimenting? I ’ll be DAMNED if I’m going to be ashamed o f EXPERIM ENTING. Isn ’t experimenting what makes life so fantastic? If I get a thrill out of going to bed with a woman because it feels kinky, isn’t that a thousand times better than going to bed with men and NOT get ting a thrill because it D OESN’T feel kinky? What do I mean, not queer ENOUGH? They’re not going to analyze me! I know them, and they’re not like that at all! They’re NICE! And even if there are a few queers like her who do judge who the Real Queers are, what do I care? As long as I’m enjoying what I’M doing and I ’m not hurting anyone else, how can anyone put me down? Yes, I DO tell everybody I ’m queer, G od damn it, and I DO get attention for it. More power to me! There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving whom ever you want, and I, a Pseudo-Queer, am doing a lot more to raise people’s consciousness to that fact than she is by never telling a soul except people she knows won’t mind! And ATTENTION is FUN. I looked at her again. I had stolen, and was wearing, her smile. I leaned over and said: I do what makes me happy I take a stand on what I believe and I’m not ashamed o f anything I am. Can you say that? The following is a list of businesses which advertise or otherwise support the Oregon Alliance, the monthly newsletter for the Oregon Citizens Alliance. It is important that these businesses feel the effect of their support o f hate. Please call or write to each business, telling them you will not patronize their establishment as long as they support bias and hate. OCA Family Business Listing Steve's Appliance 4905 SE W oodstock Portland. OR 9 7206 774-3809 Steve's Im ports 7273 SE 92nd P ortland, OR 771-6701 Trim-Flex Vinyl Co. 4329C NE Killingsworth P ortland. OR 97218 287-9690 J o h n M cCauley Auto. 1237 SE H aw thorne Blvd. Portland,-O R 97214 232 6920 C om m ercial Bindery W orks. Inc. 2 8 0 19th St. SE Salem . OR 97302 378-7278 Ju b ilee C leaning 8602 N Woolsey P ortland. OR 9 7 2 3 0 286 2101 Best Buy In Town 2 1 600 NW Cornell Rd. Hillsboro, OR 645-6665 T hom as G. Edel, P.E. P ortland, OR 232-8100 C ornerstone Fencing 6021 SW 48th P ortland. OR 97221 244 6345 Life E ssen tials A B arber Salon 1429 SE H aw thorne 1‘o rtlan d , OR 97214 The Doorw orks 1935 NW 27th Ave. P ortland. OR 9 7210 274-8925 B erg C h ristia n E n terp rises PO Box 6 6066 P ortland, OR 9 7 2 3 0 777-4101 B rothers Plum bing 3757 SE 9th Ave. P ortland. OR 97202 Edw ard M. J o n e s a n d Co. 7906 NE Airport Wav P ortland, OR 9 7 218 249-1400 C asey's Plum bing PO Box 20494 P ortland. OR 97202 253-6947 I V W h a t 's in V Being “out” Tattoos Levi denim and leather jackets Political pins Backpacks Pink triangles Crewcuts Silver hoop earrings Birkens locks Flannel and Wool The Indigo Girls Two Nice Girls Lavender and baseball caps KBOO Wire-rimmed glasses Coffee houses and books Windfire Being politically vocal Tom and Katie Potter Wool Hiking, camping and softball Drag Being young and gay eing young is hard enough. Being young and gay or lesbian is a virtual hell. Many lesbian and gay youth depend on trends and fashions to identify each other for the pur poses of socializing, dating, and political organi zation. Isolation seems to be a common feeling among gay youth. M ost would rather sit at home, in their parents’ heterosexual household, instead of facing the angry world of heterosex ism. Internalized homophobia is the certain cause of much agony for lesbian and gay youth, as well as for the older gay and lesbian popula tion. Fortunately, many more gay and lesbian youth are making themselves visible through the trends and fashions on our list. Hopefully, this will help decrease homophobia. Now, le t’s talk about trends. Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular. All sorts o f tat toos from sea creatures to the Harley-Davidson logo. Tattooing is a timely art, especially for lesbian and gay youth, because it teaches strength and beauty, trust and bonding. Clearly, parents would find a tattoo disturbing, but when you consider the alternatives (drugs, drinking, theft, etc.) tattooing is, by comparison, an honor able pasttime. Spending time at local coffee houses seems to be another positive trend in the young gay and lesbian community. It is a way to relax, social ize, and learn about each other in an accepting atmosphere. Fashion is also important in the youthful les bian and gay community. Pink triangles (first placed on homosexuals by Hitler during World War II, particularly in concentration camps all over Europe) and button-fly jeans are on the rampage here in Portland. Earrings bearing our secret codes” of pink and lavender seem to be everywhere. Fashion is probably the most im portant identifying factor for gay and lesbian youth, because clothes and accessories are a V W h a t 's out T Homophobia Nose-rings Handkerchiefs Baggy levis Cafe M ocha 927 Slabtown M ichelle Shocked Gay Bashing Unsupportive parents, friends and employers AIDS Bi-level hairstyles The Oregon Citizens Alliance Fear and shame Butch and femme Being invisible to older generations (of gays and lesbians) Men in super-tight jeans Make-up Drugs Being old and straight B BY C K "...at least, those o f us who are REALLY queer and not just doing it to get attention." started answering this question by compiling a list of trends and fashions that are either “in” or “out” according to lesbian and gay youth. More often than not, these trends and fashions offer a wonderful way to identify each other when out on the street. The list reads as follows: Shannonv 21 "A tattoo is a form o f self -expression more permanent than clothes . " When asked what's cool fo r young lesbians and gays, Shannon re plied, 'T o be incredibly outspoken . " “normal" part o f everyday life for straights and homosexuals alike. We can get away with being more open and “out” with our clothing, jewelry and buttons. Trends and fashions are so important to all people, especially in 1991. For lesbian and gay youth, they are a “life-line” and a support net work for youth who wish to socialize and/or date. Trends and fashions created by gay and lesbian youth also let older gays and lesbians know that we exist. In a sense, clothes do make the man...and the woman.