ju s t o u t
sinc e 1 9 8 3
steppin’ out
PUBUSHER A N D EDITOR
Renei LaChance
CO -EDITO R
contents
VOL 9 NO. 6
Ariel Waterwoman
CALENDAR EDITOR
APRIL 1992
FEATURE
Linda Shirley
FREELANCE REPORTERS
Greg Duran
Katrin Snow
Militant
Homosexual Agenda
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
As a community we share an
Linda Kliewer
uncommon vision, this
collection o f articles is
reflective o f our diverse
experiences
ADVERTISING
Linda Shirley
Amanda Colorado
(p- 16)
For all o f you who may
not know who Waldo is, he’s
a great little character in a
children’s book. This book
trains the eye to fin d Waldo
in a variety o f extremely
crowded places all over the
world. Train your eye to fin d
Waldo, so you can help us
spot other real-life
characters, they're
everywhere.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
PROOFREADER
Eddi Bako
TYPESETTER
Amanda Colorado
FORMATTER
Meg Grace
DISTRIBUTION
Carol Steinel
Çhloe De Scgonzac
Grim statistics are released
this month, locally and
nationally
(p. 9)
Profiles
Gloria Anzuldúa will be
speaking at PSU this month
Up Front Distribution
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Homophobic
violence
A p ril Fo o ls? W here's W aldo? W here's Tom (M etzger)? W here's Lon (Mabon)? This photocopy was leaked to us
and purported to be from a still photograph from a video called Beyond Hate which aired on the Public Broadcasting
System eight years ago. The alleged ties between Lon Mabon and Tom Metzger are being investigated.
CONTRIBUTORS
Lee Lynch
Dr. Tantalus
Matt Bailey
Elissa Goldberg
Marilyn Davis
Rex Wockner
Sandra de Helen
Sidney Brinkley
John Baker
Donna Red Wing
Alma Banda
Tom Strong
Andrew Leavitt
Matthew Nelson
Lee Coleman
Cajol Steinel
editorial
*
(P-13)
Marilyn D avis interviews
D rew Pisarro who tells the
truth about performance art
(p. 27)
.
DEPARTMENTS
S haring an
uncom m on vision
Letters
(p. 3)
World news
(p. 5)
National briefs
(p-6)
OCA watch
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t was very enlightening to put this issue together. We
solicited articles from a wide range of lesbian and gay people.
We certainly weren’t looking for a definitive answer to the
burning question: “What is the homosexual agenda?” But rather
to create a place where people could share their vision of it.
Talking about a gay or lesbian agenda conjures up all kinds
of ideas. We came up with the topic during a staff meeting when
we were all joking about the Oregon Citizens Alliance and the
bizarre things they have to say about lesbians and gay men, as
people. The OCA talks as if we are all clones of each other.
When we are all lumped together as homosexuals, it does seem
to strip something from us. It is true that we all tend to interact
with our own gender in intimate and exclusive ways. In fact,
that may be all any o f us can say we definitely have in common,
and some people would even argue with that concept.
The results have been as remarkably creative as gay men
and lesbians are. Every response has made us think. Each piece
has touched us for the honesty and directness of the goals, ideas,
and demands that are expressed. It's been good to hear the
comments in the office about the different ‘agendas.’ They’ve
triggered some lively debate, as well as a few tears. Queer
Nations ’ desperate demands for help with AIDS pushed buttons
and triggered debate.The interview with Caitlin, when she talks
about the support she has now, as well as the support she
anticipates when she grows up, brought tears to our eyes.
Each article shares a uniqueness reflective of the writer’s
experience or life. It has all been very rich. It is an honor to get
these diverse agendas "out."
Someone asked if there was anything emerging as “the one
I
thing” we could all agree upon. We had to laugh. That’s a lie
that we tell ourselves when we call ourselves a “community.”
There’s an assumption of agreement, or commonalty. We can
derail ourselves, our causes, for years trying to agree on just
“one thing.”
The emerging truth is that we are thoughtful people. That
on some level, we have all experienced oppression because of
our intimate connection with our own gender. How and where
we go from there varies with as many gay men and lesbians that
are involved. It does seem we all agree that the OCA is actively
fighting against us ... all gay men, lesbians and bisexuals. It
may be that having a common enemy has helped us to mature
as an oppressed group. We have to show more tolerance for
each other because we need to band together and present a
strong united front to fight back.
Acceptance, respect, honor, listening, these are things we
are doing more often these days as we fight for our full spectrum
of human rights. This fight is putting European-American gay
men and lesbians in a more obvious alignment with oppressed
people everywhere. It may be that “white privilege” will finally
be seen as the arbitrary facade that it is and lose its appeal
entirely.
If we can only agree on who our common enemy or
oppressor is. than maybe that’s enough. With mutual respect,
acxeptance, the ability to listen, and the ability to communicate
clearly, agreement isn’t necessary. We just need to know, as
Caitlin expressed it, that if anyone is trying to hurt us, we are
there for each o th er... in support against any real threat.
(p.10)
Local news
(pp. 14-15)
COLUM NS
Amazon lYail
Being young is like being
in a w ar zone
(p-31 )
Just Dish
Linda Shirley challenges
some basic instincts
(p. 15)
ARTS
Theater -
Sandra de Helen has Big Fun
(p. 28)