Just out., September 01, 1992, Page 18, Image 18

18 ▼ ■ • p t t m lx r 1902 ▼ ju *t out
local news
Emily Simon
Attorney At Law
620 SW Fifth Ave. Ste. 1204
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 241-1553
(503) 241-2587 FAX
Emphasizing representation of the accused
in all misdemeanor, felony, traffic and DUII
actions in state, federal, juvenile courts
and administrative actions
A report from the
southwest corner
The area has a reputation for relaxed back-to-the-land
queers, fairy gatherings, lesbian collectives
and home-grown creativity
▼
PHOTO BY TEE A CORINNE
<r
SANDRA K. PINCHES, Ph.D.
Individual and couple counseling
Specializing
in:
• Relationship issues
921 SW Washington, Suite 664
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 227-7558
• Addiction and codependency recovery
• Spiritual Issues and meditation training
• Tai Chi Classes
STEPHEN D. YEW,
D.M.D.
_______ A GENTLE APPROACH TO DENTISTRY_______
700 N. Hayden Island Drive, Suite 330
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 8 am-5 pm
Phone: 289-121S
Y»
ou are invited
to become a charter member o f
R jrtlands gay & lesbian business association,
and experience a wealth o f diversity,
culture, creativity and business ideas.
PORTLAND AREA .W«
pseBUSlNESS ASSOCIATION^
October 12, 1992
Red Lion at IJoyd Center
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Open to all gays, lesbians and friends in business
PARA
Celebrating the richness of
gay & lesbian business.
For more informauon, and to be added
to P AB As mailing list, write:
P.O. Box 4724
Rutland, OR 97208
Volunteers at the Rogue AIDS Awareness Network
by Tee A. Corinne
regon's six southwestern counties
(Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Jack-
son, Klamath and Curry) have a
great deal in common: history, eco­
nomics, mutual accessibility. The
area also has a reputation for relaxed back-to-the-
land queers, fairy gatherings, lesbian collectives
and home-grown creativity.
The anti-homosexual intent of the Oregon
Citizens Alliance and Ballot Measure 9, which
would deny basic civil rights to lesbians and gay
men, has mobilized gay and lesbian voters to
organize. We may, in the years to come, look
back on this time with gratitude for the galvaniz­
ing effect this danger has provided and the allies
we have found.
Each county differs in the degree of services
and community institutions that exist. Coos,
Douglas, Jackson and Klamath counties have
social organizations that advertise through the
lesbian and gay media. Social organizations
cannot have political agendas, but they can invite
individuals to speak on political topics. It is
noteworthy that the counties with active social
groups also have the strongest HIV and AIDS
services.
Activities in Josephine and Curry counties are
less obvious to the casual traveler. Josephine, like
other counties on the 1-5 corridor (often referred
to as the Amazon Trail), has had a vibrant series
of interlocking women’s communities dating from
the early 1970s. Land-based men’s communities
used to be more numerous; however, one of these
still draws residents and visitors from all over the
country. Members of a religious group led by
radio evangelist Roy Masters have changed the
live-and-let-live climate of the county over the
past 10 years and have sponsored workshops
where misinformation about HIV and AIDS has
been given out.
Curry, with a population roughly half that of
Josephine, contains the coastal communities of
Brookings/Harbor, Gold Beach, Port Orford and
Langlois. Lesbians and gay men in Curry County
connect through private acquaintanceship net­
works. An HIV task force is in the early stages of
organizing.
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has
a bridging effect and reminds everyone that “fam -
ily" is not an exclusively heterosexual word. The
Northwest regional director is based in Jackson
county , and PFLAG groups or contact persons are
active in the five counties.
O
What does all this mean in terms of anti-OCA,
pro-civil rights activism?
Some of the most effective work starts with
people talking with their neighbors, friends, fam­
ily and those they work with. Informative house
parties are especially effective in areas where
isolation and the threat of physical violence seems
high. Human rights groups exist in two counties
and are beginning in others. Political information
groups like No on 9, Coos County, have been
highly visible with press conferences, a radio talk
show debate and booths at local fairs.
Some religious groups are openly supportive
in Klamath, Jackson and Douglas counties. A
number of other congregations are still deciding
how they want to respond.
Talks by knowledgeable experts are drawing
attention to issues: presentations by Kevin Berill
of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force;
Donna Red Wing of the Lesbian Community
Project; Urvashi Vaid, executive director of
NGLTF; Suzanne Pharr from the Women’s Project
(Arkansas); Marcy Westerling, who works with
Women’s Crisis Networks; and Ellen Lowe of the
Ecumenical Ministries and No on 9.
Additionally, people are writing letters to edi­
tors and friends, raising money for No on 9
(formerly Campaign for a Hate Free Oregon), and
wearing small pink triangles or big buttons. They
are also coming in increasing numbers to formal
and informal gatherings and encouraging family,
friends, neighbors and co-workers to vote for,
rather than against, civil rights.
Some people are so frightened for their jobs
that they have curtailed their social lives, won ’ t go
to any meetings and talk about the OCA only in
whispers. Quietly they send money or stop to
offer words of encouragement, saying, "Thanks
for doing what you’re doing. Keep it up.”
We may win in November. Then again, we
may not. But the networks are coming into place
to fight the long and broad battle for human rights,
not just for lesbians and gay men, but for all
women, people of color and religious minorities
as well. In a time when people all over the world
need to learn to tolerate and embrace differences,
perhaps in southwest Oregon we can find ways to
get along with our neighbors to work for a world
in which lesbians and gay men can live without
fear.
Tee A. Corinne is a writer and artist who
lives in southern Oregon.