just out
s in c e 1 9 8 3
step p iii’ out
PUBUSHER
Renee La Chance
EDITOR
contents
VOL 10NO. 10 APRILI, 1993
Ariel Waterwoman
CALENDAR EDITOR
Mcroe Elahi
FEATURE
REPORTERS
Political Blood
Irene K. Hislop
Jim Hunger
Once Haitian blood was
highly prized by the U.S.
government. Now it is used as
an excuse to quarantine
Haitian refugees.
(p. 15)
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Linda Carter
Linda Kliewer
ADVERTISING
Amanda Colorado
Meg Grace
E. Ann Hinds
Jewel Robinson
DEPARTMENTS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
National news
Seattle lesbians stand up to
gun-wielding homophobe;
Bigots rain on parade
(pp. 4-5)
E. Ann Hinds
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
PROOFREADERS
Super Anal Nit-picking Queen
Super Brain Mcgatron Babe Woman
Linda Carter’s photographs are featured in
a show this month at Galieri 8.
Portland Police Chief Tom
Potter willlresign June 30
(p. 8)
TYPESETTER
Dec Fultz
DISTRIBUTION
Up Front Distribution
CONTRIBUTORS
Dan Coughlin
Howard N. Dana
Sandra de Helen
Lee Lynch
Dr .Tantalus
Matthew Nelson
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editorial
Other local news
(pp. 12-13)
Sometimes it#s hard to tell
w ho the enemy Is
We owe it to ourselves and our struggle to listen to our own wisdom
V
by Ariel W aterw om an
e received a letter from a (white?) gay man who
was very upset that Gen. Colin Powell is against
lifting the ban on queers in the military. Who isn’t
upset? But the letter writer felt that because
Powell is black he has no right to actively oppress
gay men and lesbians. He used many racial slurs
to drive this point home. What this gay man isn’t “owning” is
written in his own letter: “Do not discriminate with those who
once discriminated against you... We are all united....’’
After the last election, Armistcad Maupin was quoted as
saying, “Colorado has become the South Africa of the United
States.” (Do you need a moment to absorb this? Is there a word
for someone stretching themselves so far out on a limb that even
the tree no longer recognizes itself?)
Recently, some of our neighbors fought hard against civil
rights for gays and lesbians. Some were merely indifferent.
Historically, some of our neighbors fought hard against civil
rights for African Americans, and some were merely indiffer­
ent. Some of those “indifferent” people arc white gays and
lesbians. Most don’t even stop buying Coke, nor do they know
why they should. Gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgendered
people come in all race, ethnic, class, religious, gender, able-
bodiedness and age groupings. This makes every struggle of
oppressed people our struggle.
The “good” guys and the “bad" guys come from every race,
ethnicity, class, religion, gender, able-bodicdncss, age, and
sexual orientation. There arc white gay men who are notorious
for their racist, gcnocida! and murderous ways. Look at the
deeply repressed queers in our own state who are trying to
“control" their own same-sex urges through legislative action.
Powell is a black “bad” guy who needs fervent and consistent
pressure to change. Racist attacks will result only in alienating
every person of color—gay or straight.
Powell and the letter writer arc both using the same weapon—
oppressive targeting—to fight for a position “on top.” This
collusion with each other’s oppression allows the real oppres­
sor to sit back with clean hands and to watch as we rip each other
to shreds.
W
Local news
This oppression-posturing needs to stop. Each of us is a
member of groups that, at any given moment, can be oppressed:
various ages, financial status, able-bodicdness, language skills,
skin color, national origin, tribal affiliation, gender and sexual *
orientation can all be used randomly to oppress and hurt us.
in Being
an attempt
oppressed doesn’t make us smarter, closer to sainthood
or more aware of the dynamics of oppression. It just means that
there is an oppressive continuum that includes us and hurts us.
It’s essential that the predominantly white gay, lesbian and
bisexual civil-rights movement does not use the backs of
people of color to stand on to reach the goal of civil rights. Each
category of oppression plays itself out differently for the
various groups of people targeted. Pain, rage, unfairness,
threats and isolation may all feel the same, but the substance of
the oppression is specific to the group that is being oppressed.
Just because Powell is African American doesn’t mean he
is going to be sensitive to, or even cognizant of, the struggles
of queers. To attack him with racist taunts is despicable. If
people are angry at him and feel hurt by him, they should deal
with it honestly. His race and his historical oppression by white
supremacy are not the issue, nor should they ever be used as a
weapon against him or any person of color. For white queers to
hurl such foul remarks to a person who disagrees with them is
a knee-jerk reaction that comes from our own painful oppres­
sion. We need to find ways to pull ourselves out of this type of
survival mode. Perpetuating oppression by taking jabs at
people is not the way to work things out. We need to lift
ourselves out of the morass of our own pain.
It seems we are able to offer to our “enemies” the very
wisdom that we most need to hear:
“How can you be so insensitive to my struggle?”
“Can you not see that I have been hurt by oppression too?”
How can you choose to hurt me in the same ways that our
common enemies have hurt you?”
"You are not hearing me.”
It is colluding in our own oppression that keeps us spinning
our wheels in these endlessly painful dialogues.
C O LU M N S
March on
Washington
Travel tips fo r the first-time
visitor; Asian gays and
lesbians plan events; NAACP
throws its full weight behind
the march
(pp. 6-7)
Legislative action
Everything you need to know
about some key bills
(p. 10)
Strategies
The Speak Out Project grows
into a tri-state effort
( p -
id
View from a mall
A brief piece involving
Marlcy Mark
(p. 22)
ARTS
Music
Bridges gets a good review
(p. 20)
Amazon Trail
If we can give up L.L. Bean
we can do anything
(p. 23)