14 ▼
y 1 . 1993
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Just out
Serving Oregon's lesbian and gay
community since 1983
local news
Racist letter surfaces
in Woodburn
For the second March in a row, Woodburn's
Latino/acommunity has been harassed. This year,
a racist letter ranting about a housing project for
farmworkers was sent to the Stonehedge Court
Apartments, which is next to the project’s site.
The letter was sent in a plain envelope with no
return address. It was signed “Americans for the
Last Crusade.” Police Chief Ken Wright says it’s
impossible to say if the letter is from the same
source as anti-Latino/a fliers found in the area at
this time last year. Those fliers were signed
“America Values Association.” Both the letter
and the fliers were typed in the same format.
Gov. Barbara Roberts has stated that the letter
shows why the state needs a human rights com­
mission. Roberts endorsed the housing project,
which is financed by state, federal and private
funds, in December. Police are continuing to
investigate.
INS forced to deal
with racism
CLOUDS
FUTONS O FURNITURE O BEDDING
3 1 2 5 E. BURNSIDE • 234-6567 • M ON. - SAT. 10- 6 ■ SUN. 1 2 - 5
Portland’ s controversial U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service office is facing complaints
from inside and outside the INS. District Director
David Beebe has agreed to meet with Latino/a
community leaders and discuss their concerns.
The Portland office is also being used as an
example in a lawsuit filed by a group of African
American agents, which charges discriminatory
hiring practices.
Discussions between Beebe and the group
Hispanics in Unity for Oregon are likely to focus
on a recent raid INS agents conducted without
warrants on a Northeast Portland apartment com­
plex. Portland’s Latino/a community has been
unhappy with how the INS office uses its re­
sources for some time. In mid-April, Hispanics in
Unity called for Beebe to be replaced. They have
rescinded that request now that Beebe has agreed
to open a dialogue.
“W e’ve decided to try to put everything aside
arid work together,” said Hispanics in Unity
spokeswoman Gale Castillo. “W e’ll see how it
goes.”
Meanwhile, a group o f African American INS
agents cited Portland’s office in a lawsuit as a
prime example of discriminatory hiring practices.
The agents filed suit in Los Angeles against the
INS Western Region, claiming that white agents
were promoted ahead of more qualified African
American agents. Portland is part of the Northern
Region, and now agents are considering making
the lawsuit national.
Portland’s INS office employs 80 agents, none
of whom are African American. Unofficial re­
ports claim that the staff includes about 10 people
of color. One of the agents filing the suit had
recently applied for a position with the Portland
office. Although the African American agent had
17 years of experience with the INS, a European
American with six years experience was hired.
“ Portland is by far the worst example we’ve
encountered," said David Ross, the attorney rep­
resenting the African American agents.
Congratulations, Lawrence
Young Lawrence’s story is sad, but not unique.
Lawrence is a Canadian teenager who recently
told his best friend, Mike, that he is gay. Mike
talked him into telling his mother, who panicked
and told his father, who panicked even more and
threw Lawrence out of the family home. It hap­
pens to a lot of gay teenagers. What’s unique
about Lawrence and his family is that they are
cartoon characters in the strip “For Better or
Worse” by Lynn Johnston.
Some newspapers across the country are re­
acting to Lawrence’s coming out much like his
father did. Halfway through the five-week story
line, about 70 papers have either thrown the strip
out or replaced it with substitutes. The Oregonian
is keeping “For Better or Worse,” and running all
of the episodes about Lawrence. The paper solic­
ited readers’ opinions and received more than
5,200responses. While they haven’tpublished the
results in percentages, a column by Assistant Man­
aging Editor Richard C. Johnston said the vast
majority of the callers approved of the story line.
In Grants Pass, however, The Daily Courier is
under siege for running the comic strip. Oregon
Citizens Alliance supporters are picketing the
paper’s offices and jamming their phone lines.
Messages of support can be sent by fax to Editor
Dennis Roller at 474-3814. Medford’s Mail Tri­
bune is also continuing the comic, despite protests
from OCA supporters, who are demanding it be
moved to the editorial page. The Mail Tribune
recently ran an editorial in support of Oregon
Senate Bills 34 and 35, which would extend civil
rights protection on the basis of sexual orientation.
Johnston says the story line was just a reflection
of reality. This isn’t the first time she’s covered
social issues in the comic; past stories have fea­
tured teenagers suffering child abuse and eating
disorders, a married couple facing an unplanned
pregnancy, and a teacher Using a wheelchair. For
Lawrence’s story, Johnston draws on her family’s
experience when her brother-in-law came out. “For
Better or Worse” has focused on Lawrence’s com­
ing out for five weeks, but that’s not the end.
Lawrence will continue in all his queer glory as a
regular, if hot central, character.
Health conference
addresses men of color
The annual Minority Health Conference drew
more than 500people to examine this year’s theme
of “Male Health in Evolution.” Workshops, lec­
tures and panel discussions addressed topics such
as sexual minority youth," the health of African
Americans in the military; medical researchers and
people of color; and health care on Native Ameri­
can reservations.
Another health threat discussed was homicide.
J. O ’Neal Adams, minority health coordinator for
Region X, U.S. Public Health Service, noted that
the homicide rate for African American men rose
from 50 per 100,000 in 1985 to 61.5 per 100,000 in
1989. That’s for black men o f all ages; the rate for
young men is even more horrific. In 1989, 80 per
100.000 African American young men between
the ages of 15 and 19 were murdered. Their Euro­
pean American peers suffered fewer than 10 per
100.000 murders in that year.
Emmally Williams-Mitchell, director of the
Oregon Minority AIDS Coalition, worries that
highlighting these statistics, to the exclusion of
other issues, diverts the focus from people caring
for their health. “It keeps black men in denial about
health care,” she said.
The conference, held April 12 and 13, featured
close to 50 different events. Williams-Mitchell
compared choosing between the available work­
shops to picking flavors at an ice cream parlor; they
all looked wonderful, but an individual could only
choose a few. Speakers included Adams; Dr.
Alvin F. Poussaint, associate dean for student
affairs at Harvard Medical School; Leonard Olguin,
a California State University professor and author;
and Sasheen Little Feather, a Native American
activist who was involved in the 1969 takeover of
Alcatraz Island. Gov. Barbara Roberts gave a lun­
cheon speech and made a pitch for her proposed tax
increases on beer, wine and cigarettes. The key­
note speaker was U.S. Surgeon General Dr.
Joycelyn Elders. The conference was sponsored by
the Oregon Health Division’s Minority Health
Program and the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Office of Minority Health.
compiled by Irene K. His lop