just out
s in c e 1 9 8 3
PUBUSHER
Renée LaChance
EDITOR
Ariel Watcrwoman
CALENDAR EDITOR
Meroe Elahi
contents
steppin’ out
VOL. 10 NO. 14 JUNE 1,1993
FEATURES
New queer in
the House
REPORTERS
Irene K. Hislop
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Linda Carter
Linda Kliewer
George Eighmey takes his
seat at the table and becomes
Oregon’s second openly
gay legislator
ADVERTISING
Amanda Colorado
Meg Grace
E. Ann Hinds
Jewel Robinson
(pp. 14-15)
Bias crimes
The pain behind the numbers
(pp. 18-19)
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
DEPARTMENTS
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
National news
PROOFREADER
Bclh Hyams
Hawaii Supreme Court OKs
same-sex marriage; Roberta
Achtenberg becomes the
highest-ranking openly gay
member of the Clinton
administration
TYPESETTER
Dee Star Dancer Fultz
DISTRIBUTION
Up Front Distribution
(pp. 5-8)
Local news
CONTRIBUTORS
Sandra de Helen
Howard N. Dana
Grant Michael Menzics
Lee Lynch
Dr. Tantalus
Christopher Kamera
Beth Hyams
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Dupont Circle was flooded with gay men, lesbians and garbage during the March on Washington last April.
(p p .1 6 -1 7 )
COLUM NS
Strategies
Ashland adopts sexual
orientation protections
Get your heinies
out of town
The first wave o f ballot initiatives is sweeping through rural Oregon in June
(p .1 0 )
Legislative update
Civil rights bill stalled in
committee
(p. 12)
\
by A rie l W aterw o m an
Lesbian and
Gay Pride
re you and your friends wondering how to really
wounded and still working to put our lives back together again.
celebrate gay and lesbian pride this year? How
It is difficult so soon after that exhausting fight to pick our
about driving to a town in Josephine, Douglas,
selves up and do it again. And people are needed, no matter
Klamath or Linn counties? Grants Pass is lovely
what state of healing you are in. There are many functioning
this time of year. Think how much fun you could
organizations working all over the state to make a difference.
have. Remember when Queer Nation went to Troutdale They
and just
was need a few more people to help out during this June
overwhelmed with the warm welcome they received? You’d be
ballot time.
surprised how happy people are to have us visit their towns.
Contact Marcy Wcstcrling of the Rural Organizing Project
During the month of June every gay man, lesbian, and
at (503) 397-7110. She is in touch with rural organizations
bisexual living in the city is needed in the rural communities on
statewide. Oregon Speak Out, at 294-9260, is also set up to
the weekends. Civil rights activists from these counties are
work urban dwellers into its educational efforts. If you don’t
calling for urbanites to come out and help them. Mail ballots
have any time to invest, but you have some extra money,
will be going out on June 9 and must be returned no later then
contact Support Our Communities PAC at 222-6151. You
June 29. These arc critical times for door-to-door contact and
could also contact the Coalition for Human Dignity or the
phone-banking to occur.
Human Rights Coalition in the counties mentioned above.
Many activists agree that the Cornelius measure passed
In another vein, some political activists arc starting to meet
because voters were confused by the wording and didn't
and talk about submitting a pro-active initiative to the voters. It
understand what they were voting for. The Oregon Citizens
might be something as simple as affirming the constitutionally
Alliance seems to go out of its way to make the ballot measures
mandated civil rights of all Oregonians. It would be a positive
as confusing as possible. M ostof us arc familiar with that tactic.
proposition that we could all work on with hope for a real victory
The rural communities need bodies to help go door-lo-door, to
We would certainly present it clearly, in an easily understand
clarify what voting “yes” or “no” will mean. These communi
able format. It is high time we stepped out of the victim role of
ties are large in area, but small in population. If enough
reaction and into a powerful place of action. The vast majority of
canvassers had gotten into Cornelius, the vote could have been
Oregonians arc good-hearted people who would love a chance to
remarkably different.
come together in agreement on a positive initiative that would
The fight against Ballot Measure 9 has left many of us
promote everyone’s human dignity.
Portland preps fo r its annual
pride festival and parade
A
(p. 24)
ARTS
Theater
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
in Ashland has enough talent
and diversity fo r everyone
(p. 29)
Books
A new book explores the
culture o f gay men in the
United States
(p. 25)
Music
Dr. Tantalus reviews the Rose
City Gay Freedom Band
(p. 27)