Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1993)
ju st o u t ▼ a u g u s t 1, 1 0 0 3 ▼ 9 national briefs CALIFORNIA Valerie Clark’s Maverick Productions, will present the Phoenix Rising Expo, a weekend conference for women in the entertainment, sports and business industries, beginning August 20th at the Wcstin Hotel in Los Angeles. There will be nearly 50 workshops, seminars, entertainment events, and exhibits. Clark says that “every hour of the Phoenix Rising Expo will be dedicated to creating synergism of knowledge and motivation for women to expand their horizons and leam about opportunities in these exciting industries.” Partial proceeds will benefit GLAAD/LA and Laguna Shanti Client Services, helping women who live with life-threatening illnesses. Registration information can be obtained from Maverick Productions at Post Office Box 1600, Redondo Beach, CA 90278, or by phoning (310) 318-2144. Pre-registration discounts are avail able through August 13. ▼ ▼ ▼ At its annual convention, held in San Fran cisco this year, the National Education Associa tion denounced the recent passage of anti-gay rights measures in Oregon. Frank Stovall, a Portland public school teacher, introduced the measure to the Oregon Education Association delegation at the Oregon caucus meeting. OEA agreed overwhelmingly to sponsor the motion on the floor of the NEA convention. The NEA mo tion also passed overwhelmingly, and without opposing debate, when presented July 4 to about 9,000delegates from throughout the United States. The NEA represents over two million educators. own organization, we can’t be proud in the rest of society,” said a Nwangaza supporter. Nwangaza’s four-member EveryWoman slate included two white lesbians, as well as two African American women. MINNESOTA Shards of window glass flew into the street and the St. Paul Police Department, half a block away, shook from a pre-dawn explosion that destroyed Rocky’s, a gay bar. According to chief arson investigator Jim Syvcrtsen, gasoline was poured inside the bar and ignited. The blast left three neighboring restaurants closed, and immo bilized parts of the building that houses the bar. It may be a gay-related crime,” said Syvertsen, “but we have no idea of motive." NEW JERSEY UBBS, an on-line information service dedi cated to the lesbian, gay and bisexual communi ties, announced the addition of The Queer Re sources Directory to its collection of information systems. Access to the directory is v ia the I ntemel, a worldwide network of colleges, universities, government agencies and research organizations. The QRD is a self-supporting collection of data bases and text files of news events, activist orga nizations, addresses of political figures, support groups and the media, AIDS and HIV informa tion, and many other mainstream and diverse topics. To access UBBS, call (908)262-9666 with any communications program and a modem. For more information, fax to (908)262-9659. F O R ALL S K I N TYPES. VERMONT ▼ ▼ ▼ A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge \ has thrown out the bulk of a jury verdict against a woman with AIDS who was sued by a surgical technician for not disclosing her HIV status be forereceiving treatment. The judge ruled that the health-care worker’s claim—the first time any patient has ever been sued for nondisclosure of a medical condition— improperly made the patient liable for the health-care worker’s failure to fol low basic safety precautions. The judge held that because of compelí ing public health reasons, there is no need and “no duty of a patient to be truthful concerning his or her medical condition,” or to disclose HIV status. The ruling came in the closely-watched case of Boulais v. Lustig, in which a jury in February decided against a patient for “negligent infliction of emotional distress,” and awarded $102,000 to the health-care worker. ▼ ▼ ▼ With the rallying cry of “No Medical Excuse for Genital Abuse,” over 40 men and supporters gathered in San Francisco July 12 to protest the California Medical Association policy of endors ing routine infant circumcision as “an effective public health measure,” the only such policy in the U.S. among state medical associations. The rally was sponsored by the National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males. The CMA had also refused two written re quests from NOHARMM to schedule a meeting to discuss the long-term physical and psychologi cal effects that men report from being circum cised as infants. MASSACHUSETTS At the National Organization for Women’s recent national conference in Boston, NOW mem bers debated whether the organization really serves lesbians and women of color. An opposition slate challenged the current officers. Incumbent Patricia Ireland, who has led NOW since January 1992, was taken on by Efia Nwangaza, an African American attorney from South Carolina. Ireland won, but Nwangaza secured 25 percent of the votes. She and others criticized Ireland for not identifying herself as a lesbian or bisexual, even though she has publicly said she has a woman lover. “Until we are proud of our sexuality in our In a long-awaited ruling, the Vermont Su preme Court rejected a constitutional challenge to V e rm o n t’s h ate-crim es law brought by a man convicted of assaulting a gay man near a Burlington, Vermont gay bar in 1990. The court’s July 1 ruling held that Vermont’s law— which enhances penalties for people convicted of crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, vet eran status, handicap, or sexual orientation— docs not violate a defendant’s First Amendment right to free expression. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund applauded the ruling. W ASHINGTON, D.C. On August 28, the 30th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington, which featured Dr. Marlin Luther King’s now-historic “I Have a Dream” speech, will be marked by another Washington march. The New Coalition of Conscience will convene a massive march and rally at the Lincoln Memorial, to renew the call for jobs, justice and peace. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is coordinating a contingent of gay and lesbian marchers to join the coalition. ▼ ▼ ▼ Major General Harold Campbell said June 18 that he would retire from the Air Force after being reprimanded and fined nearly $7,(XX) for describ ing President Clinton as “gay-loving,” “pot-smok ing,” “draft-dodging,” and “womanizing” in a speech in the Netherlands. Military officials said the references violated a military rule against publicly voicing contempt for civilian officials. ▼ ▼ 710 NW 23RD AVENUE. 248-9748 • 3638 SE HAWTl lORNE. 236-7976 We’re Expanding. Bridgetown Realty proudly announces the opening of its second office, located at 21570 Willamette Drive (Hwy. 43) in the City of West Linn. We look forward to providing West Linn, Lake Oswego and the greater Clackamas County area with the courteous professional service and attention to detail you have coinè to expect from Bridgetown Realty. ▼ Scholarships for this year’s Creating Change Conference, to be held in Durham, N.C., are now available to assist limited-income activists, activ ists of color, and activists with disabilities. The deadline for scholarship applications is Septem ber 10th (student deadline is September 24th). To receive an application, send a SASE to: Creating Change 1993, National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, 1734 14th Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20009. Please apply early, as funds arc limited. Compiled by Beth Hyams and Grant Michael Menzies 21570 Willamette Drive West Linn, Oregon 97068 (503) 655-8015 Bridgetown Realty Red Lion Lloyd Center 1000 N.E. Multnomah Portland, Oregon 97232 (503) 287-9370