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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1994)
just out ▼ novcm twr 4, 1994 ▼ 13 FLU VACCINATIONS Lloyd Center Mall Telephone activism Wednesdays & Saturdays 11AM-6PM C ost: $12 Gay men and lesbians in Oregon benefit from three long-distance carriers Between Lamonts & Hickory Farms ------------- Michael Gabrielson CONFI P IN T I AL Lifa A Disability Incorna Insurance Planning by Inga Sorensen he battle is heating up among long distance telephone carriers to attract gay and lesbian customers. contracted with LCI International [another long distance carrier] but LCI didn’t have the necessary hardware in place in parts of Oregon and southern California, so LCI contracted with WilTel,” ex plains Vitale. "We may have been associated with Working Assets Long Distance WilTel indirectly, but once we learned of this company recently handed Oregon’s situation we knew we had to change it.” No on 13 Committee a check for $24,000 to help For its part, WilTel says it is simply the under the organization defeat Ballot Measure 13, a pro lying carrier and has only an indirect relationship posed discriminatory initiative to be decided on by with the OCA. “Companies come to us and pur voters Nov. 8. chase large chunks of time. They in turn resell According to direct sales manager Sue Libow, portions of that chunk to various agents. We don’t Working Assets Long Distance is offering its even have records of these agents because there are 150,000 customers around the country an “easy literally hundreds of thousands of them,” explains way” to affect the upcoming election. Customers WilTel spokesperson Linda Laughlin. “We’re not who checked a box on their bill agreed to contrib offering the 2 percent in revenues, it’s actually the ute $5 to three campaigns: Oregon’s No on 13; the resellers or agents who can choose to do that. We No on 1 campaign in Wyoming, which is fighting just sell time on our network.” The reseller in the anti-abortion efforts there; and the yes on Proposi OCA’s case is the New Jersey-based Global Fam tion 186 campaign in California, which would ily Network. create Canadian-style universal health care there. According to Vitale, LCI is currently making “More than 14,000 customers have responded, hardware adjustments allowing CommunitySpirit raising $74,000 for those three ballot initiative to work directly campaigns,” says Libow. “No on 13 received a with LCI, remov third of that, total ing WilTel from ing $24,000.” the entire equa According to tion. Libow, Working “It will take A ssets selects about two months about three dozen to switch all of our organizations ev Oregon custom ery year that sup ers over, but the port environmen < process is already tal, social and eco § in m otion,” he nomic justice is s says. ‘The last sues, and contrib § thing we want to utes 1 percent of do is have any custom ers’ total Working Assets staffers Sue Libow and Nick Allen (center) with connection to a charges to those No on 13 ’s Brent Mower. right-wing radical groups. The na group like the Oregon Citizens Alliance.” tional Parents and CommunitySpirit customers select gay, les Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the American bian or HIV organizations they want their dollars Civil Liberties Union’s gay and lesbian and HIV- to benefit. According to Vitale, each year 3 percent related projects are on that list this year. The of the revenue generated by each customer goes to National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Interna the organization she or he has selected. Groups in tional Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commis Oregon that have been named by customers in sion, Greenpeace, and Handgun Control are among clude the Portland Lesbian Choir and the Rural the organizations that have received donations in Organizing Project, which organizes human dig the past. nity groups throughout small-town and rural Or The company also says it divested $2.7 million egon. in holdings from the Dillard department stores The Boston-based Pride Network is also weigh earlier this year, in response to a complaint from a ing in on the gay and lesbian customer grab. shareholder who indicated Dillard refused to reg According to Pride Network director Michele Frost, ister a lesbian couple with the bridal registry at one customers can choose any nonprofit group that of its Florida stores. Working Assets’ social re serves the gay, lesbian or HIV communities and is search department also rejected for investment recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. If 10 Discovery Zone, the nation’s largest owner and people pick the organization, it receives a check franchiser of children’s indoor entertainment and every quarter equaling 3 percent of the long-dis fitness facilities, after the company learned that tance expenditures of all the people who selected children infected with HIV are banned from enter the group. Non-allocated funds are divided evenly ing Discovery Zone’s nearly 200 “FunCenters.” among the groups that are chosen by fewer than 10 Libow says Working Assets also offers its gay and people. lesbian employees full family benefits. The Pride Network is a subsidiary of Trans Working Assets isn’t the only company reach National Communications, which is not gay-owned. ing out to gay men and lesbians. CommunitySpirit, “But all of the employees involved in the Pride a gay-owned-and-operated long-distance carrier, Network are gay and lesbian, and same-sex family says customers’ concerns involving discrimina benefits are provided by Trans National. They are tory efforts in Oregon have prompted the company committed to gay and lesbian civil rights, and so to make some changes. are we,” says Frost. “We received a letter from one of our custom Frost adds that the Pride Network has distrib ers in Oregon who was concerned that we uted $33,000 to 28 groups since it was founded last had c o n tra c te d w ith W ilT e l,” expl ai ns February. Esther’s Pantry, the HIV Day Center, CommunitySpirit president Jeff Vitale. Klamath County AIDS/HIV Support Education According to a mailing sent out by the Oregon Council, and the Lesbian Community Project are Citizens Alliance, the OCA will receive 2 percent among the Oregon groups selected by Pride Net of the revenues from a program offered through work customers. WilTel Inc., a major long-distance carrier. “It’s not really accurate that we had contracted with WilTel. What actually happened is that we T I ( 503 228-1393 ) @ Connecticut Mutual Th« VISA/Mastercard accepted We accept Medicaid All immunizations by Registered Nurses For further info call: 658-5500 10% to No on 13 with this coupon mue Chip Company WE REPLACE WINDOWS Now you can replace your old windows with new vinyl custom fit insulated windows. Your new windows will keep your home warmer in winter, cooler in summer, reduce condensation and sound proof your home. 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