ju st o u t ▼ m arch 3 , 1 0 9 5 ▼ 3
letters
Keep up the good work
To the Editor:
First of all, Renée, that was an outstanding
editorial [regarding Clinton’s firing of former
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders] in the Dec. 16,
1994, issue of Just Out. Y es, the sexual repression
in this country is strong and harmful. To quote
another talent, performing artist Canfield, “I think
we are a completely sexually repressed nation.
Sex, sensuality and erotica can be beautiful if they
are given in the right light.” If only we were taught
that while we were growing up.
My second comment is directed to Lee Lynch.
Lee, how could someone who can write a wonder­
ful, plum of a line such as “A warbler flicked its
tail feathers at us, rummaging like an early bird at
a garage sale,” (from Cactus Love) give a book
review in such succinct terms as the review you
gave of Sparks Might Fly, by Cris Newport?
Sparks Might Fly is a well-written, well-
thought-out book, and one of the few books I have
seen where two women go slow when they meet,
get to know one another, become friends before
they become lovers.. .do not make a commitment
to each other on the second or even 1 Oth date. And
all this time they treat each other with respect and
kindness and talk to each other and listen. I
enjoyed this book, and I recommend it.
Well Just Out, keep up the good work. I am
glad we have you in our community. And you,
too, Lee Lynch. You are one of my favorite
authors, and your recent book of short stories,
Cactus Love, is an incredible read—parts of it
made me think, parts made me cry. And some of
the lines you wrote in that book just made me stop
and smile.
Meg Trotzuk
Portland
Local restaurant begets
discrimination
To the Editor:
It’s been about a month since I meandered
north to visit the Rose City. During that visit a
dear friend/colleague and I had an experience that
left a very bad taste in our mouths.
Saturday evening we decided to eat out and
chose a gay establishment. I felt like being around
gays because southern Oregon is devoid of gath­
ering places outside of private homes and the
traditional potlucks. So choosing a place named
after a main street [Starky’s] we arrived to have a
quiet, peaceful meal.
The place looked classy enough, but the class
ended in the looks. We were greeted by a person,
male of the species, who referred to us as “girls”
(and it was not used as a term of endearment). I
spoke right up (as usual) and made some refer­
ence to "not being a girl for over 35 years.” His
condescending retort was “What would you like
to be called?” And I, who am never short of
answers, responded with “I think ‘women’ would
be appropriate!”
He then tried to give an excuse justifying his
rudeness. The only clear observation I made for
this part of the verbal exchange was that he made
a smooth transition from one foot to the other,
momentarily— and not too gracefully, I might
add— having both feet in his mouth at once.
With the conversation deteriorating badly, he
added, "There’s a $10-per-person (or is that just
per woman?) minimum,” at which point $10 was
out of the question. Actually, 10 cents was out of
the question. Prior to this demeaning encounter I
would have easily paid double.
The impact of the incident really didn’t hit us
for a few minutes, until we were some distance
away. I’ve been out for 25 years and this kind of
treatment— from anyone— has been few and far
(real far) between. There’s an almost unrealness
to having it take place in 1995, when I’m a
respected, contributing member of the universe.
and to have it perpetrated by a member of my own
subculture is shocking and troublesome.
After speaking with my Portland friend, 1
learned that she’d done a little research on the
matter and finds this a pattern of this particular
restaurant.
Discrimination begets discrimination. So
where does it stop? I feel sorry for the Portland
gay community when this sort of behavior is
nurtured and condoned.
An important tidbit of wisdom I’ve learned
(the hard way) is that to complain without solu­
tions is to be considered a whiner, bitch, trouble­
maker or crackpot. I consider myself none of
these (PMS/menopause whining the exception,
of course).
The following is my list of solutions:
• Post restaurant policies at the door. (Includ­
ing disdain for females.) A code of conduct, if you
will.
• Close the place to women altogether. (He
doesn’t need the extra revenue, and women of the
world deserve better treatment.)
• Some nice person buy the bum out!
• Picket the place (especially Friday and Sat­
urday nights). Consider it cheap entertainment,
hitting him where it hurts— in the pocket book.
• Pray for him. (I was forced to add this by my
right wing brothers and sisters. It’s important to
befriend the religious right— for obvious rea­
sons.)
• And, finally, make phone calls to the eatery
sharing (respectfully, of course) your concerns
that women, lesbians, and perhaps drag queens
are being treated poorly at the hands of a man who
thinks he has some power or the right to abuse
people using his position in the community.
In conclusion, as I tell my college students,
“You are judged by the way you treat people that
are of no value to you!” Well, Mr. Portland
Restaurant Owner (and you know who you are),
you just flunked Human Relations 101.
SER IO U S IN J U R Y & DEATH
C LA IM S resulting from:
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No Attorney Fee Unless Von Reeover
295-1940
To the Editor:
The recent brutal murders at abortion clinics
in Brookline, Mass., take place in a vicious cli­
mate created by officials in both the Democratic
and Republican parties. Both parties blame wel­
fare moms, teen moms, penniless immigrants,
and gays and lesbians for the country’s moral
decline and economic woes.
This calculated scapegoating of the least pow­
erful invites lawless, terrorist acts at underfunded
clinics that have limited security systems. The
ultimate goal is fascist— women subservient to
and dependent on men, forced to do free child
care, cleaning and cooking.
The right wing resorts to fear and intimidation
to terrorize clinics out of existence and strip
women of their right to control their own bodies.
Well, it won’t work.
Women fought long and hard to stop the
thousands of deaths and injuries every year from
illegal abortions. These latest murders escalate
the battle to a war of guns, but women will never
give up their right to legal abortions.
We need government funding for armed com­
munity defense to protect clinics, their staffs and
their clients at all times.
We need a feminist labor party that will fight
for all the rights of women, lesbians and gays,
people of color, and working people.
We need a united effort to defend clinics, to
protect our right to legal abortion, and to stop all
right-wing attacks on our rights.
Marjorie Sandoz
Portland
Hala Cores
621 S\V M orrison, #1218
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Right wing resorts to
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