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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1995)
2 ▼ aprii 7. 1 0 0 9 ▼ ju st ou t just out since 1983 steppin’ out contents VOL 12 NO. 11 APRIL 7,1995 PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Renée LaChance EDITOR IN SPIRIT FEATURES Ariel W aterwom an REPORTER Make room for daddy Inga Sorensen CALENDAR EDITOR Aaron Bong Gay fathers agree about the important things PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer (pp. 17-19) ADVERTISING DIRECTOR A battle of identity Meg Grace Queers demand the right to be openly Irish American ADVERTISING REPS E. Ann Hinds C. Jay W ilson Jr. ’ (p- 29) DEPARTMENTS CREATIVE DIRECTOR E. Ann Hinds World news GRAPHIC DESIGN Nelson Mandela will fight to retain the South African constitution’s queer rights clause Rupert Kinnard COPY EDITOR Kelly M. Bryan TYPESETTER (p. 4) Jann Gilbert DISTRIBUTION The Lesbian Community Project launched LezBingo on March 24 in the basement o f the Northwest Service Center. Next LezBingo will take place April 21. The table in the foreground monopolized the winnings fo r the evening. A m bling Bear OFFICE MANAGER Aaron Bong CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Bong Kelly M. Bryan Kristine Chatwood Howard N. Dana D. Killian Risa Krivé Lee Lynch Bob Roehr Richard Shumate Rex W ockner Ju s t mat it published on the first and third Friday of each month. C opyright 01995 by | M t MM. No part of JMSt MSt may be reproduced w ithout w ritten p er mission from the publisher. The submission of written and graphic materials is welcomed. W ritten materia) should be typed and double-spaced. j M t MSt reserves the tig h t to edit for gram m ar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length. We w ill reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. jM S t MMt consults the Associated Press Style Book and Libel Manual on editorial decisions. Letters to the editor should be limited to two double-spaced typed pages. Deadline for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday before the first and third Friday for the next issue. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. The display advertising deadline is the Monday after the first and third Friday far the next issue. Classified ads must be received at the office of J M t MMt by the Monday after the first and third Friday for the next issue, along with paym ent. A ds will not be taken over the telephone Ad policy No sexually exploitive advertising will be accepted Compensation for errors in, or cancellation of. advertising will be made with credit toward future advertising Subscriptions to JMSt o u t are available for $17.50 for 12 issues First C lass (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues A copy of Ju s t o u t is available for $1 and/or advertising rates are available on request The mailing address and telephone number for Ju s t o u t are PO Box 14400. Portland. OR 97214-0100; (503) 236-1252. Our fax number is 236-1257 guest editorial Spin on killing askew Elected officials, public leaders, and the media should use this opportunity to aggressively condemn and confront bigotry and violence against gay men and lesbians National news Mel White is eating again; Gunderson insists the GOP is not “ anti-gay ” (pp. 5-10) Local news Oregon hate crimes rise during volatile election years; area HIV/AIDS sendee groups get what they asked for, funding-wise (pp. 11-15) T by R o b in K a n e ast month, a gay man named Scott Amedure was and the media seem to fully understand Schmitz’s confessed shot to death while he stood unarmed in the doorway feelings o f humiliation without any real discussion o f their o f his trailer home. The accused and confessed cause? Is it because Schmitz was not interested in the person who murderer, Jonathan Schmitz, is an acquaintance of expressed having a crush on him? Certainly not. Every woman Amedure. Schmitz had appeared on The Jenny Jones in this country has at some time experienced unwanted interest Show with Amedure just three days earlier, when Amedure from a group o f men on a street comer. Is it, then, because the acknowledged that he had a crush on his straight male acquain person who expressed interest in Schmitz is o f a different sexual tance. Contrary to media spin on this event, “surprise,” “hum ili orientation than Schmitz? No, not really. As a lesbian, I navigate ation,” and The Jenny Jones Show did not lead to A m edure’s my way through the world without buying a shotgun and using murder. Instead it is the rampant homophobia of this culture that it on straight men who merely express attraction. The sole reason is at the root o f this murder. that everyone is discussing Schm itz’s “humiliation” with such Yes, talk shows are increasingly exploitative, with each show ease is that homophobia is rampant in this culture. It does not upping the ante for drama and surprises. In their thirst for ratings, need to be directly stated. It is just a given that Schmitz would talk show producers often ignore the real-life implications o f the feel humiliated, according to the media and officials. drama they create. The producers of this program certainly did One man was embarrassed; another man was shot twice in the not consider the all-too-real drama o f anti-gay bigotry that would chest with a shotgun. Surprise, humiliation and embarrassment ultimately lead to Scott Am edure’s murder. These shows need to are no excuse for murder. While the media focus their attention seriously evaluate their surprise tactics and should refrain from on the hysteria o f talk shows or the uncomfortable feelings of the creating volatile situations. assailant, the actual murder of Scott Amedure is nearly lost. The sh eriff s department, the county prosecutor on the case, This tragedy highlights the deadly nature of homophobia in and the media are all pointing to the “ surprise” and “humiliation” our society. That anyone should be killed simply for being gay o f the accused m urderer to explain the incident. A sh eriffs is deplorable. Sadly, the murder o f Scott Amedure is not an lieutenant told the press that the public revelation of a gay m an’s isolated incident. Last year, 59 gay men and lesbians are known crush had “eaten away” at Schmitz. The county prosecutor who to have lost their lives in bias-motivated murders. None of the is responsible for pursuing charges against Schmitz aimed most murders followed the taping of a talk show, but the victims are of his vitriol during a news conference not at the accused equally dead due to homophobia. murderer but at The Jenny Jones Show. According to that Rather than wringing their hands over Schm itz’s so-called prosecutor, Amedure is dead because o f Schm itz’s “hum ilia humiliation, elected officials, public leaders, and the media tion.” Friends o f Schmitz are quoted throughout press reports should use this opportunity to aggressively condemn and con discussing Schm itz’s embarrassment that a gay man had a crush front bigotry and violence against gay men and lesbians, which on him. Wire stories. The Washington Post, and a commentary are at the root o f Scott Amedure’s death. A different headline, if on National Public Radio all focused enormous space on the true— “After Killing, Anti-Gay Bigotry Roundly Condemned”__ humiliation and the hysteria o f talk shows. The New York Times could have helped prevent future incidents. ran an Associated Press story under the headline “Fatal Shooting Follows Surprise on TV Talk Show" and a later follow-up story headlined "A fter Killing, Hard Questions for Talk Shows.” Rohm Kane is the media director o f the National Gay and Why is it that the sh eriff s department, the county prosecutor, Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C. L COLUMNS Queer thing In idealizing Greg Louganis, we forgot his vulnerability (p. 30) Amazon trail Realizing a moral responsibility to the young (p. 31) ARTS Music A new alliance o f Northwest women’s and lesbian choruses will tour (p. 24) Cinema The clerical rebels of Priest do have a cause (p. 25) Books A selection o f fools fo r the season (p. 27)