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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1995)
2 ▼ aprii 2 1 , I M S ▼ juat out just out s in c e 1 9 8 3 steppin’ out PUBLISHER A N D EDITOR contents VOL 12 NO. 12 APRIL 21,1995 Renée LaChance EDITOR IN SPIRIT Ariel Waterwoman FEATURES REPORTER Inga Sorensen Lover of the classics CALENDAR EDITOR Monica Huggett, Portland Baroque Orchestra’s new artistic director, talks about life, love and music Aaron Bong PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR (pp. 15-17) Meg Grace ADVERTISING REPS Rights of passage E. Ann Hinds C. Jay Wilson Jr. A lesbian couple aspires to go to Gresham ’s Centennial High School prom in style CREATIVE DIRECTOR E. Ann Hinds (p. 19) GRAPHIC DESIGN Rupert Kinnard DEPARTMENTS COPY EDITOR Kelly M. Bryan TYPESETTER World news Aaron Bong India is predicted to lead the world in AIDS cases by the year 2000 (P- 4) DISTRIBUTION Ambling Bear OFFICE MANAGER Aaron Bong CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Bong Kelly M. Bryan Jann Gilbert Al Kielwasser Shelly Roberts Bob Roehr Richard Shumate David Williams Rex Wockner Just out is published on the first and th ird F rid ay of each m onth. Copyright ©1995 by Just out No part of Just out may be reproduced without written per mission from the publisher The subm ission of w ritten and graphic m aterials is w elcom ed. W ritten material should he typed and double-spaced Just out reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length We will reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action Just out consults the Associated Press Style Bixik and h b el Manual on editorial decisions Letters to the editor should be limited to two double-spaced typed pages. Deadline for submissions to the editonal 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 for the next issue Classified ads must be received at the office of Just out by the Monday after the first and third Friday for the next issue, along with payment. Ads 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 Just out are available for $17.50 for 12 issues First Class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues A copy of Just out is available for $1 and/or advertising rates are available on request. The mailing address and telephone number for Just out are PO Box 14400. Portland. OR 97214-0400; (503) 236-1252. Our fax number is 236-1257. editorial National news The ban on lesbians and gay men in the military is ruled unconstitutional in a decision on the Able case (pp. 5-7) Freedom of religion? Native Americans must obtain a permit to get religious items that only the U.S. government is legally allowed to possess v by Renée LaChance ome days it is just too painful to read the mainstream press. Earlier this month The Oregonian left me sobbing and depressed for the rest of my day. Granted, tears rest close to the surface of my emotions these days, but I can usually steel myself against the news. But not this day. This day, Jonathan Nicholas printed a letter in his column that he received from a white supremacist who referred to Nicholas as "Nicholastein.” This day Roberta Ulrich reported the suicide of Nathan Jim Jr., who fought for five years for the right to use and obtain eagle feathers to practice his religion and who finally conceded his battle with the U.S. government by taking his own life. And this day there were mulitiple stories about the battles over affirmative action and the rights of immigrants on both the federal and state level. Racism has been institutionalized in our society for centu ries. For me, these articles spotlighted how the dominance of the right wing in our government has elevated racism to the level of a religion. To not revere racism is fast becoming a sacrilege. Yet not all religion is held so sacred. The religion of Native Americans is still being held captive by the U.S. government. The story of Nathan Jim Jr. illustrates that. Jim, a member of the Yakima tribe, pleaded guilty in 1993 to possession of a bald eagle and parts of a golden eagle. Feathers and claws are some of the eagle parts used by tribal elders in funerals and religious ceremonies. Eagles are pro tected by both the Endangered Species Act and the Eagle Protection Act. It was thought that the 1994 Religious Freedom Restoration Act would solve this dilemma, by allowing Native Americans access to eagles and other protected birds of prey for religious purposes. Apparently not. S U.S. District Judge James Redden ruled that the U.S. government met the act’s requirement by having a permit system of distributing feathers and parts from accidentally killed eagles obtained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Depart ment. This applies to any bird of prey, including owls and hawks. This may all sound reasonable to those of us who are not Native American. After all, the Endangered Species Act is a good thing, right? Yes, it is a good thing, when it is not used to hinder religious freedom. Imagine if the government required Christians to get a permit to obtain communion wafers and wine, which they could only get from the government. Or if it required Jewish people to have a permit to get candles for a menorah. It’s unthinkable, isn’t it? Yet here we are, living under a govern ment that requires Native Americans to obtain a permit to get religious items that only it is allowed to possess. (Not to mention the fact that Europeans stole this continent from the indigenous people in the first place. I just had to remind you all of that.) Because of Judge Redden’s ruling, Nathan Jim was facing more prison time for his 1993 conviction, and, rather than go to jail or continue to appeal for justice, he shot himself to death in his home on the Warm Springs Reservation. The final injustice for the Jim family was that there were no eagle feathers available for Nathan’s burial ceremony, held on the Warm Springs Reservation. Other tribal members brought their personal feathers to honor Nathan. Ironically, the U.S. attorney who prosecuted Jim obtained an emergency packet of feathers from the U.S. government but arrived too late for the ceremony. Local news State lawmakers chime in on national debate with anti-immigrant and anti- affirmative action bills; Oregon court upholds HB 3500 (pp. 9-13) ARTS Cinema Bar Girls is a dream come true; a banquet of queer cinema comes to the annual Evergreen festival (pp. 26-27) Books A doctor examines death (p. 28) Media Priest prompts the Catholic League to threaten a Disney boycott (p. 29) Aural gratification Yes, there is retro beyond the '70s (p. 31)