just out ▼ may 10. 1005 T 3
just out
sin c e 1 9 8 3
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
Renée LaChance
steppin’ out
contents
VOL 12 NO. 14 MAY 19,1995
EDITOR IN SPIRIT
Ariel Waterwoman
FEATURE
REPORTER
Inga Sorensen
The dope on
cannabis
CALENDAR EDITOR
Aaron Bong
A Portland man has form ed
a buyers' club to get
medicinal marijuana to
people who need it
(PP- 17-19)
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REPS
E. Ann Hinds
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
DEPARTMENTS
World news
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
CO PY EDITOR
Kelly M. Bryan
A right-wing group disrupts
the Australian National
Gaymes; Slovene queers
go on the Internet
(PP- 6-7)
TYPESETTER
Jann Gilbert
National news
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
A coalition o f progressives
dogs N ew t’s every> move; the
militant fa r right has
homophobia on its agenda
(pp. 8-11)
DISTRIBUTION
Ambling Bear
OFFICE MANAGERS
Aaron Bong
Teri Ventura
CONTRIBUTORS
Kristine Chatwood
Al Kielwasser
Matthew Nelson
Richard Shumate
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
Rex Wockner
guest editorial
A ffirm ative
action 101
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We need to discuss how to improve affirmative action, not how to dismantle it
by K ath le e n H e rro n
Local news
Gay and lesbian elected
officials are invited to the
White House; Greg Jackson
leaves Right To Privacy; civil
rights fo r sexual minorities
take a beating in Salem
(PP- 13-15)
COLUMNS
Spirituality
Lutheran youth group votes to
include lesbian, gay and
bisexual youth
(p. 12)
any of us don’t understand the history of or the
reasons behind affirmative action. Without
understanding it, we can’t educate anyone
about it or defend it. We need to prepare
ourselves, since the same groups that refuse to
grant basic civil rights to gay men, lesbians and
determined to end affirmative action through various state and
federal bills or initiatives.
Affirmative action includes all measures necessary to make
equal opportunity a reality for currently and historically ex
cluded groups of people in the United States. Attacks against
affirmative action assume that equal opportunity for women
and people of color is already a reality. It’s not.
Begun in 1964, affirmative action efforts are only 30 years
old. For most of that 30-year period, affirmative action has
been under attack from Republican administrations. For ex
ample, during the Reagan administration, the Justice Depart
ment sued 50 cities to stop their successful programs.
Discrimination, segregation, prejudice and violence to
ward women and people of color began with the founding of
this country and continue today. Affirmative action exists as a
partial remedy to these problems.
Some people resent the assistance provided by these pro
grams, claiming that individuals must now make it on their
own merits. The truth is, no one in this country makes it on his
or her own. Many of us (white, male, heterosexual, able-
M
bodied, wealthy) receive privileges we are totally unaware of.
Bom on third base, we are sure to hit a triple and can’t
understand the complaints of those without baseball equipment
or training. We get all kinds of help. We get educational help
from parents with resources. (In 1993, black men made 74
bisexuals
percent of are
what white men made, and their unemployment rate
was twice as high [The Oregonian, Feb. 17,1995].) We rely on
the goodwill of those around us—teachers, customers, employ
ers. (A nationwide survey in 1991 showed that 55 percent of
non-Hispanic people thought Hispanic people were less intel
ligent; 56 percent thought they were more lazy [National
Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago].) We rely on
fair business practices. (In 1993 a Chicago study showed that
black couples applying for bank loans with the same financial
assets as white couples were denied more often.)
We need to broaden our discussion of affirmative action to
address our joint responsibility for solving these complex long-
range problems. Since affirmative action currently benefits
over 50 percent of our citizens (all women, all people of color),
we should be discussing how to improve it, not how to dis
mantle it.
Kathleen Herron is an adjunct professorfor the Northwest
ern School of Law at Lewis A Clark College and a consultant
for Tools for Diversity.
ARTS
Theater
Wendy Westerwelle and
Karen Roettcher-Tate delight
theatergoers in
The Kathy and M o Show
(p. 26)
Books
Packw ood follows the
Oregon U.S. senator's
campaign trail to outrage
(p. 29)
Media
Babylon 5 may boldly go
where no sci-fi TV show
has gone before
(p. 30)