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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1995)
2 ▼ d .c « m b « r 15. 1995 ▼ Just out just out since 1 9 8 3 steppin’ out PUBLISHER AND EDITOR contents Renée LaChance VOL. 13 NO. 4 DECEMBER 15,1995 COPY EDITORS Kelly M. Bryan Jeff Boswell FEATURES REPORTERS A community grieves Inga Sorensen Bob Roehr Rex Wockner Two loving, exuberant Medford lesbians are slain family, friends and other mourners share memories (pp. 17-19) CALENDAR EDITOR Kristine Chatwood PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer Words of encouragement OFFICE MANAGER Teri Ventura Our winter reading list will help you hear voices—voices that will inspire, incite and delight (PP- 21-23) ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Meg Grace ADVERTISING REPS E. Ann Hinds C. Jay Wilson Jr. CREATIVE DIRECTOR DEPARTMENTS E. Ann Hinds GRAPHIC DESIGN Rupert Kinnard Participants in a demonstration on World AIDS Day, Dec. I, held a red ribbon the length o f the Burnside Bridge. Many o f the demonstrators were young people. FORMATTER Rachel Ebora TYPESETTER Jann Gilbert DISTRIBUTION Ambling Bear CONTRIBUTORS Kristine Chatwood Cathay Che Lee Lynch Gip Plaster Richard Shumate Darcey Spears Daniel Vaillancourt C. Jay Wilson Jr. Just Mil is puWished on the first wnd th ird F r id a y of each m o n th . C o p y rig h t C I W 5 by J u a t a u t N o part of J u s t o u t m ay h r reproduced without written permission from the publisher T h e su b m is s io n o f w ritte n and g ra p h ic materials is welcomed. Written material should hr typed and double spaced Juat aut reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuauon. style, liability concerns and length W e w ill reject or edit arucles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action Juat a ut consults the Assot nurd Prrss St\le Bo<>k n n j L iM Manual on editorial decisions letters to the editor should be limited to .MX) wmds Deadline for submissions to the edttonal department and for the Calendar is the Thursday before the first and third Fnday for the nest issue Views capressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher T h e d is p la y a d v e rtis in g deadline is the M onday after the first and third Friday for the nest issue ( lassifled ads must be received at the Juat aut iiffice by ) pm the M onday after the first and thud Friday for the nest issue, along with paym ent A d s w ill not be taken over the telephone A d p o lic y N o sesually es p lo ita live advertising w ill he accepted Compensation for errors in. or cancellation of. advertising w ill be made with credit toward future advertising Subscriptions to Juat a ut are available for $17 50 for 12 isvucv Fast Class (in an envelope) ■s $30 for 12 i Mies A copy nt Ju st a u t is available for $2 Advertising rates a c available on request T h e m a ilin g address a n d telephone n u m b e rs for Jw «r o u t are PO Bos 14400. Portland (>R 9 7 2 U 'MOO. (503) 236 1252. The phone number foe the advertising department is 236-1253 Our fas numher is 236-125 < Mir e- mail address is JuslOut2(¿adeem editorial Life during wartime We forget that we ’re living under siege until something happens close to home World news Cuba to begin human testing o f an HIV vaccine in 1996 (p. 4) National news Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend is in hot water again; a new organization will involve heterosexuals in the movement (pp. 5-9) Local news by Renée LaChance ▼ wo European American lesbians in Medford, Ore., gay men running back to their closets. It may not feel safe to are reported missing and then found murdered— be out. In isolated communities these feelings can be intensi each shot execution-style. An African American fied. To avoid such feelings, many lesbians and gay men man and w om an are g unned dow n in congregate in liberal, populated areas where queemess is Fayetteville. N.C., by two U.S. soldiers from Fort tolerated and, sometimes, even embraced. But still, we know Bragg—a third soldier drives the getaway car. A 9-year-old boy hearts that out lesbians and gay men are a vulnerable in our who played with dolls is reported missing in Delaware and then target in the war. found brutally murdered. An African American woman in Living an out life is a revolutionary act— one that we must Detroit, Mich., is forced to jump off a bridge to her death in commit daily in order to persevere. But we must commit it order to escape a European American man who is assaulting her with love, not with rage or hate. Michelle and Roxanne knew while a predominantly white mob cheers him on. Two Euro this. They worked hard for the basic rights of all people. They pean American gay men are reported missing, then found shot spoke out against injustice, and they gave time and energy to to death in Mississippi. These are just some of the stories from build harmony within their community. Their friends and this past year that caused terror, rage and grief to flare within the family say that was the message of their lives— that each one local communities affected by the murders. of us can make a difference by being true to who we are and There is a war being waged against marginalized communi by meeting adversity with love. That is the only way to win this ties in this country. A marginalized community is any that sits war. on the margins of society’s mainstream— that includes people Holding love in our hearts is difficult to do in the face of of color, women, sexual minorities, youth and impoverished terror, grief and rage, but we must try, in order to honor the people. The war is undeclared; one not recognized by any world lives of Michelle and Roxanne and to create something posi government. But it is very real. tive from their senseless deaths. We live in denial of this war’s existence. We have to, or we would go insane or become immobilized by fear. Not until a What can you do? Oregon Public Broadcasting will air a tragedy hits close to home— a tragedy like the murders of documentary titled Not in Our Town at different times on Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill—do we allow ourselves to different dates throughout the state (check local listings). The feel the terror, grief and rage that we suppress daily to survive. documentary is a powerful and encouraging look at a Mon Some will find this analogy extreme, w hile others will think tana community s response to intolerance and violence. The it doesn’t go far enough. Yet when you hear how right-wing Medford, Ore., community encourages all o f us to invite five fringe groups have declared a holy war against us— and accuse people into our living rooms to watch this 30-minute program, us of initiating a cultural war against them simply by living our and to tape it to share with others later, and then discuss how lives—and you see how the right wing is gaining power in our it is relevant in the face o f Roxanne's and Michelle s murders. government, you can draw no other conclusion: We are under A town hall meeting has been scheduled in Medford on Jan. 4 siege to discuss people s ideas on how to respond to the murders. The murders of Ellis and Abdill may send some lesbians and T The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office appoints a liason; the new year could bring big changes for state Reps. Gordly and Brown (PP- 1 M 5 ) COLUMNS Health Hepatitis B may be forgotten, but it’s not gone (p. 37) ARTS Books Walt Odets breaks the silence barrier on HIV-negative gay men; lifeless writing mars Untold Millions (pp. 30-32) Cinema Sense and Sensibility is both sweet and wicked (p. 34)