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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1996)
. 2 ▼ Ja n u a ry 5 1996 ▼ ju a t o u t just out since 1 983 PUBLISHER AND EDITOR steppin’ out contents VOL. 13 NO. 5 JANUARY 5,1996 Renée LaChance COPY EDITORS Kelly M. Bryan Jeff Boswell FEATURE REPORTERS Cheers for a queer year Inga Sorensen Bob Roehr Rex Wockner Out of the closet and on to the big screen— 1995 was a record year for homo-cinema (p. 17) CALENDAR EDITOR Kristine Chatwood PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer DEPARTMENTS OFFICE MANAGER Teri Ventura World news Cuba releases some HIV positive detainees from quarantine (P- 4) ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Meg Grace ADVERTISING REPS E. Ann Hinds C. Jay Wilson Jr. National news Perspectives differ on the White House HIV/AIDS conference; Lavender Predictions for 1996 (PP 5-9) CREATIVE DIRECTOR E. Ann Hinds GRAPHIC DESIGN Rupert Kinnard FORMATTER Metropolitan Community Church o f Portland, at 2400 NE Broadway, sports a new coat o f paint just in time fo r its 20th anni versary celebration, slated fo r the weekend ofJan. 19. The paint job was phase one o f the building’s planned $450,000 renovation. Rachel Ebora TYPESETTER Jann Gilbert DISTRIBUTION Ambling Bear guest editorial CONTRIBUTORS Kristine Chatwood Rachel Ebora Kevin Isom Rupert Kinnard Lee Lynch C. Jay Wilson Jr. A w ake-up call Just out is published on the first and third Friday of each month. Copyright ©1996 by just out No part of just out may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The subm ission of written and graphic materials is welcomed. Written material should be 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 Book and Libel Manual on editorial decisions. Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words. 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 for the next issue. Classified ads must be received at the just out office by 3 pm 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 exploitative 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 $2. Advertising rales are available on request The m ailing address and telephone numbers for just out are PC) Box 14400. Portland. OR 97214-0400; (503) 236-1252 The phone number for the advertising department is 236-1253. Our fax number is 236-1257. Our e- tnail address is JustOul2@>aol.coai. V»V» ’»V»V*»V»V» I »Vi I've been hearing stories of violence, and its been keeping me awake at night ▼ by Teri Ventura ecently, while spending a casual, social evening with some friends, someone said of another woman we know, “How can everyone just let her get away with beating her lover?” I was shocked, not so much by the saddening reminder that battering occurs in the lesbian community, but rather, that everyone else present knew about it and knew of others who knew about it. And each of them spoke of other cases they knew about. According to many people I’ve spoken with since, these instances are “open secrets” in our commu nity. I haven’t been able to sleep well since that evening. I get into bed, lay my head on the pillow and close my eyes. I try to relax. I can’t. I try to resist the image that forces itself on me through tightly closed lids, but my closed eyes can’t stop the picture from materializing. It crystallizes— I see a woman’s sweet face, bruised, cut, bloody and broken; her left eye is swollen closed from the latest beating by another woman. One who loves her— her lover. I don’t know the woman who lives behind that face, but I am haunted by her image. I know that many, probably most, other lesbians care deeply about battering and want it to end. We work in women’s shelters. We know. We care. We work hard to end violence against women. But I’m noticing that somehow, when we are confronted with it face to bruised face, as it is practiced against women we know, by women we know—our neighbors, our friends, our leaders—oftentimes we do not intervene effec tively to interrupt and stop the abuse. I want to make it very clear here that I am not in any way minimizing men’s violence against women. Nor do I mean to discount the very real and ugly problem of gay men battering gay men. I am, however, specifically focused in this discussion on lesbians beating lesbians, and the particular challenges and barriers that that issue poses in the lesbian community which may be inhibiting our ability to think clearly and act decisively. Women are being hurt by other women, and we aren’t doing everything we can to help them. Is it because their batterers are well known to us? Is it because we mistakenly believe that all woman-on-woman violence is mutual? Are we keeping a secret in a misguided attempt to protect ourselves from a seemingly greater evil— the police, the radical right? How is it that so many of us know of instances of lesbian abuse and do nothing about it? I am not being judgmental of those of us, myself included, who have failed to act. This is a difficult, ugly issue to deal with in a world that seems to offer far too many difficult, ugly issues for my attention. I have decided to make this issue a priority. I don’t claim to have all the answers. I do hope this will open a community dialogue about lesbian battering and lead to a comprehensive plan to end battering. Get involved. Contact Bradley-Angle House at (503) 282-9940, TTY 281-3540. I f you have been beaten or abused by your lover, or think you may be, call now. I f you have beaten or abused your lover, do whatever you have to do to stop it. Get help. Bradley-Angle House is sponsoring a workshop, to be held from 2 to 5 pm Sunday, Jan. 7, at Portland State University, that is designed to give participants a chance to collaborate in formulating a community response to domestic violence. See related article on page 12. Local news A student bucks attempts to squelch coverage of sexual minority youth in her school paper; triangle productions! and Stark Raving Theater set up shop together (pp. 10-13) COLUMNS Civil rights Tacoma reporter Sandy Nelson fights fo r the right to espouse her own beliefs (p. 15) The view from here Willamette Week just doesn 't get it (p. 24) Peach buzz For a young gay boy, two TV heroines had special appeal (p. 28) Amazon trail Michelle Abdill and Roxie Ellis left a legacy o f love (p. 30) ARTS Theater PICA brings Something Recklessly Gay to Portland (P- 25) Tongue in groove Local violinist Ritsu prefers Jimi to Ludwig (p- 27)