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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1996)
2 ▼ Ja n u a ry 1 «. 1996 ▼ ju * t o u t just out since 1 9 83 PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Renée LaChance steppin’ out VOL. 13 NO. 6 JANUARY 19,1996 COPY EDITORS Kelly M. Bryan Jeff Boswell FEATURES REPORTERS Inga Sorensen Bob Roehr Rex Wockner More than friends Jane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht play lesbians — and house — on N B C ’s Friends CALENDAR EDITOR Kristine Chatwood (p. 14) PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer Triplets!!! Whew! Three times the fun, and three times the work. Just O ut checks in with moms Sheila and Mimi one year later... OFFICE MANAGER Teri Ventura ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Meg Grace (p. 17) ADVERTISING REPS C. Jay Wilson Jr. Marty Davis DEPARTMENTS CREATIVE DIRECTOR E. Ann Hinds World news GRAPHIC DESIGN Rupert Kinnard FORMATTER Rachel Ebora TYPESETTER Jann Gilbert DISTRIBUTION Ambling Bear CONTRIBUTORS Kristine Chatwood Cathay Che Christopher Kamera Risa Krive Daniel Vaillancourt C. Jay Wilson Jr. Just out is published on the first and third F riday of each m onth. Copyright ©1996 by ju s t o u t No part of ju s t o u t may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. T he subm ission o f w ritte n and g rap h ic 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 Lthel 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 ad v e rtisin g deadline is the Monday after the first and third Friday for the next issue. Classified ads must be received at the * I S t 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 *>st out are available for $17.50 for 12 issues First Class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues. A copy of ju s t o ut is available for $2. Advertising rates are available on request. T he m ailing ad d re ss and telephone num bers for Just out are PO Box 14400. Portland. OR 972144)400; (503) 236-1252. The phone number for the advertising department is 236-1253. Our fax number is 236-1257 Our e- mail address is JustOut2<^aol com contents vX<v... guest editorial AIDS is taking a catastrophic toll on sub-Saharan Africa; Portuguese prime minister says legalizing same-sex marriage is a possibility (p. 4) National news CompuServe says the German government told it to delete queer newsgroups Not only members benefit For 20 years , Portlanders have had a place to worship that unabashedly honors and respects their sexual orientation ▼ (pp. 5-8) Local news Anti-gay initiatives fa il to make Washington ballot, but activists say Oregon will not be so lucky; Eugene group unexpectedly plays host to skinheads at screening o f N ot in O ur Tow n (pp. 9-13) by D o nna R ed W in g t was Halloween night. They had shaved parts of my head. The procedure which had cauterized an artery in my brain and capped it with a bit of platinum was over. The MRI was done. The next morning I would face brain surgery. I was terrified. And very medicated. A friend dropped by and laughed when I said that the Rev. Roy Cole would be offering commun ion. I was astonished and said, “Damn it, it is my immortal soul, after all.” ‘Immortal soul’ is a phrase I had never uttered before. It was the thing that my Catholic friends in grade school had worried about whenever we were about to do something we shouldn’t. Roy Cole did visit me on Halloween night. He offered communion to all of us there; to my partner, Sumitra, and to my son, Julian, and to all of the Christians and Jews, pagans, agnostics and atheists who were there that night to wish me well. His communion prayer was loving, optimistic and inclu sive. He spent the next day, all day, with my family and friends, through the grueling eight-and-a-half-hour surgery. And he, and his congregation, prayed for my recovery. He was both a friend and a pastor. I am not a member of the Metropolitan Community Church. I try to attend Christmas Eve services there because I love the carols and the candles. I try to attend community celebrations and World AIDS Day services. I do not need to be a member to participate. I do not need to be a member to feel included. I do not need to be a member to understand and appreciate the fact that MCC Portland is an integral part of our larger gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. I don’t need to be a member to feel pride each time my bus zooms past the newly painted and renovated church. I don’t need to be a member to use the meeting rooms with other activists as we cook up strategies and responses. I don’t need to be a member to stop by after an election or a tragedy to meet with friends and allies. I don’t need to be a member to call Reverend Cole about my spiritual concerns. I don’t need to be a member to take from this church the pieces I need. I do, however, have a responsibility to MCC Portland. It is my responsibility to contribute to its financial well-being and to offer my resources and networks. It is also my responsibility to think about, appreciate and forward MCC’s place in our community. MCC Portland is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Think about that. For 20 years, Portlanders have had a place to worship that unabashedly honors and respects their sexual orientation, that affirms their spirituality, and is a relevant voice in the community. And now that place sparkles on the comer of Northeast 24th Avenue and Broadway. I enthusiastically join in the celebration of MCC Portland as it commemorates this milestone. I hope you will join me. See related story on page 11 for a listing of events to be held during MCC Portland's 20th anniversary weekend celebration, Jan. 19-Jan. 21. ARTS Cinema The media fascination with lesbians will mean more screen time in '96 (p- 26) Visual arts View 1940s Portland through the eyes o f photographer Minor White (p. 27) Theater Portland Repertory and triangle productions! portray the human struggle with ideas and injustices (pp. 28-30)