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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1996)
3 4 ▼ february 1 0 , 1 0 9 6 ▼ ju st out < C * » V < f V 1 » I t’s H ot! E x p e n siv e , it’s Not! <: F r esh juice and food bar ! V ) V 1 i Tanning Personal V I » " CaU C a rm e n o r N ikki 2 4 5 - 3 2 2 9 o r 2 2 9 - 9 2 4 4 (p ag e r) Gay & L esbian facility All sizes an d ages w elcom e <: V* 1M I’\N'Y c C all 2 - B A L L E T OR Training » r“ Ma»»aSe Vi » M \x< 'KM >1 j < .1 C k \ r. T IÇKfcTMASTER 790-A R T S Your Community Home Loan Resource ► New purchase ► 100% equity loans ‘ \ I r ( \ r ) ') \ r U r pc o n MLLET& a THEATIs^J I K ') 1 r J acux*» V 1 » Y >' \ t. ► Refinance/cash out ► Pre-approved loans ► Pre-qualification by phone or fax ► Residential, commercial & investment property ► Appointments at your convenience \ ' ) r ¡ ) Social whirl Gay men and lesbians in Southwest Washington get together and do outings the old-fashioned way by Inga Sorensen ike Audette admits he’s a natural organizer. “Or maybe we should just say I’m a very organized person,” laughs the 29-year-old produc tion operator at HB Fuller, producer of that unro mantic, yet ever so necessary, product adhesive tape. Call it organizational know-how or pure drive, whatever it is, Audette has that certain something that helped lead to the founding of SW Washing ton Gay and Lesbian Socialites, an organization designed to build a sense of community among gay men and lesbians living in Southwest Wash ington. “I love Southwest Washington. I’ve spent most of my life here,” says Audette. “We’ve got lots going on in Southwest Washington— from the Vancouver Voice [a local gay and lesbian “We didn’t want this to become a political organization,” says Audette. And social they have been. An estimated 40 people turned out for the group’s first event in January 1995: “It was a potluck held at the Fruit Valley Community Center in Vancouver,” says Audette. Other potlucks followed, as did roller skating, hikes to Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock, a three-day camping excursion to Camp Cougar near Mount St. Helens, and cruising— not in the bars, mind you, but on the Stemwheeler Rose. This past December, 30 Socialites gathered at the local community center to eat, decorate the Christmas tree and participate in a gift exchange. Audette reportedly hand-crafted a highly sought- after bust of a man in a tuxedo. A group highlight thus far was the September cruise on the Stemwheeler Rose. 66 I ’m available when you are! ” Office 274-1500 Evenings/Weekends 780-1561 Colleen Weed y “The ” Corner On Stark • J9 79 Gay Portland’s Finest Pub Featuring: • N.W. Micro-Brews! • Non-Alcoholic Beverages! • Espresso! • Great Sandwiches! Lottery Service Center , Pool , Darts . Conversational , Friendly , Fun & Real! All proceeds from Dart & Pool tournaments are donated to The HIV Day Center. 103H S.W. Stark Portland, Oregon 227-SHS7 SW Washington Socialites on a hike to Washington’s Beacon Rock in May 1995 publication] to the Vancouver Men’s Choir. We simply wanted to find another way to bring people together regularly for social events.” To put it more bluntly: Queers here don’t have to cross the Columbia to find vibrant gay and lesbian life. Vancouver resident Mike Sager, a 29-year- old Gunderson crane operator, was also instru mental in getting the group off the ground. Sager, a life-long Washingtonian, says SW Washington Gay and Lesbian Socialites sprang from a “Gay and Lesbian Town Hall” that was sponsored a little more than a year ago by a now-defunct HIV/ AIDS group that he and Audette were involved with. “About 65 people showed up to that town hall— I’d say it was about 50 percent men and 50 percent women,” recounts Sager. “We all talked about things we might like to do— hiking, biking, camping, potlucks. We finally settled on the idea of getting together once a month to do a variety of activities. That’s what we’ve done ever since.” The events have been funded largely out of Audette’s and Sager’s own pockets. “We both really believe it’s important to cre ate that sense of community. Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes,” says Audette. Another important aspect of SW Washington Gay and Lesbian Socialites is that participants stay focused on social activities. “It was a sellout,” Sager proudly says, adding that nearly 130 tickets were snapped up by eager Socialites. According to Audette, the group’s mailing list has mushroomed to more than 200, with the vast majority being Southwest Washington residents. “This group isn’t so much an alternative to the bars, because sometimes we go to the bars after our events,” says Audette. “It’s more of a way to meet other gay men and lesbians who don’t go to the bars.” “We’ve attempted to make the activities as gender-neutral as possible, because we want les bians and gay men to do things together,” adds Sager. “We started out pretty equally, but we now typically have more men. I don’t know exactly why that is, but we hope to do more joint events with the L esbian Communi t y Project of Vancouver.” Socialites plan to march in Portland’s 1996 Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade, and an April trip to Hawaii is in the works. “We are so proud that we’ve made it past the one-year mark,” crows Audette. “I think there is so much that we can do. We’d love for more people to get involved.” SW Washington Gay and Lesbian Socialites will meet again Feb. 24 for an afternoon of bowl ing. Those interested should call Audette at (360) 260-2697 or Sager at (360) 694-8970.
