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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1996)
news Nora. ísacson Portfatidlf Afoer-nativ-e Realtor I have chosen to take a more human approach as a Realtor. I build my business on a referral basis and firmly believe that the satisfaction of my client is far more important than my financial gain. I communicate clearly and openly, and I’m always honest with my clients. I’ll gladly climb a nearby tree to check on a roof or get a bit dirty investigating a crawl space or an attic. I work mainly in Portland’s close-in Southeast and Northeast neighborhoods and specialize in older homes with character. Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling, please do give me a call. Nora Isacson ThePrudential ^ Performance Group One, Inc. REALTORS* 215 S E 102nd, Suite 300 P ortland, O R 97216 (503) 256-1234 V M /pgr 9503) 948-5610 THE WRITERS SCHOOL Dreaming o f writing? Stop dreaming and start doing it! Let a C O N N E X U S writing class moti vate you with excellent instruction, constructive feedback and the support o f bther writers. Choose a workshop b t teffcweek long class offered by our award winning faculty. One-Day Saturday Workshops MARGIE BOULE Laughter & Tears: Writing Nonfiction that Evokes Emotion C A L IF O R N IA Leaders of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Asso ciation met in February with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. The two issues discussed at the meeting were the plight o f HIV-infected health care work ers, and what GLM A Executive Director Benjamin Schatz called “the need for a proactive and compre hensive initiative by HHS on lesbian and gay health issues.” Shalala pledged to take action on both issues, according toGLM A President Valerie Ulstad, M.D., a Minneapolis cardiologist. HHS officials have been instructed to examine whether current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that restrict HIV-infected health care workers are scien tifically valid and whether they have caused unnec essary discrimination. Ulstad also said Shalala agreed to determine the scope of HHS activities on lesbian and gay health and to develop a plan for a broader, more proactive approach. FL O R ID A A conservative Christian state legislator has been charged with having sex with a prostitute. Rep. Marvin Couch (R-Oviedo), picked up a prostitute at an Orange County shopping center. He paid her $22 to perform oral sex in his truck. In addition to prostitution, Couch was charged with exposure o f his sexual organs and with unnatural or lascivious acts. Couch, 42, has been a strong advocate o f the religious right’s political agenda. Last year he re ceived a perfect 100 rating from the Orlando-based Christian Coalition o f Florida. Couch’s current term ends in November. He has said he will not seek re-election, but he would like to finish serving this term. IL L IN O IS The Chicago Commission on Human Relations fined the Chicago Area Council o f the Boy Scouts of America $100 for violating the city’s human rights ordinance. The commission found that the council discriminated against a gay man when it told him he need not apply for a job at the council. The commission also ordered the Boy Scouts to pay the man $500 in damages. April 13 MICHAEL BRENNA N Dialogues with the Devil: Turning Pain Into Literary Gain May 11 Ten-Week Workshops starting March 25 M .J . C O D Y - S crip tw ritin g for F ilm & T e le v isio n B IL L D O N A H U E -T h e Craft & Hustle of Feature Writing I N E T T E M I L L E R - Writing to Find Your Voice E V E L Y N S H A R E N O V - From Real Life to Short Fiction S U S A N S T A N L E Y - B reak in g Into P rint and The Art of Personal Essay For registration information or to receive a brochure, call CONNEXUS at 243-6708, or write to us at: 1012 SW King, Suite 301 Portland, OR 97205 The commission’s ruling orders the Boy Scouts to refrain from discriminating against gay men and lesbians. The national headquarters o f the Boy Scouts of America issued a statement saying the group will appeal the decision. ▼ ▼ T Jamie Nabozny, a young gay man from W iscon sin, received the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teach ers’ Network’s Pathfinder Award in early March. The award was given at GLSTN’s annual confer ence held in Chicago; it is given annually to an individual who has forged new paths in the work against homophobia in schools. Nabozny is the plaintiff in the first federal appel late case challenging anti-gay violence in public schools. He was repeatedly assaulted by fellow students while in the seventh through eleventh grades. He was beaten, punched and kicked. As a result of some of the attacks, he required hospital ization and surgery. Nabozny’s parents supported him, constantly battling school officials who re fused to discipline Nabozny’s tormentors. “Jamie is the perfect recipient o f the Pathfinder Award,” said Kevin Jennings, executive director of GLSTN, “because his determination to pursue ju s tice is an inspiration to youth everywhere, showing them that they need not tolerate homophobic harass ment.” A second gay student has joined a $1 million lawsuit that accuses Riverside-Brookfield High School officials and other students of anti-gay name calling, physical abuse and threats. The suit was filed last year by a student known as “Mario Doe.” Mario Doe alleges that when he informed a school counselor that he was being harassed, the counselor told him to “learn karate for self- defense.” He also claims that students pinched him, grabbed his genitals and threatened him. Mario Doe dropped out o f school and filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. The second student, known as “John Doe,” claims that the same school counselor told his father John Doe was gay, despite the fact that John Doe wanted that information kept confidential. He dropped out o f school this year. School officials say the suit is without merit. N EBRA SK A Bucking a national trend, a member of the Ne braska state legislature introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in that state, according to a story in the Baltimore Gay Paper. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha knows that his proposal, LB 1260, has a slim chance o f passing this session. He says, though, he won’t give up. “This is an issue related to civil rights and civil liberties that can’t be dodged by political bodies. It has an impact on so many people,” Chambers said. NEW YORK Dyke TV, a cable access television show by, for and about lesbians, recently announced staffing and programming changes for the upcoming season. Produced in New York City, Dyke TV can be seen in nearly 60 cities throughout the United States. Changes include a new executive producer, Cyrille Phipps; and a new development director, Maria Petulla. Phipps will oversee implementation o f the new organizational structure. Petulla will manage the strategic fund-raising plan. Dyke TV will now air twice a month. Beginning in May, shows will focus on specific topics such as motherhood, global dykes, virtual reality and rela tionships. Dyke TV has also launched its own Web site. It can be fo u n d on th e In te rn e t at h ttp :// www.dyketv.org. SO U TH D A K O TA Passage o f a law that bans the recognition o f same-gender marriages in South Dakota may have spelled doom for a major international ballooning event held in the state. South Dakota natives Jacques Soukup and Kirk Thomas, longtime partners, philanthropists and in ternationally recognized balloonists, have withdrawn their support of the Governor’s Cup, a national and international ballooning competition. They have taken this action to protest the passage of the South Dakota law. Soukup and Thomas had planned to serve as officials and event organizers. “There will probably be no measurers, stewards, judges, meteorologists or jury members,” they said. “Since we know most competitive balloonists world wide, we will inform them of the actions of the South Dakota government and will discourage anyone from attending this event held in such an inhospi table state.” C om piled by Kristine Chatw ood