ju s t o u t ▼ m ay 1 7 . 1 9 9 6 ▼ 3
just out
s in c e 1 9 8 3
steppin* out
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
contents
Renée LaChance
VOL. 13 NO. 14 MAY 17, 1996
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER
Ten Ventura
FEATURES
COPY EDITORS
Grin and ballot II
Kelly M. Bryan
Karen Kantor
Just O u t's endorsements-at-a-
glance, just in time to
go to the polls
REPORTERS
Inga Sorensen
Bob Roehr
Rex Wockner
(p. 17)
CALENDAR EDITOR
The flap at CAP
Kristine Chatwood
Employees at the AIDS
service agency are seeking to
unionize their shop
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
(P- 20)
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Meg Grace
DEPARTMENTS
ADVERTISING REPS
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
Marty Davis
World news
Condom Cafe opens in
Ho Chi Minh City; Nepal's
Queer Society wants penpals
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
GRAPHIC DESIGN
(P-
5
)
Rupert Kinnard
FORMATTER
National news
Christopher Cuttone
Andrew Sullivan to leave
TYPESETTER
The New R epublic;
Christopher Cuttone
anti-gay activists protest
inclusion o f gay men and
lesbians in an exhibit at New
York Holocaust Museum
DISTRIBUTION
Ambling Bear
Rachel Ebora
Helen Ford
Freedom of choice
CONTRIBUTORS
Dodging the blows of a stinging backlash, Just Out stands by
its endorsement of Laurie Wimmer
Bonnie Ruth Beebe
Kristine Chatwood
Christopher Kamera
Daniel Vaillancourt
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▼
by Renée LaChance
choice of logo. All the letters we got called Wi mmer to task for
here have been fewer than a handful of occasions—in
the lavender triangle on her lawn signs.
the
12-plus years of our existence—
when a Just Out endorsement has received as
April Martinez of Salem wrote: “As a Salem resident, it
vehement and rapid a response as did our endorsement
would be nice to see more diversity in the Legislature. I work
of Laurie Wimmer for Oregon House District 12.
in Portland, and for the longest time I thought Laurie Wimmer
The District 12 race pits four Democrats against each other:
was a lesbian because of the pink triangles on all her signs!”
For us, it came down to choosing between Laurie Wimmer, a
Andy Summers took issue with Wimmer’s logo design as
nongay ally, and Bob Duehmig, a gay man. During the endorse­
well: “[T]o learn that she cynically manipulated my sympathies
by co-opting a recognized gay and lesbian symbol is a real turn­
ment process it became clear that Duehmig and Wimmer were
equal on the issues important to us. If we did dual endorsements,
off.”
this would have been an ideal time to do one. We don’t. We had
Wimmer has more to lose by having a lavender or pink
to look further.
triangle as part of her logo than to gain. We asked Wimmer
about the decision, and she responded, “My ideas for the logo
During the process I considered the ramifications of sup­
were developed before [Duehmig] was even a candidate and
porting a nongay female candidate when a gay man was in the
were based on graphic appeal primarily and an expression of
race. I knew we would be accused of being exclusively a lesbian
solidarity secondarily.”
paper and not representing men.
Let’s string her up. When will straight people learn that only
Andy Summers of Southwest Portland wrote: “Just Out
lesbians and gay men can use the color purple and the triangle
doesn’t appear to represent gay men. I’ve always considered
as
a design element?
your publication the voice of lesbian and gay residents of
Sorry, for a moment there, I thought sarcasm would get my
Portland. But despite a recent glowing Just Out review of
point across.
Duehmig, who came across as a terrific gay candidate on issues
The fact is, both Duehmig and Wimmer would serve our
of concern to our community, you chose to endorse the straight
community well in the Legislature. The deciding factor for us
woman.... Straight male candidates [Chris] Beck and [David]
was that Wimmer has been in the trenches for queer communi­
Bragdon are also written up as strong on our issues, yet you
ties
since the Oregon Citizens Alliance first began its campaign
didn’t endorse them.”
to deny basic civil rights to lesbians and gay men back in 1988.
I also pondered whether people would assume that because
Wimmer actively canvassed against Ballot Measure 8 in 1988,
we are a newsmagazine representing the lesbian and gay
Ballot Measure 9 in 1992 and Ballot Measure 13 in 1994.
community we will always endorse the lesbian or gay candi­
Duehmig
canvassed and campaigned in 1992 for the Clinton-
date. Just Out strives to endorse the best candidate— sexual
Gore presidential ticket and in 1994, for John Kitzhaber’s
orientation gets high points but it is not always the deciding
gubernatorial race.
factor.
Just Out believes that it is important to reward nongay allies
Elizabeth H. Shuler of Southeast Portland wrote: “I applaud
for
fighting for our issues. Wimmer earned our endorsement—
your District 12 endorsement of a straight woman, Laurie
Wimmer, over the progressive, openly gay Bob Duehmig.... I
not because we’re “only a lesbian paper,” not because we’re “in
guess you’re a bit like Wimmer yourselves—there’s a pink
the closet,” not because we were “deceived by her lawn
triangle on your cover, but really, you’re not gay. Is Just Out in
signs”—but because she was there when the lesbian and gay
the closet?”
community needed her, without us even having to ask for her
That was something we hadn't thought about—Wimmer s
help.
T
(pp 6-9)
Local news
A contribution to Gail
Shibley’s campaign stirs
controversy;
Portland observance o f
13th International
AIDS Candlelight
Memorial and Mobilization
to be held at Pioneer
Courthouse Square
(pp. 11-15)
ARTS
Books
Fodor’s woos the gay market
with a new travel guide;
Kerry H art’s first novel
explores the landscape
o f the heart
(PP-
29-31)
Music
Preserve us!
I t’s a reissue o f Thomson and
Stein s 1927 opera
Four Saints in T hree Acts
(p. 32)
Theater
The curtain is up on a new
season at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival
(p. 33)