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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1996)
12 T ju n « 2 1 . 1 9 9 0 ▼ ju s t o u t I national news “Dortf disappears Into the character as he brilliantly blurs gender lines.” S e e k in g justice • Stephen Farter, MOVIELINE “With amazing style by Stephen Dorff as flamboyant transvestite Candy Darling.” Tacoma lesbian journalist Sandy Nelson’s case is heard by the Washington state Supreme Court ▼ by Inga Sorensen - Bruce Williamson, PLAYBOY breathy feline pathos worthy of Kim Novak.” - David Ansen. NEWSW EEK “Dorff...radiates surprising emotional warmth and langour in a blond wig and heels. • Peter Travers. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE I SHOT AN D Y WARHOL Lili Taylor Stephen Dorff Jared Harris PLAYHOUSE INTERNATIONAL PICTURES i r a ««THE SAMUEL GOLDWYN COMPANY« BBC ARENA LUI TAYLOR JARED HARRIS "I SHOT ANDY WARHOL" LOTHAIRE BLUTEAU MARTHA PUMPTON ANNA THOMPSON «STEPHEN DOREE« My m ci«« n HOPKINS, SMITH« BARDEN M t a « DAVID ROBINSON m m o n * THERESE DEPRE Or«« Sort JOHN CALE lia Jpnrar RANDALL POSTER M r KEITH REAMS) towtnarm ELLEN KURAS imnn « MARY HARRON « DANIEL MINAHAN Mm M a n UNDSAY LAW « ANTHONY WALL mat n TOM KALIN « CHRISTINE 1/ACHON j k m iy MARY HARRON a iM M iftf ■ K nunc aann i me b s □ D ® M I L I PMKV Í I Ü U I W m i J i í T l t t O I 6 I T A L nO rU O li’ fan A PICTURES Release O iM lT M hdvsC in v tfH M««ll Visit the “ M OVIENET” site at: http://www.movienet.com STARTS FRIDAY JUNE 28TH EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT KOIN CENTER SW 3R D & CLAY 2 2 5 -5 5 5 5 + 4 6 0 8 Visit the “ I Shot Andy Warhol” site at: http://www.filmzone.com/warhol ornbaid F L O W ' E R Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area 503 / 286-1330 S Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD * PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 2 mrmwmrrw G&M Automotive PDX Automotive 6006 E Burnside, Portland 231-8486 5934 NE Halsey, Portland 282-3315 “M echanics w ith a C onscience’ CERTIFIED MECHANICS Com plete automotive service of foreign and domestic cars and light trucks ashington state’s highest court heard arguments June 11 involv ing an openly lesbian copy edi tor for The News Tribune of Tacoma. “I think things went well. The justices seemed to ask good questions,” Sandy Nelson, the figure at the center of this high-profile case, told Just Out the day after the hearing. ‘‘They seemed to be asking for guidance and obviously had read the [numerous amicus briefs that were submitted on behalf of Nelson]. We’ll have to wait and see.” Nelson’s case has been entangled in the court system for more than two-and-a-half years. It is an intriguing one which pits the rights of the employer to dictate an employee’s off-duty ac tivities against the right of an employee to freely participate in the political process. Dozens o f N elson’s supporters packed into the Temple of Justice court chambers in Olympia for the hearing. Some stood against the wall due to lim ited seating, and others were turned away. ‘‘It’s really moving to see that I have so much support,” says Nelson, who was removed from her re porting position in 1990 by her editors at The News Tribune, a m ainstream daily newspaper, because she was actively involved in political causes, specifi cally lesbian and gay rights. The aw ard-w inning education reporter was Sandy Nelson subsequently transferred to the copy desk, a job she “absolutely deplores.” Nelson is seeking reinstatement to her report ing job, and her lawsuit argues that her banish ment from reporting unduly restricts her freedom of speech and right to participate in the initiative and referendum process. It also claims that management breached an employment contract by terminating Nelson’s job as a reporter without just cause, and violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act, a 1992 Wash ington state law that prohibits employers from discriminating against workers for “in any way supporting or opposing a candidate, ballot propo sition, political party or political committee.” When Nelson joined the paper in 1983, news room employees were represented by the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild Local 82, and their contract included a clause that protected workers from retribution for their off-duty activities. Nelson was involved in many community causes. She was active in the socialist-feminist movement and had been a longtime member of Radical Women, an organization dedicated to women’s full equality. She defended abortion clinics and Native American treaty rights. In 1986, a California corporation, McClatchy Inc., purchased The News Tribune, abrogated its union contracts and forced workers to reapply for their jobs. The new management rehired Nelson, know ing she was a local political activist. The follow ing year the new owners proposed a “code of ethics” for newsroom workers that included a blanket prohibition against all off-duty political W “Stephen Dortf with a Free ride to MAX Gerard Lillie Todd Connelly activity on the grounds that such a prohibition was needed to ensure the paper protected its "appear ance of neutrality.” Nelson, other reporters and their union de nounced the proposal as a violation of newsroom workers’ free speech and associational rights, saying management had committed an unfair labor practice by unilaterally imposing an unratified ethics code— one that interfered with the political and personal rights of newsroom employees. Nelson remained active in human rights causes, and in 1989 helped form the Committee to Protect Tacoma Human Rights, which sought to stop the repeal of a Tacoma law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. When the law was rescinded by voters, Nelson was among the gay and lesbian rights supporters who launched an initiative campaign to get the law back on the books. She continued to re ceive excellent ratings from her employer until 1990, when she was invol untarily transferred to a night copy desk job by management. Even though her po litical activism never ovei - lapped with her work as an education reporter, she was told she must discontinue all political activities in 5 order to work as a reporter. Nelson refused and filed a lawsuit against The News Tribune in 1993. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is backing Nelson’s case and considers it to be a groundbreaking case for the political rights of Washington workers. During the recent high court hearing, attor neys for the Tribune argued that it was imperative that newspaper reporters be prohibited from po litical activism. Reporters, they argued, must re main impartial on all political issues in order to stay credible in the eye of the public. “What’s at stake is credibility,” attorney P. Cameron DeVore told the nine-member state Su preme Court. “[Consumers will] say, ‘Well, that’s the kind of newspaper that hires people like that.’ They vote with their feet, walk right past The News Tribune rack and buy another newspaper.” Pierce County Superior Court Judge Vicki Hogan previously sided with the Tribune. Last May, Hogan ruled that the campaign reform law, passed after Nelson was actually transferred, could not be applied “retroactively,” even though the paper’s refusal to reinstate her is ongoing. Additionally, Hogan had earlier rejected argu ments that the newspaper’s transfer of Nelson violated state constitutional guarantees of free dom of speech, assembly and participation in ballot initiative campaigns. Hogan said the Tri bune was entitled to prohibit its reporters from political involvement in order for it to protect its “appearance of neutrality.” Nelson says: “I’ve come so far that there’s no turning back. I’m committed to this. I think the biggest contribution that I will make to the field of journalism is this case, which will determine whether or not we can exercise fundamental rights.”
