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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1996)
10 ▼ O cto b e r 18, 1996 ▼ ju s t out local news Do you live or work in Washington County? W e’re here for you!! The Washington County Health Department offers daily HIV testing and counseling, by appointment and walk-in, in two convenient locations: 155 North 1st Hillsboro Beaverton 646-3824 4000 SW 117th Corbett 244-3934 5909 SW Corbett Division 233-7374 3016 SE Division Fremont 288-3414 3449 NE 24th Hillsdale 244-3110 6344 SW Capitol ' Highway (360) 695-8878 8024 E. Mill Plain Vancouver, WA Ken Kazel Sells Houses! First I listen, then we communicate. Whether buying or selling, rely on my 12 years of experi ence and top-notch customer service to guide ,.yo*j with surety, confidence, ease and a sense of humor. 12550 SW 2nd Beaverton Other services include STD exams and treatment and a Wellness Program for individuals who are HIV positive. Call 648-8851 for an appointment Marketplace at Mill Plain million-dollar producer VM 4 9 7 -5 4 1 9 2 2 1 -7 3 8 0 10140 SW Parkway Portland. OR 97225 Now making all your travel plans from: Gateway Express of Oregon, Inc. 25 SW Jefferson Street Portland, Oregon ( 503 ) 242*0088 Wayne Boulette 1.800-334-1188 SALI HAWAII SPECIALS Honolulu RT Air - 7 MifK-fs H$fel Airpsrf Transfers frswi $555 pfxls oofn'gger Waikiki Surf Maui RT Air - 7 Mights i B4r*n co«do - ocean View compact car from $ 7 7 2 ppds Maalaea Banyans Wmm Restrictions may apply. Rates subject to change. Fax (503) 227-7564 Representing ALL gay and lesbian tour and cruise companies • R.S.V.P. Cruises • Olivia Cruises • Above and Beyond Travel • Different Strokes Tours • Men on Vacation • Our Family Abroad • Ski Connections • Windjammer Barefoot Cruises *IGTA Agency Focus on the family A national cable TV crew heads to Portland to film a segment on gay and lesbian parents and their children T by Inga Sorensen producer for the Arts & Entertain ment Cable Television Network who is pulling together a piece on same- sex marriage was in Portland earlier this month to film members of Love Makes a Family Inc., a local organization that promotes visibility of lesbian and gay families. “I think they’re doing it because there was so much emphasis on children in the Hawaii trial,” says Bonnie Tinker, executive director of Love Makes a Family. She is referring to the recent trial involving Baehr vs. Miike, the landmark legal case in which the state of Hawaii was forced to prove a “com pelling” state interest in restricting legal marriage to heterosexual couples. The nonjury trial ended with closing arguments on Sept. 20. In defending its same-sex marriage ban, the state attempted to convince Circuit Judge Kevin Chang that it had sufficient reason to deny marriage licenses to one gay and two lesbian couples in 1990. During the trial last month, state Deputy At torney General Rick Eichor presented four wit nesses, all of whom tried to make the case that children were best raised by biological parents, one man and one woman. “Glen Dacy, the producer who came here, wanted to interview older children of gay and lesbian parents. I think that was because he wanted to explore what that experience was like for them and how the kids were affected,” says Tinker, 48, who along with her partner of 19 years, Sara Graham, 56, allowed the film crew into their home “for pizza and homemade lentil soup.” And of course some filming—with the couple’s children in attendance. They have a 29-year-old son, Josh, from Graham’s former marriage to a man; a daughter, Connie, 25, whom they adopted when she was a youngster; and a 13-year-old son, A Alex, conceived via alternative insemination. “We like to say we have one of each,” laughs Tinker. “One from a traditional marriage. One from an adoption. And one from alternative in semination.” She says Dacy, who is producing the one-hour piece for the program Investigative Reports, was also interested in filming multiracial families. Two of Tinker’s and Graham’s children are Afri can American. “There seemed to be an emphasis on diversity,” she says. “It worked out well.” Also interviewed were Reggie Petry and his partner Ron Webb. Petry, who is active in Brother to Brother and Love Makes a Family, also has adult children. In addition to filming at Tinker’s home and the Portland office of Love Makes a Family, Dacy and Co. caught Tinker on camera as she hosted her weekly AM talk show on KKEY Radio, whose studios are situated across the river in Vancouver. The program, also called Love Makes a Fam ily, airs Wednesdays during morning drivetime between 7 and 9 am. The novel show includes listener call-ins and focuses specifically on les bian and gay family issues. The topic that week was, aptly, same-sex marriage. That night the whole crowd went out on the town. “It was the night that Sara and I were scheduled to go square-dancing,” says Tinker. “The crew thought that would be interesting and tagged along.” So the bunch headed to a Rosetown Ramblers hoedown for a few hours of dancing (and filming). “It’s such a down-home activity that I don’t think many people associate with gay marriage,” says Tinker. “That may change now.” According tc Tinker, the Investigative Reports program is expected to air late this year or early next year. MHRC issues honors applications must be received no later than 4 pm on Nov. 8. The Metropolitan Human Rights Commission recently announced winners of several awards honoring individuals and organizations for their work on behalf of human rights. The winners included: Love Makes a Family, an organization that addresses issues relating to gay and lesbian families, which received a Community Harmony Recognition Award; Portland attorney Charles Hinkle, who has argued every case against the Oregon Citizens Alliance in the state of Oregon, who won the Mayor’s Human Rights Award; and KBOO 90.7 FM Radio, which received the M HRC Non-Profit Diversity Award for its long service to the community. Susan Onstott has been appointed executive director of Our House of Portland, a residential care facility for people living with AIDS. Prior to joining Our House, Onstott was a self- employed psychotherapist and spiritual director. She was also a chief operating officer of Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc. in The Dalles. Our House of Portland is a private, nonprofit organization with 40 employees and more than 200 volunteers located in a residential neighbor hood in Southeast Portland. Pride Foundation granting cycle underway Smith says he would have backed ENDA Applications are available for the Pride Foundation’s 1996-97 granting cycle. An esti mated $50,000 is available to fund programs of nonprofit organizations serving the sexual mi norities community. Funding provided during the winter cycle is targeted toward projects and programs that ben efit lesbian and gay families with children. Projects must operate in one or more of the five Northwest states: Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Application packets are available from the Pride Foundation, 1202 E Pike St., Suite 1001, Seattle, W A 98112; 1 -800-735-7287. Completed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gordon Smith, who in past campaigns has readily accepted endorsements from the anti-gay Oregon Citizens Alliance, says he would have voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, federal leg islation that recently fell to defeat by one vote. The bill would have prohibited, in some cases, employment discrimination based on sexual ori entation. Following the vote, Oregon Log Cabin Republicans asked Smith to take a position on ENDA. Both Log Cabin and the Smith campaign confirm the candidate’s position on the measure. Onstott to helm Our House Compiled by Inga Sorensen