2 ▼ d « c s m b « r O, 1 9 0 6 ▼ ju s t o ut
just out
s ince 1 9 8 3
steppin* out
PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
contents
VO L 14 NO. 3 DECEMBER 6,1996
Renée LaChance
COPY EDITOR
FEATURES
Kelly M. Bryan
REPORTERS
Hawaii: It’s a go!
Inga Sorensen
Bob Roehr
Rex Wockner
The decision is in our favor, but
don't mail those invitations yet,
as long court battles are
still ahead
CALENDAR EDITOR
Kristine Chat wood
(P- 23)
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
Here come the brides
OFFICE MANAGER
Two Portland lesbians beat the
system and marry legally
Cory Murphy
(P- 19)
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENTS
Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REPS
World news
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
Marty Davis
Siberia sees its first
lesbian and gay film festival
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
(P- 4)
E. Ann Hinds
National news
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
FORMATTER
Christopher D. Cuttone
TYPESETTER
Christopher D. Cuttone
DISTRIBUTION
Kathy Bethel
Rachel Ebora
Daria Moyer-Sims
Donald Rogers
Megan Weber
CONTRIBUTORS
Christopher D. Cuttone
Lee Lynch
Jeffrey L. Newman
Will O’Bryan
Dale Reynolds
Richard Shumate
Daniel Vaillancourt
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
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guest editorial
God rest ye , m e rry
legislators
The departure this session of sympathetic lawmakers in both parties leaves
national sexual minority rights groups with some hard choices
Kerry Lobel takes the lead at
NGLTF; an FDA panel deadlocks
on approving a new AIDS drug
(PP- 5-12)
Local news
An anti-hate conference's
location is shifted due to
prejudice; Julie Davis bids adieu
to Basic Rights Oregon
(PP- 13-17)
COLUMNS
Stonewall baby
Life with “Mr. Xm as”
means big changes
(P- 41)
by Bob Roehr
esbians and gay men may soon look back at the
departing Republican Congress with fondness: The
next one has the potential to be much less friendly
to their concerns.
The Senate has been the more amicable cham
ber. But some of the most supportive Republican members will
not be there come January, people like Mark Hatfield, Bill
Cohen, Nancy Kassebaum and even Bob Dole. While Dole
certainly was not a champion of sexual minority rights, he
showed little inclination to advance the gay-bashing social
agenda of the religious right as the business of the Senate. His
successor, Trent Lott, has shown no such reticence, having
appeared in an anti-gay video. And the new Republican sena
tors are on the whole more socially conservative than those they
replace.
The situation in the House is, if anything, more discourag
ing. Newt Gingrich tended to limit anti-gay activities because
he saw them as distracting from his principle concerns, which
have an economic and libertarian bent.
He also had the able counsel of Steve Gunderson (R-Wisc.)
both to alert him to anti-gay implications of bills and argue for
a different course of action. Gunderson will no longer be there,
and it is questionable whether Gingrich will remain as Speaker
due to unresolved ethics charges. Believe it or not, Gingrich
was a moderating voice among House Republican leadership.
Any successor team would likely be more amenable to the
programs of social conservatives.
Gunderson’s retirement takes away one of the most effec
tive voices on gay and lesbian issues in the Republican caucus,
on the floor of the House and in building ties with Democrats.
He will be sorely missed. So too will the retiring Gerry Studds
(D-Mass.), another effective advocate who could work with
Republicans on some issues.
Barney Frank (D-Mass.) remains as an openly gay member
of the House, one of its most facile debaters on the floor. But his
strength and temperament is that of a highly partisan Democrat,
not a bipartisan consensus builder. The other remaining openly
gay member is the newly outed and acknowledged Jim Kolbe
(R-Ariz.). His past record and legislative interests do not
encourage one to believe that he will fill the existing leadership
vacuum on gay and lesbian issues.
Compounding these losses is the increased polarization of
the two parties along geographic and philosophical lines.
House Republicans have become even more dominated by
social conservatives from the South.
Two years ago, when Republicans won control of both
houses of Congress for the first time in four decades, most
liberal and sexual minority groups practiced what many called
denial: They decided to “tough it out” until this aberration
passed and Democrats returned to power.
Their strategy in 1996 was not to play the interest group
game of contributing to candidates of both parties but to place
their financial and organizational support overwhelmingly
behind Democrats. They lost the bet, however, and now must
face the increased irritation of the Republicans.
Perhaps one can “tough it out” for two years, but not forever.
History tells us that the party of the president suffers its greatest
congressional losses in the second mid-term election, after he
has been in the White House for six years. Thus it seems almost
inevitable that Republican control of Congress not only will be
maintained in the 1998 election, it will be strengthened.
Our national organizations claim to be nonpartisan or bipar
tisan. In truth, they have worked primarily with Democrats.
That will not be enough these next four years. Their options are
stark. One is simply to put the national legislative agenda of the
lesbian and gay community on hold until Democrats regain
Congress. The other is to become truly bipartisan, with a
balanced approach representing the interests of the gay and
lesbian community before both parties.
It is a daunting challenge, perhaps even more difficult than
it would have been two years ago. But there is little choice. The
community can demand no less.
Amazon trail
Queerdom comprises
not only the brave
(p. 42)
ARTS
Television
Patrick Bristow is out—
and working—in LA .
(p- 31)
Music
k.d. lang on the life o f a
lesbian poster child;
rediscovering Strayhom
(PP-
33, 37)
Books
Dancing Around the Volcano
seeks to heat up gay male sex
(p. 35)
Theater
Quilters and Tuna Christmas
expose Middle America
(p. 38)
Entertainment
Rhodessa Jones tells
"Blue Stories ” at PICA
(p. 39)