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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1997)
Just o u t ▼ m arch 7. 1 0 0 7 ▼ 17 SMUT! COMIX! WEIRDNESS! That’s right, kids, you won’t find any books filled with big words here at CounterMedia. Too bard on the brain! What you will find is Portland's best assortment of: o Old gay physique mags and nudie mags o Gay photo and art erotica o Hard-to-find gay mags (T*R*A*S*H, STH) o Erotic gay fiction and non-fiction Plus, of course, the usual stuff on (yawn) body piercing, serial killers, drugs and freaks. CounterMedia: One-stop shopping for Portland’s depraved! 927 SW Oak (half a block from Powell's). ll-7M-Sat, 12-6 Sun. Nelson loses Washington high court deals another blow to the right of journalists to political activism on personal time T by Inga Sorensen he Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that a newspaper may pro hibit political activism by its reporters to protect its credibility. The Feb. 20 ruling stems from a years-long battle involving Sandy Nelson, a jour nalist who was reassigned to a nonreporting posi tion after campaigning for a lesbian and gay rights measure. In its decision, the court held that a state law protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of their political activities does not apply to newspapers. Justice Richard Sanders wrote, in part: “Edito rial integrity and credibility are core objectives of editorial control and thus merit protection under the free press clauses.” Nelson, you may recall, was removed from her re porting position in 1990 by her editors at the News Tribune, a Tacoma daily, because she was actively involved in political causes, specifically sexual minority rights. She was transferred to the copy desk, a job she previously told Just Out she “abso lutely deplores.” Nelson, an award-win ning education reporter, began working for the News Tribune in 1983. At that time, newsroom em- S°ndy Nelson ployees were represented by the Pacific North west Newspaper Guild Local 82, and their con tract 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 activity on the grounds that such a prohibition was needed to ensure that the paper protected its “appearance of neutrality.” Nelson, other reporters and their union de nounced the proposal as a violation of newsroom workers’ rights to free speech and association, saying management had committed an unfair la bor 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. a Even though her politi- S cal activism never over- | lapped with her work as an jjj education reporter, she was o told she must discontinue ® all political activities in or- o der to work as a reporter. Nelson refused and filed a lawsuit against the News Tribune in 1993, claiming the newspaper violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act, a 1992 law that prohibits employers from discriminating against workers for “in any way supporting or opposing a candidate, ballot proposition, political party or political committee.” Last year a judge dismissed the claim on grounds that the First Amendment allows news papers to control the content of their publications. Five members of the high court agreed, while two dissented, saying the newspaper cannot claim immunity from the Fair Campaign Practices Act. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wash ington backed Nelson’s case and considered it to be a groundbreaking case for the political rights of Washington workers. Nelson expressed disappointment with the outcome, and will ask the high court to reconsider its decision. She says she’s willing to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if need be. Multicultural center opens at PSU Bisexual group blasts An open house for Building Bridges, Portland State University’s new multicultural resource center and lending library, will be held March 7 from 3 to 7 pm. The center, located at PSU’s Sixth Avenue Building, offers a lending library of geographical and topical artifacts, and educational materials including videotapes and books for children and adults. The materials represent the combined re sources of the Multicultural Resource Center, Oregon Peace Institute, World Affairs Council, Oregon International Council, and PSU’s Middle East Studies Center and Institute of Asian Studies. For more information, call PSU’s Office of International Affairs at 725-5859. Angered over a personals advertisement policy it calls discriminatory, the Portland Bisexual Al liance protested a Valentine’s Day dance spon sored by Willamette Week. PBA is unhappy that the weekly newspaper’s policy calls for bisexuals’ personals to be placed under the category “Other,” regardless of where they would like their ads to run. The demonstration was held during Willamette Week's “Cupid, Culture & Cocktails Bash” on Feb. 14 at the Portland Art Museum’s North Wing. ' ■ - ‘ * \ P ' - Willamette Week Compiled by Inga Sorensen Pray ers for Bolihy Portland Gay Men’s Chorus with soprano soloist Margie Boule Portland March 21 • 8:00 p.m. March 23 • 7:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church Vancouver March 22 • 8:00 p.m. State School for the Deaf Tickets to the performance, which chronicles the life and death of a Portland-area gay youth through his diaries, can be purchased at: Gay Pied (Northwest Broadway), A Gentle Strength Bookstore (Vancouver, WA), and Jelly Beans (SW 10th) or call (503) 699-8586. Florist 775 7334 1 - 800 - 779-0735 "For the, usual...to unusual" L et us be y o u rflo ra l a r tis t W ellincji Special Occasion, m patlw Occasions Beau, D’s Creations U n iti. 7815 S.E. Powell Boulevarl Portlanl, Oregon, 97206-2350 North Portland Veterinary Hospital Like any family m em ber our pets need good healthcare. 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