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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1997)
8 ▼ march 21, 1997 ▼ just out SUCK Transitions.. A A new group for Queer and questioning youth in Beaverton! r 4■* 4 4 4 4 4 ■* 4 4 4 4 M 4 FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL! <4 t W ed nesd ays from 3:30-5:00pm C ed ar Park R ecreation C enter (11640 SW Parkway in Beaverton) 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 More info: (503) 223-8299 Bumper Stickers Postcards Novelties fcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAi New Home Of Eirttt-lrliiily art id ! accessaries 122 NE 28th Portland 503-235-5343 202 Cascade St. Hood River 541-387-2482 national news 4 4 Rights linked to marriage? Let me count the w a ys ... A new congressional report—quietly released six months after the Defense of Marriage Act was passed in Congress— identifies 1,049 federal laws in which, according to the General Accounting Office, “marital status is a factor, even though some of these laws may not directly create benefits, rights or privileges.” The study, which the GAO concedes did not and could not examine every law in the U.S. Code, was ordered last September by House Judi ciary Chairman Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.) at the behest of Steve Gunderson, former Republican con gressman for Wisconsin. Evan Wolfson, Marriage Project director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and co-counsel in the Hawaii marriage trial, expressed outrage that Congress approved DOMA before obtaining this information: “The GAO report fur ther proves our case for ending marriage discrim i nation. With so many legal protections and re sponsibilities linked only through civil marriage, it is not possible to devise individual contracts or domestic partner programs that could anticipate all these needs or replace this institution.” The 102-page report was finalized Feb. 7. Some o f the categories o f federal law that refer to marital status are: Social Security and related programs, housing and food stamps; veterans’ benefits; taxation; employment benefits; im m i gration; and trade and commerce. Copies o f the GAO report are available on the Internet at http: //www.gao.gov/ or from the Office o f General Counsel, U.S. General Accounting Office, W ash ington, DC 20548. Strong bones may forecast breast cancer risk No A Boston study of postmenopausal women indicates a link between bone density and breast cancer risk, corroborating a sim ilar study pub lished in the Journal o f the American Medical Association last November, reports The A ssoci ated Press. The current study found that older women with strong, healthy bones— believed to be the result of high lifetime exposure to the female sex hormone estrogen— have nearly four times the breast cancer risk o f women with weak bones. This could make bone strength the most conclusive predictor o f breast cancer risk over family history o f the disease, which increases risk two to three times. time clocks, no traffic reports, no children, no plans. Just you and a relaxing evening in your HotSpring portable spa. Optional. Life couldn't be better. If you're ready to experience relaxation like never before, visit Oregon HotSpring Spas. You'll find 14 different models of HotSpring and Tiger River spas and more options, accessories and ideas than anywhere else. You won t, however, have a choice when it comes to quality. HotSpring spas are the best you can buy. Our service records prove it. Research and testing by leading consumer m aga zines prove it. And our cus ARTHRITIS tomers prove it. In fact, quality fr'Mjr^rwvi V ». is one of the reasons HotSpring spas are America's best selling spa. Come in and see how easy it ; Ü É 1 J 2 .'* is to escape from reality in the " I t ü i ü w spd o f th*- '45 5tr<t4 of Drrarvt privacy of your own backyard. P O R T LA N D : (5 0 3 ) 253 3551 BEAV ER TO N : (5 0 3 ) 6 4 3 5002 SALEM (5 0 3 ) 363 4 0 0 0 BEND: ( 5 4 1 ) 388 0 9 0 5 Oregon HotSpring Spas Estrogen long has been suspected as a factor in the developm ent o f breast cancer: Going through puberty at an early age, having few or no children and having menopause late, which all increase a w om an’s lifetime exposure to estrogen, have for years been known risk factors. Receiving the hormone in birth control pills does not appear to affect the risk level, but not all experts are in agreement about the effects o f estrogen replace ment therapy for postmenopausal women. Douglas Kiel, geriatrics specialist at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged in Boston and co-author o f the study, cautioned that the findings should not dissuade women from trying to keep their bones healthy. W hile estrogen production has a potent influence on bone strength, exercise and dietary calcium also keep bones strong and healthy without increasing cancer risk. Kiel also said the studies do not constitute sufficient evi dence for or agai nst hormone replacement therapy since the bone density m easurem ents considered in the study are result o f the w om en’s estrogen levels during their reproductive years. Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor o f the Univer sity o f California at San Diego, however, said the study at least raises fresh doubts about this treat ment. She suggested that physicians should at least consider this new evidence when deciding to prescribe estrogen supplem ents. Same-sex domestic violence recognized as criminal A state appeals court in Cincinnati, Ohio, has ruled unanim ously that a homosexual can be considered a dom estic violence victim, reports United Press International. After Ronnie Yaden, 32, was convicted last year o f hitting his partner. Joe Fields, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, he attem pted to reverse the decision by arguing that the state’s dom estic violence law was not intended to include hom osexual relationships. The appellate ruling upholding Y aden’s convic tion is based on the fact that he and Fields were living together, presenting them selves as a couple and providing em otional support to one another. Y aden’s attorney, W illiam G allagher, ex pressed concern about the ruling, saying the ram i fications o f the decision could extend to room mates and not just same-sex couples. Yaden, who had been released on appellate bond during the case, will be required to serve the rem ainder o f his sentence unless he m akes an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court. STD-prevention programs work, need to be expanded Research published Feb. 28 by the Centers for Disease Control says two sexually transmitted disease prevention program s, one covering six mountain region states and another covering six mid-Atlantic states, resulted in chlam ydia infec tion reductions o f 16 percent and 31 percent among women younger than 20, echoing the results o f an earlier Pacific Northwest program that has reduced infections by tw o thirds since 1988. In 1995 nearly 500,000 cases o f chlam ydia were reported to the CD C, according to United Press International, m aking it the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States. A lthough accurate tests exist to identify chlam ydia in both men and wom en and effective antibiotic treatments are available, federal health officials say there are nevertheless about 3.5 million undiagnosed cases o f the disease. The estim ated cost o f caring for complications o f untreated chlam ydia reached $2 billion nation wide in 1994, whereas a com prehensive preven tion program would cost about $175 million, according to Judith W asserheit o f the C D C ’s STD division. She added that programs should be aimed at poor men and women and that chlam ydia screening should be standard for sexually active adolescents and young adults because the disease most often hits young people. San Diego AIDS agency closes its doors Already nearly $1 million in debt and facing the loss o f $1.5 million in federal contracts, the San Diego AIDS Foundation, the city’s oldest