2 ▼ July 1 8 , 1 9 9 7 ▼ ju st ou t
just out
since 1 9 83
PUBLISHER A N D EDITOR
Renée LaChance
steppin’ out
NEW S EDITOR
Inga Sorensen
VOL 14 NO. 18 JULY 18, 1997
FEATURE
COPY EDITOR
Kelly M. Bryan
Booking
into summer
REPORTERS
Bob Roehr
Rex Wockner
And that calls fo r a reading list.
Tuck into these covers when
you ’re sporting Lycra by the pool
or ducking under a cafe awning
waiting fo r the sun.
CALENDAR EDITOR
Kristine Chatwood
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
(p. 19)
OFFICE M ANAGER
Will O’Bryan
DEPARTMENTS
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REP
Marty Davis
World news
New leader o f Britain's
Conservative Party says
same-gender marriage
is A-OK with him
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
(p 4)
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
FORMATTER/TYPESETTER
Christopher D. Cuttone
National news
U.S. Supreme Court protects
cyberspeech, gives states right to
ban doctor-assisted suicide;
“don’t ask, don 7 tell” struck
down July 2 by district court
DISTRIBUTION
Kathy Bethel
Lynette Boatman
Rachel Ebora
Jim Galluzzo
CONTRIBUTORS
Kelly M. Bryan
Christopher D. Cuttone
Beren deMotier
Jeffrey L. Newman
Will O’Bryan
Flora Sussely
just out is published on the Hrst an d
th ird F rid a y o f each m o n th . Copyright
© 1997 by Just out No pan ot just out
may be reproduced without written permission
from the publisher
T he subm ission of w ritten and g rap h ic
m a te ria ls is w elcom ed. W ritten material
stxHild be typed and double-spaced just out
reserves the right to edit for gram m ar,
punctuation, style, liability concerns and
length We will reject or edit an icles or
adveniscments that are offensive, demeaning
or may result in legal action Just out
consults the Associated Press Stylehook and
Ijhel Manual on editorial decisions.
L etters to the ed ito r should be limited to
500 words. Deadline for submissions to the
editorial depanment and for the C alen d ar is
the Thursday before the first and third Friday
for the next issue. Views expressed in letters to
the editor, colum ns and features are not
necessarily those of the publisher,
The display a d v e rtisin g deadline is the
Monday after the first and third Friday for the
next issue
Classified ads must be received at the Just
out office by 3 pm the Monday after the first
and third F riday for the next issue, along with
paym ent Ads will not be taken over the
telephone
Ad policy No sexually exploitative
advertising will be accepted Compensation for
errors in. or cancellation of. advertising will he
made with credit toward future advertising
Subscriptions to Just out are available
for $17 50 for 12 issues First Class (in an
envelope) is $30 for 12 issues
A copy ol Just out is available for $2.
Advertising rates are available on request
T he m ailing a d d re ss an d telep h o n e
num bers for Just out are PO Box 14400,
Portland. OR 97293-0400. (503) 236-1252.
The phone num ber for the advertising
department is 236-1253. Our fax number is
236-1257.
O ur
e-m ail
address
is
JustOut2@ao! com
(PP 5-9)
guest editorial
Promising vision
Stepped up anti-gay mobilization by the right wing is being effectively countered
by firmer commitment and broadening our base of support
by K e r r y Lobel
s 1 travel the country I am both heartened and
ality violates God’s creative design for a husband and a wife and
impressed with the level of energy and expertise of
is a sin.” McCartney made his plans clear when he said, “Many
the activists I meet. At the same time, I am aware
of you feel like you have been in a war for a long time, yet the
that we face an increasingly organized and insidi fiercest fighting is just ahead. God has brought us here to
ous opposition. We are witnessing an unprec prepare us. Let’s proceed. It’s wartime!”
edented wave of organized and orchestrated intolerance, Finally,
per just a few weeks ago, a conference of right-wing
petrated by leaders of the right and targeting our communities.
political activists and academics came together in Washington,
Recently, three major movements have signaled a heating
D.C., at Georgetown University to demonize the gay and
lesbian community in the name of science and scholarship. The
up of anti-gay rhetoric and mobilization against the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and trans communities, signaling a step up in
benign-sounding conference “Homosexuality and American
the “culture wars.” The actions and words coming out of these
Public Life” included a who’s who of right-wing homophobes,
including Robert Knight of the Family Research Council, who
groups are cause for real concern.
argues that “there is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the
Just last month, the Southern Baptist Convention took the
homosexual subculture.” Ex-gay Anthony Falzarano claims
unusual and extreme step— in the name of preserving family
values—of asking its members to participate in a national
that the gay community “has been working for the last 30 years
like an army of termites, secretly eating away the floorboards of
boycott of one of the world’s most family-oriented corpora
moral integrity in this country.”
tions. They ask for the full-scale rejection of Tigger and
Where is the silver lining? Our response to these acts has
Mickey because of Walt Disney Co.’s “gay friendly” policies,
including domestic partner benefits and Ellen’s coming out.
been heartening. In rejecting the boycott, many are voicing
They cite Disney’s active participation in America’s moral
support for Disney and its policies, including President Clinton.
Coalitions are coming together in cities and towns across the
decline. The Rev. Tom Elliff, president of the Southern Baptist
Convention, referred to gay men and lesbians as “moral trash.” country to expose the true agenda of the Promise Keepers. And
a broad range of scholars, students and organizations are com
All summer. Promise Keepers will be mobilizing for its
ing forward to challenge the bigotry of pseudoscience.
massive gathering of 1 million Christian men at the foot of the
The more we organize our supporters, the more marginalized
steps of the U.S. Capitol this October. Although they claim to
the right wing becomes. We must be clear about our vision. Our
be a movement of Christian men living their lives by biblical
country must move into the future guided on the principles of
values, in fact their leadership is closely linked to right wing
organizations. Founder Bill McCartney has gained national
freedom and equality.
notoriety for his anti-gay rhetoric, declaring that “homosexu
ality is an abomination of Almighty God," and that gay people
Kerry Lobel is the executive director
are “curable.” Promise Keepers’ literature reads, “homosexu
o f the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
A
Local news
Weary legislators recap the wins
and losses o f the past session at
RTP’s Garden Party;
heroic dogs (and humans) will
walk fo r a cause on July 27
(PP- 1M7)
ARTS
Music
Erasure’s Andy Bell
makes his mark
(P- 29)
Cinema
NW Film Center series spotlights
the varied visions o f
women filmmakers
(p 31)
Theater
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Phantom haunts the stage
at Portland Opera
(p- 32)
Entertainment
Ginsberg films honor a lost
poet provocateur; gender outlaw
Kate Bomstein brings her
one-person show to Portland
(p. 33)
Books
A new roster o f writers add
"Lammy winner” to their bios
(P 34)