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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1997)
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CORNER OF 9th & WASH. were embraced in her love,” gay activist Balazs any gay men and lesbians are in consolable over the death of Prin Palfy told the crowd. “Let us bow our heads to pay tribute to a great woman.. .who died senselessly cess Diana, given her devotion to people with AIDS and her out after a meaningful life radiating love to those in need of it.” wardly fabulous lifestyle. “Diana’s impact upon the lesbian and Palfy gay also said Hungarian gay men and lesbi ans should “declare we exist and want to start world is almost without parallel,” said Paul normal communications with the rest of society.” Clements, editor of the Pink Paper, a London gay Hundreds of other tributes to Diana took place weekly. “She single-handedly destigmatized HIV when she opened Britain’s first HIV ward in around the globe. “She was in so many ways a mirror of our own 1987, and was supportive to the core.” ‘The only time I felt so moved by somebody’s humanity writ large, complete with all its para death was with [Queen’s lead singer] Freddie doxes and contradictions, all its struggle to find Mercury,” Paul, 42, told Agence France-Press as meaning in life and to find love, which is perhaps he sat in a cafe in central London’s Soho district. why so many of us thought of her as one of us,” “I felt tears coming to my eyes,” added a 27- said another admirer. year-old patron at the Soho gay pub Compton’s. “I had to wake everyone up in the house and go in to their bedrooms and hold them.” Compton’s was closed for Diana’s funeral on Sept. 6. The huge disco GAY observed a minute of si lence in honor of “the fairy tale princess.” Local gay groups staged candlelight vigils in several cities. “What she did for AIDS victims in those days by shaking hands with them when everyone daren’t touch them in case they were affected by AIDS, it was fantastic,” another gay pub crawler, John, told Agence France-Press. “She showed people there was nothing to worry about...the straight popu lation in Britain would like to play down the fact that 50 percent of her charity work was involved with gays.” The princess was known to visit AIDS patients at London Lighthouse in the middle of the night in order to elude photographers. “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their Meanwhile, gay icon Madonna charged that hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they society is to blame for Di’s death. need it,” she said in one 1991 speech. “As much as I want to blame the press, we all “Princess Diana set a wonderful example for have blood on our hands,” the pop goddess said. all of us by her concern for the poor, the op “All of us, even myself, bought those magazines pressed, the hurting and the sick,” the Rev. Billy and read them. Until we no longer feel that it is our Graham said in the United States. “[She] was one right to read about people’s private lives, and until of our first public figures to...hold a man with we lose our fascination with scandal and sensa AIDS.” tional journalism, we are never going to act. It is “With one royal handshake given to a young all our fault. man with AIDS in the late 1980s, Diana forever “I have been chased through that same tunnel changed the face of AIDS for the world,” added so many times I have lost count,” Madonna added. David Harvey, executive director of the U.S. “I felt outraged and helpless.... Freedom of the National AIDS Policy Center forChildren, Youth press, yes. I’m all for it. Write whatever you want and Families. to write, but you cannot stalk people and take In San Francisco, more than 10,000 mourners pictures of them inside their bedroom windows, staged a candlelight march from the gay and or chase them through towns at 100 miles per lesbian Castro district to the British consulate on hour.... [Diana] was caged. The only hope I can the eve of the funeral. see coming from all this.. .is that now she is free.” In Budapest, Hungary, 500 gay people gath Britain’s National AIDS Trust is collecting ered at Vorsomart Square to honor the princess. messages of tribute to Diana, which can be mailed News agencies said it was the city’s first gay and to NAT, New City Cloisters, 188-196 Old Street, lesbian public event. London, EC1V 9FR, UK, or e-mailed to "We...cherish her memory because we also diana@nat.org.uk. Mon-Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 Serving Portland and its suburban areas with unsurpassed quality and service 4848 SE Division St. Portland, OR 97206 7819 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97215 236-4119 256-2920 o T*l«flora YOU HIV Queers worldwide mourn the death of a woman who embraced people with AIDS and ‘radiated love to those in need’ 248-9511 TABOR FL0RI5T ARE A friend is lost NEGATIVE? Do you want to get together with other HIV negative guys? Are you worried about staying negative? Is it hard talking about being HIV negative with your HIV positive friends? A support group for HIV negative gay and bisexual men is now forming. To sign up telephone G eoff at 2 2 3 . 5 9 0 7 , extension 145 Speak to Your Brothers is a program of Cascade AIDS Project u n SPEAK TO YOUR e |BROTHEnS| mmmm M P H O TO B Y TIM H A M I D ’ S PERSIAN RUGS