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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1997)
ju st o u t T n o v sm b o r 2 1 , 1 9 9 7 ▼ 3 just out since 1983 steppin’ out PUBUSHER AND EDITOR contents Renée LaChance VOL. 15 NO. 2 NOVEMBER 21, 1997 ASSISTANT EDITOR Kelly M. Bryan FEATURE NEWS EDITOR Inga Sorensen Gray liberation! REPORTERS Elder gay men and lesbians may face particular issues of isolation and invisibility, but they 've got some creative solutions up their sleeves Bob Roehr Rex W ockner EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Christopher D. Cuttone Will O ’Bryan (p. 19) CALENDAR EDITOR Kristine Chatwood DEPARTMENTS PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Kliewer World news OFFICE MANAGER Will O ’Bryan The Netherlands prepares to legalize traditional marriage for same-sex couples ADVERTISING DIRECTOR (p- 4) Meg Grace National news ADVERTISING REP Marty Davis CREATIVE DIRECTOR E. Ann Hinds Partners in life and work Ruth Gundle (left) and Judith Barrington accept the Stewart H. Holbrook Award at the Oregon Book A wards ceremony held Nov. 6. The two collaborate on projects like Soapstone, Eighth Mountain Press and Flight of the Mind; the Holbrook award is given for outstanding contribution to Oregon's literary life. GRAPHIC DESIGN Rupert Kinnard PRODUCTION Christopher D. Cuttone DISTRIBUTION Kathy Bethel Marcia Cook James Galluzzo Clancy Johnston Valerie Lutz Retta Offinga Jeminie Shell CONTRIBUTORS Patrick Collins Beren deM otier Gip Plaster Suzanne Sigmund Paul Varnell ju st out is published on the first and th ird F rid a y o f each m o n th . Copyright © 1997 hy just out No part of just out may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. T he subm ission o f w ritten and grap h ic m a te ria ls is w elcom ed. W ritten m aterial should 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 articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. L etters to the ed ito r should be limited to 500 words. Deadline for submissions to the editorial department 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 d isplay 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 Friday for the next issue, along with payment. Ads may be accepted by telephone with VISA or MasterCard payment. Ad policy. No sexually exploitative advertising will be accepted. Compensation for errors in. or cancellation of, advertising will be made with credit toward future advertising. Subscriptions are for $17.50 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues. A copy of ju st out is available for $2. Advertising rates are available on request. Contact Ju st OUt at PO Box 14400, Portland. OR 97293-0400; (503) 236-1252, advertising: 236-1253, fax: 236-1257, e-mail: justoutfojustout.com. editorial Forum or against 'em Clinton attends HRC dinner, cheerfully brushing off ACT UP protesters; U.S. Rep Barney Frank proposes domestic partner benefits for federal employees (pp. 5-10) Local news Readers who came to Just Out’s forum and social on Nov. 10 were kind in general , but they did air a few concerns ▼ The Oregon Health Division wants to extend names reporting to people who test HIV positive; share in the commemoration o f World AIDS Day at the Portland Art Museum; SPIRIT helps empower women o f color and low-income women o f all orientations by Renée LaChance (pp. 11-17) t was a virgin experience for Just Out — a public forum for readers to meet the staff, give feedback and share concerns. Nearly 40 people turned out to dialogue and share purple-and-pink anniversary cake with us. Guadalupe Guajardo facilitated, and Juliette Gallucci was on hand to do sign interpreting. After brief staff introduc tions, forum participants were asked to let us know what they appreciate about the paper. Adrienne W eller of Radical W omen liked the increased coverage o f free-speech issues. The newly crowned Imperial Sovereign Rose Court Empress Tonya Rose valued that Just Out lets her know what is going on and how we can help one another. ISRC Emperor Barry Burns found Just Out's adver tising especially helpful: He likes to support community busi nesses and he looks to our classifieds first. Donna Luckett expressed appreciation as a local musician for Just Out's calendar, which provides free listings so readers can find out who is perform ing w here and w hen. M argaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan seconded that emotion, saying the calendar is an excellent resource. Four staff members made short statements. I relayed the story of Just Out's conception, when Jay Brown and I decided to begin a lesbian and gay paper o f our own. Creative Director E. Ann Hinds talked about the struggles staff have faced around death and dying and trying to get a newspaper out while accommodating various stages of grief and care-taking. Graphic Designer Rupert Kinnard spoke about the priority Just Out has given to graphic integrity from the first issue and how unusual that was when we began. Advertising Director Meg Grace thanked the businesses that gambled on us in our very first year. (Among those who still advertise with us today: Bridgetown Realty, H obo’s, Escentiai Lotions and Oils, Sue Davis of Bender Properties, Food Front Cooperative Grocery, Phoenix Rising, Portland Gay M en’s Chorus, Cinema 21, Downey Insurance, Renée Augrain, Circle Healthcare Clinic, KBOO Community Radio, the M en’s Resource Center, Pat Chance, and The See Vue.) Guadalupe then asked the audience for com m ents and que ries. H ere’s what was discussed, in distilled form: • How are decisions made regarding what gets covered and what doesn’t? Just Out's policy is to prioritize events based on the follow ing criteria in the following order: Did the information get to us by deadline? Is it specifically oriented to sexual minorities o f all colors? Is it specifically oriented to marginalized groups? Is it produced by, written by, directed by or starring a sexual m inor ity? Does it involve an advertiser? Is it of general interest to our readers? • How can Just Out improve sensitivity on reporting trans sexual issues? It was agreed that editorial staff would meet with members of the transsexual community to hear their concerns. • What can the wider community do to keep supporting./usf Out ? Don’t assume we know everything. If you hear o f something you think would be o f interest to others in the community, call, fax ore-m ail to let us know. We may not have heard about it, and we hate to find out about things when it’s too late to get it in the paper. • Is it true there are problems with distribution? If so, what can be done? Distribution is our Achilles’ heel. We currently have a troop of individuals who take on one or more of eight possible routes. If someone doesn’t show up and our alternates are unavailable, sometimes a route gets done later than we would wish. We can always use reliable people who are willing to work consistently and very part time. Before we cut the cake, Donna Luckett made a final com ment that participants applauded: She said sometimes what she reads in Just Out makes her so angry she never wants to read the paper again, and sometimes she is so moved it makes her cry. She said she likes that we take her to those extremes, and that’s what she wants in a community newspaper. We hope that’s what you want too. COLUMNS I kid you not I t’s easy to take what you've got for granted (p. 37) ARTS Comedy Comic Georgia Ragsdale has moved her riotous riffs to Portland (P- 31) Cinema Lilies brings beautiful imagery and rare depth to the screen (p. 33) Books One scholar promotes lesbian visibility in ancient history; a new workbook helps gay men work through complex feelings (pp. 34-35) Entertainment A World AIDS Day art auction benefits Our House o f Portland (p. 36)