Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1997)
8 ▼ novcmkwr 21, 1987 ▼ Just out www.enchantedbluewave.com national news ENCHANTED BLUE WAVE BED & BREAKFAST Eating an d running T he N orthwest ’ s O riginal L uxury OCEANFRONT B&B FOR WOMEN HAS R eopened ! Clinton makes the grand gesture of attendance at an HRC dinner, but will he put his policy where his mouth is? OCEANVIEW ROOMS-GRAND PIANO-PRIVATE OUTDOOR SPA-VCR & MOVIES-BIG SCREEN TV- CALL (360) 642-3471 • Gay books & cards • Exclusive selection of specialty magazines • Video rentals/sales, novelties & gifts 1004 41st Place, Seaview, WA • New Web Page! www.gaipied.com CHAMPAGNE-POOL ROOM-CONT. BREAKFAST 2 NIGHT MINIMUM WEEKENDS. 3 NIGHTS HOLIDAYS WHOLE HOUSE RENTAL AVAILABLE 2 5 4 4 NE Broadway 331-1125 Portland, OR 97232 Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area ombard W ▼ For the Gay Man in Your Life FITNESS ROOM-TOYS-MARBLE FIREPLACE- 503/286-1330 E R S Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD • PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 2 » » a W A U r flT r SEE LIS FOR ALL YOUR COLLISION REPAIR NEEDS by Bob Roehr ’m delighted to be here.” W ith that simple phrase Bill Clinton became the first sitting president to attend a gay and lesbian event. The symbolism far outweighed the words he spoke, and the audience roared back its appreciation. A capacity crowd o f 1,500 tuxedoed and gowned supporters o f the Human Rights Cam paign paid $250 a plate to gather at the Grand Hyatt a half dozen blocks from the W hite House for the Nov. 8 gala dinner. Celebs Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche, dressed in matching white dinner jackets, quietly slipped in through the back door. Applause, then a standing ovation, rippled like a wave before them as they worked their way down the barely perceivable main aisle o f the crowded room to ward the head table. Elizabeth Birch, H R C ’s executive director, told the audience, “ Because our needs were al most as great as our expectations, it was inevi table that we— you and this community— would including you and those you represent— have got to be a part of it. He restated his support o f END A. “ Being gay, the last time I thought about it, seemed to have nothing to do with the ability to read a balance book, fix a broken bone, or change a spark plug,” he told the crowd. “W hat counts is energy and honesty and tal ent. No arbitrary distinction should bar the w ay,” he continued. “When we deny opportunity be cause of ancestry or religion, race or gender, disability or sexual orientation, we break the compact. It is wrong and it should be illegal.” While Clinton discussed ENDA, he did not mention another bill he signed into law, the De fense o f Marriage Act, aimed at preventing the legalization of same-sex unions. At two points during his speech, Clinton was briefly interrupted by protesters from ACT UP who shouted, “People with AIDS are dying.” The chief executive shrugged it off, saying, “I ’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t been “We all know there is continuing discrimination against gays and lesbians, ” the president told the crowd “But we also know that if we are ever going to build one America, then all Americans including you and those you represent have got to be a part of it. ” . — — President Clinton Life withouUimfts t A t The Com puter Store, with twenty years of experience, we really Apple" Power Macintosh know Apple"' Macintosh^. W hen you come in to see ( U MR RAM/4G HD/24.X CD-ROM) us, you won’t just be sold Monitor Sold separately a box - you’ll walk away a real solution tailored to your unique lifestyle. the computer store ■ Solutions, Support & Satisfaction 700 NE Multnomah, Portland 503 - 238-1200 experience both shared disappointment and some disagreement. But, Mr. President, you have played a brave and powerful and indispensable role in the march toward justice for us, and all Americans. We ask only to be treated as other Americans would wish to be treated if, as they grew up, they found themselves in our place.” Birch em phasized areas o f com m onalty with C linton, particularly support for the federal Em- » ploym ent N on-D iscrim ination Act, which HRC has made the cornerstone o f its legislative agenda. She avoided areas in w hich HRC and Clinton disagree, including allow ing openly gay and lesbian people to serve in the m ilitary and granting equal m arriage rights for sam e-sex couples. here tonight.” He defended his record to thunder ous applause. It was the only time he mentioned the subject of HIV during his remarks. Clinton also asked for support in the confirm a tion fight for Bill Lann Lee, his nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights. Many Republican senators oppose Lee because of his strong support for affirmative action. Clinton met backstage with DeGeneres, but declined to do so on camera. The actress was there to receive an award for coming out last spring. Clinton did not express an opinion about the fact that the television comedy series Ellen re cently portrayed its lead character as coming out of the closet. (Vice President A1 Gore recently came under fire from conservatives for praising Ellen in a Hollywood speech. he president, his voice edged with huski Also honored were Dorothy Height and Wade ness, spoke of the numerous lesbians and Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. gay men serving in his administration, from special assistant Virginia Apuzzo to Hal Creel at Outside the hotel, protesters occupied three the Maritime Administration. different street comers. About 10 members of the “ I want us to come together across all our lines aggressively anti-gay Fred Phelps clan from Kan o f differences into one America. That is my sas stood on one corner with signs reading “God vision,” said Clinton, who received a three-minute Hates Fags.” standing ovation and cheers. Another group o f demonstrators protested “We all know there is continuing discrim ina Clinton’s “legitimatization” o f “the homosexual tion against gays and lesbians,” the president told lifestyle,” but tried to disassociate themselves the crowd. “ But we also know that if we are ever from Phelps. Their signs read, “Ellen Can Change.” going to build one America, then all Americans— AIDS activists occupied the other corner. T