ju st o u t ▼ d s c s m b s r 5. 1007 ▼ 3
just out
since 1983
contents
PUBUSHER AND EDITOR
Renée LaChance
VOL. 15 NO. 3 DECEMBER 5, 1997
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Kelly M. Bryan
FEATURE
NEWS EDITOR
Inga Sorensen
Sweet charity
REPORTERS
Bob Roehr
Rex Wockner
Goodwill and helpfulness to
those in need are gifts that
keep giving all year ’round
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES
Christopher D. Cuttone
Will O ’Bryan
(p. 23)
DEPARTMENTS
CALENDAR EDITOR
Kristine Chatwood
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
World news
I LG A may regain U.N.
consultative status
OFFICE MANAGER
Will O ’Bryan
(p. 6)
National news
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REP
Marty Davis
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
The Northwest Afrikan American Ballet took the stage in a whirl o f rhythm and color Dec.l, as the opening performance
at World AIDS Day ceremonies held at the Portland Art Museum’s North Wing. Some 550participants attended. The event
was sponsored in part by Metropolitan Community Church, the Portland Area Business Association and the Urban League.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
PRODUCTION
Christopher D. Cuttone
DISTRIBUTION
Kathy Bethel
Marcia Cook
James Galluzzo
Clancy Johnston
Valerie Lutz
Retta Offinga
Jeminie Shell
CONTRIBUTORS
Peter Cassels
Patrick Collins
Rachel Ebora
Paul Harris
Lee Lynch
Gip Plaster
Shawn Stewart Ruff
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guest editorial
NGLTF’s Creating Change
conference brings activists
together; Sex Panic! Summit
brings some activists together,
sets others apart
(pp. 7-13)
Local news
Phoenix Risings ’ PRIDE
Mentorship program stands to
lose county funding; BRO
proposes merger with RTP
(pp-14-19)
COLUMNS
Bully for you
Portland needs services to help men who are victims
of intimate violence
T
by E . A n n H inds
fter attending a recent Kaiser Permanente Confer­
ence on domestic violence, it struck me again just
how much denial, invisibility and stigma is at­
tached to the concept of men being abused by men
in our culture.
In Portland, there are still no services available for men who
need to find safe shelter to escape abusive domestic relation­
ships. There are no resources for young men who want to end
a “career” in the sex industry. There is certainly no social
support evident in our sexual minority communities for men
who are victims of intimate violence. What can be done to get
this issue out of the closet and to begin to address the needs of
countless men who find themselves in intolerable situations?
The resources in this town do at least exist to enable help for
women—although those resources are stretched taut. The
Council for Prostitution Alternatives is struggling just to stay
alive. The shelter at Bradley Angle House is always full.
We can be thankful that the services for women include
lesbians. Much work has been done by domestic violence
shelters in the past few years to make sure that issues of same-
sex violence among women are addressed. But knowing what
to do and finding the resources to provide the services remain
separate issues.
Other important aspects of domestic violence addressed at
the conference included abuse of the elderly, the disabled and
U.S. residents who don’t speak English or who are trapped by
immigration laws in situations of violence. These problems are
wide-ranging and cross gender and socio-economic lines. It
was reassuring to see that health care providers are making
themselves aware of indicators and methods of intervention,
creating new avenues for support.
We live in a culture that promotes violence. Men have to
break the stereotypes and the constant messages that define
them as people who can’t feel, can’t cry, must take it like a
man—or worse—dish it out in order to be manly. This analogy
A
I
can also apply to women who don’t identify as female and who
search for ways to manifest behaviors other than those imposed
by our culture’s view of women as vulnerable or powerless.
“Taking power” can go too far when we translate it as power
over another.
For those of us who are targets of another’s abuse, internal­
ized homophobia can feed into situations where the abuser
perceives us to be weak or worthless, especially if we buy into
those messages and behave as if we are undeserving.
The main message from the conference about same-sex
relationship violence, whether man to man or woman to woman,
is to view the dynamics of the relationship over time rather than
looking at a specific incident. Same-sex couples may appear to
be equal, but over time, if there is one who is more consistently
the underdog, take stock. If you suffer abuse, seek help. And
don’t stop until you get it! Talk to someone you can trust.
Isolation, invisibility and familiarity with the role (whether as
perpetrator or victim) are key factors in abusive relationships.
If you are outside the relationship, you can help by listening
well, offering support and reiterating for someone the ways in
which they have succeeded in providing for themselves. A sense
of economic dependence keeps anxiety high and independence
at bay. Breaking a cycle wherein a pattern of relating has
become an identity may feel impossible: patience, willingness
and persistence are basic ingredients to healing.
Remember, the only difference between violence against a
queer kid on the playground and a partner in the home may be
the level of intimacy.
For more information on domestic violence contact the
Bradley-Angle House Crisis Line at 281-2442. To volunteer
at Bradley-Angle House, call 282-9940.
For information on how to escape prostitution, or to
volunteer, contact the Council for Prostitution
Alternatives at 282-1082.
View from here
Is gay m en’s right to sexual
expression endangered?
(p. 5)
Youth
Finding support on the Net
(P- 21)
Stonewall baby
Toys: Xmas Ls a play thing
(p. 40)
Amazon trail
Good fortune to us, every one
(p- 41)
ARTS
Cinema
Go to Hell with some fiery
Latin Boys; ward off an Alien
Resurrection with the voodoo
mystique o f Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil
(pp. 33, 35)
Books
White’s Farewell Symphony
is the work o f a maestro
(pp. 36, 37)
Tongue in groove
Salt-n-Pepa peps it up
(p. 38)
Entertainment
In the Life pays tribute to
Allen Ginsberg
(p. 39)