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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 1997)
jus« o u t T d o co m b o r 1 9 , 1 9 9 7 T 1 3 local news The show will go on hen Anna Ellendman thinks about the music created by long time folk/pop performers Cris Williamson and Tret Fure, one Promotion of the ‘gay lifestyle ’ becomes an issue description immediately comes to mind—excellence. regarding a lesbian duofs Corvallis concert date “Their work is of such high quality and has T been for so many years,” says Ellendman, trea surer and concert coordinator for the Corvallis by Inga Sorensen Folklore Society, a nonprofit arts organization situated in a city often touted as one of Oregon’s more progressive and cultural enclaves. Given Williamson’s and Fure’s professional accomplishments—the two have worked singly and together on more than a dozen albums and attracted sell-out audiences for several years— the Corvallis Folklore Society was more than delighted to book the duo for an upcoming con cert. “Quite simply, they’re wonderful,” says Ellendman, adding that the society books be tween 20 and 30 concerts annually featuring a wide array of music and performers. She can recall no occasion where a performer was turned away—until now, that is. “Our first reaction was shock, then it was embarrassment for our community,” she says. Williamson and Fure, who not only perform together but are also life partners, had tentatively been slated to perform on March 6 in the 402-seat theater of the Ashbrook Independent School, a non-religious college preparatory school in Corvallis. According to Mike Meyer, a member of the Corvallis Folklore Society and producer of this concert, the facility, which can be rented for public performances, “is absolutely beautiful with Cris Williamson and Tret Fure state-of-the-art acoustics.” He says rental negotiations were moving avoid entertainment that blatantly ridicules or Tam Martin has served as the duo’s booking smoothly until school officials balked at concert endorses gay lifestyles. We are not concerned agent and artistic representative for 16 years. promotional materials which mentioned that with the sexual orientation of the renters, we are She says contrary to Gore’s take on the situa Williamson and Fure are “life partners.” concerned only with the intent to use the school as tion, Williamson and Fure were in no way going “I was asked to remove that wording. I said a platform for promotion of a sexual orientation.” to “promote” homosexuality while at Ashbrook. no,” he tells Just Out. Promotional materials sent to Ashbrook from “They were going to perform a collection of Meyer says he then requested to see the school’s Meyer comprised detailed professional biogra their hits over the years— that’s all,” she says. rental policy, which was drafted as a result of this phies of Williamson and Fure. “Sure they are partners, and they’re certainly not incident. A few personal tidbits are included in those going to hide that fact, but they’re also not going In a letter to Meyer dated Nov. 30, school bios, among them mention that when “Cris is not to be up on stage recruiting.” headmaster Dave Gore writes, in part: “You singing or writing, she’s teaching songwriting Meyer, meanwhile, calls this “a clear case of expressed.. .an interest in our policy towards rental and leading healing workshops. Otherwise, you’ll discrimination [because] the application was de of the school premises, and so I have enclosed a find her with Tret.. .in their garden.” And “When nied on the basis of [the duo’s] sexual orienta copy. The proposed use by Cris and Tret appears [Fure’s] not crisscrossing this country promoting tion.” to fall under the unacceptable listing No. 2 in that a new release, building a barn, writing or garden He is particularly disgusted with the rental it would use the school as a platform for promo ing, you’re likely to find her cooking something policy crafted in response to the incident. tion of a sexual orientation. We arrived at this gourmet—for Cris.” He proceeded (as an individual, not a society conclusion after you stressed to us the importance Gore declined to speak with Just Out, but he is representative) to file a complaint with the city of the sexual orientation information used in their quoted in a Dec. 6 Associated Press report as maintaining that the school violated Corvallis’ 4- promotional materials.” saying, “Our feeling was if their sexual orienta year-old ordinance which bars discrimination in That policy read, in part, “School is not the tion were just an incidental thing, not something housing, employment or public accommodations place to promote or publicly attack sexual central to their performance, they wouldn’t mind based on race, religion, age, disability, marital lifestyles. If the Anti-Gay Alliance or Oregon having it deleted. If it is something that’s central status, sexual orientation or source of income. Citizens Alliance wants to promote their views in to their performance, there was a question as to Prudence Miles, the city ombudsperson, says our theater, we will not rent it to them. We also whether this is family-style entertainment.” Meyer may very well have a case. W PEARL COURT APARTMENTS Now Leasing. Brand-new. Studios, 1 & 2 bedrooms. Expansive courtyard, free bicycle storage, library, conference room. Residential lounge & great room. Access-controlled building Income restrictions apply. 920 Northwest 222-1999 According to Miles, while Ashbrook may be a private school, it is making its facilities available for nonschool-related activities, and thus its ac tions become subject to public laws. She says she is working with the concerned parties to hammer out a resolution before the matter gets more sticky than it already is. With respect to finding a resolution, the Corvallis Folklore Society’s Ellendman says three points must first be met: “We want the school to come into compliance with the law. It should also make an information sheet available to potential renters outlining a nondiscrimination policy— and, when the policy is changed, we want the school to make sure the public is aware of the fact [Ashbrook] is in compliance with the nondis crimination ordinance.” According to Ellendman, since the uncomfort able unfold ing of events, Ashbrook has offered its theater back to the society at a reduced rental rate and with no required censorship of promotional materials. Despite the offer, Meyer says the concert will likely occur at a different venue. Miles, meanwhile, says she is conducting some “shuttle diplomacy” in an effort to seek resolve. However, she says when she spoke with Gore, he “didn’t really seem to get it.” Miles says Gore made the argument that the policy was equitable because it barred anti-gay rhetoric, as well as promotion of sexual orienta tion. “I tried to explain that if you’re going to allow [renters] to be blatantly heterosexual, you must allow them to be openly gay, too,” she says, adding that Ashbrook has since scrapped its rental policy and suspended renting its theater while it creates a new, nondiscriminatory policy. “I think we’ll be able to work it out in this way,” says Miles, who calls this “the first glaring case” involving the nondiscrimination ordinance since the measure’s implementation a few years back. “1 think it’s important to point out in most places this wouldn’t be an issue because discrimi nation like this wouldn’t be illegal,” she says. “Having this on the books can make a big differ ence.” For their part, performers Williamson and Fure, who live in Marcola, Ore., offered comment regarding the brouhaha through Martin. “Cris and Tret applaud the Corvallis Folklore Society for standing up for human rights,” she says. “They also say this scenario proves that gay and lesbian rights continue to be an issue here in Oregon.” At press time, Williamson and Fure were tentatively scheduled to perform on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Corvallis. 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