rrra in e u K
T he A P also quoted “believer” Drew Smith,
a gay Seattle resident who struggles with his ori
entation and religion.
Smith says, “My involvement in the church
is important enough to me that 1 haven’t decid
ed to partake in sexual activities because 1 know
that would jeopardize my role with the church.”
According to the wire service, Smith, 32,
“swears off alcohol and cigarettes, believes the
divine revelations of church founder Joseph
Smith, and tries his best to live by the Book o f
M ormon. {However] he also goes to gay clubs to
dance with friends.”
M edia M edley
From lesbians on the run to queer Mormons and first-place photos,
Oregon garners national attention by Inga Sorensen
F ugitive C ouple ' s M edia
D ebut in J ust O ut
J ust O ut P hoto
S nags T op A ward
rom the pages of Just O ut to the nationally-
televised A m erica’s M ost W anted, Tracey Lee
Poirier and Pamela Kay Trimble are covering
the media gamut eclectically and with high
drama.
We first caught a glimpse of the couple dur
ing a touching matrimonial moment: In Just
O ut’s Nov. 7, 1997, issue, a photo of the two
some ran under the heading “Unions." T he duo
had submitted the picture and a blurb about
their O ct. 24 bonding.
T he ceremony was performed in Salem.
T h at’s because the capital is home to the
Oregon W omens Correctional Center, where
Poirier was serving life without parole for the
stoning death of a man in 1990. Trimble is a
former prison guard.
O n Aug. 28, Poirier escaped from the cor
rectional facility, and authorities have identified
Trimhle as her accomplice.
T he couple have eluded law enforcement—
but perhaps not for much longer. A crew from
A m erica’s M ost W anted, the popular show that
has led to the nahbing of many a criminal, was
in Salem Sept. 3 to film a segment about the
case. T he program was slated to air by mid-
September.
inda Kliewer, Just O ut’s staff photographer,
received first-place honors for best photo in
the 1998 Vice Versa contest for her shot cap
tioned “T h a t’s no lady.”
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Meanwhile, according to a Sept. 5 report in
The Oregonian: “Based on witness accounts,
Trimble might have cut her hair extremely short
and dyed it black in an effort to look like a man,
police said.... Investigators [also] said tips sug
gested the women had fled to the San Francisco
area.”
Hm m m ...
I he September issue of Girlfriends magazine
4 includes a profile of former Oregonian
Maya Christina Gonzalez, a Latina lesbian artist
who is reportedly doing well in life and art in
San Francisco.
In the piece, Seattle-based reporter and pho
tographer Silja J.A . Talvi writes of her subject:
“W ith only one other Latino family in or around
Eugene, Oregon, Gonzalez grew up as a child
with the perception that her distinct, broad fea
tures were different— and therefore undesirable.
“After coming out and finding her place
within Eugene’s lesbian community, Gonzalez
steadily found buyers for her jewelry and art, and
plenty of supportive acquaintances who appreci
ated the way in which her work communicated
personal issues of incest, rape, and abortion. But
Gonzalez continued to feel out of place."
T h e photo ran as the cover shot for Just
O ut’s June 5 feature story entitled “Decades of
Dollars: Spotlighting the Old Guard of
Portland’s Queer Economy.” T h e picture’s
focus is Portland institution W alter C ole, a k a
Darcelle XV.
T he judges’ comments about shot? “The
baseball cap, the nail, the face— lovely ironies.”
T he Vice Versa Awards were established in
1997 to honor the 50th anniversary of Vice
Versa, North America’s first lesbian or gay pub
lication (a mimeographed lesbian newsletter
produced in Los Angeles).
Eighty publications from 29 states, two
provinces, and the District of Columbia partici
pated in this year’s contest.
T he Vice Versa Awards are coordinated by Q
Syndicate, North America’s largest content
provider to the gay and lesbian press. The
awards ceremony is slated to take place O ct. 1 in
Las Vegas.
The (Potters H ouse M inistries
\ STEP INTO THE LIGHT
\
• Mirror Image
L ife Center
• Sodomites! Oh No!
a
I nspiration F rom W ithin
...A nd S an F ran
T h a t’s no ladyl It’s Walter Cole— a Portland institution as Darcelle— balancing the books
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L
G ay M ormon G athering
G ets N ational A ttention
T
he Associated Press ran a piece Sept. 10 in
part about the nearly 300 gay and lesbian
Mormons who converged on Portland a few
days earlier for the 20th annual conference of
Affirmation, a gay and lesbian Mormon organi
zation.
Serving up standard fare, the AP quoted
anti-gay forces, including Mormon Don LeFevre
of Salt Lake City, who said the church believes,
“It’s the behavior that’s wrong.... Those who
want to change homosexual practice are
encouraged to do so, and we will work with
them.”
According to the report, the “Mormon
Church was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith.
Some credit the church’s emphasis on tradition
al family values with its quick growth to a cur
rent worldwide membership of 10 million.”
So, according to Talvi, a few years back
Gonzalez and her partner of 10 years, Wendy
Raw, headed south to San Franc iso’s Mission
District, where Gonzalez blossomed profession
ally. Her paintings have become widely sought
after.
Gonzalez tells Girlfriends: “In Oregon, I was
perceived as ‘exotic.’ I moved here and I was
[finally] perceived as being really normal. That
was a huge relief. I found my painting just
exploded. A more universal energy entered my
work.”
B efore Y ou I nvest Y our M oney ,
I nvest I n A P hone C all .
fa • A man shall not do what?
• The Apostle Speaks
ilj.
• Truth or Consequences!
• “Eunuchly” You
M onday evening, 7 -9 p.m .
Sep. 2 8 th - N o v . 2nd
C o st: $ 1 0 fo r m aterials
P re-registration required by phone
fo r location ...
3830 SE 6 2 NI> AVE.
If you believe it’s impossible
to be Christian and
homosexual, then you need to
“Step Into The Light”
WEEKLY SERVICE SCHEDULE
Sundays: 10:45 a.m.
Wednesdays: 7:00 p.m.
PORTLAND • 503 775 502T
For the first time in 16 years, a great number of taxpayers can ben
efit directly from the major Taxpayer Reform Act of 1997. It’s
important to start planning now to take full advantage of these
new opportunities. I’m committed to helping indi
viduals, domestic partners, couples and families
understand their financial options.
FLORE] D WALKER
(503) 2300036
1-800-487-6626
Vbiceouil:(503) 291-7713
tmpV/wwwwaddefl.com
V
Wàddell & Reed