Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2000)
july 7 . 2Q Q Q • J l l S t O H L 3 by R upert K innard The IN publication for the OUT population F ounded V o 1. 1983 • 17 J ay B rown No. 17 and R enée L a C hance July 7, 2000 FEATURES DIAGNOSING DR. LAURA: Gay activists’ campaign to end Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s access to the airwaves P 21 M ICHIGAN ON M Y M IN D : In praise of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival p 25 NEWS NORTHW EST • Pride pictorial; Sen. Gordon Smith helps hate crimes legislation; school safety considered by Salemites; Pride Northwest board shuffle; the Edge closes pp 7 -1 3 NATIONAL • Supreme Court OKs Boy Scouts’ gay ban; Big Three automakers announce same- sex partner benefits pp 1 5 -1 6 WORLD • Brazil decrees spousal rights for same-sex partners; reports from pride celebrations around the globe p 18 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTU RE CULTURE • Hanging out with peacocks and dragons p 35 Queer summer fun P 39 THEATER • On Broadway with Jon Kretzu p 36 GR0UP8 • Babes with rods p 41 FILM S • DVDs enhance the Q quotient p 42 A R T - Paul Arensmeyer speaks out P 45 DIVERSIONS • Looking proud in Vancouver; getting blue in Portland Tolerating intolerance? Our protests aren’t much different than the conservative right wing boycotting Disney World over annual Gay Days or the protest against advertisers on the television show Ellen a couple of years ago. Potential television advertisers have the right to know the ideology within a show An open letter to Oregonian columnist to which they coasider offering financial support. We are exercising our right to inform companies such as Procter (Si Gamble and United Airlines David Reinhard that, as citizens who choose to use their products and services, we might not continue to do so if they support a television program that in any way promotes intolerance for the way we love each other. And these potential D e a r M r . R e in h a r d : advertisers, in turn, have the right to decide to spend their money else where. strongly resent your cavalier comments in a recent column that Are these tactics new to you? Is it incomprehensible to you that com states: “Dr. Laura Schlessinger has said a few things about homosex ments we’ve experienced as “hate speech” have actually resulted in uality that gay rights activists don’t cotton to,” and “You might find vicious beatings and religious zealots disrupting the funerals and memori such intolerance odd from a community that relentlessly preaches al services attended by grieving families and friends of those who have tolerance. But our would-be-muzzlers’ inability to abide, much less died horrible deaths? How can you, in your right mind, imagine that we celebrate, Dr. Laura’s diversity is not the most worrisome or harmful form could “celebrate Dr. Laura’s diversity”— given that we truly feel the con of intolerance on this issue these days.” nection between her implied suggestion that gays are less than human and Then you proceed to explain how the gay community is also intoler occurrences of hate crimes that declare open season for gay bashers, as ant of the so-called “reorientation or reparative therapies for homosexu well as language that seriously affects the morale of queer als— therapies to change a person’s sexual orientation that youth to the point of suicide? Are you mad? Schlessinger supports.” How can you, The benefits that homophobes think they I have long accepted the fact that there will always gain when they promote the idea that our be some people who are so self-absorbed within in yo u r right m ind, im agine that sexual orientation is different because we their own heterosexuality that they are not able choose to be the way we are, as opposed to we could "celebrate Dr. Laura's to accept the extent to which others can be in those hets who are bom that way, are love with a person of the same sex. It is quite a diversity"— given that we truly feel obvious. We understand that the push different thing, however, to accept that people to label our sexuality as “deviant behav like you are not capable of realizing the dire the connection between her im plied ior" (that we have chosen) allows the ramifications of Schlessinger’s assertions, suggestion that gays are less than hum an less secure heteros to demonize us and which you seem to take so lightly. goes so far as to imply that gay men are Schlessinger has been quoted as saying, “I and occurrences o f hate crimes that more likely than hetero men to molest call homosexual practices deviant.” What does children. To believe these things opens the that mean? Kissing? Holding hands? Oral sex? Anal declare open season fo r g a y door to groups such as the Portland Fellowship sex? Are these practices deviant when heterosexuals bashers? and their reported ability to transform gays into indulge in them? straights. I can only conclude that belief in the possibility Are you totally incapable of understanding that lesbians, gay of such a change supports that great fear straight men have of losing their men, bisexuals and trans people consider it worth protesting when a tentative grip on heterosexuality and being being pulled into a world of major part of ourselves is considered a “biological error”— which, in turn, homosexuality. has led some to believe that they have a license to brutally attack and I hope you, Mr. Reinhard, can find it in your life to move beyond such murder us? a fear.. .at least enough to be able to think a little more clearly about what The goal has never been to deny Schlessinger her freedom of speech. should or should not be tolerated by those who feel the profoundly painful We all know (or should know) that such a freedom is not a simple con injustice of being falsely vilified in the media. cept and it does not mean that anything goes— hence the idea that, while one might feel one has the right to yell “fire!” in a crowded theater when there is no fire, that person damn well better be prepared to accept the ■ See Page 2 1 fo r coverage o f the ongoing battle between Eh. Laura Schles- repercussions of such a dangerous deed. Schlessinger may have the right singer and the activist organization StopD rLaura.com , as well as Portland'based to say whatever she pleases, but her whining about the results is quite KGW 'TV's plans to broadcast Schlessinger’s show in the fall. unbecoming. I — — - — p 46 ____ COLUMNS • The House of Light Villa Rose Residential Care Facility officially opened June 18, but con troversy and concern surrounded the care center for people with AIDS. M S . BEHAVIOR • Counseling the bi-curious p 33 Just out is published on the first and third Friday of each month. Copyright © 2 0 0 0 hy Just Out. • In the 1990 Portland Rose Festival Association Starlight Parade, the float entered by the Lesbian and Gay Coalition of Oregon won the Queen’s Award, for the best illuminat ed float in the noncommercial category. The coalition’s float was reported to be the only gay-identified float in a mainstream parade in the United States. It was the second year the coalition had an entry in the Starlight Parade. No part o f Just Out may he reproduced without written per mission from the publisher. The submission of w ritten and graphic materials is welcomed. W ritten material should he typed and double-spaced. Just Out reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length. W e will reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words. Announcem ents regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, e tc.) should be limited to 200 words; photos are wel come. Deadline for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday I 5 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. T h e display advertising deadline is the Monday 12 days before the next publication date. Classified ads must be received at the Just Out office hy 4 p.m. on the Thursday eight days before the next publi cation date, along with payment. Ads may he placed hy tele phone or via the Internet with Visa or M asteiCard payment. Ad policy: Just O ut reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. Compensation for errors in, or cancella tion of, advertising will he made with credit toward future advertising. Advertising rates are available upon request. Subscriptions are $ 1 7 .5 0 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $ 3 0 f«w 12 issues. C ontact Just Out at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, OR 97293- 0400; (5 0 3 ) 236-1252, advertising 236-1253, fax 236-1257; e-mail justnut@justnut.com. Visit our Internet site at www.justout.com. • The lending library from A Woman’s Place bookstore was acquired by Ladd’s Editions bookstore, which continued to pro- vide the lending service and the community bul letin board. • Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, co-founders of Daughters of Bilitis and authors of Lesbian/Woman, registered with the Human Rights Campaign Fund’s National Family Registry. The registry was intended to provide an alternative “institution” to conventional mar riage and an affirmation of the love, commitment and support of lesbian and gay realtionships. • “Homo-Genized,” billed as a lesbian and gay performance festival, was presented by circa NOW and Howie Baggadonutz at the Echo Theatre during gay pride week. The results of les bians and gay men working together to create an evening of entertainment truly unified the audi ence and iflade us all laugh, cry and think. PUBLISHER AND MANAGING BIITOR • Marty Davis Holly Pruett, Rex Wockner PRODUCTION M ASTBI • Kevin Mix^re ENTEinAINMENT BHITOR • Oriana Green ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Meg Grace COPY BIITOR • Christopher D. Cuttone ADVERTISING REPRESENW IVE • Larry Lewis PR00UCTI0N ASSISTANTS • Katy Davidson, Melissa Sayler S W F REPORTBB • Katy Davidson, Jonathan Kipp NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENtATIVE • Rivendell Marketing Company Inc. (212) 242-6863 C M TR M TB R S • Marc Acito, Kristine Chatwood, Meryl Cohn, Rupert Kinnard, Jon Kretzu, Andy Mangels, Mary Ann Petersen, PQOQUCTMN DIRECTOR • Christopher D. Cuttone ART DIRECTOR * Rupert Kinnard OFFICI MANAGBI • Melissa Sayler BISTlURimON »Jerilyn Adams, Michael Albright, Kathy Bethel, Jody Boyer, Jennifer Davidson, Mend Schwartz, Ruth Traut, David Wardell, Larry Williams