September 1, 2QQ0
COMMENTARY
by
M a r t y D a v is
The IN publication for the OUT population
F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown and R enee L a C hance
A rt D irector • R upert K innard
V o l. 17 N o . 21 S e p t e m b e r 1, 2 0 0 0
FEATURES
BEDSIDE M ANNERS: Guy men's health is about
more than HIV
p 19
HOME RUN: Everybody wins when the RCSA
scores
P 21
NEWS
NORTHWEST • The force is with Darth Nader;
lawyers in love; howdy, partners
pp 5 - 1 3
NATIONAL • Businesses boycott Boy Scouts
PP 1 4 - 1 5
W O R LD - Drag queens go for the gold
pp
16-17
ENTERTAINMENT
& CULTURE
THEATER • Don Horn is out on stage
P 31
MUSIC • Making music together, on and off stage
p 33
THEATER • Jim Corti is out on the road
p 34
DIVERSIONS • In defense of Rich;
a famous androgyne visits Portland
P 35
COLUMNS
M S . BEHAVIOR • Ms. B dispenses tough love
p 29
OUT LOUD • Anne and Ellen inspire
Barbara Raab to reminisce
p 36
Publisher doggedly dodges serious issues
...ponders perplexing problem of procurement
y, what a busy couple of weeks it’s been for gay and les­ With gay and lesbian families coming in at a slightly higher rate of 87
bian visibility.
pets per household, it’s obvious to me a huge need is going unfilled.
But hack to my problem of invisibility. The start of this phenomenon
Richard Hatch shows the nation that nobody kicks
sand in this gay guys face, and America’s sweethearts coincided with the recent untimely demise of two personal household
Anne and Ellen fall off the yellow brick road. In the
items that absolutely require replacement.
case of Heche, that old Hollywood truism rings loud and clear: A girl’s
Who knows why the fates conspired to take away my hard drive and
publicist is her best friend indeed.
my mattress at the same time. Was it karma, mere coincidence, global
While huff hoy and the odd couple were getting tons of press and
warming.. .who knows?
appearing in print, clips and sound bites everywhere, 1 was experiencing
All I knew is I had to do some really serious shopping, and without
a personal dilemma of a totally different nature. Overexposure in the warning the condition stmek. I walk into a store, and no one see me.
press might well turn out to he Hatch’s downfall, hut 1 could have used a
1 am a middle-aged woman in a computer store. I am a demographic
non-entity...I do not exist.
little of his chutzpah as 1 found myself in an oddly perplexing opposite
Repeated trips into computer stores led me to
type of situation.
consider taping credit cards to my body and sprin­
It seems 1 have become invisible.
kling $20 hills about as I wandered, aimless and for­
Apparently, I don't look
Marvel Comics fantasies aside, invisibility can
lorn, among complex computer displays all touting
he a hit annoying. In my case, the symptoms strike
as
though
I'm
headed
back
back-to-schixd specials. Apparently, I don’t look as
only in specific circumstances— circumstances
though I’m headed hack to school any time soon. 1
relating to my deep, intense dislike of America’s
to school any time soon.
could he the principal, for G od’s sake.. .did anyone
favorite pastime: that horror of horrors, shopping.
ever think of that?
I hate to shop. I hate driving to stores. I hate
The
situation
only
worsened during efforts to spend money at my
going into stores, and I really, really hate standing in line. For me, the
neighborhood Nap Country store. Repeated visits left me convinced
thrill of the hunt is definitely over.
1 am a had, had consumer. Fortunately, my shopping journeys are lim­ that it would go totally unnoticed if I just were to walk in and carry out
ited. With only a few exceptions, I already own almost everything I’ll the mattress of my choice.
Women— at least women who look like me (read: lesbianlike)—
need for the rest of my life.
apparently aren’t considered ideal candidates for ownership. I did not
But the maintenance of my numerous furry housemates (pets, thank
steal
the mattress, however; moral qualms aside, it was really much t(xi
you) causes me to spend way too much time procuring meals, entertain­
large to carry.
ment and assorted animal health care items. To my nonconsumer-ori-
But I have figured out a way around my shopping-challenged dilem­
ented mind, corporate America is not keeping up with the nation’s rabid
ma. I can go to MacMall on the Internet and for 50 bucks extra have a
need for personalized pet products and services.
The task of feeding a herd of cats and dogs is seriously time-consum­ computer delivered yesterday. Why buy from a company that confuses its
ing. Throughout the nation, Americans and their genetic offspring exist computers with cows anyway?
And as for the mattress, I think the answer lies within the pages of my
and apparently thrive on diets of fast food swill...so why is the immedi­
very own newspaper. It’s the kill-two-hirds-with-one-stone answer: I’m
ate-gratification hall being dropped on pet food needs?
Why aren’t the malls and streets of America littered with Pooch in a going to let the Just Friends Voice Personal Ads solve this shopping
Box and Kitty King? When will the fat cats behind the golden arches dilemma.
start marketing McMeow Meals with little catnip toys in each box?
W O M E N S EEK IN G W O M EN
Single lesbian enjoys movies,
I want to he able to hit the drive-through on the way home and hark
dinners out, walks on the beach
out my order of “one deluxe doggie dinner and three bait burgers,
and firm, pillow-top, queen-size
please.” Sadly, though, the inevitable logical progression after pet fast
mattress. Please leave name,
food would he, of course, canine coronary care centers. This would he
number and description of mat­
the ultimate in pet equality?
tress. Box #0101
It is said American households have an average of 2.4 pets apiece.
......
M Y QUEER LIFE • Author climbs in bed with
Dr. Laura
.
... ■ ...............................
..............
.........----------------------------
J U S t O llt
P
p
V ol . 7 No. 11, S eptember 1990
P 37
OUT LOUD • Reunited— and it feels so good
p 38
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www.jusnxit.com.
• N ightScene. the w eekly cable television pro­
gram. began its second season with all-new hit
shows and a new co-host: Shan Leslie, the "all-
Am erican lesbian.”
The Right to Privacy Political Action C o m m itte e
w aited tw o years for her to be available for this
major fund-raising event benefiting O re g o n ’s gay
and lesbian community.
• The Club 9 2 7 celebrated its last w eekend, leav­
ing Portland with no lesbian alcohol bar. The non­
gay ow ners closed the establishm ent to lesbians
and opened it to topless-dancing fans.
• Team Portland brought hom e 4 7 m edals from
the G a y G a m es III. The w o m e n ’s team s w on sil­
ver m edals in touch football, softball and volley­
ball. In swim m ing, Team Portland earned 15 gold
m edals, 10 silver and six bronze. The tennis team
w on a silver m edal, and Portland had one bronze
in the m arathon.
• Portland's gay and lesbian bars and restaurants
and their patrons joined A C T UP's nationwide
Marlboro and Miller boycotts. Both w ere owned by
parent company Philip Morris, the single largest cor­
porate contributor to the Jesse Helms campaign.
• A coalition planned a march and rally to address
concerns about the increase of hate crimes in
Portland. The event preceded the trial of neo-Nazi
organizer Tom Metzger, who w as being sued in
connection with the murder of M ulegeta Seraw.
..
M .-
• The keynote speaker for the ninth annual Lucille
Hart D inner w as noted author Rita M a e Brown.
PUBLISHER AND MANAGING EDITOR • Marty Davis
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Oriana Green
COPY EDITOR • Jim Radosta
STAFF REPORTERS • Katy Davidson,
Jonathan Kipp
CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Meryl Cohn,
Mubarak S. Dahir, Michael Thomas Ford, Andy
Mangels, Barbara Raab, Rex WtKkner, Pat Young
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Larry Lewis
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Rivendell
Marketing Company Inc. (212) 242-6863
ART I PRODUCTION DIRECTOR • Kevin Moore
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT • Melissa Sayler
• J u s t O u t caught up with Jon Rollins, new con­
ductor o f the Portland G a y M en 's Chorus. His
musical background included a m a ster’s degree
in organ perform ance from the M anhattan School
o f M usic as well as 10 y e a rs ’ participation in the
N e w York C ity G a y M e n ’s Chorus.
• ...te ll m om m a goodbye ... a play about w om en,
children and A ID S by Portland playwright D on
Horn, prem iered at the W o m en . Children and H IV
C o n feren ce.
OFFICE MANAGER • Melissa Sayler
DISTRIBUTION «Jerilyn Adams, Michael
Albright, Linda Becraft, Kathy Bethel, Bonita
Mattinson, Merid Schwartz, Ruth Traut, Larry
Williams