3 g Jaaat sait » September 1.2000
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W INNER!
! (OUT OF FOUR)
©1998
ALMOST TOO GOOD
TO BE TRUE”
TONY
AWARDS*
-USA Today
A BRILLIANT WORK
OF MUSICAL
STORYTELLING!”
-Time Magazine
SEPT 5-10
(503)241-1802
Tickets available at all
hrtktnd C J| Peru I ’resents
B T ò àd w ay
Mon-Fri
9am-5pm U I
t ic k o t m a a t o r
KELLER AUDITORIUM
SW 3rd & Clay
(503) 790-ARTS
outlets, PCPA
&
Portland Opera.
h>k
Groups of 20 or more SAVE! (503) 241-1407
www.broadwayseries.coin • www.portlandopera.org
n r fm in?
102
A Delta Air Lines
Men. Men are fools.
All muscle and thunder
—I can tame them,
bend them, turn them
as easily as the toreador
turns the bull.
My name is Carmen,
and you will hear my story
Sung in French with English translations projected aferove the stage
September 23 , 25, 27, 29, 30, 2000
Keller Auditorium, SW 3rd & Clay • 7:30 pm sharp!
FOR TICKETS CALL
(503)241-1 802 « o r (503) 790-ARTS
Tickets from $25
Tickets available at all t t c k a t m a m t a r outlets,PCPA and Portland Opera
www ticketmaster.com Oregon • www.portlandopera.org
Groups of 10 or More SAVE up to 20% • Call (503) 241 1407
A Delta Air Lines
School's out
N o m o r e c l o s e t , n o m o r e li e s ,
n o m o r e w o n d e r in g ,
‘D o e s h e l i k e g u y s ? ’
igh school can he hell.
So why would 100 ex-students feel the
need to shell out 45 bucks each to relive
this experience? Good question.
And more perplexing is why a gay alum
would choose to walk down a memory lane
lined with feelings of alienation, depression
and suicide. I’ve been trying to answer that one
all summer long.
But nothing could have prepared me for the
revelations my 10-year reunion would bring
about. Like it or not, it was confession time:
While watching all of those Van Halen videos
back in the 1980s, I wasn’t hot for
teacher; I was hot for David Lee
Roth.
I started the weekend consumed
with fear and loathing. Before
the night was over, I was crack
ing jokes on the podium about
the Oregon Citizens Alliance.
I’m just out, so to speak. I’ve
been revealing my homo
sexuality to close friends for the
past several years, but 1 didn’t tell
my parents until last October. So
this gathering presented a unique
challenge: I knew the first things
out of people’s mouths would be
“Are you married?” and “What do
you do?”
The first question is rather easy
to skirt, but considering I work at
Just Out — my pals call me a “professional
homosexual”— I could hide only so long. I orig
inally thought I’d pick and choose who seems
gay-friendly on a case-by-case basis, but I
changed my mind at the last second.
As fellow queer George Michael sang back
when I was in the eighth grade, “If you’re
gonna do it, do it right.” I held my breath and
dove right in— over and out.
After all, this is a test 1 have been cram
ming for my whole life.
Everyone— even a Promise Keeper— was
excited to hear how I was doing. The
contrast between then and now
was absolutely startling.
Within a couple of
hours, I was swapping sto
ries with the half-dozen
classmates who already
are out— and gossiping
about those who aren’t
yet.
Michael and I
chuckled about Roscoe,
a closet case who hooked
up with him during our
junior year but went on to
become a raging bigot and a
two-time divorcé. Obviously, high
school taught him nothing.
Marsha, who I met in the seventh grade
when she listened to nothing but John Denver
music, bragged about her newfound bisexuality.
I learned Leo’s first serious partner died of
AIDS complications two years ago.
Sharon is now an activist at Basic Rights
Oregon.
Diane, a hardbody who works at a gym,
recalled all of the whispers about her and Holly,
another graduate who since has come out.
“Nobody believes me, but I never was interested
in her. She’s not my type— too butch.”
Throughout the reunion, Diane and I heard
M
H
m
- ' '
H
i
lots of comments such as, “You should’ve told
us during high school; we knew you were gay
all along.” Her retort summed up my feelings
exactly: “Where the hell were you people when
I needed you?”
The overwhelmingly supportive response
reminded me of Michaelangelo Signorile’s Out
ing Yourself, which has served as my bible for the
past year. He emphasizes the power of envision
ing: If you imagine a positive reaction instead of
wasting time on dread, you can make it happen.
Still, the evenings final hurdle loomed
ahead. I spoke at graduation back in 1990 and
stupidly agreed several months ago to say a few
words prior to the slide show.
We’re all 27 or 28 years old now, but this is
North Salem High School. How far should I
push the envelope?
I started by poking fun at a student whose
last name rhymes with “asshole,” rattled off a few
recollections of teachers clad in pastel polyester
and mocked our principal’s constant reminders
to give each other “a hug, a high-five
or a handshake.” Then, the
moment arrived for the Big
Finish.
“What’s the deal with
this O C A Student Pro
tection Act? It would
prohibit schools from
' encouraging, promoting
or sanctioning homosex
uality,” I said. “Now, if
this thing passes, what
exactly are they gonna do?
Cut drama?”
The crowd enjoyed that one.
“What about wrestling?”
I was on fire. Not quite flaming, but close
enough.
Stepping down from the stage, I realized 1
hadn t felt this satisfied since, well, my high
school graduation. In other words, reuniting
with my classmates brought me a sense of relief
I last experienced when I bid these people
adieu 10 years earlier.
Perhaps we should do this more often.
Like it or not, it was
confession time: While
watching all of those Van
Halen videos back in the
1980s, I wasn't hot for
teacher; I was hot for
David Lee Roth.
■ Copy Editor J im R a d o s t a enjoys hugs,
high'fives and handshakes. He can be reached
at jim @ justout.com .