Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2001)
February 16.2ÛG1 * J hb E a o tjg flTTnTW nCTlnews by Feb. 28. Decisions about the proposals will be announced by March 15. Workshop topics may deal with anything of interest to bisexual people. Formed in 1995, the alliance has become the largest and most active bisexual organization in Oregon. It concentrates on community build ing, public education and political advocacy. Organizers say bisexuals often find them selves invisible in the media and socially ostra cized— even within gay and lesbian groups. The alliance works to break that isolation by holding regular events. Send your proposal to board@biportland.org. For more information write to P.O. Box 412, Portland, OR 97207; call 503-775-9717; or visit the Internet site www.biportland.org. L awyers D efend G ay M a n ’ s R ight to R etain H ome he Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund urged the W ashington Supreme Court on Feb. 13 to overturn a ruling that stripped a man of his home and business after the death of his partner of 27 years and affirm that gay couples are protect ed by the state’s law of equity. The decision in Vasquez v. Hawthorne was not available at press time. “The Court of Appeals created a peculiar and unfair barrier for les bians and gay men when it treated Frank Vasquez as a legal stranger to the property he and his partner had built up over their years together,” said Jennifer Pizer, an attorney for Lambda’s W estern Regional Office. “For the sake of all gay fam ilies throughout the state, as well as basic justice for Frank Vasquez, the W ashington Supreme Court should tear down this barrier.” Vasquez shared a home and business with Robert Schwerzler, who died in 1995 without a will. In 1997, Schwerzler’s relatives sued to take over all the men’s assets, including their home in Puyallup. Although a lower court upheld Vasquez’s claim to the property, valued at $230,000 and acquired during their relationship, the state’s Court of Appeals ruled that he has no right to retain that property because the two men were of the same sex and couldn’t have married even if they had wished to. “Washington’s equitable doctrine provides a fair safety net if one partner in an unmarried couple dies without a will,” said Ruth E. Harlow, Lambda legal director. “This doctrine of fairness should not be offered to only some couples and not others because of their sexual orientation.” T L ength of S tay at O ur H ouse I ncreases ccording to recent statistics released by Our House of Portland, a hospice for people with AIDS, the length of residents’ stay has increased dramatically during the past three years. In 1998, the average length of stay was 106 days; since then, it has increased almost 350 per cent. In earlier years, the average stay for resi dents before death was 18 days. The average age of residents, 39.8 years old in 2000, remained about the same during the same time period. The deaths of residents at Our House also dropped. A total of 12 residents died at the hos pice during 1998; nine residents died during 2000. Since 1993, the number of people who have been diagnosed with and have died from AIDS has decreased dramatically. A t the height of the epidemic in Oregon, 560 residents were diag A nosed with AIDS; 375 died of AIDS complica tions in the same year. 2000 saw only 105 AIDS diagnoses and five deaths, according to data from the Oregon Health Division. Our House of Portland is the only residential care facility providing 24-hour skilled nursing care to people in the late stages of the syndrome. The increase in average ctay is posing new chal lenges for the hospice as it moves to provide expanded and improved services to meet the residents’ increasingly complex care needs. For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation write to Our House, 2727 S.E. Alder St., Portland, OR 97214; or call 503-234-0175. Pflin sp&incs D ignified pet S ervices Serving your real estate needs for... Cremation A Memorials For Your Companion CONDOS ottauA Gan fW e J lelp ,? V acation H o m es H otel P roperties A partment B ldgs . CREG C ra y • Oregon’s Only Funeral Home and Crematory Exclusively for Animals • Our Phones are Always Answered • 24 Hour Emergency Service - We Transport • We Have an “Open Door Policy”; Tours Are Encouraged (760) 833-5434 8976 SW Tualatin Sherwood Road Tualatin OR 97062 Phone (503) 885-2211 www.DignifiedPetServices.com (A Division o f Cascade Funeral Directors. Inc.) rTarbelli ■ R E A L TO R S « P rotester N ow H as AIDS he North Bend man who stopped taking his anti-retroviral HIV medication Dec. 21 in protest of the state’s decision to take the names of those testing positive for HIV says he now has AIDS. After three years of “being normal,” Steve Henson recently was handed an AIDS diagno sis from his doctor. He stopped a pharmaceuti cal regimen that was keeping him healthy when Dr. M artin Wasserman, the O re gon H ealth Divi sion’s administrator, publicly announced his decision to ex pand HIV surveil lance around the state. Starting July 1, the names of people testing positive for HIV will be reported to the public health system. The informa tion will remain in the state’s computer database for 90 days before the name is transcribed into a code called a unique identifier. The new policy is being implemented, offi cials say, to track the changing HIV epidemic and to provide better services to those testing positive for the virus. Despite the pending poli cy, anonymous and confidential testing will con tinue to be available throughout the state. Henson released a press statement in Decem ber that said he would continue his one-man protest until the decision to utilize names report ing is reversed or effective legislation and admin istrative rules are enacted to secure and protect the rights of HIV-positive people. He is a mem ber of the governor-appointed Oregon Public Health Advisory Board and the newly formed Alliance for Public Health Accountability. 211E. Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 922ft T Second Annual Portland Area Business Association Commitment to Our Community Awards Dinner Honoring: jn Compiled by Just Out staff WYMPROV! Owner & Broker of Bridgetown Realty 2000-2001 Honoree Award Winner W om en's Im provisational Comedy Troupe Double Tree Hotel - Lloyd Center Wednesday, February 21,2001 6.00pm Cocktails • 7:00pm Dinner • $509® Per Person sgiX ( 5 0 3 w ) w 2 w .poba.com 41-2222 1 1 <t .*♦ i p â Helping You Build Your Financial Future Specializing in financial advice for singles, domestic partners S non-traditional couples CAP H onors V olunteers ascade AIDS Project held its annual Vol- ✓ unteer Appreciation Reception on Feb. 15 at Fifth Avenue Suites Hotel in downtown Port land. The region’s leading HIV organization said 711 youth and adults volunteered 24,240 hours valued at $536,789 in 2000. Jeff Miller, general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue; Bruce Carey, owner of Bluehour and Saucebox restaurants; and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest received Community Leader Awards for their long-standing commitment to the work of CAP. Angel Awards were presented to students in Portland State University’s Cap stone Project and to 28 other individuals pro viding exceptional support in programs across the agency. Entertainment bv: Deborah Betron Financial Advisor C h a m p i o n s WADDELL «SrREED Serviced M e m b e r Investing. With a plan? 2 0 0 0 of C i r c l e 503.238.6036x107 fax 5 0 3 .2 3 8 .7 0 5 6 www.waddell.com 500 NE Multnomah Street, Suite 500 Portland. Oregon 97232 M e m b e r SIPC P0 I T LAN D AREA .*.V. Financial • M u t u a l F u n d s • T r a d it io n a l * R o t h • IRA R o l l o v e r s ir a s • R e t ir e m e n t P l a n n n in o • L ir e , D is a b il it y a n d L o n g -T erm C a m s I n s u r a n c e • C o m p r e h e n s iv e , V a l u e s -B a s e d F in a n c ia l P l a n n in g
