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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2001)
aprii 20. 2001.T Just out.3 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 V o l. 18 N o . 12 and R enée L a C hance April 2 0 , 2001 FEATURE Correspondence coarse LIVING ON THE EDGE: Portland's invisible homeless youth Letters to the editor can be brutally honest—or just plain brutal p 26 ne of the most rewarding aspects of working at Just Out is appeals to a late teen/early twentysomething audience. I’ve been reading the daily interaction we have with our readers. We get let Just Out for about five to six years but couldn’t ever find anything that ters, e-mails, faxes and phone calls. Each and every one genuinely hit me smack in the middle of the face. Nothing ever really brings a smile or an ache, frequently a curl of the lip and a reached out and grabbed me.” This letter definitely falls into the good news/bad news category. shake of the head and, every so often, incredulous disbelief Shame on us for failing this segment of our community for so long. over what exactly runs through the minds of some people. The anonymous letters can be the most amazing. W hat confidence Thanks, however, to the staff for having the vision to see where we need people have as they hurl insults and anger and curses and then slither off to he and taking the steps to get us there. All members of our community should he able to find a reflection of to mail their brave and hold missives while refusing to sign their name or themselves in Just Out. This reflection might he of a time past or per attach an identity to their thoughts and feelings. haps a kx)k ahead to a vision of who you might yet become. These letters usually merit chuckles but little more. The We accomplish this by presenting profiles of strong role words of the cowardly fall short of their target. Such letters models, political and cultural activists, businesspeople are little more than rhetorical vandalism. and those who have the skills to lead others. More meaningful and touching to us are the letters Not all readers, though, will appreciate change from people with the true inability to name them L ... . , . or the opportunity to share a variety of perspec- selves for fear of harm from neighbors, lovers, WuOt confidence people hove 05 they tives and attitudes. There are those who are employers and a world still filled for them with harshness and hostility. Many of these communica h url insults and anger and curses and unable or unwilling to allow others to take their tions have to remain exclusive to us because of the then slither o tt to m ail their brave and instead prefer to sit back and peer out at thc world need for privacy and anonymity from hurt or worried bold missives while refusing to sign from the smugness of their own self-righteousness. souls. Whenever possible, we share these missives with thpir nnmp nr ntfnrh nn irlaniiiv ^ admit to taking strong offense to the use of you in the form of letters to the editor. Through shared , . , , , ' wor^s such as vulgar and stupid, especially as tO their thoughts and applied to that which is different from yourself. It seems experiences, we all grow and learn. to me to be indicative of, shall we say, vulgar stupidity. We are able to measure the impact of our articles and our feelings . features by the reactions we receive from readers. Jonathan Kipp’s j oving on to this current issue, we are presenting the results of a fine writing in our Feb. 2 issue, “The Second Closet: Domestic Violence Hides in the Dark,” elicited more than enough feedback to make it very i V J questionnaire sent to the seven candidates vying for the two open clear that this is one of the larger problems facing our community today. seats on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. There are two It seems our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers and, for some of us, our able and experienced friends of our community asking for your vote for the position of county chair and five others competing for the right to very lovers and partners are being hurt and damaged on a daily basis. represent District 1. The saddest messages we received echoed the cry that many are The commission might not seem to be a powerhouse political force, trapped in abusive relationships and simply cannot find their way out. From these folks we also sensed that there are simply not enough places but all elected officials in Oregon, from neighborhood association repre sentatives to city commissioners to U.S. senators, must share and project to go for help. And if you are a gay man being abused by another gay man, your values and standards that ensure continued success in achieving full civil rights for all members of the sexual minorities community. No public options are more limited than even we thought. This is a serious problem official ever should be viewed as insignificant. for our community. The commission is a springboard for aspiring politicians. This train W ho has answers? W ho can bring knowledge and experience and ing ground for potential long-term careers must be filled with the best solutions? W hat can we do to help ourselves? candidates possible. We have received the most feedback by far regarding our newest So 1 encourage you to study qualifications, evaluate experience and writer, Michael Wayne Keck. His April 6 recollections of being the only gay man in his straight college fraternity brought forth touching and per vote for the candidate of your choice. Remember to return your mail-in ballots by May 15. j H sonal memories from a host of young people with similar stories to share. One woman wrote: “Yours is the first column I’ve seen in Just Out that NEWS NORTHWEST • And babies make five pp 6-21 NATIONAL • Bush appoints gay man pp 2 2 - 2 3 WORLD • Foreigners can wed in the Netherlands pp 2 4 - 2 5 ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC • Jody Bleyle’ s back p 37 BOOKS • Something for everyone pp 3 9 -4 1 SPORTS • All their oars in the water p 42 CULTURE • Unitarians welcome you p 43 FILM • New documentary redefines eating out p 45 MUSIC • Singing for their lives P 47 DIVERSIONS • Dancin’, singin’ and potluckin’ p 48 MUSIC • Get down tonight P 48 COLUMNS M S . BEHAVIOR • Taming the green-eyed monster p 35 THE GOSPEL A C C R U IN G TO MARC • Netscapades p 50 SPECIAL EATING OUT • Let someone else cook tonight pp 4 4 - 4 5 JUST FRIENDS Free voice personal ads ago in • Phill Wilson and Ruth Waters, founders of the National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum, were honored at a special gala April 28 in Los Angeles. P 51 J u s t o u t is p u b lish e d o n th e firs t a n d th ir d F riday o f each m o n th . G>pyright © 2001 by Just Out. No part of Just Out may he reproduced without written per mission from the publisher. • The U.S. Senate voted to repeal a provision of the Defense Department authorization bill requiring the military to discharge all HIV-positive servicemembers. The su b m issio n o f w r itte n a n d g ra p h ic m a teria ls is w elcom ed. Written material should be typed and double-spaced. Just Out reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length. We will reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to th e e d ito r should be limited to 500 words. Anmxincements regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) should he limited to 200 words; photos are wel come. D eadline fo r su b m issio n s to the editorial department and for the C alen d ar is the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. Tlie d isp lay ad v e rtisin g d ead lin e is the Monday 12 days before the next publication date. Classified ad s must be received at the Just Out office by 4 p m. on the Thursday eight days before the next publi cation date, along with payment. Ads may be placed by tele phone or via the Internet with Visa or MasterCard payment. Ad policy: Just Out 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. S ubscription s ire $17.50 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $30 for 12 issues. Contact Just Out at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, OR 97293-0400; 503-236-1252, advertising 503-236-1253, fax 503-236-1257; e-mail justour@|ustnur.cnm. Visit our Internet site at www.justout.com. 5 years REFLECTIONS • A microbiologist at the University of California at San Francisco grew in a laboratory the virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma. Dr. Don Ganem said the discovery was a key step toward identifying the virus and one day could help researchers develop a vacci nation to prevent the spread of the disfiguring tumor ous condition affecting many people with AIDS. its pioneering civil nghts activists. Perry J. Watkins, the first openly gay man to challenge the U.S. Defense Department's ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers. The 48 year-old died of AIDS compli cations March 17 at his home in Tacoma, Wash. • The Equity Foundation gave a $3,800 grant to support the Urban League of Portland’s Rainbow program for sexual minority youth. • Portland journalist David Batterson launched The Pink Webazine. The online publication contained queer news, opinions and graphics that could be downloaded. • The Keeston Lowery Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club held its primary election straw poll April 14. • The Georgia Supreme Court on March 11 turned back a legal challenge to the state's sodomy law, saying the statute was constitutional and served a compelling state interest in furthering the public's "moral welfare.” • The Gail Shibley for City Council Campaign sought volunteers to help with canvassing, visibility, phone banking, office work and more. The Pacific Northwest— and thè nation— lost one of • Phoenix Rising launched a men's coming out group and a men’s process group. ............... ..... ... ............. ........................ .... .. ....... ........................................... PUBLISHER AND MANAGING E0IT0R • Marty Davis ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Ghana Green COPY EDITOR • Jim Radosta STAFF REPORTER • Jonathan Kipp CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Rich Bray, Mitch Cale, Meryl Cohn, Katy Davidson, Els Dehhaut, Rodger Larson, Andy Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Natalie Shapiro, Tom Stevenson, Glenn Williams, Rex Wockner ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Meg Grace ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES • Markie Acevedo, Larry Lewis NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Ri vendei 1 Marketing Company Inc., 212-242-6863 : ART DIRECTOR • Rupert Kinnard PRODUCTION DIRECTOR • Kevin Moore PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AND OFFICE MANAGER • Melissa Sayler DISTRIBUTION • Jerilyn Adams, Kathy Bethel, D’Ann Davis, lan Drake, Kelly Keigwin, Bonita Mattinson, Mend Schwartz, Hadley Scott, Ruth Traut
