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.
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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