September 21. 2001
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
Vol. 18 N o . 22
and
R enée L a C hance
Sep tem ber 2 1 , 2 0 0 1
FEATURE
THE SHOW MUST 60 ON: Pulling together
this year’s film festival has been
a bigger challenge than usual
p 26
NEWS
NORTHWEST • Vancouver City Council member
accused of “gay agenda"
pp 6 - 1 5
NATIONAL • Newspapers censor comic strip
pp 1 6 - 2 1
WORLD • Delegates attend conference
PP 2 2 - 2 5
ENTERTAINM ENT
BOOKS • What does gay visibility really mean?
p 38
M U SIC • If you didn’t get to see Madonna live,
here’s the next best thing
P 39
OIVERSIDNS • Express your sorrow in art, talk
music with Margie Adam, or sing your heart out
p 41
BOOKS • Shane Phelan asks if gays and lesbians
are really citizens
pp 4 4 - 4 5
ART • If you ever shelved your dreams, let José
Smolensky inspire you
p 47
THEATER • Direct from New York, four drag
kings export some laughter
p 48
CULTURE • Dishing up good food for a great
cause
p 49
COLUMNS
M S. BEHAVIOR • Advice for meat eaters
p 35
LESBIAN COMMUNITY PROJECT • New classes
on fall schedule
One nation under God?
Unity now, turbulence on the horizon
e’re now in the shadow of the attack on the World
in consideration of said fact, why exactly should we now be wagering our
Trade Center. Thousand of lives are lost, thousand of
trust on such a fickle deity? Are we in some kind of bargaining mode? And
tears are shed, and thousands of words are written
I always have cherished the concept of separation of church and state and
and spoken. Every editor, publisher and columnist in
endorse the continued notion of keeping God in the home and church and
the United States attempts to he profound, to find
out of the drugstore, bakery, auto repair shop and every other place in town.
and share understanding in the horror of this incident.
My neighborhood Walgreens has replaced its standard Metabolife
I sit now before my own blank screen and offer no pretense of expla
Special reader board message with the requisite renderings of both
nation and most surely no words of reverence. I’ll share instead my per
“United We Stand” and “In God We Trust.” My sense is that as soon as
spective and concerns, then ask that you do the same.
sales are dramatically down, corporate patriotic fervor will decrease and
All of us will carry forever in our minds the image of planes crashing
marketing emphasis will return to fighting the true scourge of our coun
into towering landmarks. In the ensuing days the ceaseless pictures,
try’s existence: the overweight American.
sounds and scenes have left their mark. Some images left a strong and
Bombing Afghanistan is not the solution to punishing those
positive impact; others left me worried and concerned.
wretched souls responsible for the terrorist attack on New York. These
We all have different triggers that affect our emotions. At which
poverty-stricken people are not our enemy. Yes, they hate us, but let’s
point did you reach emotional overload?
not overlook the notion that perhaps they have reason to.
For myself the sight of Dan Rather breaking into tears on The Late
The Taliban, however, must go. This faction is a cancerous growth
Show with David Letterman was an astounding moment, one that gave
that has. taken control of a weakened, damaged body of people.
me a jolt of realization that things were dire indeed. I felt not unlike a
Remove the malignancy and save the nation. This surely is some
small child feels upon seeing his or her father cry for the first time. It
thing that the greatest country on earth, the United States of America,
brought home the realization that hard, bad times lie ahead.
can accomplish without relying on mass destruction.
The events of Sept. 11 have led to jarring changes in the behaviors and
How much would it cost, in dollars and in lives, to bomb a country into
attitudes of people across the nation. Overwhelming aid and support are
submission? Would the cost of ground troops be more or less than the cost
flowing in for the people of New York, and citizens
of sending in doctors and nurses and teachers and
are putting their best foot forward. These outpour
Young white m en in pickups
farmers and carpenters?
ings of grief and pain and sympathy from our com
Wouldn’t these people simply be soldiers with
with
U
.S
.
flags
bolted
to
the
beds
munities and friends and neighbors speak volumes
out uniforms or guns? Is it more “American” to
about the intrinsic goodness of most U.S. citizens.
blow a country to smithereens rather than rebuild
are n o t ideal defenders
But at the same time there’s a potentially out-of
it and convert it into an ally?
o f constitutional liberties
control wave of “Fourth of July” patriotism— that
Keep the soldiers at home, and send in peace
volatile combination of fireworks, beer and belliger
keepers. But don’t send Bibles, don’t send mis
ence— that makes the air uneasy. Young white men in pickups with U.S.
sionaries, and don’t send Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Pizza Hut. Don’t
flags bolted to the beds are not ideal defenders of constitutional liberties.
rape the culture of yet another country in the name of Western capital
Redneck patriotism, fueled by the inevitable addition of alcohol and
ism. D in ’t give these people more reasons to hate us. If we don’t respect
unwarranted bravado, can lead to little good. These fellas make me nervous.
and honor others, how can be expect and demand the same of them?
If denied the immediate gratification of turbulent revenge, how and where
Lastly, I think we all can agree that there are no winners in war. Thus
will they vent their pent-up anger? How many six-packs does it takes before
said, I put forth the notion of one exception. For more than 10 days now,
“let’s blow up an Arab” turns into “let’s shoot a nigger, let’s kill a queer”?
U.S. Rep. Gary Condit has enjoyed total press anonymity. Tell me this
Ugly words? Ugly times. Watch for the enemy within.
guy isn’t happy. And if this noble representative waves his little flag and
Although I am wary of certain aspects of the new patriotism, I am
evokes the deity to bless America, he probably will get himself re-elected.
simply downright puzzled by the resultant odd wedding of God and
God bless America, indeed. i n
commerce. It seems every reader board, every sign, every marquee now
proclaims either “God Bless America” or “In God We Trust."
To submit LETTERS TO THE EDITOR fax 503-236-1257; e-mail
I find this disconcerting on many levels. In the most simplistic view, it
justout@justout.com; visit www.justout.com; or write to P.O. Box 14400, Port
rather appears Gcxl actually, for the moment, has not blessed America, and
land, OR 97293-0400.
P 37
THE 60SPEL ACCORDING TO M ARC • Finding
W years ago in
humor amid the pain
4ÙJLI1UÌ -
v o l
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e p t e m b e r
1991
B l É ifiiM iffffîi i B w T w
P 43
OUT LOUO • Giving new meaning to polyamory
p 50
• G ale Wilhelm, celebrated author of two lesbian
novels written between 1935 and 1945. died
peacefully at her home in San Francisco on
July 11.
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• African American activists pressured black law
m akers recently in an unprecedented con gres
sional lobbying and briefing cam paign aim ed at
sparking increased action around the grow ing
crisis of A ID S in their community.
• The highly conservative and extremist O regon
Citizens Alliance has targeted at least one Just
Out advertiser. The O C A has launched a
harassm ent cam paign against Stan W iley
Realtors and its agent Millynn Jam es, who has
advertised in Just Out for nearly a year.
• Pink Panthers, an affiliate of Portland's
chapter of Q ueer Nation, have taken to the
street. The group form ed here to com bat, in a variety of
w ays, the increase o f hate-m otivated crim es against les
bians. gays and bisexuals.
• A new study estim ates O re gon h as at least 50.000
lesbian, ga y and bisexual youth, m any o f w hom experi
ence rejection by family and friends.
• Sh an Leslie, ow ner of C rone G raphics, talks Sept. 10
about her art and her involvem ent a s co-host of
NightScene, Portland ’s ga y and lesbian television show.
• Banned by O re gon Public Broadcasting. Tongues
U ntied will play at C inem a 21 for one night only
Sept. 19. This powerful film depicts the lives of black
ga y men through poetry, m usic and prose.
• The O regon G a y and Lesbian Law A ssociation pre
sents its first dinner Sept. 14 with speakers G a l Shib-
ley. L e s A uCom and C h arle s Hinkle.
i
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