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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2002)
8 febniary 1. 2002 When an ordinary Realtor simply won’t do... 3144 SE Belmont • Portland, OR 97214 office: 503-238-7617 ww*.dlmiHtreexo<Ti m couAL ho uim q Lanny Swerdlow (left) and his partner of nine years, Victor Michel, participate in the Desert A ID S Walk last April Continued front Page 7 F ormer C lub O wner S ells M em o r a b ilia P o r tla n d \ S a le m \ V a n c o u v e r W e s t L i n n 19343 Willamette Drive • (503) 635-3115 C L A C K A M A S 16317 SE 82nd Drive • (503) 657-9225 T i g a r d 13500 SW Pacific Hwy • (503) 670-9707 We use LYRA® the only FDA approved laser (or ALL SKIN TYPES! • H air Removal • Facial Rejuvenation • Broken Blood Vessels • Razor Bumps • Rosacia LLOYD CENTER 3rd Floor, Suite 2246 503.282.2502 503.249.SKIN (7546) BOARD CERTIFIED PROVIDERS ADVANCED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR APPEARANCE AND HEALTH. F r« « C o n s u lt a t io n 25% O ff F ir s t V is it Valentine» Day gift certificates available tor that special someone w w w . L a s e r C O S M E T I C G r o u p c g ctin ,' ormer Portlander Lanny Swerdlow returned to the Rose City in December to sell arti facts from several nightclubs he operated during the past two decades: Mildreds Palace, the City, Metropolis and the Rage. The items included a dance fkxir, sound equipment, furniture, video games and paint ings. About half of it was sold; the rest was given away or hauled to the dump. Swerdlow was a high-profile figure during his time in Portland. For more than 10 years he pro duced Nightscene, which he says was the longest- running gay and lesbian show in the history of television, as well as cable access programs on atheism and marijuana legalization. He believes his involvement in those counterculture activities led to child pornogra phy allegations and an FBI raid on the Rage and his house May 1, 1998. He suspects people pro vided authorities with false information in exchange for immunity. “A lot of people saw my clubs as ‘recruiting’ for the gay and lesbian community,” he says. “Young people would come to my club, and they would ‘become’ homosexual." Authorities seized video duplicating equip ment as well as computers. No charges ever were filed, hut Swerdlow has been unable to sue the government for damages. “The affidavits were sealed, so we could never see them," he says. “We had no idea what they were lcxiking for." Swerdlow is appealing a Jan. 15 court deci sion denying him the right to view the affi davits. He admits he has no confidence whatso ever that the matter will he resolved. "The government has passed all kinds of laws to protect itself from its own citizens,” he says. “It’s a very difficult process. My lawyer has told me there’s a very gtxxl possibility that I will never, ever get to see these affidavits that were used essentially to destroy my life. When you call someKxly a child pomographer or you call someHxJy a wife heater, the damage is done.” Swerdlow moved to Palm Springs, Calif., about two years ago and is training to become a medical assistant. Although it’s a significant career shift, he says life is gtxxl in the desert. “It’s the largest gay resort in the United States," he says. "The city is estimated to he any where from one-third to one-half gay.” Swerdlow still makes it hack to Portland a couple of times a year. Although he misses his F friends, club patrons and fellow activists, no love was lost between him and local authorities. “The city government was knee-deep in the doo-doo that led to this whole thing,” he says. “They just had a hard-on for me for 20 years." C h u r c h in S e a r c h of a N ew P asto r % I etropolitan Community Church of Port- 1 V I land’s new year’s resolution is to begin the search for a new pastor. The Rev. Roy Cole left in October after a tenure of seven years to further his education. A pastoral search committee, chaired by Chuck Harvey, former Northwest District coordinator, has been selected to guide the membership through what might be a lengthy process. Although surveys and forums are being offered to the congregation, an interim pastor also will he sought to serve until a new senior pastor is in place. A subcommittee of the church board will find this person. Meanwhile, a worship team composed of lay members organizes the weekly services, recruits preachers and speakers to officiate and decides what liturgy will he used. Northwest District coordinator the Rev. Debbie Martin and Lay Elder Mel Johnson, vis iting from California, officiated at services Jan. 13 and later facilitated a meeting to answer parishioners’ questions about the search process. M CC Portland, a “chartered church,” enjoys considerable autonomy in its pastoral search. The surveys are important to the prcx;ess. One tracks membership demographics, while a second asks what congregants want in a future pastor. T he pastoral search committee has been distributing these surveys between church services and at several meetings scheduled to solicit input from the members. An evening forum and spaghetti dinner Jan. 27 gave the congregation its last chance for input before the committee begins sending out the requests that will hopefully draw a new pastor to M CC Portland. For more information call 503-236-550/ or e-mail P S C M C C P l@ aol.com . M ental H ealth P ro v id ers M erge N etwork Behavioral Healthcare Inc., which oversees the Sexual Minority Youth Recreation Center, will merge with two other agencies to create one of the nation’s largest community health centers for people with men-
