8
febniary 1. 2002
When an
ordinary
Realtor
simply
won’t do...
3144 SE Belmont • Portland, OR 97214
office: 503-238-7617
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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
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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-