march 15. 2002 »
justrnn
COMMENTARY
by
M a r t y D a v is
i ^ P The IN publication for the OUT population
F o u n d e d 1 9 8 3 • J ay B r o w n
Vol. 19 N o. 10
and
R enee L a C
hance
March 15, 2 0 0 2
FEATURE
THE ABCS OF B /O /S /M l Everything you ever
wanted to know but were afraid to ask.
P 24
N E WS
NORTHWEST • New faces at Basic Rights
Oregon
pp 7-19
NATIONAL • Gay murder in California
pp 20-21
WORLD • Trans activists mobilize in Venezuela
PP 22-23
CULTURE
THEATER • The good, the bad and the ugly
p 34
CROUPS • The Portland Lesbian Choir celebrates
15 years
p 35
BOOKS • Dusty Springfield biography confirms
she was a total dyke
P 37
THEATER • Hate opera? Read this
p 38
SPORTS • Portland lesbian kicks butt on the
raquethall court
P 39
FILM • Lots of pretty pictures this month
pp 40-41
DIVERSIONS • Trouble at Clinton Street Theater;
Dante’s cabaret; Dyke Night Portland; gender-
bending at the Closet Ball; John Trudell is good
for the soul; free food in Hood River
pp 44-45
COLUMNS
M S . BEHAVIOR . Do not process! Ms. Behavior
warns
p 44
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO M ARC • The Great
Boinking Boycott revisited
P 45
SPECIAL
EATING OUT • Let someone else cook tonight
A tale of unrequited luve
Eugene, are you there?
he first signs of spring have arrived in the Pacific North
west. Daffodils are in full bloom, hail and thunderstorms
abound, and the voice personal ad lines busily are hum
ming to the tunes of “Let’s Get Together”— or whatever
that thing is people have on their mind in the spring. Soft-
ball jocks happily take to muddy fields and rained-out practices, and les
bians and dogs abound at Kelley Point Park.
As the seasonally unpredictable storm fronts approach, business own
ers across our region also are assessing and taking stock of the damage
caused by the effect of harsh activities of the similarly punitive econom
ic fronts. Like evaluating damage after a windstorm, many small-busi
ness owners arc pondering where they are, where they would rather he
and what it will take to stay afloat.
Just Out is no exception to those businesses that struggle to provide
jobs for employees, pay hills in a timely fashion and,
in our specific case, offer a valuable asset for the
community. Although we have managed to hold out
fairly well during the past six months of turbulent
times in the advertising industry, daily decisions still
must he made as to how to achieve and maintain
viability as a business. How do we best serve our
readers and our advertisers while observing at least
the most minimal rules of common sense in good
business practices?
Which brings me right smack dab to the question
of Eugene, that fair city 100 or so miles south of Portland. Eugene,
Eugene, Eugene, the enigmatic city— Eugene, are you there?
In a nutshell, here is my dilemma. Just Out spends in excess o f
$15,000 a year to distribute a free paper to Eugene. In business
parlance, my return on investment in this venture is zero. Zero as in
nada, none, zilch.
Just Out has no advertising base in Eugene. We receive no support
from businesses, presumably some of which are gay-owned or gay-
friendly. After the Register-Guard and Eugene Weekly, my guess is that
Just Out is the third most distributed paper in the Eugene area— hut
to what avail?
We have worked diligently to increase distribution and make our
publication available. We are aware Eugene has no other gay paper. We
are attempting to fill this void.
But are you reading Just Out in Eugene? We receive no letters to the
editor. We can’t get anyone there to submit a voice personal ad. Are
there no single people in Eugene?
Doesn’t anyone sell houses, rent rooms, look for dates, organize
events, plan meetings or hire employees? Is there a gay, lesbian, hi and
trans community in Eugene?
In January, Eugene Weekly columnist Jerry Harris compared
Eugene to San Francisco: “Even the gays and lesbians are different
from our community. In Eugene they seem to he afraid of parading
it— but not in San Francisco. I sat in a gay bar in Castro Valley and
they were the most open people I met in the Gay City. Here? They
seem like Mormons.”
Eugene, are you cloistered like Mormons, or even more puzzling, how
do you justify calling yourself “Provincetown of the West” (as noted on
a recent e-mail notice from Soromundi, the Lesbian Chorus of Eugene)?
Where’s your energy, your vibrancy, your organization, your heart, your
soul— and why are you keeping it hidden from Just Out ?
Are we dismissed as being “Portland’s paper” ? Are we being ignored
without even effort on your part to work together?
In the past few months Just Out has made a concerted effort to
increase our coverage of Willamette Valley events, leaders, groups and
organizations. We haven’t received one iota of acknowledgment that
this has been appreciated or even noticed by Eugenians.
So, why am I spending my money to haul a free
paper clear down to the other end of the damn val
ley? For the money I spend on printing and delivery
I could hire a part-time reporter and increase my
depth of coverage in Portland. For that same
amount of money I could sponsor more events and
activities and increase efforts to be a positive force
in the community. For that money I could invest in
a sustained and viable future for Just Out.
Portlanders, this affects you, too. What do you
think about this dilemma of mine? It’s Portland
advertisers who are subsidizing the costs of distributing Just Out in
Eugene.
Do you see value in reading about people and events outside our
immediate area? Is Just Out on the right track in trying to be “all things
to all people” statewide, or would Portland advertisers and readers be
better served by maintaining focus on the Rose City? This is our “Just
Asking" question for this issue, and I really would like to hear what you
might have to say on this topic.
Financial implications aside, I know the from-my-heart-and-not-the-
balance-sheet answer to my own question. The answer lies within those
like the young student who spent an afternoon recently job shadowing
with us. A high school senior whose parents rejected her upon learning
she was gay. A young woman who now lives away from home and family
because she had the courage to be honest.
This teen-ager and others like her must always know they can find
help, friends and support in the pages of Just Out — and that’s why we
continue to take the paper to Eugene. It’s for all those who are hurting
and searching and questioning. And although it might sometimes seem
many others don’t care about or need us, we want to be there for those
who do. j n
Where's your energy, your
vibrancy, your organization,
your heart, your soul— and
why are T
you keeping it
hidden from Just O ut?
PLEASE NOTE: March has five Fridays, so the next issue of Just Out uxm’t hit
the streets until April 5— an interval of three weeks rather than two.
pp 36-37
.... '.......— .. ^
JUST FRIENDS • Free voice personal ads
vol *
pp 45-46
Ju st ou t ii pu b lish ed on the first an d th ird F ri
day of each m onth. Copyright © 2002 by Just Out. N o p m
• An effort is under way to breathe life back into the
foundenng Lesbian Community Project, a Portland-
based organization saddled with a $25.000 debt.
Com e April 1, longtime activist and author Suzanne
Pharr will become a staff member.
nt /iot ( )nt m.iy lx- reproduced without written permission from
the publisher.
The su b m ission o f w ritten an d g rap h ic m ateri
a l* i* w elcom ed. Written tnnteml should be typed mid dou
ble-spiced. Just C bit reserves the right to edit for gr.imm.ir, portc-
tuntion. style, liuhility concerns ,ind length. We will reject or edit
.micles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may
result in legal action.
Letter* to the ed ito r should be limited to 500 words. A n
nouncements regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions,
etc.) should be limited to 200 words; photos are welcome. Dead
line for *u b m i**io n * to the editorial department and for the
C alendar 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 la y a d v e rtisin g d ead lin e is the Monday 12
days before the next publication date.
C lassified a d s must be received at the Just C hit office by 4
p m. on the Thursday eight days before the next piblication slate,
along with payment. Ails may be placed by telephone or via the
Internet with Visa or M astetGttd payment.
Ad policy: lust Out reserves the right to reject or edit any
ash-ertisement. Compensation for errors in, or cancellation of,
advertising will be made with credit towanl future advertising.
Ailvertising rates are available u p in request.
D istribution policy: fust ( >ut is available free of charge, one-
copy p-r p-rson. fust Out is delivered only to authorized distribu
tors N o jx-tson may, without prior written p-rmission from Just
Out, take more than one copy. Any p-rson who takes more than
one copy may be held liable for theft, including but not limited to
civil ikimagn ansl/or criminal pmsecution.
Subscriptions ire $22.50 for 12 issues. Fust Class (in an
envelop-) is $40 for 12 issues.
C o n ta ct Just O ut at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, O R
^72^1 0400, 501-216-1252, advertising 501-2)6-1255, fax
401 2 )6-1257; e-mail iiM ixit6 jtM n u t.co m . V isit ix ir Internet site
at www justixit.com.
• Longtime activist Jean Hams has been named the new
executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, the succes
sor organization to the No on 13 Campaign. Citing a
need for more “balance“ in her life, former head Julie
Davis officially stepped down from the post Dec. 31
and since has moved to San Francisco.
• Oregon Sen Marylin Shannon, R-Salem, has intro
duced a second measure designed to prohibit equal
marriage rights for same-sex couples. The legislation,
Senate Joint Resolution 17, is a proposed state con
stitutional amendment defining mamage as the union
between a man and woman. It also says same-sex
mamages performed elsewhere will not be recog
nized in Oregon.
PUBLISHER ANO MANAGING EDITOR! • Marty Davis
NEWS BUTOR • Jim Radosta
CULTURE EDITOR • Lisa Bradshaw
CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Kronda Adair,
Meryl Cohn, Darklady, Susan Detroy, Shanna
Germain, Timothy Krause, Sarah Leimert,
Patricia L. MacAodha, Christopher McQuain,
14 no . 10, M arch 21,1997
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• Donations for Cabbage Lane Land Trust needed to make
the final land payment to secure Cabbage Lane, 80 acres
of forested wilderness near Wolf Creek in southern O re
gon, the Land Trust needs 100 women to donate at least
$13 each. The end is in sight!
• The Portland G ay Men s Chorus performs Prayers for
Bobby at its spring concert March 21 featuring soloist
Margie Boule.
• Portland Bisexual Alliance m eets March 28 to plan Bi
2000. a project to bring together 2,000 bisexuals in the
year 2000.
• First Tuesday Coffeehouse on April 1 features Portland
favorites Gwen Thomas and Terri Grayum plus Karen Harding.
• A series of three Portland gatherings titled "Community
Convocations" kicked off March 4 with a presentation by
Yale law professor Harion Dalton, author of Radical Heal
ing:• Confronting the Fear Betw een Blacks and Whites.
Gary Morris, Hadley Scott, Glenn Williams,
Rex Wockner
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REPRESBUIXTIVES • Markte Acevedo,
Larry Lewis
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Rivendei!
Marketing Company Inc., 212-242-6863
GRAPHIC DIRECTOR • Kevin Moore
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT • Melissa Sayler
OFFICE MANAGBI • Melissa Sayler
DISTRIBUTION • Ian Drake, Ron Geer,
Rick Geiger, Kelly Keigwin, Becky Sawyer,
Merid Schwartz, Melissa Weigand,
Carla Wright
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