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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 2002)
may 3, 2002 - r r m io u t M a ttie n e e d s to b e an o n ly d o g in a f e m a le o n ly b o rn e. k il l Were you satisfied with the ending of Kissing Jessica Stein, or were you hoping she would “go gay” ? I found it objectionable that, in a film that otlv erwise stuck to the conventions of a main stream romantic comedy, the two main charac ters did not end up together. That Jessica would end up with a subordinate male character was foreshadowed throughout the film, not only in their shared scenes but also in the highlighting of their shared faith, which I took to be a validation of the acceptability of this ending. In no other formulaic romantic comedy would the main couple not live happily ever after; therefore, this film sends a convolut ed message about the practicality of two women loving and living together for the long term. I must say, though, 1 would have been far more disappointed had the other lead character also ended up with a man, thereby sending a strong message that women might mess around with each other but only until they find Mr. Right. As it was, 1 found the film to be witty but definitely not "true" to a lesbian perspective—just another mainstream attempt at portraying us as an interesting oddity. 6 year old sp ay ed fem ale- 3 / 4 A u stralian sh ep h erd . 1 /4 G e rm an sh eph erd . S h e is sw eet, playful, en ergetic and in great h ealth . S h e is happy and o b ed ien t a s an indoor dog. F r e e to a good h o m e . 503 774-3188 or 503 913-2530 W ithout a tra v e l a g e n t y o u ’re on yo ur own.® ¿Five f{easons Why • Convenient one-stop shopping • Unbiased information A C atherine A ndrei Portland • Expert guidance • Personalized service • • • N o, 1 wasn’t satisfied!!! The girl doesn’t know what she’s missing. W • • • • • • N ot every movie we go to has to reflect the diversity o f our culture correctly or have a profound impact on our daily lives. Sometim es we just need a little mind candy, and why shouldn’t it come in the form o f a lesbian flick? However, Kissing Jessica Stem was not a lesbian flick. Kissing Jessica Stem was a repressed-Jewish- painfully-straight-girl-has-a-dating-frustration- induced-experimental-phase-during-which-she- leams-the-value-of-a-life-lived-slightly-outside-the- • Consumer advocacy Call us for your summer travel plans. S tacy B ias Portland E va H offman Milwaulde • • • lines-and-then-promptly-goes-back-to-men flick. I enjoyed the movie. I hate to say it, but I usu ally expect the person “exploring her sexuali ty” to go back to being straight. In this case, at least one of the characters pursued other lesbian relationships, which was nice to see. And the characters maintained their friendship after the demise of the relationship. For a change, nobody was pitching herself off a bridge! It had a pleasant ending. K armen L inder Vancouver, Wash. hy go see it now? You just gave the end ing away! K ris V ockler Vancouver, Wash. LLOYD TRAVEL 1026 NE Multnomah 503-288-5145 next I hi-4! 14 do you feel the Catholic Church is scapegoating gay priests by linking pedophilia to homosexuality? Respond a t w w w .justout.com . (D on't forget to include your nam e} city and daytim e telephone num ber.) M y Give it arrest To t h e 1 E d it o r : am disappointed in Just Out’s ongoing cover age of my case and the misrepresentation that I feared for my safety merely because someone drew on my locker f“PPB Blues,” April 5]. A s was clear in the Willamette Week arti cle, fears for my safety were appropriately based on much more than just graffiti. A ddi tionally, a fact that has yet to be printed is that the officer who made the death threats was named as a suspect in the locker vandal ism by a male co-worker! In this same article, Chief Mark Kroeker refused to acknowledge his actions during the course of my disability hearing and the Equal Employment Opportunity investigation, instead claiming everything occurred prior to his administration. I beg to differ, considering 90 percent of the retaliation I received was under his direct command. During my hearing, the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund’s attor ney met only with those board of trustees mem bers who originally voted to deny my claim to formulate a strategy to fight it (namely, the Port land Police Bureau board members, to include Kroeker) despite the fund staff’s recommenda tion to approve it. Hearings before the board are defined by City Charter and Administrative Rule to be “nonadversarial, fact-finding hearings.” The hearing I received was nothing more than a fact-suppression hearing. Shortly after my hearing the fund administrator wrote a letter to the board, stating her opinion that the fund’s attorney had been adversarial during my hearing. During the monthlong break between the sessions of my hearing, the fund’s attorney actively contacted the Internal Affairs Division seeking information to discredit me. A co-work er filed falsified criminal charges against me in Washington state. This instigated a covert inter nal investigation of my “alleged” misconduct, in blatant disregard for the union contract and the Officers’ Bill of Rights. Police are trained that the single-party con sent recording of telephone conversations is legal in Oregon. Hence, every bureau board member knew my actions did not constitute a crime. Yet the falsified crime report was submitted as evidence against me April 11, 2000. As a consequence, the tape was not entered into evi dence because of its “alleged illegality." Capt. Bret Smith (then of Internal Affairs, now North Precinct commander) testified to the “alleged illegality” of the tape, despite the fact that he had prior knowledge and evidence that it was perfectly legal. Months later, I learned Internal Affairs received evidence April 4, 2000, exonerating me of any criminal conduct. Smith’s testimony bordered on perjury. All of this occurred under the direct com mand and supervision of both Kroeker and Assistant Chief Mark Paresi. The community must hold bureau manage ment accountable for its actions/inaction and not blindly trust its empty words. If the bureau learned from its “mistakes,” that would be one thing. Sadly, the bureau’s actions are not “mis takes" but conscious, intentional acts taken against innocent victims. P é t * . y p i^ u t Sexy Gifts Exciting Ideas and Unique Apparatus - Corner o f Sandy Blvd. St N E 64th 3 1 0 6 N E 64th Portland, O R 9 7 2 1 3 503 280-8080 - + N o rth S ta r Mortgage LLC family, et al. M e d ic a l l y R e t i r e d O f f i c e r D amon W oodcock dwrider2001 @hotmail. com co rrectio n n the April 19 article “Not Narrow,” House Democratic Whip Steve March’s district number was incorrect. He represents District 46. Also, the legislation March introduced would have ensured health care decision and hospital visitation rights to legally registered domestic partners. Although he supports a statewide domestic partnership registry, the chief sponsor of that bill was Rep. Jeff Merkley, D-Portland. Just Out regrets the errors. I Every Person who wants to Own a Home Can & Should Call Russell leggroan or Roberta Kelly at NorthStar Mortgoge W e also offer information on mortgoge refioancing and commercial property See our ad under Real Estate Loans ph: 503-249-0843 - f\: 503-249-0840 4370 M Halsey 123 - Portland. OU 97213 www.nurthstarmortgagetmline.etmi 5
