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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2002)
COMMENTARY in M u m D ams The IN publication for the OUT population * F o u n d e d 1 983 • J ay B r o w n Vol. 19 N o . 22 and R enee L a C hance Sep tem ber 2 0 , 2 0 0 2 FEATURE BEYOND BORDERS: Homegrown activist helping the world's poor P 23 NEWS NORTHWEST • Leather chafes women; Creating Change organizers recruiting volunteers; meet precocious genderqueer teen Sebastian Janibor: conference educates same-sex families about the documents they need pp 7 -1 5 NATIONAL • Miami-Dade squeezes the life out of orange juice queen’s legacy; Rosie O’Donnell’s brother wins in New York PP 1 7 - 1 9 WORLD • Chinese AIDS activist jailed; Janet Jackson records duet with anti-gay musician; and then there's Maude pp 2 0 -2 1 ARTS AND CULTURE ART • Sherrie Taha sculpts an “Angel Rising” ; creating a disco dance club art gallery pp 3 2 - 3 3 SPORTS • Team Oregon athlete Sue Gill’s most daunting competitor On the money We deserve more from politicians than appearances at fund-raisers during election years ike swallows returning to Capistrano, candidates and elected officials flocked to Basic Rights Oregon’s annual fund-raising dinner Sept. 13. From the U.S. Senate to Metro Council, politicians and wannabes took to the stage to show their sup port for the ongoing advancement of full civil liberties for all gay, lesbian, hi and trans folks. It’s great that they show up when they need our votes, hut in my daily increasing cynicism I’m starting to question our overall ability to attach greater value to those politicians and candidates who have histo ries of performance and serious intent as opposed to those who sidle in forced hy the pressures of political correctness to attend. 1 want to see these candidates a little more often, and I’d like to see some diversity in how they woo the sexual minorities community. Yes, the well-dressed crowd shows up at the $100-a-plate affair, and yes, there’s campaign money to he had. But there are also a lot of 18- to 25-year-old members of the sexual minorities community out there, most several years away from being able to afford this fund-raiser, yet each of them has an equally valuable vote. And with that vote comes energy, potential long-term support and endless volunteer possibilities. In 2004 let’s schedule a candidates day at Oaks Park, where it’s only 5 bucks to get in and you can get a hot dog and a soda while you, too, meet the people who need your vote. Along those lines, I expect Ted Kulongoski to show up next year at BRO’s dinner— and the Portland Pride parade— as governor and not just appear as a candidate. These are not unreasonable expectations. These candidates ask for, and receive, gay votes, gay support and gay dollars. In return I want, and expect, more than appearances at fund-raisers during election years. p 35 BOOKS • Emma Donoghue births a winner; Evelyn Waugh rereleased; some bad, bad gay fiction p 37 DIVERSIONS • Film festival changes; a tribute to divas; Tag Back to Portland; voter outreach at Klub Z; Poison Waters turns 34!; Ellen in the center square p 38 WHAT'S POPPIN'T • Swimfan: It’s worse than you think p 39 FILM • Carrie Brownstein talks about her role in Givup p 40 COLUMNS B RO threw quite a party this year; Portland City Council candidates min gled and schmoozed with the crowd and each other. As you already know, 13 of the final 15 are now left with campaign trail memories, while two have moved forward to the general election. Randy Leonard and Serena Cruz are the final candidates for Position 4- Serena Cruz is the endorsed candidate of Just Out. • One noncandidate who 1 was pleased and surprised to see at the din ner was African American leader and activist Bruce Broussard. As you might or might not recall, last year he and I engaged in a little verbal parking lot scuffle as tensions were heating up concerning Derry Jackson and his own verbal imbroglios. Military recruitment in the Portland Public Schools, or the lack thereof, was also a hot button at that time, with Broussard taking the position that “gays” were to blame for the strife and contentiousness occurring around this issue. This month military recruiters were wel comed into Portland Public Schools for the first time in six years, and Bruce Broussard was at a gay rights fund-raising dinner. MS. BEHAVIOR . I’ m pregnant, not straight! Plus, Ms. Behavior is sarcastic with rude gay boy P olitics aside, another hot topic at my dinner table was Marc Acito and his column, “The Gospel According to Marc.” In fact, all night long all I heard was Marc Acito this, Marc Acito that, “yes, that Marc Acito, he’s the best thing to ever happen to Just Out.” Thankfully, Acito finally moved on to another table and the topic was allowed to change. Acito and his column have been the topic of many a conversation the past few weeks. There’s been a fair amount of letters written in opposition to his stance on his weight loss, and in our last issue a reader suggested it was time to kick him out, stating he’s “racist, fatphobic, inappropriate and totally insensitive.” The writer went on to say he’s oppressive and unacceptable. Here’s the deal. 1 know Marc Acito. We’re not best buds, but I’ve been working with him for four years now and I’ve seen changes, awareness and, yes, even “personal growth.” I’ve witnessed the emergence of a good writer. And I can honestly say I’ve watched in awe as his ego spirals upwardly, outwardly and out of control. I have visions of his super- inflated ego lifting his now-waiflike body up and away into the air. If his detractors arc lucky, he’ll land somewhere in Montana and end up writ ing a weekly column for Pig ’n’ Plow. In the meantime, Marc Acito is not racist. Marc Acito is not hate ful, and he’s not oppressive. Do not overempower him. He’s a gay guy with opinions and points of view that a few others might find disagreeable and, yes, offensive. 1 do wholeheartedly agree that he can be inappropriate and insensi tive— but not to the point where his column should be dropped. Nor will it get to that point. First, because of dialogue and interactions such as your letters and your opinions, Acito will see that words affect different people in different ways. He will learn that while words can make some howl with laughter, they can also make others cringe with discomfort. He will grow, and he will learn. And secondly, 1 am very aware of my duty to watch closely the con tents of this paper. 1 take this responsibility seriously. 1 am aware that there is no place in Just Out for words of hate. However, Marc Acito is, as stated, not hateful. And you, as readers, also need to keep in mind that this paper serves a wide, broad and diverse demo graphic and that content geared toward a 35-year-old urban gay man is not necessarily going to wann the heart of a 45-year-old lesbian mother of two. If Marc Acito is not your cup of tea, don’t read his column. Or read it and tell him how you feel. His e-mail address is at the end of each column, and he will be happy to hear from you. J H 5 years ago in P 31 • Many gay men and lesbians are inconsolable over THE EOSPEL ACC0RDIN6 TO MARC • His own Vagina Monologue p 41 the death of Princess Diana, given her devotion to people with A ID S and her outwardly fabulous lifestyle. Ju st out ii published on the first an d third Fri day o f each month. C opyright © 2002 hy just ( 'hit. N o p.m ol lust O ik inny lx- rcpnxIiR'oil w ithout written permission Iroin tile publisher. The subm ission of w ritten and graphic m ateri als is welcomed. W ritte n n i.iteri.il s lx x ilil he typed nnJ dou ble-spue ed. hat ( )nf reserves the riuht to edit tor gnininiiir, punc- tuntion, style, lia b ility concerns .ind length. We w ill reject or edit utricles or nJvcrtiscm cnt* that are offensive, demeaning or may result in leiral action. Letters to the editor should he lim itt\l to 500 words. A n nouncements reyardini: life transitions (b irtlis, deaths, unions, etc.) should be- lim ited to 200 wonts; photos are welcome Dead line for subm issions to the editorial department and lor the Calcndar is the T h tirxla y 15 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns ¡and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. T lie display advertising deadline us the Monday 12 ilays hetiwv the next publication date. Classified ads must be received at the Just C )itt office by 4 p in. on tile Thursd.iy eiyhl ilays before the next publication date, alone w ith payment. A ils may be placed by lelephom ' or via the Internet w ith Visa or M .is te tO rd payment. Ad policy: hat ( )ut reserves the rijjh t to reject o f edit any advertisement. Compensation tor errors in, or cancellation of, ixbertisine w ill be iii.xle w ith credit rowanl future advertisinj;. Advertisine rates are available upon request. Distribution policy: hat ( )ut a available free o f charge, one copy per pvrxm. Just ( )ul us delivered only to authorized distribu tors. N o person may, w ills sit prior written permivmxi (nsn Just Out, rake more than one ci^y. A n y person who takes more th in one copy may be hekl liable tor theft, inciudinj: but m s lim ited to c iv il dam.tuvs a n il/is crim inal pnweeution. p Subscriptions are $22.50 for 12 issues. First O n « (in an envelope) is $40 for 12 issues C o n ta c t Just Out at P.O. Box 14400, P ortland, O R 97291-0400; 501-2W>-i 252, advertisinj: 5 0 1 -2 )6 -1 2 5 ), fax 501-2 )6-1257; e-m ail justixitfijiustixit.com . Visit <xir Internet site at www.jiustixit.com. 1 don’t know Broussard at all, but my guess is that no amount of political pressure would get him to a dinner if he didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. So there he was, extending a cordial truce, and 1, in return, look forward to the opportunity to work together on projects benefiting our mutual communities. ic 7m l • Starting in October, foreign same-sex partners of British citizens will be welcome to settle in the Unit ed Kingdom, the Times reports. Unmarried hetero sexual partners will be allowed to Immigrate as well. • The 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has banned further registration by men because they outnumber female registrants 70 percent to 30 percent, De Gay Krant reports. The most popular sports to date are badminton, ice hockey and tennis. • Sixteen Orthodox Jewish rabbis filed a lawsuit in federal court Sept. 5 to stop the Sept. 15 opening of a new Holocaust museum in Manhat tan. The Associated Press reports. They say the Museum of Jewish Heritage/A Living Memorial to the Holocaust offends the beliefs of Ortho dox Jews because it includes an exhibit honor ing gay men and lesbians who w ere persecuted by the Nazis. The rabbis are angry over “the EDITOR • Marty Davis NEWS EDITOR • Jim Radosta MTS AND CULTURE EDITOR • Lisa Bradshaw • Sarah Leimert Marc Acito, Nadia Cannon, Meryl Cohn, Els Debbaut, Patricia L. MacAodha, Gary Morris, Courtney Perkins, Floyd Sklaver, Caitlin Smith, Rex Wockner ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Larry Lewis ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Markie Acevedo ADVERTISING ASSISTANT • Erin Sexton NATIONAL AIVBmSMC REPRESENTATIVE • Rivendell Marketing Company Inc., 212-242-6863 F j Y w H b o d * ; elevation of homosexuals to the martyred status o f the 6 million Jew s” who died in the Holocaust, says Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the lead plaintiff. • Right to Pride will honor C entral Oregon activist OH W ork and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays at the 16th annual RTP Dinner on O ct. 4. • The head of Oregon’s largest H IV /A ID S nonmedical service organization says while she’s encouraged by recent reports suggesting a dramatic turnaround in deaths from A ID S complications in the United States, she fears such news could lead to complacency in the battle against the disease. "The danger is that people will think the pandemic is over,* says Susan Stoltenberg. executive director of Cascade A ID S Project. • Chnstian Lesbians Out holds its C LO U T Global Gath- enng from O ct. 2 to 5 in Portland. This year’s confer ence. "Called on the Sacred Journey: Sacred Spaces of Our U ves." takes place at the Alton Collins Retreat Center. Women of any (or no) denomination welcome. • Leg Cabin Republicans gather monthly to socialize, m eet prominent people or just enlighten a few minds in the party. I • Kevin Moore PROMOTION ASSISTANT • Zanne dejanvier Sarah Leimert I • Ed Carder, Ian Drake, Ron Geer, Mary Hauer, Kelly Keigwin, Merid Schwartz, Jen Spires, Janelle Vogt, Melissa Weigand
