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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2002)
4 Just o u t Efim out ' September 20 .200 2 YOUR WILLAMETTE VALLEY FAMILY REAL ESTATE CONNECTION M I su p p o rt GALA chorusesl Contact Clark to list your upcom ing /9 To t h e GALA Chorus Event (Tree public service provided by Clark) ( 5 4 1 ) 7 5 8 - 1 2 3 4 x 21 1 CLARK MOUSE Sales Associate Ity e-mail: clarkshouses@aol.com In c. i l # » ! . . 1 5 7 5 MW 9th Street • Corvallis. OR 9 7 3 3 0 oO o WE LOVE OUR VET! L aser S urgery N ow A v a il a b l e ! ^ M -F m 8am • 6pm S a t 8am • 5pm W est L inn Sun 11am-4pm Portland \ Salem \ Vancouver ______________________________________ W e s t L in n 19343 Willamette Drive C L A C K A M A S 16317 SE 82nd Drive T i g a r d 13500 SW Pacific Hwy 8 2 n d A v E N E 3150 NE 82nd Ave • • • • (503) (503) (503) (503) 635-3115 657-9225 670-9707 546-1044 GRAND OPENING! W est Slope View condominiums are nestled on a beautiful hillside in Southwest Portland. Enjoy incredible views of the W illamette Valley, easy access to downtown, and a location that's just minutes from downtown Portland, the Oregon Zoo and Washington Park. The newly rem odeled residences include air-conditioning and generous, beautiful grounds. 1 Bedroom Flats from $86 f 950 8 4 2 0 SW Canyon Lane Beaverton Oregon Open 1 pm to 5pm hriday thru Monday 2 Bedroom Flats from $ 121^950 >r m ore information please in t a c t DJ M a y e r or N a s h B a rin a g a th the Hasson Com pany at . 2 9 - 7 . 1 6 1 7 C harles R. D u it Portland The last laugh To t h e death your right to say it.” Or was it Buddy Hackett? E d it o r : have the answer to Thomas Bruners ques- 1 tion, “Are gay and bisexual people still com mitted to Cascade AIDS Project?" No! [“Walk of Life,” Sept. 6] The very people this agency was created to serve, the people with H1V/AIDS (who cares if they are gay, straight, hi or completely nonsexu- al), are aware of the rude and uncaring, often demeaning treatment handed out on a daily basis by most of the employees at CAP. If you are not ptxir or needy, they talk a great game. But if you are in need or are in one of their programs, just try to get in touch with one of them. Let’s take a look at the person who is so gen tly chastising Just Out readers to give more money, money, money to CAP. In the Dec. 5, 2001, issue of Hispanic News, Mr. Bruner attacks the Catholic Church— never mind the fact that Catholic Charities pro vides desperately needed services and hands-on care to people with HIV/AIDS. And they do this with love and compassion. Mention C A P in any sizable group of its ries telling the many disappointments and betrayals of trust that you will understand a lack of participation in its fund-raisers. In the past Mr. Bmner has said he would “run C A P like a business.” I have received, and have seen others receive, the “business" from CAP. UM Com panion Pet Clinics M oney talks E d it o r : was quite surprised to read a rather strong let ter advocating the removal of “The Gospel According to Marc” [“Not Funny,” Sept. 6]. 1 feel this would he a grave disservice if you did. There are times, 1 must admit, when 1 do take offense at Mr. Ac it o’s humor. His column about his weight loss and comments about larger-sized people were a hit much. As a lifelong member of the portly persua sion (my genetic axle bars me from employ ment as a stunt double for Calista Flixzkhart or Joel Grey), some of his remarks did get under my rather ample avoirdupois. Yet 1 did not feel a burning desire to take pen in hand and demand Mr. Acito’s head on a silver platter. Despite his occasional lapses in taste (the occupational hazard of all humorists and comics), he dtxs write quite a gotxJ column. The mental images he creates with his words frequently evoke a laugh-out-loud reaction in me. Since I have a laugh that can be heard above sirens and foghorns, you can imagine the looks I get at restaurants and coffee bars when this happens. I think as a society we’ve become so politi cally correct we’ve lost our ability to laugh at and see the humor in ourselves. We’re so serious about everything these days. Regardless of ori entation, gender, social strata, etc., we all need to loosen up, enjoy ourselves and relearn to laugh a little (or a lot) at ourselves. Humor is different things to different people. I find Elayne Boosler and George Wallace (the comedian, not the late politician) hysterically funny; others do not. There are those who laugh at comics who resort to a steady stream of raunch and variations of the “P word; I don’t. To each his own. If you don’t find Marc Acito’s column funny or in good taste, here’s a thought: Don’t read it. So long as he doesn’t long for the days when women and people of color were oppressed or declare solidarity with Din Mahon, then more power to him. Voltaire said it best: “I may not agree with what you have to say, hut 1 will defend to the P at K erwin Portland Hum orless pup To t h e E d it o r : think Shannon Redmond seriously needs to examine his/her socialization. The humorless pup seems not to realize that satire, parody and their associated brothers and sisters are part and parcel of humorous writing and comedy. God forbid the day when the P.C. Nazis can stifle the humorous opinions of fine, observant and courageous columnists like Marc Acito. Who has the chutzpah to write what the rest of the closet crowd has not the halls (Ooops. Can I use that word in this publication? Sorry, Shan non. Being the possessor of two, I just naturally equate courage with them) to acknowledge? Stereotypes exist because they are just that— stereotypes. And this faggy queer is grateful that columnists like Marc have the halls (Oixxips! There’s that word again. Sorry. Not really!) to shine the light of humor on them. I take a great deal of pleasure in reading his column for the simple reason that he does shine the light of humor on topics that have been a part of my life. And it is with a great deal of lev- ! ity that I exorcise my own demons. Humor is a terrific healer, like it or not. And I, for one, am grateful that there is “more aware ness on the part of the editors" for supporting diversity through the column “The Gospel According to Marc." Get over yourself. Lighten up. The world is a fun place to he...for most of us. They don’t call us GAY for nothing. G “T h o r n to n ” H un ter Portland Boys to men To t h e H E d it o r : ave you ever wondered where certain phrases come from? Today as I was sitting at my desk going about my daily routine, 1 heard one of my co-workers make the statement, “He learned to he a man from his grandfather." Now I know this is a common statement among men. You will hear them say it was their father or their brother or whatever— you get my drift. I also have noticed that when they make this statement about “being a man” they have a tendency to become all puffed up and taller. As a secure “hutch” woman, I have to ask myself, exactly, what does learning to become a man mean? What is it that has to he “taught” ? In nature, dtxis a male animal have to be shown how to he male? What is expected of him as a male, or is it just part of his genetic structure? As a woman, I don’t recall ever having to be taught to he a woman. As a butch woman, I just am— my mannerisms, the way 1 present myself, are there because it feels right. There are, of course, the stereotypes that hutch and femme lesbians seem to fit into; in some cases, they feel as if they need to take on an “identity” to he a convincing lesbian, but that’s another area for discussion at another time. Each, however, seems to fall into the role instinctively. Myself, I just act the way that feels right. I don’t ever recall asking another hutch woman, “How do I aet/become butch?” or asking my mother, “How do I become a womanT I know the typical male response to the latter, but of course good old Mom didn’t want to tell me that answer. As a matter of fact, I think she tried to steer me away from that “gray” area. Anyway, I know this might seem like a redun dant and silly question, but working on a crew that is 99 percent male, I hear this statement
