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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2002)
October 18.2002- G U EST C O M M EN TA R Y by Lomu L. Jt a n The IN publication for the O UT population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown V ol. 19 N o . 2 4 and R enée L a C hance O ctob er 18, 2 0 0 2 FEATURE THE MAN WITH TWO FACES: Lon Mabon thinks he’s too pro-gay. Bill Bradbury thinks he’s too anti-gay. Will the real Gordon Smith please stand up? P 24 NEWS NORTHWEST • Meet Reid Vanderburgh, Portland’s first openly trans psychotherapist; lesbians should take heed of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; AIDS charity survives federal funding cuts; small congregation gets a new senior pastor PP 8 - 1 8 NATIONAL • Bush nominee criticized pp 2 0 - 2 1 WORLD • Gay Paree mayor stabbed PP 2 2 -2 3 ARTS AND CU LTU RE CULTURE- Queens and kings get the royal treatment at Coronation 2002 pp 3 4 -3 5 SPORTS • Bon voyage Team Oregon! P 37 PEOPLE • Survivors John Carroll knows a thing or two about allies p 39 DOORS • Moving memoirs P 41 ART • Portland artist likes his boys underwater p 42 FILM • Hell House will scare you straight P 43 DIVERSIONS • Tegan and Sara at the Roseland; be a slut against rape; eight-minute dating; film festival jury awards p 44 WHAT'S POPPIN'T • You must, no you really must see Igbv Goes Down and Secretary p 45 COLUMNS MS. REHAVIBR * Help, my friend has been kidnapped by a rural lesbian Building an anti-racist movement Creating Change will address one of the most divisive and damaging elements in our society and our world ore than 2,000 people from all over the United States and other countries will gather in Portland beginning Nov. 6 for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Forces 15th annual Creating Change conference. Were immensely proud to he holding this years conference in Oregon, a state that has long been a leader in progressive movements in this country and is home to a well-organized and vibrant G LBT communi ty that has overcome repeated challenges by organized anti-GLBT groups. Creating Change is one of the most important gatherings in our politi cal movement. The people who attend include the most experienced vet eran activists as well as novices. The conference offers everything from a forum for addressing cutting-edge issues to providing a unique professional development opportunity for those working to advance our cause. While people come to Creating Change for many different reasons, we all participate in one overriding goal: building a stronger, more high ly skilled, more representative movement for freedom, justice and equal ity. In a nutshell, this is the mission of the task force. This year, for the first time, Creating Change has a theme: “Building an Anti-Racist Movement: Working for Social and Economic Justice.” Never in the history of our movement has such a large, multiracial G LB T gathering focused on this topic. So, why is the task force doing it now? Institutionalized racism is one of the most significant factors hindering our success as a movement. If we were unified as a community, we could take better advantage of the strength our numbers afford. Our movements political agenda would better reflect the priorities of all segments of our community. And we could better engage our allies in joining in our struggle. But too many things divide us. The discouragingly long list includes racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, transphobia, biphobia, AIDS-phobia, classism, ageism, horizontal hostility and a corrosive lack of compassion and forgiveness. With such a list, where does an organization like the task force start? This year, Creating Change focuses on building an anti-racist movement. Racism is one of the most pervasive, divisive and damaging elements in our society and our world. The same is true of our own G LBT communities. Thus, as a movement, we must get our own house in order. People of color suffer irreparable harm as a result of racism, and all of us are diminished by it. Further, how can we purport to advance freedom, justice and equality for GLBT people if we are not working for the changes necessary to make these concepts realities for all in our community? The great Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. All of us share responsibility for working to eradicate the injustice in our own community. We will not succeed as a movement unless we make a significant investment in doing so. And this responsibility must translate to organizational leadership. This year’s conference is one way in which the task force is striving to shoulder this responsibility. JL It also is important to acknowledge the range of emotions that a theme like “Building an Anti-Racist Movement” can elicit. Hope, fear, skepticism, anger, optimism— just to name a few. Sometimes these reac tions are bom of experience; other times they stem from ignorance. For example, the task force already has been publicly attacked by a white gay male columnist who identified the theme of this year’s confer ence as proof of our “obsolescence.” Even if it weren’t the right thing to do (which it is), and even if it weren't long overdue (which it is) and even if it weren’t, indisputably, “a gay issue" (which it is), one would think that anyone who observes politics would understand that working to build an anti-racist movement is strategically smart. Statistically, straight people of color are generally one of the most supportive demographic groups when it comes to civil rights for G LBT people. They understand that the bigotry that serves as the foundation for racism is often the same bigotry that serves as the foundation for homophobia, for anti-Semitism, for misogyny. But our opponents are trying their hardest to drive a wedge between us and our most steadfast allies. The gay-obsessed religious fanatics who are behind anti-GLBT organizing in this country are now reaching out to straight leaders in communities of color— deliberately, systematically, maliciously— to try to convince them to join their homophobic crusade. Our community must offer the reasoned alternative. And we cannot do so as effectively if most of our organizations and our leaders fail to represent the rich diversity that is our community. This is just one more compelling reason that all of us should be invested in building an anti-racist movement. Finally, this year’s conference is not really “the start” of this effort. Creating Change 2002 is neither the beginning nor the end of work on these issues. First, just as is true of many conference attendees, the task force has been working on most of these issues for almost 30 years. The confer ence has always included workshops on these topics, and the task force has often been a leader in addressing them. Second, “Building an Anti-Racist Movement” is a tall order— it isn’t something that gets solved by a single conference or a single organiza tion or even- 2,000 well-intentioned and committed people. And we are bound to make mistakes in our attempt to promote dialogue and action around this very critical issue. Still, a conference like Creating Change can serve as a catalyst for exponential leaps forward in our movement. And that is our hope for this year’s conference. Just as it is our commitment to continue to work on the goal of building an anti-racist movement— day after day, year after year. Together, if we approach this task with patience, with intellectual honesty and empathy, with understanding, determination and account ability, we can help our community and our movement make progress in building an anti-racist movement. Together, we can prove the relevance and effectiveness of this work. j n LORRI L. JEAN is the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director. p 33 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC • Don’t sweat the small stuff— let Marc do it for you P 48 Just out is published on the first and third Fri day o f each month. Copyright © 2002 by Just Out. N o part of Just Out may He reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The submission o f w ritten and graphic materi als is welcomed. Written material should be typed and dou ble-spaced. Just Out reserves the nyhi to edit for tmtmmar, punc tuation. style, liability concerns and lenjtfh. We will reject or edit anicles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words. A n nouncements regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) shiHild be limited to 200 words; photos are welcome Dead- line for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date. Views expresses! in letters to the eilitor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. The display advertising deadline is the Monslay 12 days before the next publication date. Classified ads must be received at the Just Out office by 4 p.m. on the Thursday eight slays before the next publication slate, along with payment. Ask may be placesl by telephone or via the Internet with Visa sir MasterCard payment. Ad policy: Just Out reserves the right to reject su edit any aslvertisement. Compensation for emirs in, or cancellation of, aslvertising will be masle with credit tosvard future advertising. Advertising rates are available upon request. Distribution policy: Just (Jut IS available free of charge, one copy per person. Just Out is slclivered only to authorized distnhu- torx. No person may, with« ut prior written permission from Just Out, false more than one copy. Any person who takes more than one copy may be held liable for theft, including but not limited to civil damages and/or criminal prswecutisin. Subscriptions are $22.50 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $40 for 12 issues. C on tact Just Out at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, O R 97293-0400; 501-216-1252, advertising 501-216-1253, fax 501-216-1257; e-mail |intoutfijustout.cnm. Visit our Internet site at www.justiHit.com. endorsements • U .S . Senate: Bill Bradbury • Governor: Ted Kulongoski • City of Portland Commissioner, Position 4 : Serena Cruz • Metro Council President: David Bragdon • Congressional Representative, District 1: David Wu (D) • Congressional Representative, District 3: Earl Blumenauer (D) • Congressional Representative, District 4 : Peter A. Defazio (D) • Congressional Representative, District 5: Darlene Hooley (D) • State Senator, District 11: Peter Courtney (D) • State Senator, District 17: Charlie Ringo (D) • State Senator, District 19: Richard Devlin (D) ID ITO i • Marty Davis • Jim Radosta ARTS A M C 8 m M « T B R • Lisa Bradshaw Sarah Leimert Marc Acito, Kathy Beige, Meryl Cohn, Jodi Darby, Lorri L. Jean, Patricia L. MacAodha, Christopher McQuain, Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. Nov. 5. Just Out does not make endorsements in every electoral contest. • State Representative, District 11 : Phil Barnhart (D) • State Representative, District 2 1 : Mike Swaim (D) • State Representative, District 2 7 : Mark Hass (D) • State Representative, District 2 8 : Jeff Barker (D) • State Representative, District 29: Chuck Riley (D) • State Representative, District 3 3 : Mitch Greenlick (D) • State Representative, District 3 6 : Mary Nolan (D) • State Representative, District 4 1 : Carolyn Tomei (D) • State Representative, District 4 2 : Diane Rosenbaum (D) • State Representative, District 43: Deborah Gary Morris, Courtney Perkins, Floyd Sklaver, Tom Stevenson, Cori Taratoot, Rex Wockner I • Larry Lewis Markie Acevedo Erin Sexton mOVIHnVf • Rivendell Marketing Company Inc., 212-242-6863 Kafoury (D) • State Representative, District 4 4 : Gary D. Hansen (D) • State Representative, District 4 5 : Jackie Dingfelder (D ) • State Representative, District 4 6 : Steve March (D) • State M easure 25 (increases minimum wage to $ 6 .9 0 ): N o • State Measure 2 6 (regulates paid refer endum petition signature gathering): Yes • State Measure 27 (requires labeling of genetically engineered foods): N o • Portland Measure 26-33 (finances chil dren’s investment program): Yes • Portland Measure 26-34 (restores park services and allows much-needed repairs): Yes • Portland Measure 26-36 (renews library levy): Yes 1 • Kevin Moore Zanne dejanvier Sarah Leimert I • Ed Carder, Ian Drake, Ron Geer, Mary Hauer, Kelly Keigwin, Merid Schwartz, Jen Spires, Janelle Vogt, Melissa Weigand
