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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2003)
CO M M ENTAR Y \\\ M arin D ams The IN publication for the OUT population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown V ol. 2 0 N o . 8 and R enee L a C hance F e b ru a ry 2 1 , 2 0 0 3 FEATURE COMPANY: Portland couples abandon fidelity for a brave new world of multiple relationships. Why? p 22 NEWS NORTHWEST • Four views from the invisible queers of color community; The Queer Profit; Cascade AIDS Project reaches out to Portland’s gay bathhouses to help guys get off without getting hurt pp 8 - 1 7 NATIONAL • ConocoPhillips nearly rescinds sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy; White House nominates anti-gay judges pp 1 8 - 1 9 WORLD • Belgium OKs same-sex marriage...with a few exceptions pp 2 0 - 2 1 ARTS AND C U L T U R E THEATER • triangle productions! stages Shopping and Fucking pp 3 2 - 3 3 ROODS • Susie Bright tracks down The Best American Erotica 2003 p 35 FILM • Hush! deserves a wide audience P 37 PEOPLE • Slam poet Kimberly Dark returns to Portland p 39 WHAT'S POPPIN'T • Spirited Away is an instant animated classic p 40 DIVERSIONS • All heil The Producers; The Cockettes screens; Skervy needs a new home; cable documentary series highlights dykes p41 COLUMNS MS. BEHAVIOR • Don’t let a homophobe probe your body The opposite sex Why are gay men the only ones who get to have uninhibited sex with strangers? how it can be justified in this day and age for any person to prowl enis envy. around a public park, in the middle of the day, for any and all to see, It happens. for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with strangers. Just How do I know? Well, because it happened to me earlier explain it to me. How is this behavior acceptable? It happens in rest this very week. areas, public bathrooms, parks, hallways, stores, culverts, gullies and Imagine my surprise! crevices. My gosh, is there no place that men won’t use for public Thus stated, I’ll now clarify with the more precise explanation that sex? Why don’t you just go to the nice bathhouse? Too safe? Not it’s not so much the actual dangly apparatus that I found myself envying enough risk? Don’t wanna spend the bucks? Place too damn clean? as it was the accompanying freedoms and celebrations of usage that No thrill of discovery as a family complete with small children stum come along with this particular, um, nonfemalelike body part. So where is all this coming from, you ask? bles upon you in the midst of your little frolic? Voyeurism is a special ty at bathhouses— can’t that satisfy your little My epiphany unveiled herself as I was being given a guided tour of Steam, the new Lesbians, o f which I am one, have need-to-be-seen urges? OK, out of the woods and back to the gay m ens bathhouse that recently opened in Portland. This was my first behind-the- potlucks and garden clubs. Gay men, bathhouse. A t least 98 percent of the time I am the embodiment of proper behavior for scenes look at a sexual playhouse, and on the other hand, get to have sex the “middle-aged single professional woman." darned if I didn’t find myself momentarily being envious of what the fellas get to do. I with strangers in showers and cute I cherish proscribed dating standards and ritu als. I believe in and adhere to a set of rules, couldn’t help but wish that I could play— little rooms with clean sheets and structures, mores and values. I am appropriate with appropriate playmates of my own pre and boringly proper. Apparently, though, ferred gender, of course. windows overlooking the spa. there’s this other tiny little 2 percent, or per Lesbians, of which I am one, have haps even less, part of me that envies gay potlucks and garden clubs. Gay men, on the And it's a perfectly acceptable part men who have a cultural background that other hand, get to have sex with strangers in o f "their" culture. What a wide Y allows them sexual behaviors that require no showers and cute little rooms with clean conversations, no dinners out and no walking sheets and windows overlooking the spa. in the road our sexual identities on the beach. And before you start writing, And it’s a perfectly acceptable part of “their" took on that particular path. yes, of course, I believe also that gay men are culture. W hat a wide Y in the road our sexu guided by strong and viable value systems— al identities took on that particular path. So So close, and yet so far away. again, with that big ole Y in the path on sex close, and yet so far away. ual behaviors. Bazillions of words have been written, So now I’m wondering, what if there were Dyke Night at Steam? and will continue to he, on the differences in values, mores, behav The men are banished for the evening. T he ambiance, the sexuality iors and attitudes between gay men and gay women. Trust me, I remain. All traditional rules are set aside for the night. Is it sensual— have nothing new to add; 30 minutes in a bathhouse does not a or is it just too damn weird even to think about? Would the 2 percent legitimate researcher make. But I gotta tell you, I was impressed inquisitive factor in any other lesbians be sufficient to motivate any with the attitudes and culture represented in this bathhouse. There one to go along and check it out? A night of gay sex— for women. is no deceit. There is no pretense. It is a place to have sex. Sex with Clean, consensual, playful, bold— whatever. How about it? How about people you probably won’t he inviting out for dinner. Dessert, you? You in? maybe. And it is, of course, all safe sex, mind you. Steam is all so very clean. It’s attractive and it’s institutionally sexy. And the Not me. Nope, while the notion o f free-for-all frolicking might he ever-so- hands-down best attraction is that it beats the hell out of men hav momentarily entraining my own 98 percent rules. I’ll happily be ing sex with men in public parks. sticking with flowers, dinners out and walks on the beach. I am O f this latter behavior I am not a fan. Far from it. I seldom go any entrenched. longer to my favorite park because I fear my own behavior and reaction Penis envy. toward the constant presence of scurrilous sexual activity in places where only dogs should be doing the sniffing. T hat’s one thing. Tell me, e-mail me, write me a letter, please, and explain to me Penis behavior— that’s another. j n P 31 OUT WITH ITI • Bob Mensel goes symphonic p 33 R EFLECTIO N S .. ■ . . ■■ :■■ ■ 5 years ago in 4 • • '-.I— THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC • What’s up • The Portland City Council passed two measures Feb. 11 that increase protections for sexual minorities. An ordinance co sponsored by Mayor Vera Katz and Commissioner Erik Sten requires companies to formally agree that they will not discriminate against workers based on sexual orientation. with gay men and musicals? p 42 t is published on the first and third day of each month. Copyright © 2001 hy Just Out. N>< part of J i m O ut may he reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The submission of written and graphic materi als is welcomed. W ritten material should he ryped and dou- hle-spaced. just ( )uf reserves the ncht to edit for tmimmar, punc tuation. style, liability concerns and length. We will refect or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to the editor should he limned to 500 words. A n nouncements regarding hie transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) should he limited to 200 wonls; photos are welcome. Dead- line for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar LS the Thursday 1 5 days before the next publication slate. Views expresses! in lettcts to the edits», columns ami features are not necessarily those o f the publisher. T h e display advertising deadline n the Monday 12 (.lays before the next publication date. Classified ads must be received at the Just O ut office by 4 p.m. on the Thursday eight days before the next publication date, along with payment. 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Visit our Internet sue at www.justout.com. • The state’s largest daily newspaper declined Feb. 9 to endorse either of the two openly gay candidates running for Multnomah County Commission posts in the March 10 speed election. In the District 1 race The Oregonian opted for Diane Linn over George Eighmey. and in the District 3 race it went with Lisa Naito over Barbara Wilier. • The Oregonian ran an informative spread on the front page of its Feb. 2 Money sec tion called "Straight Financial Advice for Those Who Aren’t." The column, authored PW U Sm AND MANAGING WTM • Marty Davis ARW IBfTM * Jim Radosta AITO ANO ORIMI BMTM • Lisa Bradshaw OfTONAL AMBIANT • Marie Fleischmann CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Meryl Cohn, Jodi Darby, Anthony Davis, Timothy Krause, by Julie Tripp, featured an interview with Portlander David A. Woosley of American Express Financial Advisors. • Civil rights advocate Coretta Scott King will deliver the keynote speech at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund's 25th anniversary event March 31 in Chicago. • By a vote of 52 percent to 48 percent, Maine became first state to repeal its gay rights law Feb. 10. • Washington became the 27th state to ban same- sex marriages Feb. 6. when the Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Gary Locke's veto. It was his first veto override. • First Tuesday Coffeehouse celebrates its 10th anniversary March 3 at Cup and Saucer with perform ances by Mary Rose, Galloway a id Luckett, Musics Femina and Nan Collie. • Zanne dejanvier Gary Morris, Floyd Sklaver, Rex Wockner I • Marie Fleischmann I • Larry Lewis Markie Acevedo • Erin Sexton I • Kevin Moore I • Kristine Ashton, Jennifer Brinson, Ian Drake, Ron Geer, Mary Hauer, Crash Schwartz
