m a rc h a i. 2003
COMMENTARY
in M a r i y D av is
The IN publication for the OUT population
F o u n d e d 1983 • J ay B r o w n a n d R enée L a C h a n c e
Vol. 20 No. 10
March 21, 2003
FEATURE
CUT OUT: How the state’s weak economy is
affecting the sexual minorities community
p 26
NEWS
NORTHWEST • Organization advocates
for prevention of domestic violence in the sexual
minorities community; students take action
to expose injustice
pp 8 - 1 9
NATIONAL • Michael Savage loses sponsors
PP 2 1 - 2 3
WORLD • British MP shacks up with “rent boy”
pp 2 4 - 2 5
ARTS AND C U LTU R E
FILM • Portland indie filmmaker Gus Van Sant
talks about his new Damon/Affleck adventure
P 37
FILM • The Academy Awards go gay
P 39
MÜSIC • Third Angle New Music Ensemble
celebrates Four Tall Women
P 41
MUSIC • Come to the cabaret
P 43
THEATER • Co -founder of Theater! Theatre!
Myra Donnelly starts Vanity FYoductions
P *7
THEATER • Dave Jenkins comes home queer
p 48
DIVERSIONS - Tara Jane O’Neil at the Blackbird;
ski dykes make good; lesbian chorus update;
don’t miss the Red Dress Party!
p 44
WHAT'S POPPIN'? • The Hunted finally opens!
p 45
COLUMNS
MS. BEHAVIOR • The proper amount of wanderlust
p 35
OUT WITH ITI • What’s up, Ellen?
Duct tape fo r the soul
W ith apologies to Homeland Security, the Red Cross, Mayor Katz and the guy who wrote the real books
uring the late 1960s and early 1970s I was a hippie
Vera Katz would have us think that our future comfort and safety
wannabe. Hippie as in the flower power, free love, sex
lies in stocking up on supplies of duct tape, flashlights and peanut
and rock ’n’ roll generation. I never made it past
butter. W hile these items no doubt are valuable and tangible “solu
wannabe status because my desires to he free and fanciful
tions” to unsolvable scenarios, I’d like to suggest a more spiritual, if
kept crashing into conflict with my previous, far-too-
you will, application for these emergency supplies that we are
many years of good old Christian Sunday school instruction.
advised to keep available in our homes.
To my unending consternation, this dichotomy of values can
The days and times upon us, and those that lie ahead, speak to
still, to this very day, pop up unexpectedly and cre
me less of plastic sheeting and lidded buckets and
ate chaos in the inner battlefields of my mind. I’ll
The days and times
more of the need for a duct tape for the soul, so to
he going about my normal daily life, happily filled
speak. But not ordinary tape— no, we need an
upon us, and those
with lustful and lascivious thoughts, when—crash,
empowered duct tape, a mystical, magical tool to
bang, boom— I’m hearing “thou shalt not covet
that lie ahead, speak mend and heal the rifts and pains and wounds that
thy neighbor’s wife.” Worse yet, said unwelcome
we all bear and, more sadly, inflict upon each
to
me
less
o
f
plastic
message will always he accompanied hy something
other, intentionally and unintentionally, on an all-
like all four verses, and chorus, of “Blessed Assur
too-frequent basis. Idealistic? Sure. But isn’t that
sheeting
and
lidded
ance, Jesus Is Mine.”
better than the cynicism of war and bombs and the
This can he very offsetting. First of all, I’ve never
buckets and more of threats of terrorist attacks that slam us from all
even so much as looked at my neighbor’s wife (hon
directions on a daily, if not hourly, basis? Forget
the need for a duct
est!), and secondly, do you know how damn hard it is
the peanut butter— how do we really comfort our
to get rid of the chorus of a hymn once it’s weaseled
selves, how do we care for others in these stressful
tape for the soul,
its way into your head?
times? How do we make some good out of all this?
so
to
speak.
But
not
A popular wall poster from the ’60s, cherished
How do we use our magic tape to create a better
hy hippies and wannabes alike, set forth the notion
world ?
no, we We’ve got to patch things up. Instead of bombing
that “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” ordinary tape —
This poster was almost always hung, crookedly and
need an empowered and burning our world to hits and pieces, we’ve got to
lovingly, next to the one displaying a soaking wet,
work to heal old and new wounds. Beyond soulful
duct tape, a mystical, first aid, we’ve got to learn new ways to avoid making
scraggly, howling little kitten perched on the edge
of a toilet seat. This kitten’s fury would no doubt
the same mistakes over and over.
magical
tool
to
mend
he heightened hy the knowledge that these many
And instead of today being the first day of the
years later I can’t begin to remember the message
ana heal the rifts and rest of your life, what if today was the last day of
to he gleaned from his pathetic misery. W hat is
your life? W hat would you do differently? W hat
there to he learned from falling into a toilet? Don’t pains and wounds that would become your priority? Would your behavior
do that again?
we all bear and, more he different if it were the last day? How would you
Now it’s no longer the ’60s, hut once again
live it? Is there a difference between the first day of
sadly,
inflict
upon
each
there are protesters in the streets. Vietnam is a his
the rest of your life and the last day? Should there
tory lesson, a lesson unlearned perhaps— and what
he? W hat if the bombs were falling here instead of
other, intentionally and there? W hat tears would you rush to mend? W hat
once was, now is again. The bombs and missiles
are starting to fall upon Iraq. As uncertainties of
unintentionally, on an wounds would you hurry to heal?
the future hang heavily upon us all, perhaps now is
It will he two weeks before I write again in this
all-too-frequent
basis.
the time to look back at lessons of the ’60s and re-
space. In these ensuing two weeks our world could
embrace the notion that, indeed, “Today is the first
become a different place. Our world could become
day of the rest of our lives.” And while I can’t bring myself to
a better place. Our lives could become changed forever by the
believe that a missile laden with smallpox is headed for Portland, I
wounds of war. Or they could become changed forever hy powerful
do see value in acknowledging that lean and hard times could lie
healing actions. So, for now, grab hold of your tape, and take care
ahead.
of yourself. Take care of each other.
Homeland Security, the Red Cross and our very own Mayor
And use that tape. J H
p 44
* ' vis?i
EPIQUEEREAN • New food column!
p 46
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC • So long,
Mr. Rogers
• On April 2, Susan Stoltenberg steps down as
executive director of Cascade AIDS Project, which
provides myriad services related to H IV /A ID S .
p 49
ju s t o u t it p ublish ed on the firtt an d th ird F ri
d ay o f each m onth. Copyright © 2001 hy Just Out. No part
• State Rep. George Eighmey and political new
comer Barbara Wilier, both openly gay candidates,
face runoffs in the May 19 primary. Eighmey will go
against D»ane Linn for the Multnomah County
Board of Commissioners seat for District 1. while
W ilier will square off against Lisa Naito for the
District 3 seat.
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B g fS e --* 1
• Researchers say they have found the first
strong evidence of a physical difference between
lesbians and heterosexual women—a finding
that the inner ears of lesbians work more like
those of men.
• A financial crisis has led the Promise Keep
ers. a Christian men's movement, to lay off all
345 staff members effective March 31,
Reuters reports.
PUBLISHER AND MANAGING EDITOR •
NEWS EDITOR •
Marty Davis
Jim Radosta
ARTS ANO CULTURE EDITOR • Lisa Bradshaw
EDITORIAL ASSIS1ANT • Marie Fleischmann
CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Kathy Beige,
Meryl Cohn, Timothy Krause,
Patricia L. MacAodha, Christopher McQuain,
Gary Morris, Catherine Sameh, Floyd Sklaver,
Cori Taratoot, Jack Turteltaub, Kat Wilson,
Rex Wockner
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Larry Lewis
ADVERTISING RPRESBflAnVE • Markte Acevedo
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT • Erin Sexton
I • Kevin Moore
• Fire recently struck one of the queerest spots in
one of the queerest cities, Provincetown. Mass.
According to the W ashington Blade, several buildings,
including one that housed a number of popular gay
bars, burned down Feb. 10. The five-alarm fire caused
several million dollars in damage and involved more
than 200 firefighters.
• Gay pop star Elton John. 50, was knighted Feb. 24
by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in honor
of his contributions to pop music and AIDS charities.
• Hey, W hite Boy! Join Speak to Your Brothers for a
discussion about racism in the queer community.
• Later this year S ta r Trek: V oyager will be exploring
previously unmapped territory, reports the March
issue of G irlfriends magazine. Jeri Ryan, the newest
cast member in the S ta r Trek franchise galaxy, will
take her character. Seven of Nine, to new heights as
the first openly gay character In the series of series.
• Zanne dejtfnvicr
OFFICE MANAGER • Marie Fleischmann
IISTRIBRT1RN • Kristine Ashton,
Jennifer Brinson, Ian Drake, Ron Geer,
Mary Hauer, Crash Schwartz
m v e n O N ASSISTANT