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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2003)
4 Ja a t «Mt • tune 6.2003 out PERSONAL CONCIERGE F in a lly ! A P e rs o n a l C o n c ie rg e S e r v ic e a v a ila b le in P ortla n d ! Y our tim e is v a lu a b le and w e aim to h elp you in c re a s e your fre e tim e by doing th in g s you don't have th e tim e to do! • P E R S O N A L A S S IS T A N T • CO M PUTER TUTOR • W EB/G R APH IC D ESIG N • T R A V E L P LA N N IN G S e e all our s e rv ic e s at: w w w .G o 4 U p d x .co m W The Fantasy Creature Store G ljts Jrom myth a n d fcaetuf Dragons - Gargoyles - Fairies Jewelry - Incense - Celtic 3106-B NE 6 4 th Near the co rn er of 6 4 th & S andy Blvd next to It’s My P leasure 503-241-8888 To th e E dito r : I ’ve been on the East Coast, away from Port land, for six years. I’ve been back here for three months. I am appalled at the changes that have come about in my absence. T his letter concentrates on changes in jUst O ut. To put it succinctly, what the hell is going on? O n Feb. 21, an insensitively written editor ial about gay male sex (“T he Opposite Sex”]. Regardless of one’s opinion about some gay m en’s practice of sexual cruising in parks, any unbiased, respectful and nonhom ophohic discussion of it deserves the inclusion of impor tant historical and social context. The editori al didn’t bother. T he writer, with all her 98 p ercen t-en tren ch ed propriety, apparently thinks herself above the need to treat gay male issues any more sensitively or respectfully than the straight press usually does. T h en on May 2, the Just O ut cover displays a huge picture of drinking glasses (filled with amber liquid) being clinked, with the caption “G et Your Drink O n: A Bitchin’ Guide to Q ueer Carousing.” In my opinion, this cover is careless and cavalier given the role that alcohol and bars have historically played in the lives of queer people and the alcoholism with which many struggle. W h a t gives? T h ere were a few times I p ro tested against longtim e ed ito r R enée L aC hance, hut in com parison, she certainly show ed far m ore sensitivity, respect, under stan d in g and com passion and was usually thorough enough to place im portant discus- T h urs 12-6 • Frl 12-6 • S at 12-7 • S un 12-5 John 10: 14-16 Metropolitan Community Church of the Gentle Shepherd Rev. Harriet Barshofsky Sunday Services: 10:30 am -6:30 pm We are a Christ-based church. A ll are welcome. We do Baptisms and Holy Unions. Located ju st minutes from the Interstate Bridge http://www.mccgs.org 2200 Broadway Suite F Vancouver, WA • (360) 695-1480 ATTENTION! military service members and their families... • Need help with processing a discharge? • Need a legal or medical referral? • Feel like you’re being treated unfairly? • Harassed or abused? • Know someone who is absent w/o leave? CALL: War Resisters League ( 503 ) 238-0005 sions w ithin an appropriate social and his torical co n tex t. Is Just O ut on a downhill slide, or what? Slip slidin* aw ay R inny (C atherine ) S mith Portland C lass dism issed To th e E ditor : he owncr/puhlisher/editor o f Just O ut is absolutely right (“W hy Was Kendra Killed?” May 16]. She is not going to he the next person shot by Portland police. She is white, wealthy and probably never out late. O nce again, we are flies on the therapist’s walls as Marty Davis ponders her internal, cycling turmoil that is loaded with shots of racism, classism, elitism and judgment. O nce again, she tiptoes oh-so-carefully around Big Daddy’s toes by never talking about the real issue— police brutality and accountability. Rather than take a stand or even have an opin ion about police misconduct, Davis spends her editorial real estate telling us she doesn’t really care about Kendra James; she wouldn’t want to know her, and Kendra’s loss of life means n o th ing to her. I find these statem e n ts p a th e tic and painful. I w onder how the hundreds o f P ort land lesbians o f color feel w hen they read them . It’s obvious life-and-death judgments pivot on sexual orientation and class to Davis, and she carries the assumption over to her readers. She repeatedly “challenges” readers to care about Kendra, even though she was not a les T bian. Maybe Davis has been hanging out in her advertising den a little too much and thinks all Portland readers are white, upper middle class and narcissistic. Sorry to not he challenged, I already care. M ight we dare assume Davis’ editorial would have said som ething different, or any thing at all, if Kendra were a lesbian? O r would she need to be white and also not he a had girl out late getting high? Davis’ criteria for caring is right in line with police criteria for harassment and killing. How refreshing it would he if she had the bravery to act like an editor and dare state an opinion about anything that could remedy the situa tion, like a truly independent citizen police review hoard. K im S tephenson Portland To protect and se rv e To th e E dito r : A group of concerned com m unity members met May 21 to discuss the controversy concerning the U nited W ay’s decision to stop funding the Boy Scouts and other organizations that discriminate against sexual and gender minorities. We also wanted to use this issue as a springboard for our organizations to better include and address issues that are crucial for LGBT people of color. W hen this m eeting was planned, the police shooting of Kendra James had not yet occurred, hut even though this incident was not on our agenda, it was clear to all who were present Do you feel former Vermont Qov. Howard Dean has a shot at beating Bush in 2004, or is the United States not ready for such a progressive president? I t is still early in the race and there is a lot that is happening on the national front and worldwide that could change the setting of the race in the blink of an eye. In a post-9/11 world, the challenges that face our leadership are staggering. The longer the recession lasts, the longer people go un employed, the more we look to our country’s lead ers to show us the way out of a problem that most of us as individuals have little chance of improving. I think Bush’s chances all rely on the record he creates; his credibility could be totally lost if his tax package fails to stimulate the economy as he hopes it will. (1 have my doubts.) Another attack on U.S. soil will whisk away his good public rela tions for the “war against the evildoers." Anyone with extra time to focus on his record might unveil the true evil/ignorant person he is. If this happens, then the rest of the United States will be primed for change, and Dean is that light out of here. 1 Find him straightforward, honest, energized and intelligent, and I think he is what this country really needs. We need to stimulate jobs internally. Education and health care are enormous professional fields that employ people and provide much-needed assis tance, and the product is what our country is found ed on: healthy, educated, free thinking people. A ttilia S awyer Portland • • • I believe he is the most refreshingly honest candidate to appear in years. We are in a financial crisis that can be fully blamed on Republican fiscal irresponsibility. Dean speaks clearly and fairly about his ideas, and he is not tainted by insider W ashington tradeoffs and waffling th at would weaken his credibility. Alm ost half of the electorate sat out the last election because they felt there was no choice. If even 10 percent of them became inspired to vote Democratic, he would win easily. He really isn't all that liberal by Roosevelt or Johnson standards. The current crop of Demos are really closer to the right wing than they are to the Dem voting block, and many are angry about it. So yes, if given the nod, he would pull it off. B ill Y oungren • • • N ot only does Howard Dean have a shot at beating Bush in 2004, he will beat Bush in 2004. Americans are tired of an extremist, civil- rights-hating warmonger in the office. O nce they get to know Dean and his progressive plan for our country, there will be no competition. Portland J im H iller • • • Y es, I believe Howard Dean has a shot. I’m very pleased that he is progressive, but the reason he can win is because he is the only Dem willing to stand up to the Reps and disagree with their disas trous policies instead of trying to adopt their issues and “out-Republican” them. People are hungry for a candidate who will represent their interests. D an D ees Tigard • • • W hile I personally would enthusiastically support Mr. Dean, I don’t think he can unseat Bush. First, the Democratic candidate must be folksy— that “aw, shucks” folksiness attracts a lot of voters who might otherwise have doubts. (Think Clinton, flush U and even Rea gan.) And that folksiness will offset Bush’s folksi- ness, which he uses as a stealth for his real agenda. Second, our Democratic Party needs a candi date who can deny the Republicans their “South ern strategy" by appealing to just enough South ern voters— both black and white— to carry at least Georgia, Florida and Louisiana. If we can put forth a candidate who can do just these two things I’ve written here, Bush will be history. D avid M indrup Wilsorwilb Portland • • • oward Dean no t only stands a shot at bear ing Bush in 2004, he might just be the best candidate for the job. W h at’s drawn people to him is not only his positions but his unapolo getic way of stating them. Dean is a straight shooter, and people admire a candidate who gives them straight answers instead of dancing around a subject. W hen he speaks, he emanates confidence and conviction, two characteristics that have been in short sup ply in a Democratic Party that has sold out its core beliefs for political expediency. Most importantly, however, Dean’s nom ina tion would drive a wedge right into the heart of the Republican Party. Civil unions, of course, would become an issue. T he Republican Party, which is always performing a balancing act between their far right wing and party moder ates, would have to take a position. By lambasting Dean, they raise the specter of the old intolerant Republicans and drive away party moderates. If, however, they choose not to make a big deal of the civil unions issue, they might have a revolt in their far-right-wing base. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and that couldn’t be better news for Democrats. H J ohn S antella Portland
