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COM M ENTARY
li\ M \im 1 ) W I"
The IN publication for the OUT population
F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown
Vol. 20 N o . 19
and
R enee L a C hance
August l, 2003
FEATURE
TBANSHJRMING RELATIONSHIPS: Partners o f trans
men and women share their stories o f change
P 24
NEWS
NORTHWEST • An upcoming forum looks at how
the Patriot Act affects minorities; conference
trains hundreds of activists afflicted with
progressive-compulsive disorder; Portland
bicyclist raises money to fight HIV
PP 7-19
NATIONAL • Did the White House try to
discredit journalist for being a gay Canadian?
PP 20-21
WORLD • Anglican Communion divided over
homosexuality
pp 22-23
ARTS AND CU LT U R E
BOONS • Two cute gay boys read for you
p 35
THEATER When straight guys yearn for a big,
strong man, they make theater like this
37
MUSIC • The Gossip abandons Olympia for the
sweet fruit of Portland
p
39
CULTURE • Singer Mark Weigle in town for
Oregon Leather Pride Week
p41
WHAT'S POPPIN'T • Did they make Gigli this bad
on purpose?
P
P 42
DIVERSIONS • LCP’s annual softball hootenanny;
Australian dyke musicians at Artichoke; Chicken
Soup fo r the Hole: gays in Hollywood?
P 43
COLUMNS
M8. BEHAVIOR • My Internet girlfriend isn’t hot; is
my boyfriend a slut?
P 33
EPIQUEEREAN • Let’s do lunch
p 36
OUT WITH IT! • Hedwig tussles with a flag-waving
American
p 43
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC . A queer eye
for his own heart
Let the political games begin
his week’s damnable summer heat was slightly softened by
the waves of energy and breezes of excitement generated by
announcements and posturing for the 2004 election. The
“who’s gonna do what’’ buzz is on par with the fun of a
“who’s doing who" lesbian dating flowchart. So many
names, so many possibilities.
For Portland citizens, the starting gun that sent potential candidates
jockeying for position was thé announcement that Vera Katz will not be
seeking a fourth term as mayor. Now the poker tournament begins as
the players look at their hands and decide to bluff, play or fold. And,
lucky for all of us, some very gixxl potential candidates are waiting to
enter the game.
What will Earl Blumenauer decide? Return to Qmgress or run for
mayor? That’s a big decision for a career politician— give up a shot at a
relatively easy re-election for a run at a probable yet not guaranteed
head seat at the hig kids’ table.
Where does Nick Fish play into this, and what about Maria Rojo de
Steffey? Is the commissioner ready to move on up from her tasks at
Multnomah G>unty?
As gays and lesbians in Portland and the tri-county area, we’re
blessed with a wealth of supportive and progressive candidates who have
worked hard to secure equal rights and standing for all our community.
For their efforts they gain our support and we get their assurances that
they’ll continue in the same mode. If the mayoral and City Guincil
races draw the usual multitudes of wannahes, we need to take a strong
leadership role in the selection process. Having a wealth of gay-positive
candidates doesn’t mean we get to lie back and take it easy— it means
we must work harder to get them all in the right places.
The July 29 issue of USA Today stated in its daily poll that U.S. citi
zens have become significantly less accepting of homosexuality since a
Supreme Court decision that was hailed as clearing the way for new gay
civil rights. Our work, and that of our elected officials, is far from done.
O f course, the candidate-to-be that we’re really waiting to hear from
is Sam Adams. Sam, what’s it gonna be? Where can you best serve and
put your years of hard work and experience to productive use?
Meanwhile across town, David Wu might draw all the heat in his
congressional race. He’s being targeted strongly and early on by Republi
can challengers while drawing the ire and frustration of constituents
and peers. Maybe Wu’s not going to run again?
Even with the westside race taking prominence, is running for
Congress a risky level jump for Adams? Is aiming for Gmgress the
equivalent of a U-Haul second date? Maybe moving a tad too fast?
I trust Adams to make the right decision.
L(X)king at the bigger picture I’m guessing that supporters of Howard
Dean, and any of the other 54 Democratic presidential hopefuls, are
A
side from elections, the other news of the week was the death of
Bob Hope. G^nsidering he was 100 years old, the news was hardly
unexpected but sad and thought-provoking nonetheless.
For all of my life there has been Bob Hope. Though he was ailing
and frail the past few years, it wasn’t that long ago that his presence was
dominant in the entertainment and political arenas. He was constant
and strong and everywhere. He was funny without being mean. He was
kind without appearing insincere, and he simply always has been. To
many Americans he was a true hero.
Hearing Hope described on all the newscasts as a hero made me
pause to ponder who are the heroes specific to the gay and lesbian com
munity. Who are our personal heroes? Who has touched your life or
given you hope or direction? Who have you known who made it easier
for you to be who you are today?
Was it a teacher, perhaps? C an gay and lesbian teachers today be
role mcxlels? Should they be, is it their job or responsibility to mentor
gay and/or questioning youth? Is this a risk or a reward for the teachers
of today? D> gays and lesbians raising children merit the accolade of
hero?
How about professional athletes? One need only look as far as the
Portland Trail Blazers to see that “role mtxJel” no longer appears to be
part of that job description. Gay professional athletes appear to be few
and far between, but how about those women golfers and tennis players?
I’ve been to more than a few W NBA games; tell me there’s not lesbians
in that league. Should these young, visible women be out and proud—
should they be setting examples of achievement and accomplishment
for young and old lesbians— or is it their greater right to keep their per
sonal lives private?
1 know my life would surely have been enriched and enhanced by
the presence of positive gay and lesbian role mixlels. While feeling sad
ness about the death of the Bob Hopes and the “heroes” of our land, I
also mourn the absence of those who never were there— the gay and
lesbian heroes of my childhixxJ.
Who is your hero? To whom are you the one? Which gay or lesbian
leader— locally, nationally, globally or someone of personal prominence
to you has had an impact on your life?
Who can you turn to and say: “1 am a better person for having
known you. You are my hero. Thank you." J H
10 years ago in i
oui
___--"'ZT
P 45
Ju st out 1« p u b lish ed on the first an d th ird F ri
day of each m onth, i jipyricht © 2001 by Just ( Xu. N o part
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• Scholarships for this year’s Creating C hange
conference, to be held in Durham, N.C., are
now available to assist limited-income
activists, activists of color and activists with
disabilities.
• The Oregonian reported that H ouse Sp e a ke r Larry Campbell.
R-Eugene, would not be seeking re-election to another term of
office. He has been the main block to gay and lesbian legislation
• W ith the rallying cry of “N o M edical
Excuse for Genital A b u se," more than 40
based in S a n Francisco, wifl be holding its annual conference in
Portland. The selection of Portland is In part a "thank y o u " to
O regon voters for rejecting Ballot M easu re 9. The conference
w as onginally to be held in Denver, but the association board
voted against the location after Coloradans p asse d
Am endm ent 2.
for the past two se ssion s.
• The Am erican Association of Physicians for Human Rights,
nt J im ( bit may tv repnxlucc-d without written pcntusMon trout
tlte publisher.
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going to be disappointed come primary election time. 1 betcha right
now that Al Gore will be the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nomi
nee. G im e on, isn’t that what we’d really like to see— Al Gore beat
Bush’s butt? All of us sinners need to get out and volunteer and support
and vote and get Dubya back to his ranch in Texas. “Gore in ’0 4 " Let
the games begin.
men and supporters gathered July 12 in
San Francisco to protest the California
M edical Association policy of endorsing
routine infant circum cision a s “an effective
public health m easure," the only such poli
cy in the United States am ong state medi
cal associations.
m
PmiSNEA AMR MANAGING EBfTOR • Marty Davis
• Kristine Gebbie. a former top health offi
cial in O regon and W ashington a s well as
a professor of nursing and public health,
is now the nation's first federal A ID S
czar. S h e w as appointed to the post by
President Clinton after the job w as
turned down by other candidates.
• Lesbian A ve n ge rs have form ed a new Portland chapter. The
group s first event is a Full M o o n Debutante D y k e M arch on
Aug. 2.
• W om en with W om en with Infants and Toddlers meet for a
pottuck brunch Aug. 8.
• The Northw est W om e n 's M u sic Celebration features the
w om en of Motherfode in a w eekend of m usic in the w ood s
Sept. 10 to 12.
NEWS «T O R * Jim Radosta
ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR • Lisa Bradshaw
Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Gary Morris,
Floyd Sklaver, Caitlin Smith, Cori Taratoot,
Glenn Scofield Williams, Rex Wockner
FEATURES HIITOR • Timothy Krause
ADVERTISING MRECTN • Larry Lewis
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • Marie Fleischmann
A0VEXT1SMG REPRESENTATIVE • Markte Acevedo
CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Kathy Beige,
Michael Burdick, Meryl G)hn, Meg Daly, Andy
AIVBmSlK ASSSCMTE • Erin Sexton-Sayler
GRAPHS MRBTUR • Kevin Moore
PMHKTMN ASSISTANT • Zanne dejanvier
VFKE MANAGER • Marie Fleischmann
HSTRHRTMN • Kristine Ashton, Alison Benn,
Ashley Conley, Tara Coy, Mary Hauer,
Darren Linder, Ann Lopez, Jennifer Saunders,
Crash Schwartz