September 5.2003 ' iu s tm COMMENTARY id •“ ■I3 M arin l ) \ \ h ■ V The IN publication for the OUT pop population F ounded 198} • J ay B rown Vol. 2 0 N o. 21 and R enee L a C hance Sep tem ber 5, 2 0 0 3 FEATURE IK lE M M M C M N t As students return to classrooms, will sexual minority issues make the grade— or he expelled? P 24 NEWS NORTHWEST • Nonprofit crosses the barrier between deaf and hearing pp 7-16 NATIONAL • Federal Marriage Amendment prospects dim pp 19-21 WORLD • Hamburg, Germany, mayor comes out pp 22-23 ARTS AND C UL T U R E M U S IC • The Hidden Cameras click P 37 BOOKS • New editions o f queer sex classics p 39 CULTURE • Garden Party at the Oregon Women’s Land Trust pp 40-41 F IL M • Fassbinder Hicks on D VD ; new chilling AIDS documentary P 43 THEATER • Master Puppeteer: the best jo b on the planet P 49 W H AT'S P O P P IN 'T • Real people inspire great films this month p 45 D IVER SIO N S • Soundvision closes with provocative new exhibit; 3(Xh and final Womansource; homos go yo-yo in drag extravaganza P 47 COLUMNS M S . B EH A VIO R . All the straight guys at work think I want to fuck them P 35 Passing the baton Mark Kroeker ends his embattled reign as Portland’s pedice chief n Aug. 29 Mark K roeker’s troubled term as Portland’s chief of police came to an abrupt conclusion. My first thought was that there’d probably he a lot of happy gay activists in - Portland. My second thought was that there really aren’t that many gay activists in Portland anymore. Nonetheless, those so inclined to participate, lead or even provide a watchful eye during the past three years were probably pleased hy the news ol his resignation. T here’s not much point in further debating the merits, or perceived lack thereof, of the beleaguered expatriate from Los Angeles. Now is the time to turn our attention and our fcKus to the new leader, Derrick Fox- worth. To start evenly and cleanly, I have extended an invitation to him to address and he queried hy the Just Out editorial staff. I have indi­ cated that I’d like this meeting to he held in an open, informal, public setting and that all members of the Portland gay community would he invited to attend. 1 would hope, and suspect, that there are no “tapes in the closet" for this chief, and 1 feel confident that our conversation will show that our community has a strong ally in the man sworn to protect and defend us all. T h e new chief is no stranger to our community and our quirks and our concerns. For the past several months he has been the police bureau’s liaison to the Sexual Minorities Roundtable. O ne of the topics that 1 will pose to the chief questions the viability and pur­ pose (if this group. As it sits currently— admittedly, 1 haven’t been to any meetings for several months— the roundtable is without sound purpose or meaning. Actually, I stopped going to the meetings because it had become an embarrassment at worse and a waste o f g(xxl inten­ tion and energy at best. If the chief decides to keep the roundtable func­ tioning, I would ask him, and us, to make the group effective— or to dis­ mantle it. W hen something is broken, you should try to fix it. T he S ex ­ ual Minorities Roundtable is broken and needs fixing. 1 suspect the new chief will have a more than busy schedule for many weeks and months to come. Nonetheless, we are an important and significant part o f the greater community and as such merit atten­ tion. My goal will he to push for a two-hour meeting sometime prior to the end o f the year. T he time, date and Icxration will he announced as soon as available. ? arl Blumenauers decision not to run for mayor of Portland muddied v further the already murky waters for more than one officeholder wannabe. Just Out is keeping an inquisitive eye (in former mayoral chief of staff Sam Adams. I m m m pm m p 38 im ììii p47 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO M A R C . Don’t sing • Multnomah Playschool’s logo contains the phrase. "Welcoming Families of All Shapes and Colors." and that includes gay and lesbian families. \ » I me your wedding bell blues p 50 mmn | • Just six weeks after the Oregon Citizens Alliance failed to gather sufficient signatures to place either an anti-gay nghts or restrictive abortion initiative on this November’s general election ballot, the organization filed an anti-gay initiative Aug. 20 poised for the 2000 general election. wm- The submission of written and graphic materi­ als is welcomed. W ritten muteri.il should he- typed ;ind dou­ ble-spuced. Just ( )ut reserves the right to edit for Kr.imm.ir, punc­ tuation, style, liability concerns ;tnd length. We will reject or edit Articles or Advertisements th.it 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.) should be limited to 200 wonLs; photos are welcome. Dead­ line for submissions to the editorial department and tor the Calendar IS the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessanly those of the publisher. T he display advertising deadline is the Monday 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 days before the next publication date, along with payment. Ads may be placed by telephone or via the Internet with Visa or MasterCard payment. Ad policy: Just ( )ut reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. Compensation for errors in, or cancellation of, advertising will be made with credit toward future advertising. Advertising rates are available upon request Distribution policy: fust C Xu is available tree of charge, one copy per person. Just (Xu is delivered only to authonied distribu­ tors. No person may, with«sit prior written permission from Just Out, take 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 prosec ution Subscriptions are $22.50 for 12 issues. First Class (in an envelope) is $ 40 for 12 issues C o n tact Ju s t (Yut at P.O. Box 14400, Portland, O R 9 7 2 9 1 -0 4 0 0 ; 5 0 1 -2 1 6 -1 2 5 2 , advertising 5 0 1 - 2 )6 - 1 2 5 ), fax 501-216-1257; e-mail just out®) ustout.com. Visit our Internet site at www.justout.aim. N ovember of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of Just Out. A grand celebration is being planned, and we’d like community participation. If you have a special story about Just Out, please send me an e-mail or give me a call. For our special anniversary issue we’d like to share sto­ ries of how people’s lives have been affected, changed or touched hy the paper. For 20 years we’ve worked to he a meaningful part o f the commu­ nity. Tell us what we’ve done for you. j H Just out iliJ’JUi'JJ ■ mm OUT W IT H IT ! • (kxxlbye Skervy, hello Breakdown of Just Out nyiy hr reproduced withiMit written permission from the publisher. J ust Out staff had a week off in August, and we scattered to the winds. I had a thirst for adventure, a quest for geographic and econom ic diversity and a yen for sightseeing. 1 wanted to observe different cultures and philostv phies and walk upon a different land. T he globe offered vast choices. I went to Utah. And found all o f the above. W hen you hear 2003 referred to as the “Year o f the Gay," guess what, that’s a reference to people living in states bordering oceans. It is not applicable to U tah and Wyoming and Idaho and other places that time forgot. Southwest U tah is a geological miracle that contains the most beautiful natural wonders that one could ever hope to see. It will fill you with awe and wonder. T he kx:al newspapers, however, will fill you with trepidation and concern. Sitting among all this splen­ dor, I read an Associated Press report in which M or­ mon leader and Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Same- sex marriage threatens G ixJ’s plan of happiness for his children here and in eternity." G ot that? Not just the here and now— nope, for eternity. Talk about empow­ erment. T he article continues hy noting that the Mor­ mon Church h;is spent millioas o f dollars campaigning against gay marriage and reiterating the single most important reason for marriage: to prixluce children. An additional news story in U tah at the time concerned parents who had kidnapped their own son to prevent the state from intervening with cancer treatments designed to save the child’s life. T h e parents’ concern was that the treatments would render their son sterile. His abil­ ity to produce children was more valuable than his very life. As mentioned above, I went in search o f a foreign land. I found it all in Utah. I would hope, and suspect, that there are no "tapes in the closet" for this chief, and I feel confident that our conversation will show that our community has a strong ally in the man sworn to protect and defend us oil EPIQUEEREAN • Crazy for crepes Just out is published on the first and third Fri­ day of each month. (..iipyriglu €> 2001 hy Just ( X«i No port Our informal office poll suggests he should run for mayor. Is Portland ready for an openly gay mayor? Com m on sense dictates you don’t sup­ port a candidate simply because he’s gay; he also has to he strong, viable and eminently qualified for the office. W hat do you think? Is Sam Adams ready to he mayor? itbl* r portai*- PUBLISHER AND MANAGING EDITOR • Marty Davis ,11»»« • Gov. John Kitzhaber has proclaimed October as Lesbian and Gay History Month. This proclamation acknowledges the contributions gay. lesbian, bi and trans people have made to society throughout Oregon history. V ol . 15 No. 21, S ept * 4,1998 MM mm MH m MMR nm MHMNHHHNHBMIIHBI • Got excess stuff? Need more stuff? Come to Phoenix Rising Foundation’s garage sale Sept. 5. Qualify donations welcome. • The Central City Concern celebrates the grand opening of the Rose Wood Apartments, long-term housing for low- income and homeless people living with HIV/AIDS, Sept. 11. • Her reign as La Femme Magnifique International is coming to an end. but the name Misha Rockafeller will remain a household word. • Lesbian comic Shann Carr remembers working the crowd years ago at Darcelle XV during a Mr. and Miss Gay Portland show. A t 34, she’s making a sort o f homecoming with a show Sept. 13 at Darcelle XV. • Howie Baggadonutz presents, for two days only. June Bride, stamng Sara Felder as one of the two brides-to-be. The play, set in the context of a traditional Jewish lesbian wedding, has received stellar reviews from across the country. ARTS AN0 CULTURE BUTOR • Lisa Bradshaw Germain, Andy Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Gary Morris, Fioh Roehr, Floyd Sklaver, Tom Stevenson, G in Taratoot, Rex W(x:kner FEATURES BUTOR • Timothy Krause ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Larry Lewis IIS T H B U T 1 0N • Kristine Ashton, Allison Benn, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • Marie Flcischmann ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Pam Colton Ashley Conley, Tara Coy, Mary Hauer, CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Kathy Beige, Meryl ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE • Erin Sexton-Sayler Darren Linder, Crash Schwartz Cohn, Meg Daly, Darklady, Els Debbaut, Shanna GRAPHIC DIRECTOR • Kevin Mixire NEW S EDITOR • Jim Radosta 1 Zanne dejanvier OFFICE M A N A G B I • Marie Flcischmann