September 5.2003 '
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COMMENTARY
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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
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p 38
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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
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Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words. A n
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line for submissions to the editorial department and tor the
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are not necessanly those of the publisher.
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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
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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