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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2003)
September 1 9 .2 0 0 3 • bi Jn t h A 3 M a r t i D amn The IN publication for the O UT population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown and R enee L a C hance Vol. 2 0 N o . 22 Sep tem ber 19, 2 0 0 3 FEATURE R fM tM K fl M Y K A M I: Three gay guys from Oregon embark on a quest for fame p 28 N E WS NORTHW EST. 2(X)3 marks 3()th anniversary of state’s first gay rights bill; queers help student exchange program promote respect for diversity pp 7-17 NATIONAL • Senate Democrats question necessity of same-sex marriage hearing PP 1 9 - 2 3 WORLD • Colombia’s gay civil union bill killed pp 2 4 - 2 5 ARTS AND CU LT U R E BOONS • Why Donald Olsen changed his name; review of Same-Sex Affairs pp 3 6 - 3 7 FILM • Log in to On_Line\ great little gems in short film fests p 39 MUSIC • Hobo’s pianist releases CD pp 4 0 - 4 1 THEATER * triangle productions! stages the bitchiest play ever written p 43 PEOPLE « Darcy Schmitt takes helm o f Portland Lesbian Choir p 44 CULTURE • Fly the gay-friendly skies P 45 DIVERSIONS * Kurston Krantz makes naked men even better; witchy woman Sandra de Helen; Portland Center Stage creates Another Fine Mess P 47 WHAT'S PO PPIN 'T • Get Lost in Translation P 48 COLUMNS M S. BEHAVIOR . I am not a fag hag, shut up! Eww, gay men kissing! Portland audience bristles at the notion of same-sex attraction And as for me, well, 1 did absolutely nothing that night. 1 simply sat hil Stanford didn’t get it quite right. there. Dialogue was hardly an option. Walking exit we hi Id have been mean Unfortunately, there was enough truth in the story told to ingless. So, 1 sett. And new I wonder, “What cexild 1 have done differently?" 'arrant concern for all of us. What de) ye>u think? What wexild yexi have done? In his Sept. 12 Portland Tribune column, Stanford, using the “I’m just telling you what somewhat else said” format, hile diale>gue was ne)t an option at the theater, it was the e>rder of reported tin the theatrical production of The Full Monty. He wrote: the day at the 30th annual, and final, We »manse>urce Fall G ath “The most memorable moment of what was otherwise a pretty dreary ering. Held at a camp e)n a lake outside Ashland, the gathering hrexight opening night came during a funeral scene, where two gay guys were te)gether a he hi t 200 women whe) celebrated 30 years of memories and attempting to console each other. Half the theater audience, seeing that lives shared. Having missed the first 29 of these gath they were about to kiss, cried out ‘Noooooo.’ ” So what was behind erings, I set exit for this e)ne with a hefty le)ad of con- 1 heg to differ. cems ahexit my ability to fit in and be respectful of all Since I was in attendance at this play, I can report the "n o's" that night? the many, many things I knew 1 wexildn’t understand. with accuracy what really happened. What we have I have never participated in women’s rituals. It scares here, dear readers, is a “gtxxl news, had news" situa What did they represent? me. All things I don’t understand scare me. 1 don’t tion. The gtxxl news is that the description provided Defiance, anger, dmm, I don’t chant, and I don’t know any of the right in the Tribune was way, way off the mark in stating songs. The only crystal in my house is in the refrigerator, that half the theater protested the scene described. frustration, bigotry and it didn’t start out that way. 1 think it was butter The had news is that there actually was a smattering of once. This was a weekend of “women from the land" sounds of dismay from the audience. I’d say there were confusion, hatred, and vegetarian ftxxl. I was more than a little nervous. maybe five or six audible protests heard from the prejudice? My nervousness was quickly overcome hy awe and main floor of the auditorium. W hile five or six is a far cry from “half the the Conservative backlash? respect. Respect for the collection of powerful women ater audience," I have to tell you that the sound of leaders I met, women like Bethroot Gwynn and Jean Would these hecklers hissing and boos was certainly sufficient to jolt me Mountaingrove. Legendary women who led the femi nist movement of the 70s— women who affected our awake. Yup, in Portland in 2003, the well-dressed label themselves and well-heeled opening night crowd at The Full history and who played vital roles in obtaining the rights and freedoms that we so often take for granted Monty did indeed express vocal displeasure at see gay-bashers? ing gay content presented on the stage. today. Women who are not honored enough for the Is that not, work they accomplished. Women who, I was pleased This staged scene was no Brian and Justin to see, have humor and wit about them. Women who moment, either— no bed, no lube, no rimming. in actuality, exactly are what I wish I could he. Nope, this was a funeral scene where one guy 1 also visited Oregon Women’s Lind. It also was walked over and held another’s hand— and began what this was? to sing “You’ll Never Walk A lone” or “Clim b not what I had expected. It was not the land of the Every M ountain” or something similarly schmaltzy. O n the sexual scary women. In fact, right now it’s mostly the land of no women. OWL content meter, this was a hig zero, a nothing. needs new women and new energy. There is wonderful opportunity present for us to meld the worlds of urban and rural women. You don’t And yet 1 heard the sound of “Ntxxxxx;." have to go “live on the land” to appreciate a quiet place of peacefulness. So what was behind the “no’s" that night? What did they represent? And cutting hack blackberry bushes can he one fine workout. Defiance, anger, frustration, bigotry, confusion, hatred, prejudice? Con I’ll be going back down there. It felt gcxxl. There’s work to he done, servative backlash? Would these hecklers label themselves gay-hashers? Is and I think I want to be part of it. Care to join me? that not, in actuality, exactly what this was? Sure, no fists were thrown, no noses were bltxxJied, no obscenities were hurled, no graffiti was left behind. But what were these few people thinking? What on earth makes ran into fonner Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker at lunch the other day. He chided me gently for eating a cinnamon roll. Guess he’s you yell out in a theater? Did one too many promos for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy push these people over the edge? What were they thinking? now the fcxxl police. J H W I P 35 EPIQUEEREAN • Russell Street roundup P 45 OUT WITH IT! • Camp Starlight shines bright P 47 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC . I’ ve always relied on the kindness of faggy-acting gays p 49 |u s t ou t li pu b lish ed on the first an d th ird F ri d ay of each m onth. 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