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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2003)
[3.2003' GUEST COM M ENTARY I Thf IN publication for the OUT population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown Vol. 2 0 N o . 23 and R enee L a C hance O ctob er 3, 2 0 0 3 FEATURE 85 FILMS, 11 DAYS: A sneak preview of the dizzying montage that is Portland's seventh annual queer film festival p 28 ! NEWS NORTHWEST • Portland life coaches and therapists guide people out of the closet; groups create an environment o f support and education for trans people and their partners; volunteer helps church with Spanish-language outreach pp 7-19 NATIONAL • Gays begin planning for GOP convention; AIDS funding stagnates in Senate pp 21-25 WORLD • Canadians refused entrance into United States pp 26-27 ARTS AND CU LT U R E ART • Queer artists open up during Portland Open Studios p 41 CULTURE • Haunted house welcomes fairies to an all-homo’s-eve; out on the town— see what Portland queers have been up to lately pp 43-45 MUSIC • Rejuvenate with Anne Weiss; why you’re going to Bands Against Bush pp 46-47 800RS • The queer body in fine form p 49 DIVERSIONS • Fall Balls left and right; vote for Mr. Gay Poder Latino; Last of the Bathhouse Beauties; leave those wire hangers at home for Momntie Queerest p 52 WHAT'S POPPIN'T • Enroll in the School o f Rock p 55 COLUMNS MS. BEHAVIOR. My friend's girlfriend hates me 37 EPIQUEEREAN • Mediterranean stew P P 42 OUT WITH IT! • Your fall queerviPw P 52 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC . Target; Sissyphobia p 57 ju s t ou t it p ublish ed on die first an d (b ird Fri d ay of each m onth. Copyright © 200 1 by Just Out. N o p.irt ot Just Out may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. U.S. K m *. E arl B u menai m < Equal rights: A personal odyssey Congressman reconsiders the Defense of Marriage Act T i fear and bigotry based on sexual orientation continue to do so regardless of any efforts to diffuse the issue. In fact, the passage of D O M A only made some gay-bashers even bolder in their hypocrisy. government policy in very profound ways. My vote on D O M A caused political confusion and serious personal In fact, the first time someone acknowledged to me that he was pain tor people who knew of my commitment to equality for gays and gay was in 1973, when l chaired the Oregon Legislature’s first lesbians. Voting on the basis of political tactics rather than my own per hearing on a nondiscrimination hill. After the hearing, a young man 1 sonal beliefs also muddied my message about the critical need for anti had known in high school told me how urgent and important issues of discrimination protections for gays and lesbians. Most troubling for me employment, housing and even personal safety were to gays and lesbians. was the implication that my vote might he interpreted as a direct attack Since that day, 1 have observed the ebb and flow of the debate on on people’s ability to make their own choices about their personal rela gay rights, attending hearings, learning the stories of people— like my tionships and their dignity as human beings. former classmate— who were harassed and living in fear. I also have Recently, civil rights victories in the U.S. Supreme G xirt, Vermont and developed a wide circle o f friends and many colleagues who are gay and Ginada have created a resurgence iff the controversy surrounding gay and in committed relationships. 1 have come to understand that equality for lesbian marriages. These successes do not have to lead to more anti-gay pnv gays and lesbians is an issue of justice for us all, regardless o f our sexual posals and rhetoric; most Americans today have friends or orientation or political philosophy. Looking back relatives who are involved with same-sex relationships A long the way, I’ve experienced two extraordinarily based on the same deep, emotional commitment and affec painful episodes that help define my thinking. eight years later, tion found in the heterosexual community. Unfortunately, When 1 was a Multnomah County commissioner in the despite their increasing acceptance by commercial media, I now feel that 1980s, we enacted one of the first and most comprehensive by the marketplace, by almost all thoughtful employers and nondiscrimination ordinances in the country. The back m y vote was wrong. even by the Supreme Quirt, same-sex relationships remain lash, however, was brutal. Faced with an opposing referen the target of discrimination. dum that threatened to divide the community, leaders in While m y analysis It is now time for Qmgress to play a constructive role in the local gay and lesbian movement urged the commission m ay have been affinning civil rights for gays and lesbians. After eight years to repeal the ordinance. Although we already had of refusing to grant even a hearing on the Employment nondiscrimination administrative policies in place and 1 accurate an d m y vote Nondiscrimination Act, the House should now make it a was strongly in favor of the ordinance, I joined with my fel m a v have even been priority to enact this important legislation. Nondiscrimina low commissioners to repeal it, hoping to spare our com tion in employment should he tine of the bedrocks of a munity an ugly campaign. Politicians and leaders of the gay the hest political m ove, society that claims to value self-reliance and the opportuni and lesbian community agreed on the action, hut that did not make it any easier to explain to the gay citizens sitting it remains one o f the ty for individuals to reach their full potential. Qmgress should also forcefully reject House Joint Reso in the front rows, some crying with disbelief and anger. lution 56, which proposes a constitutional amendment that few votes I've m ade That experience framed my thinking 12 years later would define marriage solely as the union between a man when 1 was confronted with the Defease of Marriage Act in Congress that and a woman. Tragically, this same legislation would also in Qmgress. D O M A created a federal definition for mar prohibit states, local governments and the courts from con riage as the union between a man and a woman, prevent I would change. ferring legal rights or civil unions to gay or lesbian couples. ing the federal government from recognizing marriages at It simply makes no sense to deny the benefits, legal rights and opportunities the state level. In addition, it provided that states do not have to recog afforded to married couples to others who want to commit to a long-term, nize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Until DOM A, mar loving relationship— and it is particularly galling to do so when the admin riage issues hadn’t been a priority for the gay and lesbian movement; their istration proposes to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a curious exer national agenda focused on nondiscrimination policies in employment cise to "promote marriage.” and housing, while in Oregon, we were busy fighting the destructive and This attempt to pre-empt decisions at the state level is not just stun hateful anti-gay initiatives of extreme right-wing organizations. ningly hypocritical; it will fuel fear and prejudice, creating further divi The introduction of DOMA in 1996, however, changed all that. It quick sions in our communities and intolerance throughout our society. ly became clear that people like Ralph Reed and Jesse Helms were pushing It’s time for Q m gress to recognize gays and lesbians as people who the hot-button issue of banning same-sex marriages to ensure the political deserve the same basic and civil rights afforded to every other person, failure of the gay and lesbian civil rights agenda. Focusing on DOMA instead whether in the workplace or at home. Disagreement with a person's reli of issues such as employment nondiscrimination and civil rights put support gion, sexual orientation or cultural background does not entitle the U .S. er» of gays and lesbians at a severe disadvantage; the country was simply not Q m gress— or anyone— the right to suppress them. Instead of pitting ready to discuss same-sex marriage in any rational way. Hoping to deny the citizen against citizen over questioas of identity, sexuality and private more extreme right-wing elements the opportunity to further exploit the behavior, Q m gress should model the behavior it expects from others: issue of gay and lesbian civil rights, I cast my vote in favor of DOMA. fairness, tolerance and a basic respect for human dignity. J H Looking hack eight years later, I now feel that my vote was wrong. n my 30 ygars as an elected official, the evolution of the gay and lesbian civil rights issue has touched my notion of fairness and While my analysis may have been accurate and my vote may have even been the best political move, it remains one of the few votes I’ve made in Q m gress that I would change. Sadly, people who choose to exploit The su b m issio n of w ritten an d g rap h ic m ateri a ls is w elcom ed. Written material should be typed and dou ble-spaced. 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E arl B lumenauer , a Democrat , represents the 3rd Congressional District of Oregon. 20 years ago in Tw enty years ago. Just Out was created to fill the needs of an emerging gay and lesbian culture in Portland. Tw enty years later, w e re still here and still going strong. With pride we approach our anniversary date still celebrating our achievements, our culture, our history and our stories. For our special 20th anniversary issue in N ovem ber w e want to bring your reflections of Just Out to the paper. W hat has Just Out meant PUBLISHER ANO M ANAGING EDITOR • Martv Davis NEW S EDITOR • Jim Radosta ARTS ANO CULTURE BIITOR • Lisa Bradshaw FEATURES BIITOR • Timothy Krause to you? Did you meet your partner through the "Just Friends” ads? W e re w e part of your coming-out experience? H o w have you been affected or influenced by stories, profiles and faces featured in our pages? Please join in our celebration. Be a part of our milestone in publishing and building community. Send your thoughts and stones to justout@justout.com. Daggett, Meg Daly, Patricia L. M acAodha, Andy Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Gary M om s, Eric Plemons, Bob Roebr, Floyd Sklaver, Rex Wockner, Pat Young EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • M ane Fleischmann ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Larry Lewis CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Kathy Belge, Lari ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE • Pam Colton Blumenauer. Jamie Bolyard, Meryl Q thn, Gina ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE • Erin Sexton-Sayler V DIRECTOR • Kevin Moore PRODUCTION ASSISTANT • Zanne dejanvier OEFICE M ANAGER • Marie Fleischmann DISTRIBUTION • Kristine Ashton. Allison Benn, Ashley Conley, Tara Coy, Mary Hauer, Darren Linder. Crash Schwartz V
