1988 The NAMES Project Quilt comes to Portland as the final stop on a national ttxir. The project began in California in 1987, and each piece of the 9,000-panel quilt commem­ orates someone who died of AIDS. One person comments to Just Out, “I felt such ¿is powerful sense of loss, for all the lives, the tal­ ent.” Next year, a PortLind chapter of the NAMES Project opens. The first ¿»ctivity is a panel-making workshop. Insufficient funding and public apathy forces the chapter to close in 2003. Voters pass the Oregon Citizens Alliances anti-gay Ballot Measure 8 by 53 percent. It repeals Gov. Neil Goldschmidts executive order banning discrimination against gays in state employment. The passage of Measure 8 remains a defining moment in Oregon’s gay history since so many people thought it wouldn’t pass and then were shocked when it did. In other happenings, For months and years Portland s chapter of the afterward, Measure 8 is the National Leather A sso­ source of anger, tension Portland welcomes the N A M ES Project and division within the ciation holds its first Q uilt national tour in 1988 and gay community. Many crit­ meeting and 36 people subsequently opens a hometown chapter icize what Oregon for Fair­ attend. After two years in 1989. Fourteen years later, however, ness (later the No on 8 o f rejection, the the Portland chapter cannot afford to Campaign) did wrong. continue and shuts down. Phoenix Rising counsel­ Measure 8, along with the ing service finally AIDS crisis, ushers in a new “in your face’’ kind of activism as the AIDS becomes the first gay Coalition to Unleash Power (A C T UP) opens a chapter in Oregon. and lesbian organization Measure 8 also sparks a big push for people to come out of the closet. In a Just Out commentary, Carol Steinel writes: “In a sense, the in Oregon to join the passage of Measure 8 has been a great gift for me. The sense of dis­ U nited Way, receiving enfranchisement I have had since Nov. 8 has put a sharp light on my $16,000 the following year. A nd a first for gay own homophobia and the fallacy that I could remain partly hidden until the coast was clear for gay rights. A m onth ago, 1 would have newspapers: Just Out followed all this with a disclaimer stating that I don’t expect or recom­ receives press credentials mend that everyone come out as far as I plan to. Today, I firmly to the Democratic believe such a disclaimer would be a disservice to my community. National C onvention. Measure 8 passed because we did." Cascade AIDS Project strongly advises early testing for people who might be at risk for HIV. Executive director Paul Starr says: “AIDS is becoming less a short-temi fatal illness and more of a long-term chronic yet manageable condition. People still die, but it is clear that the earlier we intervene, the better our chances of halting the progression of HIV disease.” C A P continues to stress that HIV testing should be “volun­ tary, anonymous or otherwise confidential.” 1989 A new state statute requires law enforcement agencies to track crimes motivated by hate, includ­ ing crimes against homo­ sexuals. Another law adds sexual orientation to categories protected by Oregon's “Intimidation Law.” The Oregon Citizens Alliance targets legislators who voted in favor of these bills and vows to throw them out of office. Attor­ ney Bradley Woodworth writes in Just Out , “Now that we finally have some concrete legal protection, it seems important that we use them; otherwise we risk losing them.” He is con­ cerned that the O C A may get enough support to repeal the laws. ■ ; J & M Cafe Equity Foundation forms and during the next 14 years distributes more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships throughout the state. The first queer float appears in Portland’s Starlight Parade. The Lesbian Community Project launches its Media Project, in which ¿ids appear in mainstream newspapers to Kx*>t lesbian visibility. T he ad, which receives mixed reviews in the commu­ nity, depicts seven women wearing G roucho Marx m;isks with the caption “W e’re more like you than you thought.” ElwcxxJ Johnson, aka Lady Elaine Peacock, is a drag queen and performer at Darcelle XV. During Pride week, Lidy Peacock hosts Peacock in the Park, a drag show that takes place in Port­ land’s Rose Garden Lady Elaine Peacock (right, with sister amphitheater. The Misty W aters and their mom Audria M. event started in Edwards), founds the annual charity drag 1987 and offers a show “ Peacock in the P ark” in 1987 chance to see drag outside the bar scene while raising money for the Audria M. Edwards Youth Scholarship, named after Lidy Peacock’s mother. You May Save Up To 30% on Car Insurance! "Call for a Quote" Let Us Save You Money! 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