H a v in g
a SAY
O
L ooking back
at 2 0 0 3
M IK K vJK
J u st
u t p u t s in w r it in g
SOME OF THE YEAR’S
MOST MEMORABLE QUOTES
C ompiled by R ex W ockner
W h a t
HAPPENED
HERE?
“War sucks big time. D on’t let yourself ever be talked into hav
ing one waged in the name of your freedom. Somehow when
the bombs start dropping or you hear the sound of machine guns
at the end of your street you don’t think about your 'im m inent
liberation’ anymore.”
— Gay Iraqi blogger Salam Pax in his post-war commentaries at
dearraed. blogspot .com.
“You look like a fag. You dress like a fag. You are a fag."
— Leona Helmsley to former Park Lane Hotel manager Charles
Bell before she fired him in February 2001, according to testimony
in his gay discrimination case, Jan. 14. A jury ordered the hotel
queen, who denied making the statements, to pay him $11 million.
PORTLAND QUEERS
HAD THEIR SHARE
OF NOTABLE AFFAIRS
C ompiled by T imothy K rause
he year began on a sad note with Portlanders
mourning the loss ot A nn Shepherd, who died of
heart disease Jan. 4 at the aye of 84. For more
than a quarter-century, she served as mother figure
to countless young people desperately seeking s
upport during their coming-out process. She and husband Rill
founded Portlands chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays.
Health officials monitoring sexually transmitted disease rates
have been worried that barebacking is contributing to a rise in
syphilis among men who have sex with men, a stat seen as a pre
dictor of HIV rates. In 2002, Multnomah County syphilis rates
quadnipled compared to the preceding year and continued to rise
in 2003, causing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in June to send representatives to meet with health officials and
collaborative partners such as Cascade A ID S Project.
Because of Oregon’s fiscal woes, the Sexual M inority Youth
Resource C enter has been on the financial rocks, but fund rais
ing throughout the year demonstrated the community’s commit
ment in preserving an organization that provides a place for
queer and questioning kids. Though hours were cut by half tem
porarily, SMYRC now has in place its first-ever advisory board
and annual fund development plan.
In March, the Burnside Triangle Advisory G roup presented
the Portland City Council findings from a volunteer-organized
survey to identify community priorities for future redevelopment
of the historic downtown neighhorhixxl that is home to many
gay bars and businesses. N o further action has been taken.
Springtime brought director Gus Van Sant
(above) an unusual bouquet of prizes in
2003— a pair of Cannes Film Festival awards
for best director and best film for Elephant,
while fellow Portland filmmaker Todd
Haynes (inset) garnered Oscar and Golden
Globe nominations among the awards for his
screenplay of Far from Heaven.
Tab H u n ter and A nthony Perkins on a “double date”
On Jan. 11, the Rev. Dennis j. Parker (pictured here with
partner Michael Sagun) became the first openly gay man to be
ordained by the Oregon Diocese of the Episcopal Church. Since
then, he has been serving as an uncompensated “assisting priest”
at Lake Oswego’s Christ Church while coordinating the
HIV/A1DS Resource Program within Legacy Healthcare
System. He continues to search for full-time parish ministry
work, trying to balance his calling with the challenges of that
call. Parker believes, for example, that his openness about his
sexuality may be causing others, especially those strongly
opposed to queer clergy, to exclude him from the church’s larger
dialogue that directly affects him.
arlier this year, Portland State U niversity folks began
producing S/He Shows, a documentary featuring longtime
drag diva Darcelle (aka W alter Cole). In honor of her com m u
nity service, Darcelle received the “Spirit of Portland” award
from M ayor Vera Katz in December.
The U nited Way of the Columbia-Willamette board unani
mously endorsed a new policy in April requiring funded partners
to have a comprehensive nondiscrimination policy or certifica
tion of nondiscrimination practices in place to receive financial
support. The revised rule bans bias based on sexual orientation,
among other things, which means the Boy Scouts of America’s
Cascade-Pacific Council risks losing its funding.
A group of trans activists conducted a symposium on gender
identity for Salem legislators in May, making news for Basic
Rights Oregon’s Trans Advisory Group and kicking off other
trans-related outreach around the state. BRO executive director
Roey Thorpe said that thanks to a grant from the Pride Founda
tion, a half-dozen more "Trans 101” presentations are planned for
next year, and a ‘Trans 201" version is in the works.
A cross section of sexual minority leaders led a new grass
roots effort to test the waters for a queer community center. A
nonprofit organization was created, several public forums were
held, and an extensive survey was conducted over the course of
the summer. Data supported the cause, but the organization has
yet to deliver a planned feasibility study to confirm logistical
and financial support.
“I didn’t flaunt things. I know when Tony and 1 went to the
movies, he would say, ‘Let’s go in disguise.’ We always wore
baseball caps. O r he’d say: 'You go at a certain time. I’ll go later.’
I knew people were talking. 1 didn’t like th at.”
— 1950s screen idol Tab H unter on his years-long gay
relationship with actor A nthony Perkins, to The New York
Times, Sept. 9.
“Actors have a certain obligation
to their public. For instance,
playing leading men, well, donA
mess with that image. A lot of
people thought they were in love
w ith me, you know, women all
over the place. They were really
in love with an image, and I
didn’t want to mess with that
image.”
— Newly out actor
Richard Cham berlain (Dr.
Kildare), 69, to A P Radio, June 5.
E
Continued on Page 2 9
“D on’t bother me with that
crap. Just mind your own fuck
ing business!”
— A ctor Kevin Spacey when
asked during an interview, “How
do you feel about those stories
about you being gay?”, according
to The Toronto Star, Feb. 11.
“Some people said, i t ’s brave of
you to play a gay m an.’ A nd I
think th at’s very dated. D on’t
your
— A ctor Hugh Jackman on
playing gay songsmith Peter
A llen in the Broadway musical
The Bay from O z, to The
Advocate, Sept. 16.
Continued on Page 29