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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2004)
Auto, Home, Life, Health & Business epb&b "Your Independent Insurance Agency ' insurance hill oft, Powell, R *drrt Sc Baker, imv M arc Baker Downtown Portland ( 503 ) 227-1771 w w w epbb.com 602 SE 38th Ave. Portland, OR 97214 503.2313922 Wed - Sat PRUL MITCHELL, Atkinson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist A Welcoming Congregation Come Celebrate the Holidays with us! Sunday Service & Religious Education 10:30 am 710 Sixth Street • Oregon City, OR 97045 j www.atkin.sonchurch.coni * (503) 656-7296 egon Camera a Everything Photographic We have .1 knowledgeable, friendly staff helping you find B i l the risiht camera, binoculars. 1 ■ H or pliorogr.ipliK .urosoriev HUH \ ‘familv’ owned and operated business since 199". («D 7M 2CM UmÈtsMVW Teaser was inaccurate To the E ditor : I was surprised to read the teaser stating “C A P calls for regulation of sex clubs” on your recent cover and again in the headline of the accompanying article on Page 12 (“The Party’s Over,” Jan. 9]. The fact is, Cascade AIDS Proj ect has not officially called for regulation of sex clubs, making both your teaser and headline inaccurate. C A P has been dismayed and frustrated by increases in syphilis, harehacking and injection drug use among some gay/bisexual men. As a result, we approached the Multnomah County Health Department and encouraged it to partner with us hy stepping up its response to these alarm ing trends. It explained that the majority of new syphilis cases were coming out of sex clubs, and our own prevention work confirmed the frighten ing incidence of needle use and barehacking behavior in some of these establishments. In light of these high-risk behaviors, we strongly encouraged the health department to engage sexually oriented businesses directly and insist on zero-tolerance policies regarding hare backing and needle use. Over several months, we discussed, debated and explored a variety of options for decreasing such high-risk behavior in sex clubs— only one of which was regulation. At the end of the day, the health department concluded— and C A P agreed— that clear, con sistent and voluntary standards adopted hy sex clubs were the preferred way to go at this time. 1 suppose you or some of your readers might argue that even discussing the possibility of reg ulation among other options is identical to call ing for it. It isn’t. Your teaser and headline over reached and, unfortunately, have left many with an inaccurate understanding of our view. T homas B runer Cascade A ID S Project Executive Director Bathhouse bull To the E ditor : J ust Out asks whether the Multnomah Coun ty Health Department should regulate sex clubs, as Cascade AIDS Project has called on it to do, supposedly in response to recent reported increases in STDs. The answer is no. If the fine folks at C A P are scratching their heads over why their safer-sex campaigns aren’t producing desired results, perhaps it is because they are more interested in fund raising than finding and supporting effective programs. Last February, Just Out reported C A P ’s announcement of intent to “redouble" its pres ence at the baths as part of its educational efforts, claiming that one 15-minutc interface with a gay man had more impact than giving away 30 safer-sex kits (“Putting Out in Public,” Feb. 21). Whatever became of that effort was not reported, hut a letter to Willamette Week from Tom Kuffher, a former C A P volunteer, indicated that, although the program was popu lar and “financially self-sufficient,” it was dis continued by C A P ’s top dog, Thomas Bruner, for “financial reasons” (Dec. 31). That C A P is now calling on the health department to “regulate" sex clubs in Portland isn’t surprising. C A P is under the gun to justify its funding, more than half of which comes from the government. Regulating sex clubs is easy, measurable and high-profile. It will play well on the grant money gravy train, which no doubt makes it attractive to CAP, despite C A P ’s not finding the sex clubs to he worthy for educa tional support. Philip Knowlton, a program coordinator for CAP, is reported in Just Out as believing Internet chat rooms pose more of a threat than sex cluhs. C A P repeatedly claims it isn’t calling for the “sex : police.” This rings false; regulations require ' and gonorrhea rates during the past two years. Let’s slow down the rush to judgment here, even enforcement, which means policing. O f course, the health department has no authority to regu though it makes for exciting press. Maybe C A P should rein in its sky-is-falling late or police sex cluhs, as Dr. Gary Oxrnan told hysteria, quit gay-hashing the newly infected, Just Out in “The Party’s Over.” At least not yet. focus also on straight sex cluhs and those guys C A P ’s push for regulation may also explain who don’t latex up, and de-glamorizc its printed Thomas Bruner’s comments in WW's “The Clap material sporting huff guys with fab abs and teeth Is Back” (Dec. 10J. There he asserts that the demand for sex cluhs is driven hy “social prob like Chiclets who imply that drugs can make lems that plague a disproportionate number of HIV manageable. We’re pitching a lot of money your way, CAP. Come up with a better idea than gay men” and “the alcoholism, anxiety disorder, forfeiting your mission to the health department. depression and self-esteem issues endemic to gay men.” In two short sentences Bruner indicts, demeans and disenfranchises a whole class of G ordon J ohnston Portland men, playing on the general public’s discomfort with the practical facts of sexuality in the gay male world. It’s hull, of course, hut Bruner’s will ingness to sell out gay men is telling. Regulating sex cluhs in Portland serves CAP, not gay men. To the E ditor : CA P’s calling for the regulation of the sex “' ascade A ID S Project rep Philip Knowlton clubs is self-serving, cynical and irresponsible with ✓ needs a reality check. Just how does he plan far-reaching consequences at the expense of gay to regulate barehacking? Stick a flashlight down men and everyone else. No regulation of sex cluhs! there? Mr. Knowlton claimed he had personally S tuart Z immerman seen 30 to 40 men harehacking one night. Did he Portland say anything? I doubt it. I’ve seen a plethora of used condoms scattered everywhere about Club Portland. There was a time when C A P made regular monthly visits to Club Portland for AIDS education and testing; they’d strip down to tow To the E ditor : t last, Cascade AIDS Project admits its pre els and join the patrons, offering them condoms vention program isn’t working and has run and lube. Where are you now, Mr. Knowlton? t>ut of fresh ideas— except one that reeks of stu I’ve seen C A P volunteers at Club Portland one pidity. Ask the Multnomah County Health time in the past six months, and they never left the room the club has set aside for them. Department to regulate commercial sex venues to stem the rise in STDs among men who bareback. And please don’t use the excuse that your funds have been cut to make the rounds at the Sorry, CAP, that’s not the freshest idea. San various bathhouses and sex cluhs in town— Francisco closed its steam baths years ago, and that’s what volunteers are for. There are fliers, their infection stats are rising, too. So padlocking commercial meat markets isn’t the answer, hut posters and condoms galore as well as the newly instituted public address announcement ahour bathhouses make convenient targets. Especially safe sex at Club Portland; the patrons know full when we hear C A P ’s Philip Knowlton wring his hands and whine, “I can’t tell you how frustrat- ; well what they’re doing, so you know the rise in ing it is for me to watch 30 to 40 guys harehack STD s is just out of laziness. The information is ing at Club Portland and not he able to do any out there; what more can he done? Using a con dom is personal choice. Speaking for myself, you thing about it.” Gee, Phil, maybe handing them a condom or a brochure would have cooled their don’t use a condom, you don’t play with me. But ardor for unprotected sex. Merely watching dan not everyone has that conviction. So instead of hanging out at the bars, go to gerous liaisons is hardly proactive intervention. Club Portland and Steam and do your job, Mr. So maybe C A P should turn its prevention Knowlton! Don’t ask the county or the estab cash over to the health department— hut to do lishments to do your job for you! what? Issue tickets for lack of latex? Hose down And hy the way, why wasn’t Club XES men sexual risk-takers? Hire more staff to cruise sex venues to collar medical morons? The owners of tioned in the article? I Portland’s two largest sex cluhs for gays are sniff- I ing the wind and are falling all over themselves J on S auer to show they intend to take stiffer measures Portland 1 against naked stiffies so C A P ’s latest bright idea doesn’t close them down. Maybe C A P ’s preven- I tion cash should go to sex clubs and gay bars to help them enforce their versions of a no To the E ditor : egarding the recent article “The Party’s tolerance policy toward harehacking. Over,” kudos to the author and Just Out for I’m opposed to harehacking. It’s obviously focusing on the syphilis outbreaks in Portland. medically risky. But I think C A P is trying to kx)k like the “good gays” who deserve a contin The data tell the story clearly. Dr. Gary Oxrnan, Multnomah County’s public health director, is a uing cash flow to combat the “had gays” who wise man for stepping hack from government- still get HIV despite public knowledge about imposed regulation and calling for community prevention. input to attack the problem. Whether HIV-positive or not, gay men are As an owner of the newest men’s sex club in getting a mixed message from CAP. Especially Portland, I have been aware, alarmed and vtKal when director Thomas Bruner blames drugs, the about the increase in syphilis and other sexually Internet, sex cluhs and the “alcoholism, anxiety transmitted diseases. We have had a no disorder, depression and self-esteem issues harehacking policy, as well as a no-drugs-or-alcohol endemic to gay men." policy, since the day Steam Portland opened. One message is: We want you to he sexually We have been diligent in rooting out any abuse responsible. The other message is: Gay men and have revoked memberships of individuals probably can’t he. They’re too emotionally and psychologically damaged from the get-go. Is who will not abide hy the policy. Additionally, we have carefully edited all Bruner &. Co. channeling Jerry Falwell or the video material shown in the club to ensure that Vatican here? Wow. Lighten up! But I think the most important statement of harehacking is not presented in any form. We announce our no-harehacking rule as a condi “The Parry’s Over” was unfortunately buried in tion of membership, and we have clear messages the text. Health officials have not proven a link that we present to our members: “Smart Guys between harehacking and increasing syphilis Reality check C The sky isn’t falling A Take responsibility R
