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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2004)
turnout ■ JUSt rnrrfTm fedruary 6. 2Û 04 » ¡m at a o t 5 J ust Out colum nist L isa B radshaw hated the first episode of The L Word. Queer Willamette Week columnist Byron Beck loved it. W hat did you think? Are you loc forw ard to the rest of the season? T his show is H -O -TU ! O ne episode in and I’m already addicted! It’s provoca tive, sexy, dramatic and funny ail rolled into one. The story lines and the characters are easy to relate to and very enjoyable. I will be glued to my T V screen every Sunday night at 10! 1 love it! C ori P ierce Portland • • • e had a party with 12 of us, all lesbians. We all loved it. We cheered, checked out all the girls on the show and talked about how real it was. And some o f us related to the characters. It’s mind candy like Queer as Folk. I was homy has hell at the end o f the show. I wonder how many others at the party had fun when they got home? W I t was a good start. It was soapy at times, moving at times. Com paring The L Word to Queer as Folk or other current gay-themed programs would be missing the point. I believe the point is to offer a story of how this group o f people— mostly women, mostly les bians— live, love, learn, etc. T his is not every lesbian’s story; fortunately, we as people are not that one-dimensional. I have not had an opportunity to read Ms. Bradshaw’s review; however, I did enjoy Mr. Beck’s. A nd the answer to your question, Mr. Beck, is yes, most lesbians do remember the nam es of every woman they slept with. Although that is my experi ence, maybe that should be Ju st O ut's question for the next issue. W endy D e V oe E va H offman Tigard Milwaukee • • • • I was disappointed in the show. It reminded me of Meg Christian’s infamous song “Here Come the Lesbians.” Do we really leap into your beds, break up your hetero relationships and sit around looking for fresh meat? Maybe in Los Angeles! 1 was hoping for a more intelli gent portrayal of my life as I’ve lived it. I will continue watching, hoping the content and the characters evolve into something I can relate to. Or do I need to relocate? J ulia R ichards Elmira F inally, a series just for us fellow lesbians. The expecta tions had to be high and, o f course, after reading Lisa’s witty comm ents, my e x pectation s were not that high. I was in fact really unhappy but then, after w atching the pilot, pleasant ly surprised. Well, not too bad, but 1 agree, why so stereotypical— and what was this, just picking up some random guy to get his sperm? W hat normal, intelligent woman would do that? So then came the second episode— but what was that? When it was over “suddenly” after 45 minutes we (a group of five guys and women) agreed that the episode was not good at all. Why in the world are they trying to put so much in one short episode? There is a reason why, for exam ple, Sex and the City successful ly deals with only four char acters. I do hope that in the future the episodes will be more realistic and not press everything in 45 minutes; less is some times more. And, yes, there is one thing I also com plete ly agree with Lisa about: We will watch it be cause it is the only lesbian series on TV, but that doesn’t mean I will take everything with out criticism, and I do not want to see me portrayed on TV like the stereotype certain people have in their heads. Y vonne P. B ehrens Portland l l p M * t T T T r n i ^ xen rabk&y anti-gay figures like Fred Phelps and Roy Moore come to town, should the 1 1 . I (jM£er community stage counterprotests, or is their presence not even worth acknowledging? Which is better— confronting them or ignoring them? (Please see related item on Page 7 .) Respond at w w w.justout.com . (D on’t forget to include your nam e, city and daytime telephone number.) learn more about LG BT aging to contact the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network of the American Society on Aging. Founded in 1994, LGAIN brings together individuals from across the country to raise awareness about the con cerns of LGBT people ages 50-plus and to advo cate for improved resources and services for our often-underserved elders. LGAIN’s newsletter and conference presenta tions offer professionals who work with older adults a chance to learn about the unique needs of LGBT elders. And our home page offers all visitors access to an annotated directory of nearly 400 Web sites dealing with LGBT aging as well as a monthly news update and a list of recommended resources. For more information visit www.asaging.org/lgain or write to lgain@asaging.org. G erard K oskovich Lesbian & Gay Aging Issues Network Don’t believe the hype To the E ditor .- found Gary Morris’ review of The Merchant of 1 Venice impossible to believe [“Venice the Menace,” Jan. 23). The play was so bad I almost booed at the end. Charles Borland, who plays Antonio, may have a great body, but the guy cannot act. He was motionless, could not recite his lines and had no acting capability at all. O f the rest of the cast, only Scott Gxipwcxxl as Shylock and Wade McCollum as Launcelot really were capable. The role of Portia by Jennifer Roberts was acceptable. The staging and directing were more involved with hype and glossy effects rather than a message or any thought of Shakespeare. The directing was absolutely awful, as was most of the acting. I only hope that the remainder of my season tickets are worthwhile. M ichael M ase Portbnd Leave Ashton alone To the E ditor : i can only assume that Lisa Bradshaw was punk’d, or else she just doesn’t like science fiction with an actual story. Far from being at the bottom of the bag, The Butterfly Effect was quite a good movie with some excellent acting, particularly by the kids who play the younger versions of Evan [“What’s PoppinT Jan. 23). It also carries a powerful message about the negative effects of child abuse— perhaps too pow erful for most of the critics panning this movie. It does get a little intense. But if that’s the case, say so. If you just don’t like Ashton Kutcher’s previ ous juvenile works, it seems counterprcxluctive to hold them against him when he starts branching (XJt into quality films with some substance. A lan B atie Beaverton Now accepting opinions on all topics in "Letters to the Editor" at Letters mast be çççompaniççf bv a phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters and letters without sufficient contact information will not be published. Serving Oregon's Gay, Lesbian, Bi 8, Trans Communities for 20 Years N. PORTLAND BUNGALO $149,900 CLOSE IN CONDO! $149,000 Quintet W Burnside 2bd/2ba w/ frplc, pool, gym , tennis DOWNTOWN 4-PLEX $590,000 Architectural Masterpiece built in 1907 near park blocks & PSU. Two I bd & two 2bd units. 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