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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2004)
juna IB . 2004 PHOTO BY REX WOCKNER Continued from Page 31 “A: No, I don’t know anything about it, Lester. “Q: Does the president, does anyone in the W hite House know about this epidemic, Larry? “A: I don’t think so ....” hen finally forced to break its silence about the reality of AIDS, Reagan’s G O P amped up the homophobic hysteria. During the 1988 Republican N ation al Convention in New Orleans, a crowd listening to a speech by the outgoing president turned on a group of 15 protesters from the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. Five A C T UP members were arrested in the ensuing melee. All 15 of the pro testers were punched and kicked by the angry mob. “If we had stayed there one minute longer, we would have been killed,” A C T U P’s Neil Broome said. “These people were rabid.... They wanted to beat the living shit out of us. In all my time with A C T UP, I’ve ACT UP never seen anything like this.” The fight broke out as Reagan addressed thousands of convention delegates and other supporters during official opening ceremonies. All three major TV networks and C N N carried the outbreak live. “All we were doing was standing there with our AIDSGATE signs,” A C T U P’s Heidi Dorow said. “Suddenly this group of young men in suits started shouting things like, ‘Let’s protesters demonstrate at the 1988 Republican National Convention in N ew Orleans get the faggots’ and ‘Queers go home.’ We responded by chanting, ‘History will recall, Reagan and Bush did nothing at all.’ ” A C T U P’s Frank Smithson added: “A t that point, the crowd became really ugly. They started grabbing our signs and ripping them up and then punching us.” T he activists attempted to retreat but were surrounded by hundreds of Republicans. “They had the most intense looks of hatred,” Broome said. “They were calling us commies, faggots and queers. A t one point, several of them began chanting, ‘You deserve to die.’ I was lit erally afraid for my life." 1 1 o be fair, Reagan eventually spoke up about AIDS— but he waited until he was safely out of the White House to do so. In 1990 he made a public service announcement for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation saying: “We can all grow and learn in our lives, and I’ve learned all kinds of people can get AIDS, even children.... I’m not asking you to send money. I’m asking for something more important: your understanding. Maybe it’s time we all learned something new.” Continued on Page 35 Guide Dog Gift Annuities In c re a se y o u r in com e AND m a k e a m ea n in g fu l g ift to o u r d o g s a n d p u p p ie s sorry. me don't do exotics. • Lock in a guaranteed lifetime income • Save capital gains and income taxes • Support our canine heroes! • J?ose C //y LOFTS A T THE EDGE MODERN DESIGN URBAN LIVING NW 14th <S Kearney in Portland’s Pearl District 840-2,500 SF Lofts VETERINARY HOSPITAL F ro m $ 2 1 0 ,0 0 0 A C*r/t)!! A spen Developm ent P>otcct S T E P H E N m vw eclgelofts com $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 FOR A GIFT ANNUITY Age Annual Income* Tax Deduction 70 S 670 $ 3 ,3 9 7 80 5 830 5 4 ,4 9 7 90 51,150 5 5 ,5 3 7 QUIRK Contact Judy Law rence at Guide Dogs for the Blind: DVM KOCHIS DVM 33901 Sf Kelso Rd, Soring, OR 979009 (503) 668-2100 • ¡lawrenceOguidedogs.com 8 0 9 (near 503 226 4252 w h en you donate *Plus, a portion o f this is tax-free CRAIG Sales Office 1122 NW Glisan Open Tue - Fri 10am-5pni Sat 11am-5pm. Sun 12-4pm B e n e f it s the SE Powell Ross B I v d Island 232-3105 Bridge) Visit us for o n e of our monthly public graduation cerem onies! Find the dates online at www.guidedogs.com
