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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 2004)
luiy 2. 2004 publication for The time for unity is now Vol. 21 No. 17 Oregon faces its most serious political and civil rights challenge in years FEATURE - Just out population F ounded 1983 • J ay B rown and R enée L a C hance July 2, 2004 OUR NG FAT QUEER CafflRATWt Revelers chime t’s the journey, not the destination. These are words that resonate with strong personal meaning to me. This is the guiding philosophy that 1 try to use to keep a moderate par?, a calm head, a sense and enjoyment of the here and now. A journey that focuses on what’s along the path ahead rather than one that charges ahead at top speed, crashing into poten tially dangerous obstacles along the way. Granted, there’s always the possibility that in any and all journeys we might somehow take the wrong path and become lost along the way, arriving at the destination without really knowing how, or why, we got there. More startling yet, now and then the journey will land you at a location completely differ ent from where you’d hoped or planned to be. Such an undesired and unhoped for destination was reached June 30 with the arrival in Salem of 244,000 petition signatures gath ered by the Defense of Marriage Coalition. This vast number virtually guarantees that Oregonians will vote in November on a constitutional amendment that, if passed, would limit marriage to being between one man and one woman. Should voters pass the initiative, all counties would be prohibited from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. So this is where we are. This phase of the journey has ended. Questions about how and why we got here aren’t important at this time. Whether we wanted to be here, whether we needed to be here—it doesn’t much matter. There’s no going backward, we can’t change the route. The simple fact is, like it or not, we’re here. The proverbial bat tle line has been drawn. We now know indisputably that, at a minimum, nearly a quarter of a million Oregonians have taken a stance against us, on the other side of the line. We have arrived at a monumental destination. The Defense of Marriage Coalition needed 100,840 valid signatures to qualify its initiative. They turned in 244,000. The likelihood of converting these numbers to hard votes in November leaves little doubt that the months leading up to the election are going to be costly and divisive for all Oregonians. The posturing of the coali tion, the signature-gathering tactics used, the armored truck, the early submission, the white male dominance—all these are indicative of an arrogance that begs to be knocked on its butt. In the weeks and months ahead, all will be called upon to choose a side in this battle. Newspapers will print editorials and endorsements. Readers will pen angry letters in support of or against the measure. Money will be donated by business owners; these funds will need to be tracked and reported. It will be imperative that we take a strong eco nomic stance. There must be no financial support from our community for those who donate to the Defense of Marriage Coalition. Basic Rights Oregon is taking the lead in the battle, and the call is out for volunteers and donations of time and money and basic office supplies and equipment to staff the campaign office. Even thought the I secretary of state has 30 days to verify the signatures, the number turned in virtually guarantees success. Massive amounts of petition-gathering violations would have to be reported and proven in order to invalidate the initiative, and this does not appear likely to happen. Plan your summer around favorite activities, but know also that you will be called upon to help. This is by far the most serious political and civil rights issue that has faced our community in many years. The time for unity is now. In separate news, it was reported earlier in The Oregonian that the state of Oregon is preparing to take financial advantage of the Bush administration’s faith-based initiative programs. The state has applied for a $15 million grant that would allow religious groups and organiza tions to apply to administer programs to assist substance abusers. The federal grants are dispatched through the Access to Recovery program. Nationwide there are concerns that groups might be given the opportu nity to force religious views on people utilizing services. There’s not a lot of familiarity with the policies and guidelines of Access to Recovery, but it would definitely seem to warrant closer scrutiny. Issues of church and state separation need to be monitored closely. Also on the to-be-watched list is the senatorial race in Colorado. Republican candidate Pete Coors is support ing the concept of a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. As he stumps the state spewing anti-gay positions, the family business, Coors Brewing Company, is having pained visions of lost lavender dollars and is sending forth its own messages detailing advance ments in progressive employment and nondiscrimination programs. The official statement from Coors states: “Pete Coors is on an unpaid leave of absence from Coors Brew ing Company in order to run for the U.S. Senate. As a candidate, he’ll likely be in the position of expressing views on political issues on which it is inappropriate for Coors Brewing Company to have a position. In these cases he is not speaking on behalf of Coors Brewing Company.” The business is trying to distance itself from the candidate and the individual, yet unfortunately this particular individual has mighty powerful ties to the Coors Brewing Company. At the very same time that Coors in ninning ads in gay publications such as Just Out, Pete Gxirs is supporting a platform of opposition. This just might be the right summer to develop a taste for iced tea. ' You’re going to need to be refreshed, focused and ready to volunteer with the yet-unnamed campaign being launched to defeat the constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples in Oregon. There’s a lot of work to be done. Check the Just Out Web site frequently for updates on volunteer opportunities, community events and contact information. Our biweekly publication schedule is not adequate in these circumstances to manage, in a timely fashion, the anticipated flow of information, so we’ll be expanding our coverage via the Web site. JH There must be no financial support from our community for those who donate to the Defense of Marriage Coalition REFLECTIONS in on what floated their boat this year p 22 NEWS NORTHWEST • City Club ex-prez finds a comfort zone in a traditionally conservative profession PP 7-15 NATIONAL • Massachusetts governor backs Federal Marriage Amendment at Senate hearing; analysis shows little impact of same-sex marriage on federal budget pp 16-19 WORLD • Sao Paulo, Brazil, holds world’s largest Gay Pride celebration pp ARTS AND CULTURE ROOKS • Judith Barrington’s new collection challenges human exploitation pp 30-37 MUSIC • Tribute albums spark new interest in down-home divas; Franz Ferdinand is a bandwagon worth jumping p 39 WHAT’S POPPINT • Fahrenheit 9/11 is incendiary p 40 DIVERSIONS • Meet the new Mr. Bear/Cub; all girl queer artist bash at Disjecta; one month to Michigan! p 41 CULTURE • Miss Fit gives women a sense of adventure; Peacock in the Park goes out with a bang pp 42-43 COLUMNS MS. BEHAVIOR • Getting Googled p 33 OUT LOUD • How 14 romantics might just put the local music scene back in business p 34 OUT WITH ITI • Tigard: You, too, can find it p 41 EPIQUEEREAN • East by Northwest p 10 years ago in 20-21 44 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARC • David Sedans and me • Sweden is the third country to allow gay men and lesbians to marry. Denmark was first, in 1989, and Norway followed, in 1993. The law comes into effect the first of 1995. • In Thailand a real estate company announced June 1 plans to build an 800-home community exclusively for gay men. The Wachira Royal Valley company will erect “Flora Town" 90 miles northeast of Bangkok. • Five members of the Lesbian Avengers dis rupted a formal dinner for the U N Develop ment Fund for Women and demanded the Inclusion of lesbians in all its programs. • American Airlines has decided to join the International Gay Travel Association, which represents more than 800 gay and lesbian companies in the travel industry The airline recently came under fire for dragging a per son with AIDS off one of its flights. • The first hearing on federal efforts to ban dis crimination in employment against gay men and lesbians will be held July 20 in New York City. Nine witnesses are scheduled to testify. They include people who have suffered employment dis crimination as well as representatives of national organizations who will testify to broader patterns of discrimination. • The Pacific Northwest Women’s Musió and Cul tural Jamboree will take place July 1 on the West ern Washington University campus in Bellingham. Activities include four concerts, two dances and a workshop series. • Catch the Snickers LaBarr show July 2 with spe cial guests Greg Jackson, executive director of Right to Privacy, and James C Moeller, spokesman for Hands Off Washington. • The new film Go Fish makes Claire of the Moon and Desert Hearts look like prim Victorian novels. GRAPHIC DIRECTOR • Kevin Moore ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR • Lisa Bradshaw Helmer, Evan James, Andy Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Gary Morris, J.B. Rabin, Bob Roehr, Floyd Sklaver, Cori Tarattxit, Rex Wockner FEATURES EDITOR • Meg Daly ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Larry Lewis DISTRIBUTION • Kristine Ashton, Allison Benn, CONTRIBUTORS • Marc Acito, Michael E Barrett, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES • Kari Tate, Meryl G>hn, J<xli Darby, Chelsea Fine, Jtxli Ashley Austin Brian Boucher, Darren Linder, Kelly Moe, Bob Terry PUBLISHER AND MANAGING EDITOR • Marty Davis NEWS EDITOR • Jim Radosta PRODUCTION ASSISTANT • Zanne deJanvier INTERN • Graham Turner p 45 just out is published on the first and third Fri day of each month. Copyright © 2004 by Just Out. No part of Just Out may be reproduced withsxit written permission from the publisher. The submission of written and graphic materi als is welcomed. Written material should be typed and dou ble-spaced Just Out reserves the right to edit for grammar, punc tuation, style, liability concerns and length. We will reject or edit articles or advertisements that are offensive, demeaning or may result in legal action. Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words. An nouncements regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) should be limited to 200 words; photos are welcome Dead line for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date. Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher. The display advertising deadline is the Monday 12 days before the next publication dare Classified ads must be received at the Just Out ofrice by 4 p.m. on the Thursday eight days before die next publication date, along with payment. Ads may be placed via the Internet with Visa or Masteri ard payment, by mail with a check, or in person at our office. 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