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
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