Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2005)
by justrnn M arty D avis dB newsmagazine the in publication for the out population Founded 1983 • Jay Brown and Renée LaChance Civil unrest Vol. 22 No. 12 FEATURE Did we win, or did we lose? t least there’s one good thing that can be said about bad news. The wait is over. The suspense is gone. Being freed from the mire of questioning and waiting can be uplifting L. and a relief in and of itself. The unknown is now known. There are no recognized same-sex marriages in Multnomah County and in the state of Oregon. Your marriages in Canada, while not affected by the recent Oregon Supreme Court mling, remain, as before, unrecog nized under federal and state law. This column is being written April 14, only a few hours after the ruling was announced, and there’s still a lot to wait for by way of reaction and interpretation. And there will be much to come by way of review and legal opinion. There may be an appeal; there may not be. To quote from the promos for the NBC television series Revelations, “All signs are in place.” And indeed all signs now point toward civil unions as a means to offer legal protections to same-sex couples in Oregon. For many, even this advancement will still be viewed as the end of days. For others, those perhaps of the “slow and steady wins the race” mindset, civil unions are a logical and acceptable solution, perhaps even only tempo rary, a mere stop along a continuing journey. With one set of questions answered, new ones will take their place. Now the Monday morning quarter-backing will begin in earnest. Did Basic Rights Oregon set the right strategy into place? Did the actions of the Multnomah County commissioners backfire and directly lead to the passage of Ballot Measure 36? Did we try for too much too soon? And, of course, if we had it to do over again, would we? Or was there a greater master plan in place that led us right to where we are today—with Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski now on board requesting passage of Senate Bill 1000? This legislation would amend state law to create civil unions, defined as a “civil contract” entered into by two members of the same sex that “confers the legal protections, rights and responsibilities generally afforded to opposite-sex couples through marriage.” Did Basic Rights Oregon take the old time-worn and honored “garage sale ploy” on the marriage issue ? Everyone knows that if you have a garage sale and want 50 cents for your hook, you mark the price at a dollar. A customer wanders in, admires the book, expresses shock and horror over the price and offers 50 cents. Seller happily takes the 50 cents, which is all he wanted in the first place, buyer takes the book, and both think they’ve achieved victory. April 15, 2005 Was the marriage battle of the past year marked up to a dollar with those controlling the strategy knowing that they’d he happy to settle for 50 cents? Do you feel that your quest for rights has been compromised and settled, or are you damn happy to accept rhe protections offered with civil unions? Which, by the way, still has to pass both houses in Salem, and at this time is still a proposal. If such was rhe strategy, then it worked pretty dam well, don’t you think? Well, except, of course, for that little issue of amending the constitution to bar same-sex marriage until, oh, say, hell freezes over. I don’t think that was part of anyone’s strategy. Ever. So, did we win, did we lose? With the passage of SB 1000, Oregon will surge to the forefront as a leader in civil rights protections. Brilliant strategy, recovered fumble or total forfeit of the game? You tell me. o, all things considered, could you use a little laughter in your life? I’ve got something that just might help. In our Jan. 21 issue we fea tured Portland humorist and speaker Gail Hand. What we forgot to mention in this article was the fact that she has written a friendly and charming btxik titled The Power of Laughter: Seven Secrets to Living and Laughing in a Stressful World. In the pages of this guide you can learn that laughter is good for your health, that humor can enrich your rela tionships and make the unbearable bearable and that laughter can see you through—no matter what circumstances life hands you. Like find ing out that you’re not married when you’ve already opened all the pres ents and used the good ones. Where can I find this book, you ask? Well, I’m not giving you mine, but you can obtain your own copy by visiting www.gailhand.com. Or, better yet, meet and laugh with Gail at World Laughter Day on May 1. She will be making all sorts of folks laugh and make merry as she teach es and celebrates the power of laughter. Again, further details can be found at www.gailhand.com. S t’s time for a vacation for the Just Out staff. This week alone we’ve dealt with the death of a hard drive, bickering software, incompatible everything involving the production computer and a persistent bug that’s got us all hacking, coughing and sniffling. We need a rest. There fore, we’re out of here the week of April 18 and then will return refreshed, energized and ready to create your next issue of Just Out on May 6. See you then. jH I 22 QUEER NIGHT FEVER Can’t tell your Btxity from your Snatch? Just Out sets the record straight about the freaky scene that’s sweeping Portland. NEWS 7-16 NORTHWEST Safe Schools Symposium; queer community cen ter news; nationally acclaimed activists Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy. Richards to speak at In Other Words; Touchstone can no longer host live music; Hip Mama Mother’s Day bash 17-19 NATIONAL Marriage bans have unintended consequences; Connecticut becomes first state to recognize civil unions, unprompted and unpressured by the courts; NYC HIV super strain: “Never mind” 20-21 WORLD Honduras bans same-sex marriage; Uruguay gets gay monument; men jailed for private, consensu al sex in Fiji; Indian sodomy ban case advances; Catalonia OKs gay adoption; Serbian Women’s Center attacked; gay man elected president of Italian region; Swiss Army officers form gay club; Dutch gays and straights divorce at same rate ARTS AND CULTURE 34-35 DIVERSIONS Write Off Tour; Keshet celebrates Passover; Marisa Anderson; “For Love and Money” 37 BOOKS Eugene author chronicles bitter custody battle centered on her mother’s sexuality 39-40 FILM Thailand establishes Asian-tranny-sports genre with Beautiful Boxer; Northwest Film Center looks at career of gay Spanish director 41 DANCE Do Jump! reopens a dynamic display of wide-eyed optimism 43 CULTURE Fashion police bust Red Dress Party 44 THEATER Heaven and hell COLUMNS 33 MS. BEHAVIOR Out of control 38 EPIQUEEREAN Dessert islands 45 JIM’S CLOSET Might as well jump Just Out is published on the first and third Friday of each month. Copyright © 2005 by Just Out No part of Just Out may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher Editorial guidelines: Letters to the editor should be limited to 500 words Announcements regarding life transitions (births, deaths, unions, etc.) should be limited to 200 words: photos are welcome Deadline for submissions to the editorial department and for the Calendar is the Thursday 15 days before the next publication date Just Out reserves the nght to edit for grammar, punctuation, style, liability concerns and length Views expressed in letters to the editor, columns and features are not necessarily those of the publisher Advertising policy: The display advertising deadline is the Monday 12 days before the next publication date Classified ads must be received at the Just Out office by 5 p m on the Sunday five days before the next publication date, along with payment Classifieds may be placed via www justout.com. by mail or in person at our office Just Out reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement Compensation for errors in. or cancellation of, advertising wiH be made with credit toward future advertising Advertising rates available upon request Distribution policy: Just Out is available free of charge Just Out is delivered only to authonzed distributors No person may. without prior written permission, take more than one copy Any person who takes more than one copy may be held liable for theft, including but not limited to civil damages and/or criminal prosecution Subscriptions are $22 50 for 12 issues First Class (in an envelope) is $40 for 12 issues Contact Just Out at P.O Box 14400. Portland. OR 97293 0400; 503-236 1252. advertising 503-236-1253. fax 503 236-1257; e-mail justout©justout com. Visit us on the web at wvirw.iustout.com. PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR Marty Davis NEWS EDITOR Sarah Dougher ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Jim Radosta STAFF WRITER Jaymee R. Cuti ART DIRECTOR Bonnie Barrett PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Katy Maehl ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Larry Lewis ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Ashley Austin. Kari Tate, Cshea Walker CONTRIBUTORS Yvonne P. Behrens, Stephen Blair, Meryl Cohn, Jodi Darby, Jodi Helmer, Andy Mangels, Christopher McQuain, Gary Morris. Jenny Nguyen, Rebecca Ragain, Bob Roehr, Aaron Scott, Floyd Sklaver, Rex Wockner DISTRIBUTION Kristine Ashton, Allison Benn. Lisa Benson, Pat Kilmer-Cramer
