by
jUSti1!11
M arty D ams
newsmagazine
the in publication for the out population
Founded 1983 • Jay Brown and Renée LaChance
Survey says...
Vol. 22 No. 14
Put your money where your mouth is
FEATURE
plurality of attitudes toward gays and lesbians showed itself
• The world of gay personals online is one of the driving forces in
again on both a national and local level this month. USA
today’s online gay market. I’ll get back to this topic in a few weeks as I
Today reported May 15 on a new survey from The Boston
wrestle with the decision of whether to try to keep the voice personal
Globe indicating 50 percent of Americans disapprove of
ads a part of Just Out or simply accept the obvious fact that this seg
same-sex marriage. Furthermore, about the same number of people
felt of our social lives is now exclusively Internet-driven. Sometimes
ment
same-sex marriages from Massachusetts, where the practice has been
you just can’t fight progress.
legal for a year, should not have to be recognized by other states.
• Portland’s own Techncxlyke.com is listed as “additional lesbian
Americans are somewhat more generous in doling out rights when it
sites worth noting.”
comes to the topic of civil unions. According to this particular survey,
• According to this guide, gay consumers are characterized by high
a generous 46 percent of those questioned said they would support civil
income and education levels as well as above-average credit card own
unions to provide gay couples with “some, but not all, of the rights of
ership. Gay men and lesbians travel widely for business and pleasure,
married couples.” About 41 percent of those same people surveyed
pursue sports and other leisure-time activities, attend theater, collect art
won’t even loosen their grip at all and said they oppose civil unions.
and buy books and CDs at high level. Is this you? No mention is made
These figures aren’t new; they’ve been hovering in this same range
of gays and lesbians who ran for city commission and school boards,
for about the past year. It depends on whom you ask and where you ask
who raise children and maintain homes and pay taxes and live lives
them. In a wonderful example of stating the obvious, this poll conclud
geared toward personal growth and happiness. But damn, we buy a lot
ed, “Americans older than age 65, Republicans, Protestants, regular
of CDs.
churchgoers and Southerners were more likely to oppose gay marriage.”
• I LOVE this one. “Because of their prominent positions in the
You think? Our team consists of people who are younger than 35, vote
fields of fashion, design, media and the arts, gay men in particular occu
Democratic and do not go to church. Sounds to me like even if we’re
py a special sphere of influence in shaping national consumer tastes and
behind in the game, we’re still having more fun playing.
trends.” We get blamed for everything.
At about the same time rhe poll was released, a group of business
• In the ranking of states with high gay and lesbian populations,
people—probably younger than 65 and not Republican—was meeting
Oregon is ranked No. 24- Our buddy to the north, Washington, comes
in Portland to discuss and strategize about how to make money off gays
in at 12. California is No. 1, and North Dakota and Wyoming bottom
and lesbians. It seems the Portland Oregon Visitors Association has rec
out, though apparently not often, at Nos. 51 and 52.
ognized the value of targeting the gay and lesbian market. It’s having
• In a list of the top 100 gay and lesbian direct mail ZIP codes, Ore
meetings and making plans, and it wants our money. I’m wondering if
gon doesn’t place. But neither do North Dakota and Wyoming.
the wedding industry will be a key player in developing these marketing
• Portland is considered to be a “secondary market” along with
strategies?
cities such as Denver; Cleveland; Austin, Texas; Sacramento, Calif.;
Now businesspeople in Portland have been marketing their wares to
and Reno, Nev. •
gays and lesbians for years. This very paper would not exist if folks didn’t
And finally, let it be noted, per Hyperion Interactive Media, “Bisex
see value in the buying power of our community. But most of these
uals and transgender individuals have not yet been identified as distinct
gtxxl people have been around for years, have joined our political bat
markets by marketers.” Wow, who knew?
tles and straggles and have been there when times were tough.
A closing statement is made to rhe effect that, for more and more busi
Here in Portland, the business community has been gtxxJ to us. But
ness owners today, “gay” isn’t lavender, pink or rainbow-colored—it’s green.
now it’s revving up to the next level. There are “specialists” with plans
1 think that as others are capitalizing on the power of our buying
and guidelines and strategies on how to lure us to market.
ability, we should reflect and recognize the tremendous economic clout
There’s even a Gay Market Guide 2005. This glossy “comprehensive
that we have in the $450 billion attributed to us. We can, of course,
guide” identifies opportunities for marketing to the gay and lesbian
spend our money, as projected, on Scissor Sisters CDs. But we can also
community. According to the publisher, Hyperion Interactive Media,
use it to sustain kx:al progressive causes and candidates. We can revi
there are 16.5 million gay Americans with a combined buying power,
talize our communities and neighborhixxls through the power of shop
in 2004, of $450 billion. (Yes, billion with a b.) That is indeed a lot of
ping locally. We can withhold money from the 50 percent of people
buying power.
who view us as credit cards and not as people deserving full and equal
Here are a few other nuggets of information I gleaned from the
civil rights. We can, and should, refuse to patronize those businesses
pages of the book:
and institutions that don’t support us. We have the power to put our
• First, it was printed in Canada. If you’re trying to market to gay
money where rhe votes are.
Americans, how about finding a gay-owned American printer—per
We are $450 billion strong. We are a force with which to be reck
haps Witham &. Dickey of Portland?
oned. Let’s go shopping! JM
A
REFLECTIONS
• Affirmative action includes all measures necessary to make equal opportunity a reali
ty for currently and historically excluded groups of people in the United States.
Attacks against affirmative action assume that equal opportuni
ty for women and people of color is already a reality. It's not.
• A gay man in the state of Tasmania, Australia, plans to open a
sperm bank for lesbians, reported the Reuters news service.
Lesbians are often denied access to regular sperm banks.
Richard X, whose last name was withheld, said he will collect
semen in glass jars and inseminate women with syringes.
• The British Broadcasting Corp, has commissioned its first
show targeted exclusively at gay men and lesbians, reported
London's The Daily Telegraph. The company said the “glossy
magazine-style" program, which debuts on BBC2 in June, will be
“camp, frothy and fun."
• A court in Romania approved April 19 the nation's first known
sex-change operation, reported the newspaper Tineretul Liber.
The court was concerned that the 19-year-old transsexual would
commit suicide or an act of self-mutilation if denied the operation.
May 20, 2005
just
the report said. Officials opted to classify the individual as “handicapped" due to
“mental disability,” the newspaper said.
• Gay- and lesbian-owned businesses along Northeast Broadway
in Portland have formed a new business association called Out on
Broadway. One of its goals is to promote the diverse businesses locat
ed along Northeast Broadway to the gay and lesbian communities
• The Metropolitan Human Rights Commission offers “Dynamic
Differences' workshops to help individuals develop a basic under
standing of how people are oppressed or oppress others and how
to build alliances and network in their communities.
• Cascade Bears sponsor "Prowl Lite '95 " Less filling, more fun
and at a lower cost, this year's redesigned Prowl is meant to be
more user-friendly.
• Attempting to view the world in a positive light gets easier with
support The Portland chapter of Brother to Brother invites
African American gay and bisexual men to become involved in the
direction of the group
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 wntten 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
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24 INNINGS AND OUTINGS
Baseball player’s profession puts a lot into play at
Artists Rep
NEWS
8-16 NORTHWEST
Vocation Vacations gets television pilot; trans
man sues Home Depot; Cistus grows beyond the
zone; Queen Bee sews up a storm; Witham &
Dickey wins Portland Business Alliance’s Top
Ten Growth Award in the small-business catego
ry; Spokane mayor accused of molesting boys in
1970s; Red Dress Party announces funds raised
18-21 NATIONAL
Lesbians underserved by heath care system; 3,000
gather in D.C. AIDS protest; ACLU launches
Marriage Campaign
22-23 WORLD
Amnesty supports arrested Saudis; New Zealand
civil union law takes effect; Vatican urges civil
disobedience in Spain; Scottish Parliament bans
anti-gay speech; Chile passes pro-gay measure;
World Pride postponed
ARTS AND CULTURE
37 HUMOR
This is not your mother’s Tupperware party
39 BOOKS
Kinsey researcher unearths compelling evidence
that President Lincoln’s ax swung both ways
41-42 MUSIC
Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein takes it to the
limit; American Idol contestants try to make it big
43-45 FILM
DVDs depict determined students who stood up
for their rights; Eating Out: like an R-rated
Three’s Company
46-47 DIVERSIONS
Madison mosaic; Corpus Christi; Stevie Nicks
Tribute Night; Chris Pureka; Btxibie Auction;
GLAAD Media Awards
48 TELEVISION
DVDs focus on the funky families
COLUMNS
35 MS. BEHAVIOR
Pillow talk
36 EPIQUEEREAN
Bringin’ breakfast back!
49 JIM’S CLOSET
Nups and downs
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,
Sarah Burgundy. Meryl Cohn, Jodi
Darby, Timothy Krause. Karen Kudej,
Patricia L. MacAodha, Andy Mangels,
Gary Morris, Jenny Nguyen. Rebecca
Ragain, Bob Roehr, Floyd Sklaver,
Cori Taratoot, Rex Wockner
DISTRIBUTION
Kristine Ashton. Allison Benn,
Lisa Benson, Pat Kilmer-Cramer