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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2005)
auflust 5.2Q05 ’ jUSt OUt,, WnTTTTTmnewsbriefs Conti»iued from Page 9 bureau assignments tor .ill city commissioners June 22. Sam Adams, the city’s first openly gay commissioner, was assigned a portfolio that includes the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and below are excerpts from his statement on the place of the arts in Portland: “I want the Portland region known as the best place for arts and culture of any metropoli tan area our size, rated among the top 10 cities for support of arts and culture regardless of size, known as the place where the most promising, the best and most innovative artists want to locate, and most importantly, 1 want Portlanders to have art in their daily lives.... “We soon must find $15 million in new and public funding for local, art and cultural non profits or risk being a ‘has-been’ arts and culture re gion—our region currently hovers embarrassingly around 25th place in arts funding.... “We have strengths to build on. Portland has the fourth-highest concentration of architects and sev- enth-highest con centration of de signers in the country. We rank 11th in concentra tion of individual artists. More peo ple attend a show Was he experienced? annually at the Portland Center for the Per forming Arts than a Portland Trail Blazers game. There is a concentration of talent that supports our economy in ways rhe public is just beginning to understand.” To read Adams' “Five Promises for the Arts," check his Web site at www.commissioner sam.com. C onference in B end S eeks P articipants The Human Dignity Coalition of Bend is looking for diverse individuals from the sexual minorities community. Disabled, ethnic, HIV positive or religious diversity is needed to create a panel to speak at the Oregon Diversity Insti tute Conference from Nov. 3 to 5 in Bend. If you are interested, contact Jenni at 541-385-3320 or office@human- dignitycoalition.org. W as J imi H endrix G ay ? F amous N orthwesterner U sed B ias to A void V ietnam A new Jimi Hendrix biogra phy by Charles Cross called Room Full of Mirrors reveals the rather unexpected news that Jimi Hendrix used the excuse of being gay to get out of military service. According to official Army records, Hendrix was dis charged for “homosexual ten dencies.” Cross says that Hen drix wanted to leave the Army so he could be a musician and that he pretended to be gay so he could land a discharge. Hen drix’s word on the departure was An electrical fire was the source of destruction that has closed Russell Street Barbecue temporarily. that he left the 101st Airborne Division in 1962 after being injured on a parachute jump. According to Cross arid official records, Hen drix told a base psychiatrist at Fort Campbell, Ky., that he had fallen in love with a fellow sol dier. Could it have been more than a ploy? Who knows. Cross also says Hendrix had a legendary appetite for women, including an affair with actress Brigitte Bardot. G ay -O wned B arbecue J oint C atches F ire Around midnight July 15, an electrical fire began under the floor of the gay-owned Russell Street Barbecue. Co-owner Sharon Senter was told that perhaps a power surge had caused the main electrical feed to the building to catch fire: “It smoldered all night, and then when we got a call at 6 a.m. the next day, the kitchen was total ly ruined.” Fortunately, Senter and her life/business partner, Diane Santuci, have insurance and are already in the process of cleaning up the mess. “We employ 15 people, so that is hard,” she said. “We all have to kind of stop for a minute.” Senter and Santuci plan to reopen around the second week of September and hope to throw a big party while they are at it. “Live music, full racks half price, a celebration,” notes Senter. jm Compiled by SARAH DOUGHER downtown, portland [i:07a.m.] hot guy. Cold Coors Light.*
