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by
just rm ai
M arty D avis
newsmagazine
the in publication for the out population
Founded 1983 • Jay Brown and Renee LaChance
A frighteningly good time
Vol. 22 No. 24
“Spooktacular” signals that Portland is ready and waiting for a community center
hile there are definite advantages to being a cynic, it
can also really bite you in the butt sometimes.
W
Such was proven true Oct. 16 when I begrudging
ly pulled myself out of a bedridden avian flu stupor
(I’m a cynic and a hypochondriac) just so 1 could say
I showed up for the first-ever Q Center community event. Muttering pos
itive statements to myself such as, “How come I have to go—no one’s
gonna come to this stupid thing,” I scrounged up recently slept-in cloth
ing and, accompanied by bed-head hair highly suited for an event called
“Spooktacular,” I set off for what I assumed would be a 15-minute jaunt
to and from an empty warehouse.
Boy, was I wrong.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I arrived in my disheveled
state to find throngs of people happily enjoying a day of spooktacular
fun and festivity. 1 have never seen so many lesbian moms and gay dads
in one place before.
There were gobs of happy children with chocolate-pudding-smeared
faces adorned as pumpkins and dragons and assorted magical characters.
Sneakin’ Out played its joyous brand of music at a delightful sound level
that didn’t shake the walls and jar the nerves. Little children wobbled
on top-heavy bodies as they danced with the enviable freedom that so
many of us seem to lose far too early in life. Poison Waters served well
as a self-censoring hostess, and a slew of “celebrity judges” awarded
prizes for artful pumpkin carvings and paintings.
This was truly a “community” event with the families in attendance
joined by members of the Portland Area Business Association, Love
Makes a Family, Pride Northwest and the Imperial Sovereign Rose
Court. Side by side were elders from Senior Housing and Retirement
Enterprises and toddlers downing gcxiey gummy worms. Representing
City Hall were three generations of Potters: Mayor Tom, daughter Katie
and granddaughter Madi Potter-Moen. (McKenzie, it seems, had a pre
vious commitment elsewhere.) Multnomah County Commissioner
Maria Rojo de Steffey was seen enjoying the energy and excitement,
and James Rae of KGW-TV was taking it all in, too.
Susan Remitters and the Q Center board get high marks for organiz
ing this event and covering so many details with skill and expertise.
They invited Hewlett-Packard to take free digital photos as souvenirs,
and the edible treats were definitely geared toward the little ones. No
sushi, yeah! Apple slices and ch<x:olate cookies were rhe ftxxl of the day.
What did the attendance at this event signal? That Portland is ready
and waiting for a community center and many, many more family
events like this one. Families have been, for far too long, an under
served segment of the region’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans community.
Parents need a place to come together and meet other families. They’re
about to get what they need.
I will admit that, prior to this event, my enthusiasm for a community
center had not yet taken off; 1 simply wasn’t getting a clear vision of
who the users would be. My perception had stalled on a self-limiting
view directed toward youth center functions. My thoughts were that
this segment was already as well-served as it probably ever could be.
1 was locked into the notion that a community center might simply
duplicate the efforts of the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center.
Now 1 have a better understanding of how programs of music, arts,
sports and innumerable activities geared toward the entire community
will be the basis of our new Q Center. I’m on board now.
But remember, we are still dollars and volunteer hours away from
completion. For more information please e-mail info@pdxqcenter.org.
And if you need clarification of the function and purpose of the center,
please plan on attending an event soon.
• The Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum
appointed Keith Boykin as its first executive
director in September. Boykin, a former special
assistant to President Clinton, takes the reins
of the forum as it works to establish itself as a
national organization, according to a story in
The Washington Blade.
• The National Freedom to.Marry Coalition
kicked off its activities with a press telecon
ference Oct. 2. Its aim is "to win and keep
the freedom to marry for same-sex couples."
• "Black by Birth, Gay by God, Proud by
Choice," read placards carried by a group
of a hundred gay men Oct. 16 during the
FEATURE
24 WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!
2 Gyrlz has the last word with fourth and final
festival of freaks
NEWS
8-18 NORTHWEST
October is Clay History Month; homeless
queers; Virginia Wcxif Dog Daycare is country’s
first as job training for homeless youth
19-21 NATIONAL
Million More March unfriendly to gays;
Amnesty International: U.S. police fail to
protect queers
22-23 WORLD
Uganda bans same-sex marriage; Ontario woos
U.S. gay doctors; data surface from 1949 British
sex survey; Lithuanian anti-gays protest non
existent Pride march
ARTS AND CULTURE
35 CULTURE
Just Out presents your guide to queer
Halloween fun
ey, guess what? You can now check out www.justout.com for a
37, 39 FILM
sneak preview of our new site. The official unveiling won’t be
until next month, but, just like car manufacturers and pharmaceutical Queers may have qualms with Capote
40-41 THEATER
companies, we need to run our final quality check tests on you, the
Broadway season goes up in cost, down in
actual consumer. So, if you click on “letters to the editor” and your
quality
garage door opens, be patient. We anticipate a bit of troubleshooting
during the next couple of weeks. We’ll have different rollouts of Phase 1
42-43 DIVERSIONS
and Phase 11 during the coming weeks and month, and additions and
William “Sam” Gregory; We’Moon; Portland
adjustments will be made to the contents.
International Short Short Film Festival; The
The archives will take time to build up, and, yes, I’m sure that we
Best Gay & Lesbian Films: Glitter Awards 2005
will eventually have a Poison Waters tribute page. In the meantime,
45 BOOKS
perkxlically check the photo gallery for sightings of you and your pals,
The vampire strikes back
and remember, 1 now have a great outlet for really bad photos I’ve taken
COLUMNS
of so many of you. At last, a home for all those Sam-Adams-with-his-
eyes-closed photos.
18 DEAR ETHEL
And if you’re a current or potential advertiser, please note that we’re
BMI: Body Misinformation?
now beaming you into worldwide exposure. And if you want to be
33 MS. BEHAVIOR
among the first to purchase banner ad space, please contact Larry Lewis
Be my guest
at 503-236-1253. Intnxluctory rates are attractive and available—start
34 OUT GOING
ing right now. Check us out; send us your feedback. JH
We are family
H
REFLECTIONS] 10 years ago in just out... volume 12 number 24, October 20, 1995
• Lauren A. Usher and Theresa A. (Terri) Loubey
wish to announce that they were married
Sept. 16, 1995. The couple were joined by 120
of their friends, family and colleagues for a
candlelight service on the Portland Spirit. In
recognition of their marriage, they have changed
their last names to Gevurtz.
October 21, 2005
Million Man March in Washington, D C. The rally was
called by the controversial Rev Louis Farrakhan. head
of the Nation of Islam.
• The Sexual Minority Roundtable Crisis Response
Team was officially launched Oct. 11, National Com
ing Out Day. The team works in partnership with Port
land police officers wtfc> respond to calls for assis
tance involving sexual minorities.
• Former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts continues to
actively work for gay and lesbian civil nghts. Last month
she joined the board of directors of the Human Rights
Campaign, a national gay and lesbian rights organization
based in Washington. D C.
• Code Blue, Portland’s premier rotating women's night
club, presents a Lesbian Halloween Bash at Mont
gomery Park Gay m^n are welcome. $1,000 in prizes
for best costumes.
• The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, a solo perform
ance by Rob Buckmaster, opens at the Main Street
Playhouse.
Just Out is published on the first and third Friday of each month. Copynght © 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
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 necessanly 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
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future advertising Advertising rates available upon request Distribution policy: Just Out is available free of charge Just Out is delivered only to authorized distnbutors No person may. without prior wntten
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fax 503 236-1257: e mail justout@justout com Visit us on the web at www justout.com.
38 EPIQUEEREAN
I vant to dvink your vine
46 JIM’S CLOSET
What's so funny?
PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR
Marty Davis
NEWS EDITOR
Sarah Dougher
ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Jim Radosta
STAFF WRITER
Jaymee R. Cuti
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Anabel Ramirez
AD PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Ramey Holsman
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Larry Lewis
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
Kari Tate, Cshea Walker
WEB ADMINISTRATION
Ashley Austin
CONTRIBUTORS
Yvonne P. Behrens, Stephen Blair, Mana
Callahan, Meryl Cohn, Jodi Darby,
Suzanne Deakins, Jemiah Jefferson,
Timothy Krâuse, Jon Kretzu, Patricia L.
MacAodha, Christopher McQuain, Gary
Morris, Jenny Nguyen, Bob Roehr, Floyd
Sklaver, Rex Wockner
DISTRIBUTION
Allison Benn. Lisa Benson, Youme Inhofe,
Pat Kilmer-Cramer, Chance Schwartz