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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2006)
2006 Primary Election Endorsements • Multnomah County Chair: Diane Linn • Multnomah County Commission But our county is here to stay k n a recent warm and dry spring evening, I attended a candidates O forum hosted by the Concordia Neighborhood Association. In spite I of the warm and seductive evening temperature, the room was packed with voters and neighbors stepping up to learn more about " the candidates for local office. I came away from this meeting with two affirmed beliefs. One, Portlanders care deeply about their schools, their neighbors, their environment and their city. Secondly, there are no bad can didates, no wrong choices running for Multnomah County and Portland City Council offices. What we have is a wealth of dedicated neighborhood activists, admin istrators, businesspeople and incumbents, all willing to give up their time, energy and personal lives to better serve the citizens. They should all be thanked for their willingness to serve. The city will not falter and the county will not crumble with whichever final choice it is that voters make. Gay marriage is not an issue in the race for Multnomah County chair, other than a past history of affirmative endeavor from one candidate vs. the spoken, yet untested, good intentions of the other. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the tiebreaker. By the way, I packed on an additional 20 pounds while stress eating about the decision regarding county chair. Anyone who dares tell me that I took an easy cop-out on this endorsement will be my next meal. he financial page of the April 3 issue of The New Yorker speaks of the struggles of the newspaper industry to remain viable in these days of rapid technology changes. From San Diego comes word that after 27 years, the gay newspaper Update is shutting down. Here at home 1 receive an unsigned let ter to the editor questioning my motives in moving the spirituality listings from the printed edition of the paper to the Web site version only. There is a connection, and these three items are all related. No one, anywhere, is going to be reading that after 23 years or more, Just Out is going out of business because of an inability to keep current with chang ing times. It’s my job to make sure this paper is alive and kicking for a long time to come. And to do my job properly, 1 have to make some decisions that are unpopular. One of my immediate challenges is learning to bridge the tech nological gap and make cost-effective decisions that support the print version of the paper while at the same time creating a vibrant, functional electronic version of Just Out. Our writer, who remains cloaked in comfortable anonymity—which, by the way, disallows for true dialogue on the topic—asserts that my removing T • The 2001 legislative session is turning out to be less contentious than the last one. In 1999 Basic Rights Oregon helped defeat nine anti-gay bills, costing the organization $90,000. Although no anti-gay legislation has surfaced in this session, BRO is tracking a few proposals that "are not favorable to our community," program director Nerissa Ediza says. APRIL 7, 2006 Erik Sten • Portland City Council Seat No. 3: Dan Saltzman Additional endorsements will appear in the April 21 issue of Just Out. FEATURE the spiritual listings leaves me with the metaphorical bkxxl of troubled youth on my hands. Or, as directly stated, “Someone’s life may be in your hands.” The reader—well-intended, I’m sure—seems intent on the notion that all troubled youth reach out to church in their time of need. My experience, how ever, is that these same youth reach out rather to peers, mentors, social groups and organizations and strive to build community outside the restrictive param eters that led them to become troubled in the first place. For these links, Just Out has been and always will be a life-saving resource. Churches wishing to advertise their services and programs in the print version of Just Out will find that a very competitive and low-cost classified ad rate awaits their inquiry. There is an outstanding offer to share in the costs of getting your print mes sage out to troubled youth. Is the overhead of marketing your services your obligation or mine.71 think it’s ours to be shared. Troubled youth aside, all computers should come with handbooks, a manual, a primer in electronic politeness. Yup, we need “E-mail for Dummies.” Asking questions of me is fine—it’s desired, it’s reasonable. Packaging these questions with attacks on my character and integrity—not so fine. This makes me peevish to the point that I feel compelled to toss out a question of my own: Are troubled, at-risk, sexual minority youth running and searching for a church, or are they more likely already running from one? Just asking. have long been an admirer of the women’s community of southern Oregon. They share, passionately, years of history, fervent community, activism and—lately, it seems—more than their fair share of sadness and grief. Mere months after losing her partner to illness, renowned feminist, lesbian author and photographer Tee Corinne now faces her own struggle with cancer. Staunch and determined, Tee welcomes gifts of cards, letters and well-wishes. Spring flowers can bring brightness to a day, but at this time phone calls are not manageable. Those desiring to share thoughts are encouraged to direct them to P.O. Box 278, Wolf Creek, OR 97497. To obtain updates, a blog diary can be found at www.jeansirius.com. To those with understanding and a heart for such matters, Tee requests that you envelope her with powerful healing pink energy. No post office required for the latter. I inally, we’re approaching that time of the month again. Yup, Gay Skate will be rockin’ and rollin’ April 17. For those of you who have been trying to locate Oaks Park since mid-January, directions are now available at www.justout.com. See you there. © F 5 Years Ago in Just Out... volume 18 number 11, april 6, 2001 • Basic Rights Oregon board chairwoman Harriet Merrick says her organization made a job offer to its leading executive director candidate April 3. She says the search committee might have to meet with the person again before making a formal announcement. No interim director has been named since Jaime Balboa resigned March 1, citing personal health reasons. He had been on the job for one year. VOL. 23 NO. 11 NEWSMAGAZINE • Portland City Council Seat No. 2: reflections • The controversial talk show Dr. Laura ended production March 29. The freshman television program, a critical and ratings failure, had been downgraded to post-midnight time slots in 29 of the nation's top 30 media markets. J XILIA FAYE The Rockies May Crumble, Gibraltar May Tumble District 2: Gary Hansen just out t by Marty Davis • Somebody detonated a can of high-pressure pepper spray during a performance March 10 by the Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay, British Columbia. Choir members regrouped in front of the theater after marching around the building singing "Never Turn Back." ’ • It was probably the most important moment in the history of the worldwide struggle for gay equality. Four gay couples were legally married April 1 in the Netherlands under the exact same laws heterosexuals use. It was a world first. • The Portland Lesbian Choir presents Dance the Rhythm!, an evening of song with special guest Chica Marimba, a hot new all-women band. • One fellow is a pastry chef; the other is a German scholar. Together with a white Cockatoo named Barney, these three have given Portland culture another feather for its cap. From a basement nest in their Southwest Portland home, Paul King and Walter Jaffee have hatched White Bird Productions. 22 WOMEN WARRIORS Portland Shockwave brings the pain NEWS 7-16 NORTHWEST BRO backs parenting lawsuit; HIV policy change draws few objections; women learn trades at career fair; Equality Task Force assembled; church school plans shelved; PFLAG regional conference held; organize Vancouver Pride; BRO seeks field organizers; queer consortium formed; transgender library opens; get supportive candidates elected; marriage equality forum unites community and leaders; march for immigrant rights; benefit honors legacy of compassion and service; Equal Benefits Ordinance debated publicly; Multnomah County Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey discusses chair election; Vocation Vacations moves to television 18-19 NATIONAL Out-of-state gay couples can’t marry in Massachusetts; gays adopt children to molest them, says lawmaker; Star Trek actor takes on bias with “Equality Trek"; Cincinnati passes landmark anti-discrimination measure 20-21 WORLD Partnership bill introduced in Croatia; gay singer “marries”; U.K. Navy: The closet is unhealthy; Czech Parliament overrides veto of partnership law; Mussolini granddaughter: Fascism better than faggotry; South Korea to OK gays in the military; New Zealand gays will be allowed to donate sperm ARTS 8 CULTURE 39 BOOKS Former Oregon State University football player tackles life in and out of the closet 40 PEOPLE 29th Street Writers release spoken word CD 41 CULTURE Red Dress Party raises cash and spirits 43 DANCE Mark Morris program celebrates double anniversary 45 FILM Sharon Stone puts the “stink" in Basic Instinct 2 COLUMNS 17 DEAR ETHEL Couple Chub 35 MS. BEHAVIOR News Flash 36 EPIQUEEREAN New World Orders 37 OUT GOING The Bare Essence 46 JIM'S CLOSET The Brokebacklash
