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