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justiout
by Marty Davis
J
Swimming with Sharks
' newsmagazine
MARCH 7, 2008
VOL. 25 NO. 9
Don't dismiss the strength of our opposition
isten.
will be holding monthly focus meetings with com
Arts and Culture Editor Jim Radosta. Each month
Can you hear it? Can you feel it? There
munity groups and organizations. We want and
I’d mail him a check, and that was about it for
it is again. It’s that hlankey-hlank theme
need your feedback on setting the direction for the
Stephen and 1. But he was such a valued writer and
song from Jaws. You know the one, the
rapidly changing times facing print media in gener
song that’s meant to alert you to lurking
danger. Yup, cue the sound guy and stay out of
al and gay and lesbian papers in specific. We will
was so appreciated for his contributions to Just Out
that the staff included him and his partner of 11
the water. The sharks are swimming around us
of our community. We envision meetings with
years, Drew McWilliams, in our annual holiday
dinners. These dinners, unfortunately, too often
again.
representatives from our advertisers, the faith com
included long, narrow tables, and it seems that
This past week brought word of legal challenges to
munity, political activists, social organizations and bar
Stephen and Drew were always at one end, while I
recently won civil rights for Oregon’s gay and lesbian
owners, to name a few. If you’d like to be included,
was at the other. Missed opportunities, for certain.
community. First came word of attempts to repeal
please send an e-mail to marty@justout.com and
Tears, candor and painful honesty filled the
Oregon’s new domestic partnership laws, followed
briefly describe your area of interest.
hold several meetings, each focused on one aspect
March 3 memorial service for this 34-year-old man.
by threats against our recently enacted nondiscrim
ination legislation. To round out this trifecta of
Stephen’s friends and family acknowledged his life
here’s a lot on the Just Out community plate right
now. Here’s your heads-up that it’s again time for
openly of the question many were asking: Why did
the Alliance Defense Fund has filed an appeal to
T
long struggle with bipolar disorder. Drew spoke
the annual Just Out Amateur Photo Contest.
he leave? “Because," spoke Drew, answering his
Judge Michael Mosman’s decision in the heated
Complete rules and deadlines will pop up shortly, but
own question, “the magnitude of his pain blinded
Lemons vs. Bradbury case. The case will now be
now is the time for you to be thinking of your winning
him to that which he was leaving behind.”
heard by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
entry. As we did last year, all entries will be part of a
In talking with Drew, he shared with me his
at a date to be determined.
monthlong display at Q Center. Last year we covered
knowledge that those who have bipolar disorder
What’s this all mean? It means that now is not
the walls with photos. It was simply great. Winning
sometimes find themselves dealing with unbearable
the time to get comfortable and complacent. Now
photos will be displayed in the June 13 Pride issue of
pain. Stephen worked heroically to manage his ill
is not the time to take anything for granted, and
Just Out and widely distributed at Pride events.
ness. Drew’s hope for all who knew Stephen is that
mean-spiritedness, it was announced March 6 that
now is definitely not the time to be dismissive of
On the subject of Q Center, our “women seeking
they find comfort and pride in the incredible work
women” Bunco games have become very popular.
Stephen did for so many years as a writer and as an
Yes, “they" need to collect a lot of signatures.
So popular and successful, in fact, that we are
individual.
Yes, “they” don’t appear to be that organized nor
expanding the games to include a “men seeking
Stephen was an avid fan of songwriter Joni
have good leadership within the state. Yes, “they”
men” version. Our first night is scheduled for
Mitchell. A treasured song from his collection was
couldn’t pull out the signatures required before, and
April 13 at Q Center. Check future issues of the
played for those in attendance at his service. I, for
yes, they need even more now.
paper and the blog for additional details.
one, left with a new appreciation for these simple
these efforts against us.
Don’t do it. Don’t be dismissive or underestimate
Finally, if you now are, or plan to be, a college
yet meaningful lyrics from “Big Yellow Taxi”:
the strength or willpower of the opposition. That
student with financial
would be a guaranteed strategy for loss.
www.justout.com for information on the Just Out
Don’t it always seem to go
Scholarship Fund. It won’t be that long before we
That you don’t know what you've got
near the deadline for 2008 applicants.
Till its gone
Do plan on spending some money. Do plan on
volunteering and donating some time. Do plan on
needs, please check
hearing a lot from Basic Rights Oregon as it leads
the charge. Again.
he Just Out staff received news Feb. 29 of the
Goodbye, Stephen, take care. ©
your teacher picked). Forward, forward, back, back,
T
back. Forward, forward, forward.
passing was startling enough, but it was made even
Contributions can be made to MORRISON C hild AND
*
FAMILY S ervices for the Stephen Blair Memorial Staff
more heartbreaking with the realization that Stephen,
Appreciation Fund. Please mail your donation to
on the previous evening, had ended his own life.
Development Office—SBMSAF, Morrison Child and
Titink of it as a dance (with the despised partner
ould you like a voice in the next 25 years of Just
W
death of Stephen Blair, one of our most popular
and talented freelance writers. The news of the
Out7
. Uh, how about the next couple or three?
I cannot say that I knew Stephen well. I’d see
As part of our 25 th anniversary preparations, Just Out
him in the office now and then, hanging out with
Family Services, 1500 N.E. Irving St. Suite 250,
Portland, OR 97232.
reflections
• A Los Angeles County jury has found an HIV-infected
woman liable for damages because she didn't reveal
her HIV status until after a nurse treating her had
suffered a scalpel cut during a minor surgical
procedure.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
announced that Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio,
may lose its eligibility for Medicare reimbursements for
allegedly refusing to treat a man because he had AIDS.
This is a direct violation of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The hospital plans to contest the
decision.
• As Congress begins hearings on lifting the ban on
gays and lesbians in the military, the far right has already launched an
attack on the propaganda front. Federal legislators and the Joint Chiefs of
Staff have received copies of the homophobic video The Gay Agenda.
22 ALMOST FAMOUS
Tians musician signals new era for rock
stardom
NEWS
6-17 NORTHWEST
HRC holds nondiscrimination workshop;
Wilgus complex faces BOLI charges; Unity
Project expands mission; Meaningful Care
Conference educates medical practitioners;
$65 million left to Pride Foundation; It’s
My Pleasure seeks new owner; HIV
advocacy training held; Just Out infiltrates
anti-gay conference; BRO prepares to
defend equality bills; forum addresses issues
affecting queer homeless youth
18-19 NATIONAL
Gay teen remembered in California;
California Supreme Court hears same-sex
marriage case; partnering with Boy Scouts
might violate nondiscrimination policy;
black, gay lawmaker comes out in
Connecticut; vigils in Florida honor hate
crime victims; queer community center in
New York gains tax exemption
20-21 WORLD
Cuban culture minister supports same-sex
marriage; another anti-gay attack in
Jamaica; Euro commission warns
Netherlands on discrimination; Dutch
would be OK with gay prime minister;
Romania considers same-sex marriage ban;
Swedish court: Lesbians can buy puppies;
Israel OKs gay adoption; Olivia Newton-
John to perform at Sydney Mardi Gras;
eight men jailed in Egypt on homosexuality
charges
ARTS & CULTURE
40-41 FILM
Girls Rock! documentary showcases feisty
young campers
43 BOOKS
Biting the Apple delves into the lure of
pleasure
15 Years Ago in Just Out... volume 10 number 8, march 1,1993
• Norway's proposed law legalizing gay and lesbian
marriage should pass Parliament this spring and take
effect July 1, says the Oslo gay newspaper Blikk.
FEATURE
• More than 700 African-American gay men and
lesbians gathered in Long beach, Calif., over
President's Day weekend for the sixth annual National
Black Gay and Lesbian Conference sponsored by the
Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum.
• The trial of Susan Soen, who has been charged with
filing false reports in a series of apparently staged hate
crimes.directed at Azalea Cooley, has been delayed for
about a year.
• Shoppers at Nature's Fresh Northwest are leaving
with more than groceries these days. As part of the
Stand Up Portland project, Nature's shopping bags
feature "10 things I can do every day to celebrate
diversity."
• The Oregon Speak Out Project has become part of
Equity Foundation and now plans to speak out in
Washington and Idaho as well. The project, which began last fall, hopes to
combat the Oregon Citizens Alliance and its offshoots by educating the
public about gay, lesbian and bisexual issues.
44 NIGHTLIFE
Sisters are second to nun
45 PEOPLE
Air America host headlines at Equity
Foundation benefit
COLUMNS
14 SASSY GARDENER
Growing Your Dinner
31 EPIQUEEREAN
Put a Li’l Italian in You
33 MS. BEHAVIOR
Out of Control
37 OUT GOING
The Blushing
Domestic
39 CORNER VIEW
Seven Days of “Scene”
46 JIM'S CLOSET
The Big Top
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