OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE
IQ
SEPTEMBER 4 2009
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TRANSITIONS
Arthur "Art" William Kranz. 1950-2009
Beloved partner, brother and friend,
Art Kranz passed away in the comfort
o f his home on August 22, 2009. W ith
his partner and friends at his side, Kranz
ended his yearlong battle with non-
H odgkins Lymphoma with dignity and
surrounded by love.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Kranz
served in the United States Air Force
during the Vietnam War and eventually
made his way to Portland. He bartended
at the former Stark Street C C Slaughters
nightclub to pay his way through barber
school. After graduating, Kranz opened
310 Hair Salon, where he kept Portlanders
looking good for almost 25 years. Along
the way, he made lifelong friends and
served as a local resource and supporter o f
the gay community.
An avid traveler and athlete, Kranz
proudly participated in the Sydney and
Chicago Gay Games. He enjoyed eating
out, supporting local businesses, and tend­
ing to his garden and dogs.
No matter how casual the contact,
people immediately felt at ease with
Kranz. H is frisky smile and genuine
warmth touched many lives. He was loved
and appreciated much more than he ever
knew.
Kranz is preceded in death by his
parents and previous partner, Randy Colby.
He is survived by his partner, Warren
Becker, o f Portland; sister Donna Gibson
o f Baker, Florida; and countless friends
worldwide. A celebration o f life gathering
will be held in Kranz s honor from 1-4
p.m. on Saturday, September 19,2009 at
Hobo’s Restaurant, 120 NW Third Ave.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Is the State Strategy for GLBT
Rights Really A Failed One?
No disrespect meant to Cleve Jones
[quoted in Just Out , Vol. 26 No. 20, “March­
ing On?”], who has a celebrated career as an
activist, but he is dead wrong when he calls
the state strategy for equality for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender people a “failed
strategy.” Indeed, the only success our move­
ment has had in securing equal rights for
L G B T people to date is at the state level.
Fired from your job because you are gay
or lesbian? You are protected from this kind
o f discrimination only if you live in one o f 21
states or D C — including Oregon. The federal
government does not yet ban employment
discrimination. Fired because you are trans­
gender? You have recourse only under the
law in 13 states (including Oregon) and D C .
In a same-sex relationship? The federal gov­
ernment won’t recognize your family. Only in
twelve states— including Oregon—will you
be afforded the state rights and responsibili­
ties that most families take for granted.
Facing harassment in schools? Victim o f
a hate crime based on your sexual orienta­
tion or gender identity? Victim o f domestic
violence from a same-sex partner? Want to
adopt a child with your same-sex partner?
Don Valerio, MD
All o f these issues are addressed-*when they
are addressed at all— only at the state level.
None are yet addressed at the federal level.
Without state-based equality groups like
Basic Rights Oregon, L G B T people in this
country might have no rights at all. The work
we need to do begins in our neighborhoods,
not in our nation’s capitol.
Passing federal legislation is absolutely
a critical step in the movement toward full
equality for every lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender American. But make no mistake
— passing federal equality laws now is only
possible because we have been passing laws
on the state level— in Oregon and across the
country— for the past two decades. Equality
Federation; the national alliance o f state
equality groups, urges all Oregonians to join
Basic Rights Oregon and be part of the effort
to achieve full equality in every state and
across our nation.
Sincerely,
TONI BROADDUS
Executive Director, Equality Federation
Where There's Smoke-
Controversy at Pride NW 2009
Continues
Oh, so Kevin Bunker thinks he’s not a
drug addict? [Vol. 26, No. 20, “Letters”]
Yeah, right. Excuse me, but anyone who
smokes is a drug addict, pure and simple.
Smoking *is* an addiction, and a really
dysfunctional one at th at.... Oh, so he
thinks that he should be able to smoke at
Pride because it’s an “outdoor” event? The
response indicates that there have been
numerous complaints about the offensive
stink and health hazards o f second-hand
smoke at Pride, so obviously it *is* a
problem...... This has nothing to do with
“political correctness” and everything to
do with protecting innocent people from
abusive drug addicts.
LEVI MARVEL
Portland
Recently in Just Out there has been a
discussion regarding the non-smoking policy
at the recent Pride Festival which was amus­
ing for the most part until Kevin Bunker
weighed in, and it took a nasty turn— In
the last decade or so, leaders at all levels of
society.and government have recognized
the dangers of second-hand smoke and the
inherent injustice in forcing non-smokers
to risk their lives in order to socialize in
restaurants, bars, clubs, open spaces, retail
outlets and even to go to work.... It isn’t
intolerance, demeaning, judgmental, or
— —
Board Certified Internal Medicine
non-inclusive.... It isn’t about justice for
smokers. It is about justice for all.
DAVID BEARD
Portland
I don’t know whether to laugh, or get
angry, as I read the latest Just Out , we are
debating about cigarettes, when we have
some major issues going on in this commu­
nity. I left 5 years ago, and had to come back
from the East Coast, and I have found the
same, fragmented, isolating, discriminating
community as when I left. As long as we
don’t come together as O N E , there will
never be a real gay community in P D X ....
The only thing we have been able to do is
fool the country into thinking we are actu­
ally “with it.” I have seen more enlightened
folks in Alabama. Shame PDX, shame!
MARC BIGAI
Portland
CORRECTION
The August 21 issue o f Just Out [pg.
3 and 6] erroneously stated that both
the Eagle Underground and ypstairs bar
Casey’s (610 NW Couch St.) were closing.
Only the Eagle Underground is closing;
Casey’s remains open. We regret the error.
D avid W. O w en s
P. C.
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