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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2011)
FEBRUARY 18. 2011 OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE The U.S. of Gay Exclusive Oregon Public Broadcasting premiere explores LGBT community, one story at a time ror— and truth—o f a childhood friend’s taunt: “My mom said you’re gonna be gay when you grow up.” From a gay rancher to a Latino rapper, Puerto Ri co’s first openly gay and H IV positive political candidate to a Muslim lesbian, these individual tides of discovery are united in their collective truth. Says a San Francisco police lieutenant who transitioned while on active duty: “Really what I have ultimately learned is that whatever we are, we are. And it will eventually percolate back up to the surface. ... I am no longer a lesbian, I really am a transsexual man.” O U T in America touches upon the turning points in LG BT history— and the importance of coming out, and stepping up. As such, it’s an overwhelmingly positive, inspirational col lage, heartwarming, heartbreaking and heavy on the heart-tugging music cues. From the Stonewall riots to the women’s movement, marriage equality to the repeal o f “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” the documentary isn’t about head lines— nor does it attem pt to be. Goldberg’s lens is never more focused— or affecting— than when focused on subjects such as psychologist Dr. Patricia Hawkins, who helped H IV /A ID S patients during the early days o f the epidemic then referred to as the “gay cancer,” and Tales o f the City scribe Armistead Maupin, who tearfully credits the lesbian community for “[coming] forward in scores to care for dying gay men. It made a difference.” The folks most likely to stick with viewers, Lens is More Do You Want Longer Lasting Erections? 1/2 Hour, 1 Hour? BY AMANDA SCHURR The queer American experience takes cen ter stage in O U T in America, a new PBS pro duction helmed by Emmy award-winning director Andrew Goldberg. The hour-long documentary is set for a national premiere in June, to coincide with National Gay & Les bian Pride month, but local viewers can catch a special presentation Thursday, February 24 on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Spanning coasts, careers, religions, eras, ethnicities, classes and genders, O U T exam ines personal narratives o f belonging against the public milestones o f the past 50 years in LG B T history. Figures famous and influen tial, “average” and extraordinary recall the coming out process— and how the decision has intersected with other aspects of identity. For some, owning their outness meant a journey toward reconciliation with faiths that haven’t traditionally welcomed queer folk. Singer Chely Wright, who made headlines last year as the first openly gay country music star, describes a change in prayer, and the beginnings of unlearning “the old habits o f compartmen- talization,” of “the skill set and tools of hiding.” The Reverend Peter Gomes believed that the best “evidence” he could present to a pro grammed and prejudiced congregation was simply that of his own life. “The strongest argu ment I could make is myself, so I did,” says Gomes, explaining his speech on the steps of Harvard’s Memorial Church: “In your presence, in your face, I [say] I am terribly happy, I am a functioning Christian and I am a homosexual.” Elsewhere, a West Point graduate and for mer captain in the U.S. Army remembers signing an enlistment document assuring that she was straight—even though the thought o f being otherwise had not yet occurred to her. Bravo T V host Andy Cohen reveals the ter 3L.JÄ UP TO 2 HOURS!! We Can Help! Mike Hartman, of Eagle Creek, is one of the “ locals” profiled in the film. though, are the ones who’ve stuck together— folks like Ruthie and Connie, two retired grandmothers. They cook, they dance, they tease, they quilt. They recall the “freedom” o f coming out, they work with nursing homes to ensure dignity and equal rights for LGBT seniors and, yes, they love. So, too, do “The Harolds,” a biracial couple o f octogenarians still very much taken with each other after five decades together— and joyous in what one half o f the charming duo describes as having “arrived.” A half century of labels and codes, stigmas and struggles later, “I feel that I am as open as a book,” he says. Filmmaker Goldberg’s tidy “The E nd” is un necessary— if inaccurate here— but it’s diffi cult not to envision a happily ever after with gratitude and pride like theirs so O U T in America, and onscreen. O U T in A merica airs on KOPB at S p.m. Ihurs., Feh. 24 (encore at 9:30p.m.). Following its exclusive screening in the Portland market, the program premieres nationally on PBS in June. They’re OUT in America. What about you? Two film tests—one salacious in tone, one serious—in the Portland Metro area need your help to happen. Indulge your inner auteur and get involved. Shorty Shorts Q Center Film Screening Series The brainchild of Fannie Mae Darling and Gula Delgatto, this queer showcase promises— nay, encourages— an N C -17 free-for-all. You cam do pretty much anything, web cam or cell cam, high def or low def, regardless o f genre or theme. The only deal-breaker is a strict “no penetration (on film) rule”— that, and the clip must be under 10 minutes. Registration closes Sunday, March 27, with plans for an (im) proper fest come fall. Register hy emailing shortyshortspdx@gmail. com, with a $10 entry fee via PayPal (e.sellers@comcast.net) or money order to Eric Sellers, 47 NE Thompson, Portland, Ore., 97212. Regis tration is final when payment is received. The Q js soliciting cinema by local Northwest filmmakers, to be pre sented in April.The center (4115 N. Mississippi) will also host the selected filmmakers for a discussion session following each presentation. Feature- and short-length narrative and documentary films are wel come, with a preference given to queer-focused or “culturally signifi cant material.” The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 28. Submit your masterpiece to Q_Center, Attn: Sally Hansen, 4115 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland, Ore., 97217, or send a link to an electronic version to sally@pdxqcenter.org. For more information, visit pdxqcen- ter.org or call 503-234-7837. $99 Exam Includes: • Doppler Ultrasound Test • Medical Evaluation • Test Dose of Medication • Office Visits for a FULL YEAR! Let the highly trained medical professionals at Diagnostic Male Medical Center help. GUARANTEED o r O ffice V isit is FREE! 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