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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2011)
OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE MAY 20, 2011 Missed Opportunities As Pride approaches, the question asks itself page 3 BY MARTY DAVIS was out o f town the weekend o f M ay 14, thus missing many excellent photo op portunities in the Rose City. Am ong these was seeing Portland Mayor Sam Adams step up to allow his unruly head o f hair to be not merely shorn but totally shaved for St. Baldrick’s Day, an annual event held to raise funds and awareness for children with cancer. I applaud the mayor for his actions while not for one second questioning his good intent. That said, I also take this ac tivity to be a clear signal that his race for re-election has begun in earnest. About- to-be-lame duck mayors don’t have to have their heads shaved. This week has seen several more names brought into speculation as possible contenders for the seat held by Adams. The Oregonians Anna Griffin interviews former Portland C ity Com m issioner Jim Francesconi, who admits interest in the race. Rival Willamette Week manages to get M ultnomah County Chair Je ff Cogen to admit he is thinking about thinking about the possibility o f maybe thinking about running. Other possible candidates include Eileen Brady, co-founder o f the New Sea sons grocery store chain. It will be weeks yet before anyone actually steps up and announces their formal intent to run, but I can tell you right now that I already know who is the most serious opponent Sam Adam s will face in his bid for re-election. Easily the most serious opponent that Sam Adams will face in his bid for re- election is himself. As you may or may not recall, the mayor faced a test o f confidence between himself and Portlanders immediately after taking office. W hile his opponents, whomever they turn out to be, will all make noble state ments about running their campaigns on their own merits, many Portland voters are going to ask their own questions o f the mayor. Over and over and over, they’re going to ask. How Adams controls his temper and his patience, how he manages to respond to voters on a sincere and meaningful level will be the true test o f his campaign. Supporters o f Adam s will have a role to play in this race, also. Hurling accusations o f “homophobia” every time someone questions the high cost o f their water bill is not going to help Adams. I’ve touched upon this topic before, and, trust me, I’ll address it again. There is no “gay card” to be played in this election. I peaking o f Willamette Week , which I did briefly, I think it’s time to address the proverbial elephant in the room. How is it that Willamette Week is publishing the “O f ficial Portland Pride G uide” rather than oh, say, the 28-year-old gay-identified news- S back out into our LGBTQ_community. In the last year ,Ju st Out has donated ad space and/or promotional materials to the follow ing organizations, to name just a few: • Oregon Bears • Equity Foundation • Latino Pride • QD oc • Cascade A ID S Project • Raphael House • Portland Gay Men’s Chorus • Bill and Ann Shepherd Scholarship Fund • Portland Lesbian Choir • Q_Center Ju st Out maintains a scholarship fund for community members and works ag gressively year-round to collect food items for Esther’s Pantry. Before you write that check, please consider if any o f your money goes back into the community. O n its website Pride Northwest states that Willamette Week publisher Richard M eeker acknowledges his paper has not done enough outreach to the L G B T Q _ community and that its publication o f the Pride G uide is an im portant first step as a show o f good faith. That says to me that Wil lamette Week is willing to start covering L G - B T Q jssu e s and stories, after 29 years, if and when the money steps up. I think that they will cover our com munity about as well, and with as much inter est, as Ju st Out could report on unpaved roads in E ast Portland. Ju st Out has always and will always report on all the events under the umbrella o f Pride Northwest. It is our obligation to our read ership and our community. It seems some streets in Portland are unpaved, others are one-way. paper, the one you’re reading now? Let me preface this conversation by stating that I have no problems, no issues, no bad history with WW. They do what they do and they do a decent job o f it. We cross paths now and then in competing for ad sales, but by and large we serve different markets with different readership demographics. I am aware, though, that there is some confusion in the community over why WW is doing the “Pride G uide,” so let’s see if I can sort some o f this out. First, Ju st Out has never published the Pride Guide. For many years, Pride North west handled their publication internally. There were two years when we worked to gether with Pride Northwest on a co-guide, but those times and those fine folks are long since gone. M ost recently, the Pride Guide was published for two years by the Portland M er cury, followed by two years with E l Hispanic News — and now, for 2011, Wil lamette Week. I can tell you that at no time in these past five years was Ju st Out ever ap proached in any credible manner or form for so much as even a discussion about our participation in this process. I would sug gest it would be helpful going forward for Pride Northwest to establish an open and transparent policy for accepting bids from all publications that might be interested in the opportunity. As it stands now, no such policy appears to ex ist. I question the financial stewardship o f an organization that doesn’t have even the most basic Request for Bid procedures in place. n closing, I ask you to take a few minutes Am I angry that Ju st Out is not doing the and head on over to your computer to Pride Guide? No. Am I a tad annoyed at the process, or lack thereof? Yes. D o I feel that fill out a survey. This survey will gather our I have any culpability in the deterioration readership demographics and help us better o f the overall relationship between Ju st Out serve you. The survey is nationwide in scope, but if we reach a certain number o f respond and Pride Northwest? Yes, and no. Speaking o f the publisher, it would be ers, information will be detailed specifically remiss o f me to not put forth a statement for our market. There is a contest with cash to the community and to those business prizes for everyone who completes the sur owners who might be considering writing vey by June 15. Please go to lgbtsurvey.com. a check to WW f or its Pride Guide. Before You can also find a link atjustout.com . you write that check, please compare the Next issue, Gay Pride, Queer Pride, L G - amounts o f sponsorship dollars that each BT Q A Pride or simply Pride. W hat should publication, WW and Ju st Out , have put we call ourselves? I 3 just out VOL. 28. NO. 12 MAY 20. 20* * INSIDE » FEATURE 18 REAL TO REEL QDoc projects the queer experience for a fifth year 21 THERE AND BACK AGAIN Joey Arias returns to Portland for QDoc 22 NOW AND LENS Checking in with this year’s QDoc curators » NEWS & COMMUNITY 5 NORTHWEST NEWS IN BRIEF 14 IT’S BUSINESS TIME These LGBTQentrepreneurs get the goods out there 16 NORTHERN EXPOSURE Vancouver planning committee eyes queer youth center in Clark County » ARTS & CULTURE 23 OUT & ABOUT 30 ALL FIRED UP Pauline M iriam ’s growing empire proves it’s no (Hot) Flash in the pan 32 THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED Discovering the other Pacific Northwest 34 QUEER IT YOURSELF Alternative publishing thrives in Portland 36 IDOL HANDS Portland Idol returns to Red Cap Garage » COLUMNISTS 13 SASSY GARDENER 28 LADY ABOUT TOWN 29 FROM HALF A LIFE TO WHOLE 35 PETLANDIA 38 ASK A GAY 39 REMEMBER TO BREATHE » PHOTOS 46 BEARRACUDA & CHRIS’ TOP SURGERY BENEFIT 47 GAY SKATE
