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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2011)
OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE JULY 15.2011 V O L 2 8 . N O . 16 Getting perspective on recent hate-crime headlines \ besieged by bigots out to batter and bruise the gays. I think our city is a city— and as such it includes its fair share o f punks and bullies and drunks and the sad and the homeless and the mentally ill. Add to this mix warm nights, drugs, alcohol, tes tosterone and bravado and, yes, something unfortunate, if not worse, is likely to hap pen to someone. The victims might— will be— black, white, Latino, gay, straight, fat, disabled or, quite often, simply someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. So what’s to be done? I f I had that answer, I’d be running for one o f those greatly- needs-a-new-person city council seats. But that answer implies that one person, one mayor, one commissioner, one police chief can solve the problems o f the city. That’s not going to happen. It takes everyone. It takes me. It takes you. It fakes calm yet di rected leadership. It takes people willing to say, “Wait a minute, let’s think this out.” It takes focused action, not scattered reaction. It takes more events like “Hands Across Hawthorne” where many segments o f the community came to stand together. And it will take the LG B T Q com m unity standing together with others when the attack has not been directed at one o f us. When’s the last time that happened? When have we collectively gone to a candlelight vigil for a victim who wasn’t one o f us? As often is the case, more questions than an swers. Let me zoom back out and see what I can find. There are Jive Fridays in July, meaning Just Out w ill be on vacation the week of July 18. Well be back in print on August 5—but we'll still see you at Gay Skate on July 18. • Legislation banning same-sex marriage was signed into law in June in both Michigan and Delaware. This brings to 13 the number of states that have enacted laws banning les bian and gay marriages since 1995. • A dozen volunteers graduated July 1 from the Portland Police Bureau’s Crisis Response Team training. The team, whose members are from the sexual minorities community, » NEWS & COMMUNITY 5 LETTERS & TRANSITIONS 6 NORTHWEST NEWS IN BRIEF 12 is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. The program is designed to fulfill another major component of the bureau’s partnership agreement with the sexual mi nority community. relationships? Marriage was created as a property relationship between heterosexu als and has traditionally been about control and restrictions. Why do we want that for us? It doesn’t make any sense.” • During a visit to the gay-community based Body Positive Centre, bisexual singer Elton John announced that he will donate all United Kingdom royalties from his future hit singles to HIV and AIDS charities. • Oregon state Rep. George Eighmey, the teddy-bearish gay legislator from Southeast Portland, vowed never to pretend again. “I had to spend the first 40 years of my life fighting my sexuality—fighting being who I really am,” explains Eighmey, who is now in his mid-50s. During those four decades Eighmey followed through with the cul tural expectations which required that he act straight, marry someone of the opposite sex and procreate. • A Portland lesbian couple has filed a lawsuit against The Oregonian , claiming the newspa per’s refusal to print their wedding announce ment violates city and state laws prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations. • Harry Hay, an 84-year-old activist, educa tor, author and visionary, believes the push by gay and lesbian people towards assimila tion—via MTV or any other vehicle—will undermine a community and culture that is blessed with many gifts, including the proclivity for healing and artistic creation. “Hell, that’s what same-sex marriage will ke,” says the deep-voiced Hay, a man not known for mincing words. “Why do we want to change our beautiful domestic • If it’s July it must be time for Christmas in July, the annual auction benefiting Esther’s Pantry. Esther’s Pantry provides food, nutri tional supplements and personal health care products for people with AIDS. • The Portland City Club examines the con stitutional aspects of same-sex marriage at its Friday Forum. Speakers include attorney Jon P. Terry and Portland’s Chief Deputy City Attorney Madelyn F. Wcssel. AGE AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT A NUMBER Old Lesbians Organizing for Change gather for first Pacific Northwest Regional conference 14 FACES OF PRIDE Meet two more community figures worth getting to know 16 THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Basic Rights Oregon prepares to bring marriage equality tfi the ballot 18 NOT AFRAID Additional anti-gay attacks inspire emboldened response » CULTURE & LIFESTYLE 21 OUT & ABOUT 27 IT’S ON! Introducing the First Annual Portland Queer Music Festival 28 A SLOW DANCE FOR FAST TIMES John Cameron Mitchell brings NYC’s hottest party, and a faerie-inspired vision, to the Rose City 29 BUNNY, “THE HEIFER” Lady Bunny I lops into Portland 30 ■ • Two gay male couples and a lesbian couple got married at the Reykjavik registry of fice on June 27, the day Iceland’s same-sex registered partnership law came into effect. Celebrations continued into the night at Iceland’s one gay club. JULY 15,2011 INSIDE BY M A R TY DA VIS hundred, a thousand and multiple thou sands o f people— I arrive at the perspective that there is simply not an epidemic o f hate crimes against the LGBTQ_com m unity in Portland, Ore. in 2011. Now is not the time for panic or alarm. Now is the time for increased awareness and safety measures. Now is not the time to blame the victim, but now is the time for a greater sense o f personal responsibility and accountability. Now is not the time to again demand that the police department, the po lice chief, the mayor, the attorney general, the governor and on up rush off to again state their combined dedicated interest in protect ing our community. Now is the time for calm leadership and common sense. Again, looking from the zoomed-out position, during the same time that there were three reported attacks against the LGBTQ_com m unity, how many murders, shootings, robberies and other crimes were committed against all members o f the greater Portland population? A lot, folks. A lot more than three. Zoom in— oh my god, they’re after the gays. Zoom out— it’s tough everywhere, people. It’s like the Fourth o f July for my dog, when I have to issue repeated comfort- ings: “No, they’re not shooting dogs. It just sounds that way.” I am well aware that I risk the animosity o f a large chunk o f the community by stat ing an opinion that will be contrary to the popular. Again, I am not minimizing what has happened nor am I am excusing it. I am simply stating that to my mind the gay community is as safe, if not safer, in Port land, Ore. than any other place that you might find yourself. I don’t think our city is .T jB P just out ZOOM IN, ZOOM OUT I think it will come as a surprise to no one if I tell you that I like to take photos. I relish going to community events and am proud o f the archive o f images that Ju st Out is compil ing. I’m not a professional photographer, far from it, and I work in quantity as much as quality. I love the thrill o f the hunt, forever and always seeking out that one photo that will be a real standout. I’m self-taught, do no Photoshopping or app editing and take much pride in receiving Facebook notifica tions stating that so and so “has made your photo their profile picture.” I use a zoom lens in my work, especially at entertainment venues. I like to look at my subject from many angles, from many direc tions. I zoom in, I look closely, I zoom out, I take in the wider view. I want to see it all; I want a broad perspective. The goal is that the final selected photograph is the best repre sentation o f the actual event— o f a specific moment in time. Sometimes the ability to zoom out, stand back and focus from a distance can bring the greatest sense o f clarity to a subject or a situation. W hat I am doing with my internal zoom lens right now is using it to view, with per spective, the situation in Portland— where once again not one, not two but three pos sible bias crimes have been reported recently to Portland police. When viewed up close, especially from the perspective o f the vic tim, each o f these incidences is a personally frightening and traumatic circumstance. I am in no way, shape or form minimizing the impact o f these attacks. At the same time, though, as I zoom back out, broaden the picture, and take in a larger view en compassing days, weeks and months— a 3 LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Second GLISA North America Outgames hits Vancouver, Portland represents 31 CROCC ROCKS Hawaiian outrigger canoeing alive and well in Portland with the Columbia River Outrigger Canoeing Club 31 COUNTDOWN TO THE CUP Portland Cup softball tourney returns in August 32 VINYLLY! Sugar Town debut shows its soul for Q_Patrol » COLUMNISTS 25 LADY ABOUT TOWN 26 THE SASSY GARDENER 33 PANDA SAY WHAT?! 34 ASK A GAY 35 REMEMBER TO BREATHE
