OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
JULY 15.2011
V O L 2 8 . N O . 16
Getting perspective on recent hate-crime headlines
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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
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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
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■
• 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
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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
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LADY ABOUT TOWN
26
THE SASSY GARDENER
33
PANDA SAY WHAT?!
34
ASK A GAY
35
REMEMBER TO BREATHE