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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2011)
< n wnews * Oregon District Judge Rules Denial of Health Care Benefits for Same- Sex Couples Constitutes Discrimination C h iefju dge Ann Aiken o f the U.S. D is trict Court for the District o f Oregon ruled July 25 that the denial o f health care benefits to the same-sex partner o f a U.S. District o f Oregon court employee consti tutes unlawful discrimination. Per a press release from Stoel Rives L L P — whose retired attorney Pamela Jacklin represented the plaintiff pro- bono— Margaret Fonberg, a longtime law clerk now working for U.S. District M ag istrate Judge Thom as M. Coffin, filed the discrimination complaint after she tried to enroll her domestic partner in her employ er-offered federal health care plan during the 2009 annual enrollment period, but was declined by the U.S. Office o f Person nel Management (O PM ). The O PM cited the Defense o f Marriage Act (D O M A ) as the basis for its decision. D O M A defines “spouse” as an opposite-sex partner in a legal marriage, and O PM determined the federal family health benefits plans that covered employees, spouses and other fam ily members could not be extended to same-sex couples. Judge Aiken ruled that the denial o f benefits to Fonberg and her partner con stitutes sex discrimination and discrimina tion on a basis unrelated to job perfor mance. The decision breaks new ground in the ongoing legal argument over same- sex benefits, as it finds D O M A s denial o f benefits discriminatory even though Fonberg and her partner are not legally married. Per the release, Aiken agreed with Fonberg’s ar gument that if either Fon berg or her partner were male, not female, “Fon berg’s compensation would include insurance benefits for her partner.” Punk Start My Heart Takes to Kickstarter to Kick Label into Gear Upstart queer/feminist punk rock record label Punk Start My Heart Records seeks help to get its fledgling imprint o ff the ground. P SM H began as a booking collective dedicated to setting up shows for women, people o f color and queer-identified musi cians. The group’s influence eventually paved the way for the First Annual Not Enough! Festival in 2010. Following the festival— a two-day queer music and art fest in which performances, bands and art pieces are created specifically for the event for first-time exposure— many o f the bands involved stayed together and continued to play. This led to an influx o f queer-identi fied punk groups with few options for re leasing their particular brand o f music. Enter: Punk Start My Heart “ Records.” The crew behind the label is accepting donations via online fundraising site Kick- starter, with a goal o f raising $6,000 by August 26 to fund the release o f their first three records. Through the Kickstarter campaign, the label would utilize funds to cover pressing and printing costs for a 7-inch vinyl release from Fagatron, a split 7-inch from Fucking Lesbian Bitches and N O /H O /M O , and a full 12-inch LP by Forever. Incentives for donations to fund the project range from P SM H tote bags and mix tapes to larger goodies like a digital scrapbook o f a recent tour by N O /H O / M O, Fucking Lesbian Bitches and Forever. Just a few weeks after the deadline hits for P SM H ’s fundraising goal, the second installment o f the Not Enough! Festival gets underway September 17-18 at an as yet undecided location. The all-ages event is slated to feature brand new film, visual art, music and more. AUGUST 5. 2011 THE BIGGEST SALE IN OUR 95 YEAR HISTORY! 50 * ANNIVERSARY SALE r r i save PLUS HELP 3 0 %- 8 0 % OFF FOSTER CHILDREN in t ir i O 2 0 %-4 0 % STOCK IN TIR I STOCK SUITCASES FOR KID S Portland Luggage Co, and Portland Metropolitan Rotary with Children's Services jointly have launched a program to provide travel ware for foster children moving from one family home to another, "We found that many foster youngsters are faced with pocking their clothing and personal belongings into cardboard boxes, grocery bags, even plastic garbage bags,' said Portland Metro Rotary Secretary Douglas Porter Both Portland Luggage locations offer up to 20% off purchases for customers who donate a suitable travel ware item (suitcase, duffel baa, backpack). Usable or repairable items will be refurbished and distributed on an ongoing basis throughout the year. BACKPACK BLOWOUT GIFTS: entire stock entire stock 5 0 % OFF M any others 2 0 %-6 0 % OFF zsma SAVE 2 0 * -6 0 * B R IG G S & RILEY GLOBES Jansport 25-50% off JE W E U tY BOXES entire stock STUFFED A N IM A L S entire stock 30-50% off W IN E ACCESSORIES 50% off entire stock Laptop Cos* Sleek, Zero S tylin g -ip o cial pure haem $99* N h M mm Iriffe I Ichf m M Unta h ai m E M h N mm m M while supplie* last N A U TIC A I N T I R I STOCK hartmanir 6 0 * -8 0 * O F F SAVE 2 5 %-5 0 % J chimi SúMIkisg lákW ám to' 50-70% off ‘ uc M m chimi hai. '•u M n COUPON 25-50% off Laptop Rolling Under Arm O'Nite - A l l STYLES 2 0 %-7 0 % OFF O N D I S C O N T I N U E D I T E MS R E A D IN G GLASSES & ACCESSORIES BUSINESS CASES E N T IR E S T O C K OFF E N TIR E STOCK * SAVE 20°°-50% 25-50% off CHESS SETS a G A M E S entire stock Entire Stock An email sent to Just Out once again out lined the dire need for volunteers with avail ability to contribute to Portland’s Q_Patrol. Q_Patrol has experienced a steady decline o f available volunteers to stoke its numbers on weekend patrols. “If Q_Patrol is going to survive, we need a better response to our availability requests,” read the email to Q_Patrol volunteers. A recent gathering at Red Cap Garage to generate new volunteers and promote (^ P a trol’s monthly trainings yielded no new vol unteers, reported co-founder Samuel SAVE STOREWIDE | To donate to the Kickstarter campaign for Punk Start My Heart Records , search fo r “Punk Start My H eart ” at kickstarter.com. For updates on the Not Enough! Festival happening in September ; visit notenoughpdx. tumblr.com. Q Patrol Struggling to Get Volunteers Out on the Streets • TravelPro Spoetai Selection Earn miles with every purchase DOW NTOW N PORTLAND SW 4th A Washington • (503) 226-3255 BEAVERTON TOW N SQUARE Hwy 217 at Canyon Rood • (503) 641-3456 ‘ s k ' y m i l e s ¡ S Í E S ^ '1“ PORTLANDLUOOAOK.COM FVFRY MAJOR BRAND • NEVER UNDERSOLD • ULTIMATE WARRANTY
