OREGON S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2. 2011
Considering the baggage that comes with being a publisher
“I'm a bit behind in my summer reading,
so I've ju st gotten to the August 5 th issue. I ’m
angered and disgusted by the Portland Lug
gage ad on page 7 - the one that opens w ith
“Nobody likes an O LD Bag!” accompanied by
a photo o f a scowling grey-haired
woman wearing glasses (who ap
pears to be anywhere fro m 55 to 95
years old).
For the store, there's no excuse -
you folks obviously think your ad is
funny and compelling. One result o f
your bad judgment, bad taste and
bad attitude, however, is that I (a
customer for almost 16 years who has
bought a variety o f excellent products
at the downtown store and hap
pily referred other shoppers) won't
w ill be telling my friends about this - angrily.
I'm guessing you don't care, given your use o f
this ageist/sexist ad copy, but I do want you to
know.
For the paper, there may be an excuse - be
cause PL is a regular advertiser/supporter, you
may not check their ad content carefully, i f at
all. So I hope you w ill consider this a serious
request from a regular reader who often goes
out o f her way to shop at JO advertisers: You
have to do that checking - to help educate such
advertisers as well as save your readers from
sudden disgust as we turn the pages o f the pa
per. JO should not be accepting ads that delib
erately ojfend/insult any o f us (eg, Old Lesbians
Organizing fo r Change) - or anybody else, fo r
that matter (except maybe well-known bad
guys; it's probably ok to insult people who are
vicious, violent queer-haters).
I know the paper needs money, but accepting
ads without vetting them - simply printing
whatever your advertisers choose - is, as this case
illustrates, bad practice. ”
Now do you see why we’re talking about
this, the publisher asks wearily?
Just Out's advertising policy, as published,
is basic and simple. Just Out reserves the
right to reject or edit any advertisement.
T hat’s it, th a t’s the entire policy. Historically
any problems encountered with ads, from
the perspective o f the publisher, the adver
tiser or the reader has been due to sexual
content. There is no written policy that ex
plicitly states w hat will and what won’t he
accepted. T hat’s my call. By and large, I will
not accept nudity o f a sexual nature and/or
ads depicting real or simulated sex acts. This
is not— not, I repeat— because I’m a h it
ter old fat m an-hating lesbian who thinks
no one should ever have sex, as generally
spewed at me in the course o f any disagree
ment. O t greatest importance to me is keep
ing distribution locations strong and viable.
Having the paper kicked out o f distribution
locations because someone finds an ad of
fensive has no reward. I value our locations
in libraries, schools and retail outlets. To lose
this accessibility for a glimpse o f pubic hair
serves no one. This does not mean, however,
that I whimper, whine and beg forgiveness
each and every time a distributor objects to
the content o f the paper. In June the Jolly
Roger Tavern in John’s Landing said “no” to
further distribution after they found a cover
objectionable. My reaction to that decision
was, pretty much, “Screw it.”
W.
just ou t
Putting The “Ad” In Adverse
Today we re going to be discussing Just
O ut’s advertising policies. After you read
the following letter I received on August 19
you’ll see why.
3
The basic fact is that nowhere in America
is anyone ever guaranteed the right to not be
offended. From our national politics right on
down to the smallest LGBTQ_ newspaper,
people will spout, express, preach, talk, write,
sell, advertise and opine endlessly. Not all
o f this information overload will land on a
receptive audience.
Simply put, I am not going through the
paper, page by page, ad by ad, word by word
to clean up every possible circumstance that
someone might find objectionable. I’m not
distributing twice a m onth a shrink-wrapped
lifeless publication that has been censored
and parboiled to the point where it neither
offends nor projects meaningful purpose
for anyone. I’m a publisher, not a distribu
tor o f blank note pages. That said, we, I, will
attem pt to pay closer attention to having
conversations with advertisers if/when we
see content that might be overly troublesome
to a segment o f our community. Ib is will not
be for the express purpose o f refusing ads but
rather to give the advertiser the opportunity
to make a more educated decision as to the
possible impact o f the ad.
The advertiser, the business owner is re
sponsible for choices made in bringing people
to— or driving them away from— his business.
By not caving in to the demands o f the above
letter writer, I have likely alienated one, if not
many more readers. I want to make it very clear,
however, that this is not a situation where I am
choosing ad dollars over reader sensibilities. I
respect the letter writer for feeling strongly
about the image in the ad. I appreciate the fact
that she put action to her feelings. I get that
she sees the ad as more than failed humor. I
differ, though, with the approach to immedi
ately be punitive toward the advertiser, and the
paper publishing the ad. W hat if, what if, she
and her group o f older women had gone in
with humor and jest to meet with the owner
and bring the topic to the table with clarity
and the supposed wisdom that comes with
the age indicated in the letter? W hat if they’d
baked some cookies and gone in to win an ally
and make a friend? W hat if?
W hat if they hadn’t set out to become the
exact stereotype that they found objection
able in the ad in the first place?
W hat if?J«S
VOL. 28. NO. 19
SEPTEMBER 2 .2 0* *
INSIDE:
» NEWS & COMMUNITY
5
TRA N SITIO N S
5
N O RTHW EST NEW S IN BRIEF
10 MAKING CO NN EC TIO N S
(la y Fair and LGBTQ_Fxpo bring community
resources together
12 YO UTH UPRISING
Alazar Manning wants vou to give big for
CAP's A ID S Walk 2011
16 HOLY HO M O S, BATMAN!
Iris Pride Festival calls on superhero support
» LIFE & CULTURE
18 STOP, COLLABORATE & LISTEN
Second Annual N ot Enough! festival gives new
art real legs
21
O U T & ABOUT
26 YO U BETTA (NOT) W ORK
WerqForce celebrates “Labor Gav ’with eight
parties in eight hours
28
MAKE TIM E FOR TBA:11
In its ninth year,Time- Based Art Festival ups
the ante
30 C R O W D -E S Q U E
Portland s burlesque scene is bursting at the scams
» COLUMNISTS
15
THE SASSY GARDENER
25
LADY ABOUT TOW N
32
LIVING O U T LOUD
34
ASK A GAY
35
REM EM BER TO BREATHE
ON THE COVER:
"Like a Virgin was Released in 1984” by Stephen Scott Smith
Smith, who considers Portland his creative home, uses
a wide range of media including video, photography,
painting, drawing, sculpture,performance and installation
to explore the intersection o f nature with narcissism
and identity in modern America. Turn to p. 21 or visit
stephenscottsmith.com for more on this artist.
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