Cascade AIDS Project celebrates its 25th anniversary this year as a nonprofit dedicated to providing prevention information to those infected with HIV/AIDS, and to eliminating HIV/AIDS stigmas. To mark this milestone, Executive Director Michael Kaplan has announced a comprehensive archive project, designed to cull photos, documents, oral stories, and more in the organization’s first attempt at preserving its rich history in the HIV/AIDS community.

Kaplan told Just Out that when he became executive director some 18 months ago, the first all-staff meeting included an AIDS timeline with milestones for CAP, but there were large gaps in documentation of other related events.

“There was so much history that I didn’t look up on the Internet, and files that most of our staff didn’t even know about,” said Kaplan. “Whether it was who the six previous executive directors before me were, or whether it was the history of when money was absconded with, or when Trimet refused to air our ads, there’s some big history that I thought it was time to document it all.”

Kaplan said that assembling an archive was an important step toward building and going forward for CAP. The call for submissions of photos, stories, and even information on the list of former board members will be an ongoing process, but one that CAP hopes to have somewhat substantiated by the December 16 anniversary.

“I would hate for us not to think about the shoulders we stand on, and recognize those who put in effort, and what got us to where we are,” he added.

Judith Rizzio, CAP’s manager of volunteer resources, has employed interns to begin the process of digging up information from Internet sources, and finding forgotten articles dating from the organization’s inception.

“We are grateful for anyone who has stories, whether it’s their own story or experience with CAP, whether it’s pictures, or documents, like past board members,” said Kaplan. “We’re looking to put that all together.”

As part of the Portland Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays’ (PFLAG) regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. March 9, a panel discussion featuring Veterans for Human Rights members will focus on the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Veterans for Human Rights is a 20-person group promoting the full recognition and equal protection of active reserve and veteran members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Anyone can attend the program, and both PFLAG and VfHR are pushing for maximum attendance, said Ron Rasmussen, VfHR’s publicity director.

A potential repeal of the 16-year-old military ban on gays serving openly in the military is under review by top officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Recently, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General James T. Conway, opposed the repeal, causing a rift in the upper echelons of military hierarchy. “We hope to convey insight and perspective on the history and current operation of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, as well as the irony that U.S. military forces are serving side by side with British and Canadian military forces in Afghanistan with no cohesion or morale problems, despite the fact that Britain and Canada allow GLBT military personnel to serve openly and honestly regardless of sexual orientation,” said Rasmussen. “We also hope to motivate the audience to support HR-1283, the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives now, which would lift the ban.”

The panel discussion will take place at the First United Methodist Church, located at 1838 SW Jefferson St.

After 10 years of the Elder Resource Alliance existing under the umbrella of Friendly House, and 6 years as a semi-incorporated program, the Friendly House board voted on February 16 to make ERA a full-fledged program. The board also voted to include Senior Housing and Retirement Enterprises (SHARE) as part of that program.

The Friendly House/ERA memorandum of understanding had previously been in effect from November 2004 until October 2005. The memorandum consisted of language that would include ERA as a program within Friendly House, but with the responsibility of self-sustaining the program financially through grants, donations, special events, and other fund development. That agreement had not been renegotiated for five years.

“There were good reasons for this at the time,” said Vaune Albanese, executive director of Friendly House, via e-mail. “But lo these many years later, ERA has proved itself time and time again.”

A January press release outlined potential reasons why ERA ought to be fully absorbed by Friendly House. One was that a reticence on the part of Friendly House to fully back ERA had caused a decline by members of the community to support Friendly House. The understanding was that by way of incorporating ERA, Friendly House would receive more community support in the form of financial donations, volunteering, and through participation in more Friendly House programs.

Albanese wrote that ERA members have engaged in grant writing, attended Friendly House fundraisers and donated what they could to Friendly House operations during the initial semi-incorporated agreement.

In addition, Friendly House announced that the friendly competition and complementing of services offered by both ERA and SHARE have merged to forge an all-purpose mission of ending discrimination to gay, lesbian, bi and trans seniors, as well as to provide assistance and gay-positive services to seniors living independently. Both organizations have overlapping memberships, have partnered on projects and events in the past, and have pursued the same population for donations and volunteer support.

ERA and SHARE are always looking for volunteers with a passion for helping the gay, lesbian, bi and trans senior community. For more information, contact Rachel at eracoordinator@yahoo.com.

The 29th Annual Gender Studies Symposium takes place March 10-12 on the Lewis & Clark College of Arts and Sciences campus. The event includes unique art exhibitions, discussions and presentations covering a wide variety of topics, including HIV/AIDS, women’s empowerment, and sex therapy, from a list of accomplished doctors, scientists, and Portland-based nonprofits.

The schedule will also include a presentation from the Positive Support Association at 11:30 a.m. March 10, which will center on the topic “Living with HIV/AIDS: Stories of Courage in the Face of Fear and Stigma.” The program is spearheaded by Positive Support Association Executive Director Marc Peterson.

The main speaker, who has asked not to have her name printed, will discuss the function of the Positive Support Association—to provide support, mentorship, and friendship to those in the community affected by HIV/AIDS. She will talk to students about how she became infected by the HIV virus during a supposedly straight, monogamous relationship when she was only a teenager.

“The fear and stigma surrounding her disease caused her to spiral down into several tough years,” explained Peterson. “The most surprising thing about her is that she showed up a few months ago at one of our meetings, and had never met another HIV-positive person before. By the time our meeting wrapped up, her story had us all crying like little kids.”

Those in attendance are encouraged to participate in the question-and-answer session following the talk.

The Positive Support Association is operated exclusively by people living with HIV/AIDS. When a newly diagnosed person approaches the agency for help or support, they are matched up with a person like themselves who are surviving HIV/AIDS, said Peterson.

PSA’s Positive Peer Mentors are trained to give informative and accurate responses to those seeking support and friendship.

“A Peer Mentor is the best weapon at keeping a newly diagnosed person on a positive and supportive track,” said Peterson. “Without this support system, people fall through the cracks and literally get lost. We cannot allow this to happen to even the least in our community. Portland is better than that.”

The Human Rights Campaign’s Portland Steering Committee is gearing up for the Bridges to Equality Brunch, a fundraising event on April 11 at The Bison Building (419 NE 10th Ave.). The gala will include performances, food, drinks, and an anticipated appearance by HRC President Joe Solmonese.

A VIP event from noon to 12:30 p.m. precedes the brunch, which runs 12:30–3 p.m.

HRC Portland is looking for volunteers to act as Table Captains leading up to the benefit. Captains should strive to fill their respective tables, creating their own guest list. When friends and family purchase tickets, they can choose the Table Captain’s name from a list.

Tickets are $75 for cocktail (no seat) and $100 (seated).

Entertainment includes the A-WOL aerial dancers, fire dancers from Peachy Keen, and a nationally ranked classical guitarist, in addition to an acoustic performance from Portland indie-poppers The Dimes.

For the first time in history, the 2010 U.S. Census will allow same-sex couples to self-identify as either married or unmarried partners. The data collected is poised to have a huge impact for the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community in coming years.

Census forms will be delivered to households in mid-March, and completed forms should be mailed back by April 1. From April through July, census takers will visit households that did not submit a form through the mail, and the Census Bureau delivers population information to the President for apportionment in December. Each of the 10 questions on the census form helps to determine how more than $400 billion will be allocated to communities across the country.

In a partnership between the office of Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Oregon Census 2010 outreach specialists, two public service announcements targeting Portland’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans community will be released to spread the word about the changes to the 2010 Census. A kickoff event to view the PSAs will take place Thursday, March 18 at Q Center (4115 N. Mississippi Ave.) from 6 to 8 p.m. U.S. Census staff will be available for any questions, as well as to discuss potential partnerships.

Last December, Cascade AIDS Project’s Men’s Wellness Center launched a unique new discussion series for Portland men who are into men—including those who identify as gay, bi and trans—to address the issue most pressing on their minds: getting laid.

The Getting Laid? series is the brainchild of MWC Coordinator Bradly Forkner, who expressed hope that a quarterly discussion group could be implemented, with aspirations of evolving into a monthly talk.

During the first Getting Laid? discussion, Forkner reported a more general topic forum. But the influx of questions raised about the stigmas, warnings, or praises of online dating during that December meet-up prompted the February 25 meeting to be much more formatted. The “Finding Mr. Right (NOW) Online” discussion brought even more spirited discourse in the second installment.

“At the first event, there were lots of fascinating questions raised—it was clear guys have a lot on their mind about getting laid, and little opportunity to chat about it with other guys in a non-sexualized environment,” explained Forkner. “Some of the questions the group asked and talked about included: favorite forms of foreplay, successful meeting spots, negotiating safer sex, how to make condoms sexy, and places to meet quality men for long-term relationships.”

For further information on the Getting Laid? series, visit cascadeaids.org. For specifics on the next scheduled discussion, contact Forkner at 503-278-3862.

Marc Delphine, a college and financial planner based in Tigard, formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate on Tuesday, March 2 at the Capitol building in Salem. Delphine is the first openly gay candidate to run for federal office in Oregon’s history, and is running as a Libertarian Party member.

Delphine is the only challenger to incumbent Senator Ron Wyden (D) who has served as an elected official in the past, having been elected to the Tigard Water Board, as well as to a school committee in the Beaverton School District.

Delphine outlined his stances on major issues—socially liberal, anti-war, pro-gay marriage—as avenues for change to the status quo.

“I do like Ron Wyden and we all know that he’s a champion for gay rights,” Delphine told Just Out. “Ron Wyden has been part of the ‘establishment’ for almost 30 years and hasn’t worked in the private sector for longer than I’ve been alive. He spends the majority of his time in D.C. and with his … family in New York. With all due respect, I think we need a senator who better represents Oregon and can better relate to its residents.”

Delphine noted his community involvement as a broad base for the integrity of his campaign. His leadership positions include vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Oregon, and as chair of Americans for Prosperity. Delphine is also leading the Tea Party Movement in Washington County.

“There are a lot of ‘us’ and many other socially liberal people in the movement,” explained Delphine, referring to members of the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community involved in the Tea Party. “Just as the LGBT community gets a bad rap for some bad apples, so does the Tea Party Movement.”

Delphine also served as vice president of PABA, as president of Business Network International (BNI), and is a SMART volunteer, reading to underprivileged children one hour per week.

The Senate hopeful’s campaign is based on the idea of “principle-centered leadership,” based on Stephen Covey’s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

“We are a nation of laws, not men, and we must defend our constitution, regardless of which direction the political wind blows,” said Delphine. “I will not vote for anything that violates the U.S. Constitution. For this campaign, I will focus on America’s important issues—jobs, taxes, debt, and health care solutions.”

Since 2005, Just Out has dispersed annual scholarships to students whose personal or educational aspirations go toward helping, working within, or otherwise show leadership qualities in the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community.

Through Equity Foundation, and a committee of outside community leaders, applicants for the scholarship are considered not only upon meeting the eligibility criteria, but also upon an emotional element to those whose drive best represents a reciprocal approach to the community. There is no set number of scholarships dispersed, and no set dollar amount for each one.

To be eligible, a candidate must be gay, lesbian, bi, transgender or the child of a gay, lesbian, bi, transgender parent or parents; be a resident of either Oregon or Southwest Washington (Clark, Cowlitz, or Skamania County) for at least one year prior to submitting an application, with additional consideration given to applicants who live in rural areas; be pursuing education beyond the secondary level as an undergraduate at a college, university, trade or technical school; be accepted (or acceptance-pending) for enrollment in an accredited educational program beyond the secondary level that has an established non-discrimination policy that includes sexual and gender minority groups; evidence the potential to successfully complete his or her selected program of study; and not be an employee or board member of Just Out or the Just Out Scholarship Review Committee, or Equity Foundation.