On Feb. 4 President Barack Obama spoke in Washington, D.C. at the National Prayer Breakfast. His speech touched upon many topics, among them faith, democracy and the need for prayer in times of trying circumstances, such the recent natural disaster in Haiti.

In reading the complete speech I was also drawn to the President’s words on the concept of civility, specifically civility and its role in today’s business and political climates. Pointedly, Obama addressed the notion that people in Washington aren’t serving the people of the nation as well as they should. The President stated, “At times, it seems like we’re unable to listen to one another, to have at once a serious and civil debate. And this erosion of civility in the public square sows division and distrust among our citizens. It poisons the well of public opinion. It leaves each side little room to negotiate with the other.”

Having set the tone, the President continued with, “We need to find our way back to civility. That begins with stepping out of our comfort zones in an effort to bridge divisions. Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable.” At this point in the speech, the President is speaking to all of us, not just Washington politicians.

Let’s go over that last line of his again, “Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable.”

The President’s remarks on civility resonated with me because at this very moment there’s a battle in the works between publications competing for Portland’s ad dollars. With this new surge of business entering the marketplace a large dose of Obama-inspired civility is definitely going to be in order.

For 14 years Scott Montes has published Portland’s Gay and Lesbian Yellow pages. His publication has worked in partnership with the Portland Area Business Association and included the PABA directory within the annual Yellow Pages. Just Out has always had an amicable relationship with the Gay and Lesbian Yellow Pages. We’ve traded ads in each other’s publications, prospected each other’s clients and successfully sent to market, for many years, two very different print products. Local business owners wishing to reach Portland’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans community have had choices on where to spend their advertising dollars. This competition has kept us each on our toes and caused us to stay competitive with pricing and services.

This year a new player has joined the marketplace. Advertisers will now face a growing number of opportunities. Former resident Tom LaVoie has returned to Portland with the goal of publishing a new print and Internet directory, The Portland Unity Pages. LaVoie brings to the market a publication competing head on with the Gay and Lesbian Yellow Pages. Also joining the mix is Pride Northwest, which in June produces its once-a-year Pride Guide, targeting gay and lesbian business owners. Throw Just Out back into the fray, and what we have are four publications currently working the phones and doing their best to secure the highly valued and seldom-seen ad dollar.

This brings us back to Barack Obama and the matter of civility. My hope is that four publishers and four publications can enter and compete in the same marketplace with integrity and civility. I encourage us all to strive to sell our products based on our individual strengths and merits while minimizing negative behaviors toward each other.

Advertisers, faced with these choices, find themselves in a good place to be. The simple truth is that we all want your money, we all want your business. It’s what pays our staff, pays our bills, and keeps us in business. The business owner, in turn, has every right to expect the greatest return and the greatest value from ad dollars spent. Each business owner should also anticipate that publishers and sales staff bring the greatest amount of civility, professionalism and expertise to the bargaining table. Expect it, demand it.

On February 6 friends of Greg Klaus, Hawthorne Street merchant, will gather at the Bagdad Theater to celebrate his life, a life that ended in late January. There is no obituary for Klaus in this issue of Just Out. This is not because we are unaware of his death, or don’t care, but because no one from his circle of friends or family submitted one. This is not a criticism, just a means to explain that except in the case of well-known persons or public figures, obituaries, celebrations of life or death are submitted by surviving partners, families or friends. I’m reluctant to say that we are happy to print these announcements—that sounds wrong, but we do welcome and encourage this sharing of information with the community. There is never a charge. Editorial staff will always work with you to help with the writing. Oregonian columnist Steve Duin wrote a touching article in the January 25 issue. If you haven’t already read it, I encourage you to go to OregonLive and read about the lost life of Greg Klaus.

Major news stories with potentially powerful impact on the lives of gays and lesbians are happening daily. In Washington D.C., talks are starting on how to bring an end to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In California, the fate of Proposition 8 lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. Just Out keeps you up-to-date daily on these stories, and more, at http://blogout.justout.com.

In closing keep in mind that we’re only a few months away from the umpteenth annual Just Out Amateur Photo Contest. Use these last gray damp weeks of winter to organize and print your favorite photos to enter into the competition. We’re working on sponsors for this year’s contest with larger and more varied categories and prizes. You’ve got a camera, you’ve got a dog, start taking some pictures. We’ll make you and your photos famous.

See you back here in print on March 5, then we return to our regular schedule in April.