This allowance, however, was only in order to surveil and contain them, said Peter Boag, an author, historian and Washington State University professor.Īt the time, newspaper headlines were splashed with coverage of alleged “homosexual rings” of pedophiles, which fed into widespread public panic that gay men were threats to traditional family values and children, according to a 2004 Oregon Historical Quarterly essay by Boag. PORTLAND, 19: Mayor Terry Schrunk declared war on bars frequented by gays and lesbians following a period where the city and police allowed these establishments to operate without attempts to close them.
