web royalty

If Jase Pittman-Wells were three years older, he'd probably still be in North Dakota. He'd have been too early for the Web.

But Jase is 23, which is how his life got defined by the World Wide Web. he's webmaster of Oasis, the online gay youth magazine [ http:// www. cyberspaces.com/ outproud/ oasis]; he is studying web design at Cal Sate; and he met his husband of three years on the net. That's Jase & Eddy Pittman-Wells. Note the double-barrelled name.

"We met in 1993 on the internet," says Jase. He is laughing. "I know that's kinda corny, but anyway. I had just moved to California and I put up a newsgroup posting. Really I was just looking for friends, in the Bay Area, between 18-24. Eddy was 24, but he was in South Carolina." But they hit it off, and in May Eddy flew out.

The rest is history, because their scrapbook is at http:// www2.best.com/ ~jase/ scrapbook/ scrapbook.html. All the photos are there, and they do make a very cute couple.

The popularity of their site has made Jase and Eddy a sort of web royalty, but it does have an ulterior motive. "You always see the bad stuff that happens, so we wanted to set a positive example. Really we wanted to show everyone - including straight people - that we're gay but we're just regular people with regular problems."

But Jase has an atypical occupation. As designer of Oasis, the web gay youth magazine, he probably sets an example for many people anyway. "It's a safe haven for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth," he says. "All the columnists are in their teens and 20s... a lot of it deals with coming out." It also includes interviews with bands, articles on politics, and some gossip. "I've had a lot of people coming out to me because they saw my name there," Jase notes - "although probably more of it comes form the scrapbook." He smiles.

Jase is bummed by the debate on web censorship, and especially by programs which allow parents to block their kids' access to gay sites. "The web is a lifeline for a lot of kids - parents who do that are defeating the purpose of the medium, and it's sad." But, he notes, "kids are smarter than their parents about computers - if they want to see gay content, they'll find a way to defeat the blocking software."

In the back of his mind, though, Jase does have a sneaky idea for revenge. "We should have our own banning software that bans the religious right and radical Republicans." He is pleased. "Let's see how much they cry 'freedom of speech' then!"

By the way, Jase's cat is called Toonces and his arm is still attached.

- Peter Ian Cummings