July 2012
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July
2012 20
REAL LIFE
A Daughter's Love A daughter worries as she watches her hard working mother edge toward homelessness.
24 EDUCATION The Gift
of Struggle
32
FASHION
A filmmaker bends gender and molds minds and a trans student strikes out on her own. A college student struggles to change his university. And scholarships are awarded.
In The Garden Of Eternal desire Latex has never looked so good. Designs by The Baroness, NYC, on a bright Portland day.
38 MUSIC
Our own LGBTQ music festival features acts from far and near. Photo Horace Long
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Contents
Cover
6
Editor’s Note
29
Bar Guide
8
Publisher's Guest
36
A&E
10 Notebook
44
Our People
12 Voices
47 Marketplace
16 Community
48
22 Family
50 Calendar
4
Portland Queer Music Fest
JustOut.com
Advertiser Index
JUST OUT ART DIRECTOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER, HORACE LONG, TOOK THE COVER PHOTO OF MAGIC MOUTH IN HIS STUDIO. A LOCAL BAND GETTING A LOT OF BUZZ,THE ELECTRO ROCKERS ARE FEATURED IN THE PORTLAND QUEER MUSIC FEST THIS MONTH. July 2012
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EDITOR’S NOTE
by Alley Hector
just out TM
July 2012
PUBLISHERS Jonathan Kipp Eddie Glenn
Qpdx
Portland Pride
Pride is the time of year when our community celebrates. We certainly did plenty of that this year, in addition to nearly running out of our first issue during Sunday’s event. But it is also important to remember what started the first Pride celebrations in the early 1970s. Educating ourselves about the Stonewall riots in New York City in June 1969 is just the beginning. There were uprisings in California lead by people of color. There were societies who dressed conservatively and peacefully protested. Liberation tactics differed as much then as they do today. And, of course, there were disagreements. But despite our many differences, we still manage to come together once a year and have a conversation, put on parties, and have a parade filled with rainbows and personality. One highlight of 2012 was seeing both our mayoral candidates, back-to-back, wearing crazy clothes and doing cartwheels. In our town it’s jester hat vs Diva necklace for mayor. It’s not always smooth sailing. I ran into no less than four contingents of ladies who missed this year’s Dyke March by mere moments, due to changes in the route and start time. “What time is the Dyke March?” became a weekend joke in some circles. And yet, there are independently organized events that just keep getting bigger and better each year like the T*Party Picnic celebrating trans inclusivity in the relaxed atmosphere of Overlook Park. No matter how many Gay Pride events I have attended I am still impressed when I see how big and broad our community really is. There are so many young people and I cannot wait to see how they contribute to the community in the coming years. I am thankful that we live in a place where we can have simultaneous conversation and celebration, where we can take over the city for a weekend and bring our wide range of life experiences to a welcoming atmosphere for
Horace Long
everyone.
Pride is a reminder of where we’ve come from and where we can go. It is a chance to see our community come together in spite of, and because of, our differences in hopes that we can create change throughout the year. We may have disparate perspectives, but Portland continues to grow stronger and more proud with each year.
Reach Editor-in-Chief Alley Hector at alley@JustOut.com.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alley Hector ART DIRECTOR Horace Long A&E EDITOR Ken Hoyt PROOFREADER Ellen Fiscus WRITERS Cathleen Busha Anna Deligio Logan Lynn Lyska Mondor Aaron Spencer Rev. Jennifer Yocum DIRECTOR of SALES Roy Melani AD DESIGN & COORDINATION Juliette Miratsky just out™ P.O. Box 10609 Portland, OR 97296 editor@JustOut.com sales@JustOut.com Phone/Fax: 503.828.3034 ©Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
Published by Glenn-Kipp Publishing, Inc LLM Publications, Inc. is Just Out’s authorized advertising representative
just out™ Founded in 1983 FORMER PUBLISHERS Founders Renee LaChance & Jay Brown Marty Davis
Just Out has a long and proud history of informing and entertaining the LGBTQ community in Oregon and SW Washington, our supporters near and far, and working to build bridges that lead to justice, fairness, and equality for all people. Printed in the U.S.A.
July 2012
July 2012
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PUBLISHER'S GUEST
by Kathy Oliver, PhD
Outside In
Their Best Chance I STARTED WORKING AT OUTSIDE IN 30 YEARS AGO BECAUSE at the time there weren’t many safe places to work as an out lesbian. Over the last three decades, I have learned a lot about the homeless youth we serve including the startling fact that nationally, as well as locally, up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. We have heard too many stories of young people being kicked out of their homes after they find the courage to come out to their families. Fortunately, they find their way to Outside In where we can give them the support and help they need to heal, find acceptance and become self-sufficient. A critical component to this positive outcome is ensuring that LGBTQ homeless youth are able to have educational opportunities where they can be successful. At Outside In, we believe education is a homeless youth’s best chance at long-term success. With thanks to Portland Public Schools, we operate an accredited on-site alternative school called “Urban Ed.” Additionally, we help youth enroll in post-secondary options. Last year we had 39 homeless youth enrolled in college, 24 youth obtained their GED, and 74 youth were employed in the community. Our school is successful with LGBTQ students because of its integration with a career development program that understands the obstacles LGBTQ youth may face searching for employment. In particular, trans youth benefit from our expertise in navigating issues regarding legal identity and our ability to place them with friendly employers. Our track record of success with LGBTQ students engenders positive word of mouth about our program among street youth. It also means that when youth come to school, they can see examples of other youth who identify as LGBTQ completing school, going to college, and graduating. Some of these youth return to our school to work as peer tutors. These peer tutors are persuasive examples of what can be achieved. We know that with adolescents, peers are listened to in ways adults are not. Our students are also successful with their educational goals because the school does not operate in a vacuum. It is part of a comprehensive set of services and resources for youth who identify as LGBTQ, including housing, HIV supports, counseling, meals, health care, job training and a specialized support group our youth named QueerZone. QueerZone allows LGBTQ youth to be part of a judgment free, creative environment. Allies are welcome, though most youth who attend are LGBTQ. QueerZone activities that take place include film viewing and discussion, a monthly birthday party, dance lessons, youth led yoga, queer music and history night, and just hanging out and getting the opportunity to be an adolescent without the pressures of street life. We offer a Recreation Group that focuses on excursions into the community. LGBTQ youth are often hesitant to access community events and seldom know what a rich queer community exists in Portland. Through the Rec Group they begin to visit the Q Center, open microphone nights, plays and performances, and Gay Skate. Support groups focus on helping youth build life skills including health and wellness. Examples are sessions that address safer sex, the gender binary system, stages of coming out, connection with our medical clinic’s trans specific clinic, and healthy relationships. Our staff offer weekly HIV testing sessions and conduct safe sex workshops to make sure health problems don’t interfere with their ability to focus on school. Outside In has been selected as the beneficiary for Just Out's Sizzlin' Summer promotional events this Summer.
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Kathy Oliver, PhD Executive Director at Outside In Outside In helps homeless youth and other marginalized people move towards improved health and self-sufficiency.
July 2012
July 2012
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Notebook
Well Said!
Portland Native Zachary Koval grew up reading Just Out. Today the Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door 2012 lives in New York City.
“There is absolutely no national interest in relegating gay and lesbian citizens to second class status with the passage of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and to say that no harm was intended to LGBT Americans is absurd at best. At worst, it’s a blatant and mean-spirited attempt to slow down the progress we are making on securing the freedom to marry for all Americans." From Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in response to an Amicus Curiae brief filed by ten Republicans Senators in support of DOMA.
(HEALTH)
Sexiest Vegetarian
Twenty-eight-year-old gay Portland Native Zachary Koval can now add PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door 2012 to his résumé.
The actor and waiter beat out nine other male finalists to be crowned the male winner of PETA's contest and take home the grand prize of a free trip for two to Hawaii. His mom deserves the trip as a reward for everything that she has done for the family, Zachary says. He hopes she will be able to join him on the trip. Koval says he grew up reading Just Out, says the revamped JO looks "incredible" (he saw it on a recent trip to Portland) and is honored to receive the award and to be featured in his home town.
Oh Zachary...the pleasure is all ours. Koval went vegetarian at the age of 10. Shortly after moving to Brooklyn almost four years ago, he read a PETA pamphlet about the suffering of cows used for their milk, and hens used for their eggs and decided to go vegan. "No animals were harmed in the making of this body," says Koval, who attributes his buff physique to exercise, yoga, and eating a vegan diet. And the looker has a passion for animals to boot. PETA.org
A new study of 2,000 young adults, those who didn't identify themselves as exclusively heterosexual or homosexual tended to misuse alcohol more frequently than those who self-reported a particular sexual orientation for a specific gender. The University of Missouri researchers said these individuals reported that they drank alcohol to relieve anxiety and depression. The researchers said one explanation is that this group may feel stigmatized by both groups. PETA
(CULTURE)
Polls Say America Changing
A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SAY THEY SUPPORT LEGALLY RECOGNIZING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, AND THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT THESE FOLKS ARE GROWING MORE COMFORTABLE WITH GAYS AND LESBIANS, ACCORDING TO A RECENT NATIONAL POLL. A CNN/ORC INTERNATIONAL SURVEY ALSO INDICATES THAT THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS WHO SAY THEY HAVE A CLOSE FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO IS GAY HAS JUMPED FROM 49% IN 2010 TO 60% TODAY. IN THE 1990S, MOST AMERICANS SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW ANYONE CLOSE TO THEM WHO WAS GAY. ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, 54% NOW SAY THAT MARRIAGES BETWEEN GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS VALID BY LAW, WITH 42% OPPOSED. CNN.COM 10
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July 2012
(WEDDINGS)
Our Invites
With the number of people getting married remaining essentially flat, some see same-sex couples' wedding festivities as the only way to grow the industry. Products and services aimed at this demographic are starting to pop up. Wedding Paper Divas, an online destination for all things wedding stationery, has a new same-sex collection. After months of research on LGBT community e-commerce sites, Wedding Paper Divas’ recognized the growing need for more LGBT-focused stationery. They then developed the collection honoring these unions. WeddingPaperDivas.com
(MEDIA)
Cool Cronkite In Doug Brinkly's new best seller Cronkite, Brinkly reveals that an early gay rights activist, who demonstrated on live television while Cronkite was reading the CBS Evenings News in 1973, had a big impact on the iconic journalist. Mark Allan Segal, an unlikely eventual friend of Cronkite's, got his attention when he challenged Cronkite's coverage of a relatively small women's march but failed to cover 50,000 gays marching along the same 5th Avenue in NYC. CBS then started covering gay rights on air. Notebook Continues on Page 13
More Notebook info:
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VOICES
by Lyska Mondor
In The Pink
Remember Me?
Online dating changed Queer America. You could live in a town of 200, and suddenly have a global network of just-likeyous at your fingertips. Tired of the same old nears and dears, you could connect to Mr. Right in Australia. Suddenly, the person that knew you best was just one click away.
Hooking up on the Internet is old news. Now, love and sex are properly segmented to different websites, and platonic connections are the consolation prize of bad coffee house dates. We can go online seeking the customized relationship of our choice. However, the problem is that too much control can lead to a lack of surprise or serendipity. One of the less overthought dating tools is Craigslist’s “Missed Conn e c t i o n s ”. They’re poetic stabs in the dark towards people we’ve known for an instant. We’re just hoping our moment was as sexy to them as it was to us. Staff Photo
“Remember me? I was the girl who crashed her bike into the Voodoo Doughnut cart on Alberta?” Why wouldn’t they contact you? I love that there’s a place to find people you meant to hit on, but just couldn’t. There’s bravery in reaching out to them. Obviously, you may never hear back from them, but there are stranger things as well. For example, there are people that constantly get Missed Connections. Something about the way they hit that dance floor. He could be picking his nose while watching Fox News, and BAM! He has 20 posts that he’ll probably never read.
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Unaware sexy people just can’t be stopped. Lately, I’ve been comparing the queer women and men’s Missed Connection boards. Not surprising that they’re very different. I can’t help but be a little jealous of the m4m posts. Why? They are an unstoppable slew of dating propositions that use words like “muscles” and “short hunk”. This seems like the intention of the site. The w4w posting board is a different story all together. The last time I visited, I was shocked. Over half of the posts were written by queer girls either pining for, or screaming at their exes. It’s no crime to be heartbroken, and as a reader, commiserating can be very therapeutic. Unfortunately, the woeful relationship posts are even more vague than the flirty shouts at strangers. You may even be forced to read bad after-bar poetry that kind of rhymes, and is full of too many moon and ocean references. The girlfriend rants aren’t awesome. Who could have guessed an “I hate you” could be so boring? The answer is… anyone. It’s boring and selfish to vaguely hate someone in a forum established for people to meet. Thanks for peeing in the dating pool. Can’t you see the other people blowing kisses from their bike crashes and Radiocabs passing in the night? It seems we need a posting category where queers can break up, and then rub it in. On the hierarchy of horrible ways to dump someone, it would be even worse than a text message break-up. We could call it “Bad Connections”, and just like the sexy posts, all your friends would get to read it before you did. Dating and hating online is forever becoming more complex. It’s easy to see how a forum for love could accidentally grow bitter fruit. I just think those bitter fruits should get a forum less designed for hopefuls. I’m looking forward to a summer full of very cute, sexy, and vague Craigslist posts. I wish achievement to those of you wanting, and closure to those of you hurting. “Hey you, dancing boy/girl in a tank top and jeans. You’re hot! We made eye contact, and I think we both want more. Message me with name of the place we were dancing at so I know it’s you. BTW, I was also wearing jeans.”
Lyska Mondor writes regularly for Just Out. She is a published poet and aspiring sci-fi author. Reach her at www.JustOut.com
July 2012
Notebook
Continued from Page 11
(HIV/AIDS)
Gaps In Care
According to new research, approximately 25 percent of HIV/AIDS patients in the U.S. fail to remain in care consistently. The study, published in the journal AIDS, is among the first in the U.S. to estimate HIV care retention. It included 17,425 HIV infected adults at 12 U.S. clinics. The study's author, at the University of Pennsylvania, says too many people with HIV may be falling through the cracks by not getting life saving care and treatment . A Centers for Disease Control report shows that only about a quarter of Americans with HIV actually have their virus under control. Just 42 percent of patients had "no gap" in treatment — that is, no more than six months in between seeing a doctor. Quality care is known to not only save lives but decrease health care costs by preventing unnecessary HIV related illnesses and hospitalizations.
EVERY 10 MINUTES, SOMEONE IN THE UNITED STATES CONTRACTS THE AIDS VIRUS. HALF ARE BLACK. THIRTY YEARS AFTER THE AIDS VIRUS WAS FIRST REPORTED AMONG GAY WHITE MEN, NEARLY HALF OF THE 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES INFECTED WITH HIV ARE BLACK MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN—EVEN THOUGH BLACKS MAKE UP JUST 12.6 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, PBS REPORTS. ENDGAME: AIDS IN BLACK AMERICA, AIRING TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2012, ON OPB (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS), BY AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER RENATA SIMONE TAKES VIEWERS ON AN UNPRECEDENTED TWOHOUR EXPLORATION OF ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST URGENT, MOST PREVENTABLE HEALTH CRISIS. July 2012
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VOICES
by Logan Lynn
In The Trenches
H
The Recovering Christian's Guide to Overcoming Godlessness
aving gone through an incredibly traumatic spiritual crisis centered around the very core of my identity as a young man, I spent many years dismissing all people and things which I perceived to be related to God. I escaped the fundamentalist Christian cult I was raised in around age twelve and any brand of faith practice I may have once engaged in (or longed for) stayed there on those pews when I left.
people who represent that which I am most afraid of, the more I see my own panic around the space they hold in the world. It becomes clear as time goes by that it is also me who is shut down and unwilling to budge. On the side of Christian opposition, I don’t want to hear that I am a bad person for being gay, and on the side of Christian affirmation, I don’t want to feel like I am broken because I do not believe. Within both communities, I am cast in the role of “other.”
Pretty early on in my journey away from the church I figured out that there are a million different ways one can push away the heartbreaking feeling of being lost and the promise of being alone for all eternity. Drugs worked for me for many years, as did distance, and then closeness, then money, then sex, and anything else I could use to fill the empty space in my chest where faith and God used to be. This is the experience many queer kids growing up in conservative Christian homes are facing now, and that experience of Godlessness is something that many of us are still struggling to overcome as adults.
The pain of losing family and friends and the dream of life which was collectively constructed for me by said family and friends was unbearable at the time of its passing, and the memory of losing that dream can be just as painful as living it was. I’m guessing for LGBT-identified Christians, finding a welcoming congregation full of other queer believers and allies makes the journey into their adult spirituality easier, but what about those of us who don’t believe in Jesus? How are we supposed to fill the space created by the removal of community, doctrine, and belief?
After intentionally not stepping foot in a church building for two decades, some recent community work led me straight into the doors of one of them. There have been times before where I have had to really look at the experience I had with organized religion years ago and work hard to develop a new relationship with those old walls in order to heal, but this new work unearthed ghosts and feelings which I had forgotten about. Occasionally it’s difficult for me to separate the believers who have caused suffering in my life from the believers who haven’t. I tend to size Christians up before they even have a chance to show themselves, and I have recently come to the conclusion that this is a flaw in my character. The idea that all Christians are bad, based on my experience with bad Christians as a child, is false. Not all of Christ’s followers are evil and clearly not all of them hate gay people, as there is an entire thriving population of gay Christians who attend welcoming, LGBT-affirming churches. My reducing the entire religious community to one particular thing is as offensive as when people reduce the entire queer community to one particular thing. Am I really that closed-minded? The answer is yes. I actually AM that closed-minded. The more I sit with
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After years of searching, I’ve concluded that the only thing that actually matters is love. I’m not talking about God’s love when I say that, but if someone chooses to believe that God IS love, then I guess I am. The word “love” has been hidden under years of biblical misrepresentation and human judgment, buried in pages of ancient rhetoric which has been used as a weapon against our people for centuries. It’s no wonder some of us have a hard time receiving that “God is love” message from the teachings therein. I am truly happy for those who are enriched by the church and fully support the work that groups like the Community of Welcoming Congregations and Metropolitan Community Church do for queer Christians and our allies. For the rest of us, I hope we can always remember that there is never just one way to go about enlightenment. You don’t have to be Christian to be spiritual, and you don’t have to be spiritual to know love. If God is love, then you are not Godless. None of us are. Don’t ever let anyone ever tell you otherwise. That’s just the devil talking.
Logan Lynn writes In The Trenches. He is a Portland based musician, activist, writer, and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. Reach him at Logan@JustOut.com
July 2012
June 2012
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Horace Long
Community
The revamped Just Out premiered June 1 and featured entrepreneur Michkael Baker (left) on the cover. The relaunch morphed Just Out from a bi-weekly newsmagazine into a monthly glossy entertainment and features magazine.
(WASHINGTON STATE)
Opponents Strike
The issue of gay marriage is headed to the ballot in Washington State.
needed — that will likely put the issue on the November ballot.
Our neighbor could be the first state to give an official thumbs up to same-sex marriage, or join several other states who have voted it down.
Activists in Washington are hoping for support from Oregon to fight the initiative.
Just months after the Washington State Legislature approved gay marriage, opponents have turned in more than 230,000 signatures — more than twice the number
A RECENT STUDY, BY AMERICANS FOR ARTS IN DC, SAYS THAT ARTS GROUPS PUMPED IN $253 MILLION IN TO THE PORTLAND METRO AREA IN 2010. THAT'S DOWN FROM THE $318 MILLION IN 2007, BUT THE WAITERS, MUSICIANS, PRINTERS AND PARKING ATTENDANTS AND THE OTHER 8,529 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES SUPPORTED BY THE ARTS SAY "WHO CARES!" KEEP SUPPORTING THE ARTS! 16
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"We are all in this together," a longtime Seattle activist said to Just Out. Maryland, Maine, and Minnesota also are expected to vote on same-sex marriage this autumn.
THANK YOU JUST OUT READERS!! THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW JUST OUT, JUNE 2012, CREATED QUITE A BUZZ OUT THERE. WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK, @ JUSTOUT.COM, IN THE MEDIA, AND FACE-TO-FACE AT PORTLAND PRIDE. HERE ARE BUT A FEW: "LOVE THE NEW MAGAZINE GREAT FEATURES, GREAT PHOTOS AND WHAT A GREAT STORY FEATURE ON MATTACHINE SOCIAL!!! THANK YOU!" (DALLAS) "LIKE IT LOTS!" (DAVID) "YAHOOOOOOOO!" (SAMANTHA) "THE NEW MAGAZINE IS STUNNING." (ANDREA) "I PICKED UP THE GORGEOUS NEW JUST OUT MAGAZINE YESTERDAY. GOOD WORK YA 'LL" (JUSTIN). JOIN JUST OUT ON FACEBOOK/JUSTOUTPORTLAND, ON TWITTER/JUSTOUTPORTLAND, OR AT OUR WEBSITE JUSTOUT.COM
The annual Red Dress party raised $15,000, bumping the total raised by, what some call the party of the year, to $252,000. This year's beneficiaries were: Our House of Portland, Cascade AIDS Project: Kid's Connection and Quest Center for Integrative Health. 1,600 people attended the party April 14. (BUSINESS)
Nike vs. Phobia
An increasing number of professional and high-profile athletes are coming out, leading to progress in the sports world, but Nike and others think more needs to be done. Last month the sports giant took action toward change when they held the first-ever Nike LGBT Sports Summit. At the three day summit, leaders from athletics-focused groups came together to start a team game plan for ending homophobia and transphobia in sports. Those involved included: American Alliance for Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance, Athlete Ally, Br{ache the Silence, Campus Pride, ESPN, Fearless campaign, Federation of Gay Games, GLAAD, GLSEN, It Gets Better campaign, NCLR, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Nike, Our Group, Outsports, StandUp Foundation, and You Can Play project. Nike.com
July 2012
The Pride Foundation is still accepting applications for grants. The maximum, $5,000, is available for general operating support for projects that strengthen the LGBTQ community in pursuit of equality. Email oregon@pridefoundation.org or call 541- 603-8626. (CITY)
Fire Alert
CITY COMMISSIONER RANDY LEONARD HAS NAMED ERIN JANSSENS THE CITY'S NEW FIRE MARSHALL. SHE IS THE BUREAU'S FIRST-EVER FEMALE TOP LEADER. JANSSENS HAS BEEN WITH THE BUREAU FOR 24 YEARS. TWENTY YEARS AGO THERE WERE ONLY FOUR FEMALE FIREFIGHTERS IN PORTLAND.
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR. SOME LOCAL AND YOUNG REPUBLICANS ARE STANDING UP FOR GAY MARRIAGE. "ON THIS ISSUE, OUR PARTY FACES A TIME FOR CHOOSING," BRENDAN MONAGHAN, A MEMBER OF THE CLACKAMAS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY, WROTE IN AN OREGONIAN COMMENTARY. "THAT IS WHY OUR GENERATION MAY NOT FORGIVE OUR PARTY FOR WHAT THESE DINOSAURS DO TODAY."
More Community info:
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Carlos Silva
Horace Long
Community
"Beautiful People" was the theme of this year's Pride Parade. Organizers said that for the first time the parade sold out. The event, featuring LGBT marchers from all walks of life, was made even better due to mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies. True story!
(PRIDE)
Pride Passes
More than 100 groups marched through the streets of Portland in the Portland Pride Parade June 17. Thousands of spectators—from small children in baby strollers to senior citizens seated in lawn chairs—lined the streets and watched bands, politicians, service and religious organizations, and many more, make their way along of the parade route that ended at the waterfront Pride Festival. A contigent from the Mormon Church, supporting the LGBT community, received a
particularly loud and supportive ovation from parade watchers.
Wells Fargo Bank cancelled their part in the Portland Pride Parade just days before the event. The decision came just two days after there was an attempt to throw a molotov cocktail through the window of one of their local branches. A gay rights activist group claimed responsibility for the vandalism in an e-mail to a local TV station, expressing disapproval of the banks funding of a prison industrial complex where they report a trans-
gender female is serving time in a men's prison, placing her at risk of sexual assault.
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Occupy The Pride Portland, an ad hoc action group connected to the occupy Portland movement, showed up as planned for a day of what they billed as "educational outreach and visibility activities." They set up just outside the festival's main entrance gate. To volunteer next year: pridenw.org.
But days later the bank reversed course. Wells Fargo staff announced that they planned to go ahead with plans to march. Anyone with information about the vandalism contact: Arson Investigator Rick McGraw at (503) 823-3797. kptv.com
(PRIDE)
PDX Latino Pride Year number seven for PDX Latino Gay Pride (PLGP) 2012 kicks off on July 19 with an entire weekend of events, The centerpiece of the festivities is the July 21 Festival; organizers expect 1,000 to attend. The day has a lineup of of entertainment, community leaders, public officials and non-stop music. This year's event moves to a new spot: Pure Space. Just Out is a sponsor. In 2011, Pride NW honored PLGP for the positive impact and contributions to the community. PLGP was selected to serve as the official Pride Parade Grand Marshall, the first time a Latino organization has been chosen for this honor. For more information about all of the events: LatinoGayPridePDX.com. TWO BOARD MEMBERS AT THE NONPROFIT PEACOCK PRODUCTIONS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR EXCELLENCE IN VOLUNTEERISM AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. ROSE EMPRESS LIII THE LEGENDARY MONICA BOULEVARD AND IMPERIAL PRINCESS ROYALE XLII ADRIENNE ALEXANDER RECEIVED THE PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHENING OUR NATION AND FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH VOLUNTEER SERVICE. BOTH HONOREES WORK FOR BANK OF AMERICA. July 2012
(OSU)
Go Beavs
While notoriously conversative, Oregon State University is showing some signs of change for LGBTQ students and staff.
The Daily Barometer recently announced that Associated Students of OSU (ASOSU) officially expressed their support for samesex marriage, asking the feds to recognize these unions. Days earlier the student paper featured fraternity man Dan Cushing, a candidate for ASOSU's VIce President spot (he won by the way), who came out not just to his fraternity brothers at Signma Phi Epsilon, but to the whole campus. And the university just hired a new Director of LGBT Outreach and Services, Jeff Kenney. Originally from Nebraska, Kenney is a specialist in Queer student support services.
(BRO)
DOMA Down
IN EARLY JUNE A 3-JUDGE PANEL IN THE FIRST CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS UNANIMOUSLY UPHELD A U.S. DISTRICT COURT DECISION FINDING THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT (DOMA) UNCONSTITUTIONAL. THIS ACTION BRINGS THE ISSUE OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY ONE STEP CLOSER TO A SUPREME COURT RULING. DOMA IS STILL BEING ENFORCED, DESPITE THE COURT'S ACTION. DOMA PREVENTS SAME SEX COUPLES IN ALL 50 STATES, DESPITE THEIR OWN STATE LAWS THAT MAY ALLOW THESE COUPLES TO MARRY, FROM ACCESSING FEDERAL MARRIAGE RIGHTS. OREGON'S STATE CONSTITUTION ALSO INCLUDES DISCRIMINATORY LANGUAGE AGAINST SAME SEX MARRAIGE. ON A RELATED NOTE: BASIC RIGHTS OREGON IS SPENDING THE SUMMER TRAVELING TO COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE TO "EXPAND OUR MAJORITY FOR MARRAIGE IN OREGON." July 2012
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REAL LIFE
by Jonathan Kipp
Falling Down
A Daughter's Love Michelle Mayhu’s mother faces an eviction that will most likely leave her homeless. And after months of worrying about her mom’s health, her mental and emotional well-being, and her finances, Michelle found herself at an emotional low. “I was desperate,” she says about the moment she sat down to her computer and began to compose what would turn out to be 30 emails that she’d send before heading to bed at 3 a.m. In a heartfelt, one-page message she asked for help from friends, colleagues, and even some strangers. She wrote:
This woman is my hero, and the only family I have ever known. Not only did she raise me as a single mother, never having taken or asked support from anyone including the government, but she did this facing adversity as a lesbian woman. She wasn't expecting money or any kind of handout, really. These are tough times for people, she knows well. But money is exactly what her mom needed the most. Of all the worries money was at the top of the list. IN THE CRACK The messages went mostly unanswered, but she still has hope that their community will reach back with at least some moral support for her mom. Michelle could use some as well. “I don’t understand,” Victoria Mayhu, her eyes glazed over and staring at the floor, says. Victoria, 46-years-old, is sick and unable to work. Within a few days — maybe weeks — she may be on the street. Though Victoria is too ill to work, according to her doctors, she is not officially considered disabled. She doesn’t qualify for social security, yet can’t collect unemployment as the system requires her to be employable to receive the check. The shortterm disability plan she paid into cut her off after just weeks. She lost her health insurance when she lost her job and today her doctors won’t see her without it. “She is stuck in the little crack of the system,” Michelle whispers. Michelle, 26-years-old, has been part of a family of two her entire life. Her mom has always been a hard-working woman and parent; it never dawned on her that she would be worrying about her own mother’s welfare at such a young age. “Maybe at 80,” Michelle says. “But not 46!”
ago when they came out to one another. They giggle together about that conversation. A HARD WORKER Victoria didn’t have it easy as a kid. Her father was tough on her, especially after she revealed to him at a young age that she loved a little girl. A classmate with long blond hair, she recalls. Her voice trails off. Her life changed that day, she says. “He was pretty horrible,” she shudders. She moved a lot. And trauma, of some sort, clearly left her scarred and scared. She says she ended up fearful of everything. Only her pets, mostly dogs, soothed her fears through the years. But work she knew. And she was okay with hard work. Victoria speaks of work as almost a utopic escape from life, her eyes brightening when recalling her work history, her responsibilities, and the challenges she overcame over the years. It’s who she is, she says. "Well, it’s who I used to be." While single parenting was anything but easy, being a hard worker made it doable. She worked in telecommunications until she fell down an unprotected access hole and shattered her shoulder. But she bounced back and, despite any formal training, became a pharmaceutical technician, first in Eugene and then later at the state mental hospital in Salem. “I’ve always been the responsible one, the go-to person,” she says, wiping tears from her eyes. She was a tough, working, single-mom, Victoria insists. She was the one who stepped up and volunteered to work holidays. She says she’s moral, ethical, and that she has always given 110 percent. She’s proud of her former perfect credit and that she got to buy her own home. Daughter Michelle, now a single mom too, agrees with all of it. But one day Victoria didn’t feel like herself. She didn’t feel so tough. A long series of diagnosis, doctors, specialists, and medications, lead to a sort of perfect, if not irreversible, storm. Victoria was diagnosed with Multi-Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), making working among other people nearly impossible; Myofascial pain syndrome, from her earlier workplace
The women have a close relationship, warmly recalling a day some years
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CONTINUES ON PAGE 31 July 2012
Photo by Jonathan Kipp
April 23, 2012 10:41 p.m.
Jul;y 2012
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by Cathy Busha & Anna Deligio
FAMILY
In The Family Way
Out-pacing Aunt Sally “What will Aunt Sally say?” You know. The Aunt who lives 1,000 miles away from you in Colorado Springs (home to Focus on the Family), who still tells her sister/your mom, “I still pray for your homosexual son every night.” What will Aunt Sally say when she finds out that you’re going to be a gay dad? “Oh that poor, innocent child.” What Aunt Sally may not realize (though what Focus on the Family fears) is that according to the Williams Institute (an LGBT think tank based out of UCLA), 22 percent of LGBT people in the US are currently raising children. In fact, as the 2010 Census reports, 29 percent of same-sex households in Multnomah County are parents. Some more information that may surprise Aunt Sally: The New York Times reported in 2011 that Black and Latino gay couples are twice as likely as whites to be raising children. Despite this gayby boom, many LGBT people still find coming out as parents to our families of origin stressful: “What will my family say?” “Will they treat my child as an equal member of the family?” (particularly if the child is not blood-related), “Will they reject my child?” can be worries that LGBT parents have. It makes sense we have these fears. In July 2011, Tom Minnery from Focus on the Family testified in a Senate Judiciary Committee, “that children living with their own married biological or adoptive mothers and fathers were generally healthier and happier, had better access to healthcare, less likely to suffer mild or severe emotional problems, did better in school, were protected from physical, emotional and sexual abuse and almost never live in poverty, compared with children in any other family form." Minnery continued, “In fact, in all the ways we know how to measure child well-being, having a married mother and father is consistently shown to be the ideal family form across all important measures...no reliable data indicates that same-sex parenting comes anywhere close to rivaling married mothers and fathers for optimum child well-being outcomes.”
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While Aunt Sally may still believe Focus on the Family, the good news is that organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) are refuting their junk science with fact: “There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation. On the contrary, results of research suggest that lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children." The APA went on to boldly declare, “The results of some studies suggest that lesbian mothers' and gay fathers' parenting skills may be superior to those of matched heterosexual parents.” “Superior?” That’s right, Aunt Sally. Fortunately, public opinion is also out-pacing your Aunt Sally; in 2011, the Pew Research Center reported a decline in negative views of the increasing number of LGBT people raising children. 35% say that LGBT parents are bad for society, 14% view this trend positively, while 48% say it does not make much difference. In 2007, 50% viewed this trend negatively, 11% said it was a good thing and 34% believed it made no difference. Indeed, the data are good news and should increase LGBT parents’ confidence in regard to family of origin acceptance. What many LGBT parents eventually discover is that any initial family hesitation seems to melt away once the they meet and connect with the baby or child. In a study by Kim Bergman, Ph.D. from 2011, “Most gay fathers reported that relationships with their families of origin had become closer, and that having a baby increased recognition of the couple as a family.” So while your Aunt Sally continues to pray, you can focus on other members of your family. Your sister-in-law may not understand your love of Scissor Sister, but she’s an expert at FuzziBunz cloth diapers and is excited to finally have something to talk with you about. In The Family Way is written by Cathy Busha and Anna Deligio. They are expecting their first child in a few short weeks. Reach them at www.JustOut.com
July 2012
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July 2012
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EDUCATION | TEACHER
by Aaron Spencer
Inspiring Maker
The Gift Of Struggle The risqué subject of the documentary might have pushed the voting tallies over the top. The film was about the revival of burlesque, which has plenty of sex appeal and is a fairly popular pastime in the Pacific Northwest. The film is good in its own right, and it’s narrated by Margaret Cho, which gives it some star appeal.
But she didn’t know she wanted to teach film until one day in 1992 in Charlottesville, Va. She was there for the Virginia Film Festival. Her professor for her documentary film class sent her. She was 19, and she and some friends filed into a cool theatre to watch the documentary “To Render a Life” by Ross Spears.
But Courtney Hermann probably could have made a film about grass growing and won. Hermann is an acclaimed Portland documentarian and professor at the Art Institute of Portland. She was voted one of Hand-Eye Supply’s Most Inspiring Makers, an honor given to Portlanders who make things. She rode atop the supply store’s dazzling float in the Starlight Parade last month.
The film is about the ethics of making the documentary: how to portray the lives of other people and the questions one grapples with in the creation process. All of that resonated with Hermann, but what sticks with her is one scene.
“I’d like to say I got votes because of the project alone, but I think it was students,” she says (we might find out next year if the work content actually matters in voting – Hermann’s next film is about uranium mining). Hermann, 40, has a philosophy about filmmaking that intersects with her identity. She identifies as queer – she’s a woman, but she presents herself with many masculine characteristics. Her queerness for a long time was a source of struggle, something she says that all good documentaries need. That struggle has helped her become the successful creator and teacher she is today. “I think the struggle is a gift,” Hermann says, “because you instantly have this whole other relationship with the rest of humanity, where I think you can more easily tap into the shared humanity of people who are different from you.” Hermann grew up in Baltimore with conservative parents – “old school,” she calls them – Christian, but not the “you’re going to hell” variety. They bought her baseball bats and footballs and were still surprised when she came out of the closet at 22. But shortly before that milestone, they bought her the only thing she ever really begged for: a video camera. One of the first models for home use, it recorded to VHS and cost $1,200.
“It struck me,” Hermann says. “It struck me with the humanity on display and how much I felt like I was really moved by the strength and power of this character. Those are the kinds of characters that interest me in my own work – strong individuals persevering despite situations that are really difficult.” Herman walked out of that theater knowing what she wanted to be when she grew up. Today, Hermann is a faculty member and assistant academic director of the digital film and video department at the Art Institute, and she’s received the faculty of the year award. Hermann feels that her androgynous sexual identity has been more of an asset to her as a teacher than a detriment. As she puts it, she feels like she can “be everything to everyone.” Women are grateful to have a woman role model in a field dominated by men, and the men see her as someone who is accessible and understands them. “I feel in the final analysis, that being queer and a different gender somewhat, has actually improved my ability to relate,” she says. Overall, Hermann says some of her proudest moments come when her students access the power she’s learned to find within herself.
“That was a lot of money in the ‘80s,” Hermann said.
“The students really see, in some cases for the first time, they really, truly understand how hard they can actually work,” she says, “so they get this great sense of self empowerment and come out the other side of this really tough and difficult experience feeling great strength and power. And it’s all in service to this art form that I love – documentary.”
She enjoyed making home movies, but she knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her mom did it; so did her sister. It was in her blood.
Aaron Spencer, a regular contributor to Just out, is a professional writer and editor. Reach him at aaron@JustOut.com
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Photo by Horace Long
Hermann is deserving of the seat: her films have won audience awards at several film festivals and have appeared on PBS, among other prestigious outlets. But she humbly credits her many current and former students in town for the Maker title.
The film included the story of a family living in rural Virginia. They lived in a trailer with no air conditioning and a wood-burning stove. In one scene, the mother makes dinner for her family in a crowded kitchen in the middle of the humid summer, sweat dripping from her brow.
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EDUCATION | STUDENT
by Aaron Spencer
Out On Her Own
Future Film Maker As a child, Sabrina McCoy’s favorite movie was The Goonies. She liked it because the kids were just like her – lower-middle class with quirky interests and big imaginations. Even the main character, Mikey, was asthmatic, just like her – both of them carried around inhalers. Most of all, the kids didn’t apologize for who they were, even when others put them down.
knew she was gender variant – McCoy had told her before they got married – but when McCoy decided to transition to female, her wife said she couldn’t be in a romantic relationship any more. McCoy’s revelation wasn’t the only thing that led to the couple’s divorce, to be sure, but it played a large part.
The movie was formative for McCoy, 34, because when she was a child, she was a boy. She decided to transition to female six years ago, a decision that put her on her own adventure and changed life as she knew it. She quit her job, divorced her wife and moved to Portland, where she began a new career – film. She now attends Portland State University, where she’s pursuing a degree in film production.
So McCoy started rebuilding what would be a new life for her. She met another woman online (McCoy identifies as a trans lesbian), and the two soon developed a long-distance relationship. After McCoy finalized her divorce, sold her house and tied up some other loose ends, she decided to move to be with her girlfriend – in Portland.
McCoy grew up in a conservative factory town, Rockford, Ill., just outside of Chicago. McCoy can point to clues that she was transgender as a child, like throwing tantrums when her mother would try to put her in “boy clothes.” By the time McCoy was in college, she had figured out that she was gender variant. But because of her conservative surroundings, she says, she suppressed it. She finished college, got married, got a steady job and bought a house. “But you can only put something in the back of your mind for so long before it basically breaks wide open,” she says. The breaking point came for McCoy on Memorial Day on 2006. She was hanging out with her wife at another couples house watching anime. Between drinks, the women started talking about their likes and dislikes about bras – which brands they like, which stores are better, how annoying it is when the underwire digs in on one side.
“For me, a kid from Illinois, you grow up with cornfields and it’s flat,” McCoy says. “The Pacific Northwest was sort of like this magical beautiful land of coasts and caves and hills and evergreen trees and absolutely gorgeous scenery. So it kind of became a dream of mine to be out here one day.” Once in Portland, like so many others, she was unable to find steady work. Her main concern was medical insurance; since she was transgender, she wanted it as soon as possible. The easiest way to get it, she thought, would be to go back to school. And while she was changing things up, she thought, “I may has well go and study a new field to try and better my career chances,” she says. “And I might as well study something I love.” She chose film. When she graduates, she wants to create a documentary that shows transgender people in a positive light. Essentially, she wants to make the film she could have shown her parents when she came out of the closet. "When I came out to my parents," she says, "they were like, 'What does this mean? How should we react?' I didn’t have any good answers."
What struck McCoy about this conversation was how easily and immediately she was able to jump in and contribute to it – she had after all, been experimenting with cross dressing. But when she did jump in, she could practically hear the scratch on the record player.
Her mom struck out on her own for information. She ended up going to a video store, where she was told to watch TransAmerica – a film that for a mother learning what to expect from her child's life, McCoy calls "problematic."
“They looked at me and said, “Wait a minute. How do you know about that?” McCoy recalls. “And then a switch in my head switched over and I was like, ‘Boom. I was female.’”
McCoy wants to make the film she could have shown her mother.
What followed can safely be described as dramatic. McCoy’s wife already
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"I want to show that trans people can have relationships and jobs and that some of them do really great things," McCoy says. "Basically a documentary film that shows trans people living normally."
July 2012
Photo by Horace Long
“They say entertainment is all escapist,” McCoy says, “but when you’re growing up in a horrible environment and you don’t have a lot of support…that escapist type stuff is all you have.”
July 2012
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EDUCATION | SPIRIT
by Jennifer Yocum
OneGeorgeFox
Misdirected Love “I SAID ‘GOODBYE’ TO GOD.” Those are usually the last words said when a LGBT person talks about their faith experience. Having been rejected by the church or temple or other faith house that had sheltered, shaped and supported them, LGBT folk often come to the conclusion that, for the sake of their own well-being they have to close the door to any faith and that’s the end. For Paul Southwick, though, saying “Goodbye to God,” is just an early chapter in an ongoing story about faith and redemption. Southwick is one of the co-founders of OneGeorgeFox, an alumni organization dedicated to creating dialogue and a healthy regard for spirituality and sexuality at their alma mater, George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. Southwick came to George Fox as a young man already struggling with his feelings of attraction to other men, but knowing he needed to hide his feelings on the evangelical Christian campus. In 2004, he went to Washington D.C. on a fellowship with the Family Research Council, a right-wing policy think tank. When the fellowship ended, Southwick had his first sexual encounter with a man, and fell apart. “I was hospitalized for two nights for panic attacks,” Southwick said. Mentors at Fox encouraged him to go into “reparative therapy” to try to change his sexual orientation, encouraging him to watch straight porn as part of the process of becoming a healthy, heterosexual Christian man. Southwick says, “Everyone was very loving toward me, but the love was misdirected and ultimately very damaging.” Southwick spent his last two years of school at Fox in reparative therapy in what he calls “a dark time” then went to study law at the University of Michigan where he found himself able to talk about his feelings and ultimately come out to himself and others in a safe environment. But Southwick had doubts, “It wasn’t just about being gay,” he said. “It was about the Bible and the question of evil. Ultimately, I said ‘goodbye’ to God, but it was very hard. I mean, I prayed an hour every day and I believed I had a close personal relationship with God. Nothing can replace that.” But that was not the end of his journey. Southwick says that he felt a need to let the administration at George Fox know that their policies, which officially prohibit sexual relationships outside of marriage while defining marriage as taking place between a man and a woman (thereby cutting off full relationship for LGBT people) can drive their students to despair. He and other alumni have begun working with George Fox administrators to try to create a safe, healthy environment for LGBT students. Southwick says, “We hope for an open dialogue. We want sexuality and faith to be discussed openly.” Southwick would like to see Fox take a stand against reparative therapy and ultimately support same gender marriage, but admits that goal is probably a long way off. Photo by Keene Studio
Regular contributor Rev. Jennifer Yocum is pastor of the Forest Grove United Church of Christ, where she says, No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here. Reach her at www.fgucc.org
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About his own faith, Southwick is still in transition. He says, “I’ve had some great experiences in churches, even evangelical churches since this work with OneGeorgeFox started. I’ve been at churches that felt really familiar, that felt like home, but it’s like a home where it’s good to visit but you’re not sure you want to stay.” For now, Southwick says he is pro-Christian and pro-Gay and he hopes his alma mater can one day say the same.
July 2012
EDUCATING AMERICA GROWING UP IN LGBT AMERICA Over one-half of LGBT youth (54 percent) say they have been verbally harassed and called names involving antigay slurs; Nearly half of LGBT youth (47 percent) say they do not “fit in” in their community while only 16 percent of non-LGBT youth feel that way; 67 percent of straight youth describe themselves as happy but this number drops to 37 percent among LGBT young people; 83 percent of LGBT youth believe they will be happy eventually, but only 49 percent believe they can be happy if they stay in the same city or town; 6 in 10 LGBT youth say their family is accepting of LGBT people, while a third say their family is not; 92 percent say they hear negative messages about being LGBT – 60 percent say those messages come from elected leaders. When asked to describe their most important problem, straight teens articulated the usual challenges of grades and college and finances. On the other hand LGBT teens’ worries were directly related to their identity as LGBT including nonaccepting families and bullying. In The Human Rights Commission's study on LGBTQ Youth 10,000 youth participated. The study included a corallary of straight teens.
Just Out’s Guide to Bars, Food, and Nightlife SW
Boxes/Red Cap Garage
1035 SW Stark St • 503-226-4171 www.boxxes.com
Fez Ballroom
316 SW 11th Ave • 503.221.7262 www.fezballroom.com
Scandal’s
1125 SW Stark St • 503-227-5887 www.scandalspdx.com
Silverado
318 SW Third Ave • 503-224-4493 www.silveradopdx.com
NW
Casey’s
610 NW Couch St • 503-224-9062 www.caseyspdx.net
C.C. Slaughters
219 NW Davis St • 503-248-9135 www. ccslaughterspdx.com
Darcelle XV Showplace
208 NW Third Ave • 503-222-5338 www.darcellexv.com
Embers Avenue
110 NW Broadway • 503-222-3082
Fox & Hounds
www.hrc.org/youth
217 NW Second Ave • 503-243-5530
Hamburger Mary’s
19 NW Fifth Ave • 503-688-1200 www.hamburgermarys.com/pdx
July 2012
jo_bar_guide.indd 1
Hobo’s
120 NW Third Ave • 503-224-3285 www. hobospdx.com
SE
Crush
1400 SE Morrison St • 503-235-8150 www. crushbar.com
Holocene
1001 S.E. Morrison St • 503.239.7639 www.holocene.org
Starky’s
2913 SE Stark St • 503-230-7980 www. starkys.com
Hawk PDX
234 SE Grand Ave • 503-946-8659 www. hawkspdx.com
NE
Joq’s
2512 NE Broadway • 503-287-4210
Local Lounge
3536 NE MLK • 503-282-1833 www.local-lounge.com
Steam PDX
2885 NE Sandy Blvd • 503-736-9999 www.steamportland.com
North
The Eagle Portland
835 N Lombard St • 503-283-9734 www.eagleportland.com
5/20/2012 10:22:06 AM29 JustOut.com
Carlos Silva
EDUCATION | SCHOLARSHIPS
Latino Gay Pride
New Scholarship Launches David Martinez knows how formative the college experience can be. As the first one in his family to graduate from high school and go to college, he didn’t have help applying for scholarships. In fact, he didn’t see many other people going off to college at all. But he found out that college can make a big difference in life, especially for sexual minorities. “College was my way out,” he says. “It was where I was able to move off to the big city. It was where I was able to get to a place where I could feel safe and come out.” Martinez is now the chair of Portland Latino Gay Pride, which this year has established a $1,000 scholarship for Latino LGBT students or students of LGBT parents. The scholarship will be officially announced this month at the Portland Latino Gay Pride Festival. This isn’t the organization’s first scholarship effort – for the past two years it has donated $1,000 to a scholarship run by the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. But that scholarship was for Latino students in Oregon. Portland Latino Gay Pride wanted to create its own scholarship for Latino LGBT students because “that’s what our celebration’s about,” Martinez says.
and 30 percent of blacks. One major barrier to college enrollment for many Latinos is citizenship. Portland Latino Gay Pride doesn’t ask for Social Security numbers or other proof of residency so that undocumented immigrants will be able to apply. Martinez encourages other organizations to do the same so that everyone who wants the college experience can have it.
“Knowing how expensive education is,” he says, “knowing that in order to find a good job, the more education you have, the better – we wanted to support our future leaders.”
“Anyone who has had the experience of going off to college or to better themselves can tell you,” Martinez says, “that when you’re dealing with identity and figuring out who you are – figuring out what it means to be gay, what it means to be Latino — it’s great to be able to do it in a place that’s safe. You’re able to ask hard questions and be in an environment where you can figure it out, and I think that’s what college does.”
Only 21 percent of Latinos in the U.S. have college degrees, the lowest percentage of any ethnic group, according to the nonprofit Excelencia in Education. That’s compared to 57 percent of Asians, 44 percent of whites
Portland Latino Gay Pride Festival is July 21.
LatinoGayPridePDX.com
PORTLAND AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS RISA LUTHER, Franklin High School, plans to go to Macalester College. Winner of $1,500 Barbara Roberts Scholarship “I think ignorance is probably the worst problem for people – not hate or dislike of something, just ignorance. If you don’t understand something, it gives you motivation to not associate with it, and I don’t think that’s the way to go about it, especially in a city like Portland, where the pride community is really big.” SAMANTHA MASSON, Portland Community College, plans to transfer to University of Oregon. Winner of $1,000 general scholarship “My father is gay, and I’ve grown up around him and his friends and my gay uncle, too, so it’s always been normal to me. Then when you go to college, you find out it’s not normal for other people. I want to just let people know that everyone is just people and let them know about issues with the gay community, like equality. I just want to be a voice for that.” JORDAN OSSERMAN, Dartmouth College, plans to attend Birkbeck, University of London. Winner of $1,500 Terry Bean Scholarship "Working on LGBT issues is important to me because I believe that marginalization on the basis of sexuality and gender identity is fundamentally connected to other forms of marginalization and injustice. As a gay person I feel particularly equipped to understand, articulate and resist LGBT oppression, and I hope that in doing so I can contribute to a larger movement for social transformation." 30
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July 2012
A DAUGHTER'S LOVE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
accident; Sjogren’s Syndrome, causing chronic dehydration; lupus; and fibromyalgia. And then there was the stress of the job. The patients she dealt with on a daily basis were a tough crowd. Murderers and sex crime assailants were the norm in the halls of the hospital. “Every case you’d read about in the newspaper, they are there.” Her work days left her fatigued, in constant pain, mentally and emotionally exhausted, virtually housebound and unemployable. Before leaving work permanently in May 2011, she was experiencing short-term memory loss; she couldn’t remember her co-workers names while on the job. And she became increasingly worried she would make mistakes at work with the patients’ medications, something that still weighs heavy on her mind. But what got Victoria most concerned was the day she could not remember her baby granddaughter’s name. “Horrible,” the grandmother of 2-year-old Emma says, tears dribbling down her rosy cheeks beneath her wire-rimmed glasses. Not long after, daughter Michelle decided she couldn’t leave Emma with Grammy alone anymore. A new low. A DAUGHTER’S LOVE Michelle doesn’t take her eyes off her mother as her mom recalls her journey from robust worker and all-American dream seeker, who owned her own home and new automobile, to her nearhomelessness and a likely destitute existence. Her gaze seems a combination of pure love and utter worry; of unconditional respect for her mom and of virtual panic. Only the mischievous behavior of young Emma wanting to explore the refrigerator for snacks breaks her trance-like attention to her mother’s words. Michelle, an aspiring chef, farmer, and college student in Eugene, struggles to make ends meet herself. She lives in a small but immaculate and sunny downtown Eugene bungalow with another single mom. This summer she’ll be a nanny for her roommate's child, affording her time with Emma while making some needed money. Her home is clean and bright. Her toddler cheerfully July 2012
plays in every corner, keeping her young mom on her toes. But Michelle’s own mother’s struggles keep her distracted and worried most of the time. Michelle has given her mom money and lends moral support the best she can. She lived with her mom in the foreclosed home Victoria owns in Salem, but had to move when it appeared that they would be asked to leave with very short notice. After all, she had to make her own child’s well-being a priority. So she moved on. Or so she has tried. And Michelle holds vigil, trying her best to help Victoria make sense of a complex health and social service system that seems unnavigable. They wait for an insurance lottery-win so Victoria can gain access to Oregon Health Plan coverage. Without dependent children it isn’t easy and won’t come quickly. She won once but the offer was quickly retracted since Victoria was employed and insured just six months earlier. She wasn’t bad off enough. She isn’t a problem gambler. She isn’t an addict. Either one of those diagnoses would bring help more quickly. Michelle keeps track of her mom’s nutrition, maintained on the $200 a month Victoria receives in food stamps, encouraging her consumption of fruits and vegetables. And she is moving her mom’s possessions into her own storage unit, preparing for Victoria’s inevitable eviction from the home where there hasn’t been heat or hot water for months. The real estate agent pays to keep the cold water on. She grieves over the possibility that her mom will end up in a special parking program where homeless folks are allowed to park a travel trailer in a city parking lot. It’s dangerous, Michelle says. And that is saying nothing about likely mold in the 1960’s trailer that may be offered to her mom by another family member for the program. All of her mom’s health problems could easily be complicated by the spores. Things could get worse. Michelle grimaces.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 43 JustOut.com
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In the
Garden o Eternal Desire Photography
Horace Long Hair and Makeup Michelle Lagos designs-michelle.com Clothing The Baroness baroness.com
Saturn Blue Latex Myrna Loy Dress Blue Latex Long Mitts
Kai Lani Transparent Latex Myrna Loy Dress Transparent Latex Thong Latex Lady Gaga Collar
Richard Amethyst Latex Frock Coat Black Latex Poet Shirt Amethyst Latex 2 Zip Pants
Matthew White Latex Mens Dress Shirt Black Latex 2 Zip Pants
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
by Ken Hoyt
Culture Club
Jersey Boy
Bob Crewe was a man ahead of his time - think David Geffen set in the 50’s and 60’s. He was Fabulous and Flamboyant at a time when those words were code. Known as “the Fifth Season” (working with Frank Valli and The Four Seasons), he fashioned a group of street tough New Jersey guys into the top selling group. Bob Crewe finally gets his time in the spotlight in the musical Jersey Boys, based on the music and careers of The Four Seasons. Veteran Broadway actor Jonathan Hadley will be playing Crewe when the show comes to Portland. The role offered an opportunity for Hadley, “It was the first time I’d played a gay role, so when I took this part I came out at the same time, and it’s all good.” (Crewe self-identifies as bisexual.) Hadley has been on the road in the role for the past five years. This is his second time playing the Crewe character. He had played the role when the show was being developed in workshops, but declined to play it on Broadway, choosing instead to go to graduate school. When the opportunity to play Crewe came about with the touring cast, he was excited to play the part. He points out the show is “testosterone driven” and yet, “I get to play this wonderful character amidst all that, and it’s a fun way for some people to be introduced to a gay man.” One of the things he values is the way his “Paul Lynde type” character is totally accepted in the macho universe he inhabits because of his talent. “They describe him as having the best ears in the business.” Some people emphasize the difficulty in touring. Not Hadley, “I like investigating new cities, and this will be the first time I’ve been to Portland. Not only that, but I love bringing this show to new people, and watching how they enjoy it.” The show itself isn’t static. They were recently in the Bible belt, “and we took out some of the more offensive curse words.” While there is a certain amount of nostalgia, Hadley notes that the audience is made up of “kids of high school age who are just discovering the music.” When it comes to advising young people starting out, he thinks it’s wise to be cautious about announcing your sexuality. “There is still a stigma. America can’t handle a leading man who is gay. On the other hand, actors like myself, who play featured or character roles are more free in that regard.” He does see hope, “Adam Lambert was the first openly gay recording artist to top the charts. It’s just now starting to happen.” And he is very positive about the future. “I’m so impressed with those who are already out and say, ‘who cares, I’m already out, this is me.’ It’ll be interesting to see what happens for them. I think [people in the future] will see them as pioneers.”
Jersey Boys is presented by Fred Meyer Broadway Across America and plays July 18th through August 12th at Keller. For tickets or information 503-241-1802 or see BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com/Portland.
"CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU," SCORED FRANKIE VALLI A GOLD RECORD IN 1967. FEW PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT HAS A GAY HISTORY. HADLEY SAYS, “BOB CREWE WROTE THE LYRICS, AND BASICALLY THEY WERE INSPIRED WHEN ONE NIGHT HE WAS PACING THE FLOOR AND COULDN’T COME UP WITH LYRICS TO A SONG, AND HE LOOKED INTO HIS ROOM AND THERE WAS HIS LOVER SLEEPING ON TOP OF A FUR BEDSPREAD, AND THE LYRICS JUST CAME.” LEFT:Jonathan Hadley as Bob Crewe Photo by Joan Marcus RIGHT:The Vagabond Opera and Abney Park. Photo by Ben Z. Mund Photography
Reach out with your events to Arts & Entertainment Editor Ken Hoyt. ken@justout.com.
VAGABOND OPERA AND ABNEY PARK Time to gather your best Steampunk finery and jump headlong into an evening of “Bohemian neo-cabaret gypsy rock ensemble plays a combination of cabaret, burlesque, tango, Balkan beats, Klezmer, rock, Arab music, Parisian hot jazz, and, opera that’ll leave your head spinning.” Friday July 6th, for tickets call 503-284-8686 wonderballroom.com.
Bend Z. Mund Photography
Play/Start
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by Alley Hector
Q UEER Music Fest P
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Ambitious but likeable and down to earth, Samuel Thomas embodies the Portland music geek perfectly. And he has been in a couple noise bands. But Thomas is more of a behind the scenes guy, spearheading the Portland Free Music Project, which aims to wikify the entirety of Portland’s musical history, and Genderf***ing Takeover, a party that embraces a wide array of drag and gender variance within clubs, bars and scenes that could use more queer exposure. But what is taking center stage in his life right now is the Portland Queer Music Fest. Now in its second year, the goal remains to bring LGBTQ music to a wide range of people, although this year will feature two headliners in addition to a slew of smaller acts. Initially Thomas wanted to focus on local acts but last year saw an avalanche of talent apply from around the world so opened up the process. This year it also opened the floodgates, with more than 80 applicants that had to be whittled down to 24. Over the course of one Sunday, July 22, these two dozen bands will go nonstop from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. in back to back venues, one of which is all ages. You better pack a lunch because as one group tears down at Backspace the other will be ready to go at the Someday and vice versa.
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Queer Music Fest
Playlist
THE PORTLAND QUEER MUSIC FEST 2 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Backspace (115 NW 5th Ave) and Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th Ave) Sunday July 22. Presale tickets are $10 all ages (Backspace only) or $12 21+ (both venues). $15 at the door.
Headliners SACHA SACKET MORE SUITED TO HIS 21+ VENUE SIDE, SACKET’S STYLE REFLECTS A MUSICAL HYBRID OF MODERN ELECTRONIC DETACHMENT AND SENSITIVE FOLK-AUTEUR BALLADEERING, A COMBINATION THAT IS BOTH DISQUIETING AND REFRESHINGLY IMAGINATIVE.
Photo by Horace Long
IMPERIAL TEEN Roddy Bottum from Faith No More provides the draw for this influential pop punk outfit from Cali, but Will Schwartz (also of Hey! Willpower), Jone Stebbins and Lynn Truell also keep the yearning yet upbeat sound alive. Their newly released 5th album, "Feel the Sound," has been described as intuitive synchronicity with a desert island jukebox’s sense of fun.
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Local Spotlight MAGIC MOUTH Magic Mouth seems to be an apt name, as they’re the local act getting the most buzz. Not part of the stereotypical gay mafia style of house beats, these funky, electro rockers evoke a boldly spiritual sound with a down to earth rock beat that makes their genre-spanning music at once very Portland, very queer, and yet so far beyond either. PLAY/START MORE TRADITIONAL PDX QUEER PUNKS (IF WE’RE POST-EVERYTHING ENOUGH TO SAY THAT) PLAY/START BRING THE RAWNESS OF THE 90S AND RIOT GRRL CULTURE NEW LIFE. THEY HAVE DRIVING DRUM BEATS, CATCHY HOOKS AND AN INFECTIOUS ENERGY THAT MAKES FOR A GREAT SHOW. DAMON BOUCHER The porn-inspired hip hop alter ego of Superfag, Jon Brownhill, brings a tough not-quite-gangsta edge to queer lyricism. Spitting rhymes with no restraint, Brownhill makes nuanced dark synth based rap that won’t let you rest. Damon Boucher
"In terms of a band that's really been breaking out and changing the mold and changing their sound to match all characters of the band, I think Magic Mouth is hands down one of the best." -Portland Queer Music Fest organizer Samuel Thomas
Magic Mouth
QUEER MUSIC FEST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39
Samuel Thomas: A QUEER MUSIC FEST. WHY HERE AND NOW? Thomas was incredulous that Portland didn’t already have a major queer-focused music fest, especially as others along the West Coast are petering out. We’re a music town but, “…it’s like the one festival we didn’t have. We have a ukulele festival, but not one for the queers.” WHY THE MOVE FROM LAST YEAR'S VENUE: RED CAP GARAGE? Backspace provided a spot where those under 21 could at least see half of the bands, and both venues had stages and sound systems appropriate to the fest. ANY LOCAL GETS? Thomas gushed over Magic Mouth. “I got my dream local. I got Magic Mouth so I’m really happy.” Thomas said he wouldn’t turn down Holcombe Waller or The Gossip, though they are more “national” acts. But Portland is good at combining the big and the small in shows and festivals that feel epic yet intimate. The Portland Queer Music Fest should be no different.
Samuel Thomas, organizer of the Portland Queer Music Festival
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A DAUGHTER'S LOVE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 HOLDING ON Victoria stands at the edge where she can barely see her former productive and self-sustaining life. Sometimes, admittedly, she wants to give up. But she cannot. “If not for those two..." Victoria tearfully says, pointing to her daughter sitting cross-legged on a colorful quilt covering a living room futon and caressing granddaughter Emma’s back. Michelle does not blink; her large dark eyes mist over. Victoria has to accept help for the first time in her life, Michelle says. And she’ll live alone for the first time ever, sans her four-legged companions. Where they’ll all rest their heads at night is the question. Victoria decided early on in childhood that trusting adults could be risky and her beloved dogs were a safer bet. And despite decades passing, Victoria’s childhood assumptions are apparently as strong as ever. Her only companionship, she says, are Sugar Bear and Zoe. Sadly, her little dogs are actually adding to Victoria’s problems. Some people aren’t willing to help her because of the dogs. They think the dogs should be unloaded, Victoria says. And the thought of that seems to trump all of the other challenges this mother faces. “You’d have to understand where I come from,” she says. “Dogs have always been there for me when I had nobody.” Giving them up isn’t a consideration. Period. “I’m not that kind of person,” Victoria says. “I made a commitment to them!” More tears. But while the dogs may be standing between help and no assistance at all, Victoria reveals that their lives just may have another role that, at the doorstep of homelessness and the indignity that can bring to a person, may have immeasurable value: purpose. “They are the only reason — some days — to get out of bed.” To contact Michelle and Victoria: onephoenixfire@yahoo.com
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OUR PEOPLE
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Q+A MOIRA MOREL
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY? Latina Butch Lezzie WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? Camera Assistant/Filmmaker/Smasher of the Patriarchy HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN PORTLAND/OREGON? WHAT DO YOU LOVE/HATE ABOUT IT? I moved to Portland in November of 2005. I love the beauty and geography of the city. I also love the visibility that we, as queer people, have in the city. The thing that I think Portland is most lacking is cultural and ethnic diversity. It's frustrating and disappointing that a city as high profile as Portland has become, that it continues to hide behind its liberalism/ "progressive" politics and completely ignores issues of race and the marginalization of its people of color. This goes for both the straight and queer community. WHAT’S YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT OR A PASSION YOU HAVE THAT NO ONE WOULD GUESS? My childhood affinity towards dinosaurs, which has carried into adulthood, is probably both "secret passion" and "embarrassing moment."
Photo by Horace Long
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO OR REVERE IN THE GAY COMMUNITY OR HISTORICALLY? A few of my queer heroes, in no particular order, are Cherríe L. Moraga, Joan Jett, Thomas Lauderdale, Sini Anderson and Anne Bonney. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION WITHIN THE QUEER COMMUNITY? Everyone has their prejudices, even gay people. So, yes.
Be a part of Q&A. Send a short note to editor@justout.com and tell us about yourself or a friend.
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Q+A
COUNSELING
Marketplace
CHAZ VITALE
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY? Queer WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? I create custom tattoos and peddle unicorn smut at Ritual Arts Tattoo and Body Piercing. I also teach and practice Reiki, a form of energy healing. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN PORTLAND/OREGON? WHAT DO YOU LOVE/HATE ABOUT IT? I landed in the sweet-blossomed bosom of Portlandia,12 years ago. I am still smitten with the optimistic whimsy of Portland. Competitive bearding, fat pride, joggers dressed as superheroes sprinting down MLK, dogs in nicer formal wear than their owners, naked bike parades, time-based arts happening in the streets, drool-inducing farm fresh fruit. WHAT’S YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT OR A PASSION YOU HAVE THAT NO ONE WOULD GUESS? My white hot passion for the melodic tones of my steel-bodied, resonator ukulele.
Photo by Horace Long
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO OR REVERE IN THE GAY COMMUNITY OR HISTORICALLY? My current heroes range from the witty and wise Judge Tonya Parker in Texas, to the gutterslut glamour Divine.
ATTENTION PAST JUST OUT ADVERTISERS As the new publisher of Just Out, we have made our best attempt to contact all past advertisers, especially those who may have prepaid for ads that didn't run under the previous publisher. Because the records we received were not complete, there is a chance that we missed you. If we did, it was not intentional and we want to make it right. However, we need to hear from you before July 10. 2012.
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HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION WITHIN THE QUEER COMMUNITY? Absolutely, and I have perpetuated it. Shaking off the shame can make a hot mess. There was a time that I attended exclusive events in the name of "safe space". Now that feels like flawed thinking to me. Safety is not sameness. WHAT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC THAT THE LGBT COMMUNITY SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT AND ISN'T? Our intersections.
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Kimberlee Van-Patten
July 2012
Calendar 6 th
GAG: A DRAG/COMEDY SHOWCASE The once-monthly show features some hilarious drag acts alongside an exceptional selection from Portland's stand-up comedy scene. Nathan Brannon, (Portland's Funniest Person Finalist), Anthony Lopez (Bumpershoot), Jon Washington and Christen Manville, as well as comedic drag performances by Artemis Chase (creator of Peep Show) and Adrienne Alexander. Co-hosted by Whitney Streed and Saturn.
Carlos Silva
Red Cap Garage (1035 SW Stark) 21+ Doors 9 p.m., Show 9:30 p.m. FREE.
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th La Femme Magnifique
LA FEMME MAGNIFIQUE OREGON PAGEANT/OREGON PLUS "Hats! Hats! Hats!" is the theme of this year's pageant. Wear your favorite hat, win a prize. Darcelle XV Showplace (208 NW 3rd) Doors 5 p.m., pageant 6 p.m. $15 lafemmemagnifiquepageant.com
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Portland Latino Gay Pride
st PORTLAND LATINO GAY PRIDE FEST 2012 THE FESTIVAL IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE PLGP CELEBRATION AND BRINGS TOGETHER NEARLY 800 – 1000 ATTENDEES EACH YEAR. THE MAIN STAGE HAS A LINE UP OF TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES, LOCAL & REGIONAL ENTERTAINERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, PUBLIC OFFICIALS, AND NON-STOP DJ MUSIC . ADD FOOD AND DRINK FOR AN EVEN BETTER TIME.
Q Center (4115 N. Mississippi Ave.) 10 a.m. - noon. Light snacks will be provided. More Calendar info:
PURE SPACE (1315 NW Overton) 21 & OVER $5 SUGGESTED DONATION. LATINOGAYPRIDEPDX.COM
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QPOP!: QUEER PARENTS OF PORTLAND A social and support group that meets at Q Center the fourth Saturday of every month. QPoP! is for all queer parents, no matter your gender. This group embraces community and is meant to provide the support of other queer parents in the Portland Metro Area. It is also an opportunity for our young ones to meet other young ones and play.
pdxQcenter.org HRC'S PORTLAND WOMEN'S 3X3 BASKETBALL TOURNEY 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Irving Park (NE 7th & Fremont) HRC.ORG for registration info and tickets July 2012
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