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THE MORE THINGS CHANGE… In honor of what’s sure to be a very heated election season, this issue we’ve looked to democracy as our guiding light. For us, our theme doesn’t simply represent politics, though you’ll find plenty of political heat in these pages. What drives democracy? Well, that runs the gamut. But, in a word: change. Like making change — from Oregon’s Stonewall Democrats pushing an equality agenda all the way to Washington, D.C., to our own Cameron Whitten exhibiting the sort of passion and wherewithal that made the hardest, most skeptic heart take notice. There are accidental activists, too — like the trans women recently banned from the P Club. As we’ve shown before, and will again, we won’t stand idly by when blatant discrimination rears its head. Make no mistake, we’re a diverse people — a disparate group committed to a variety of causes. And in this midst of a culture war that showcases some nasty rhetoric, it’s heartening — and reassuring — to see so many queer folks leading the charge — together. You’ll find many of them in our pages, with much more to come. One last change we must mention: Red Cap Garage, a venue that’s played host to Lady Bunny, Joey Arias, Drag Race — and over two decades of our collective memories, is closing its doors for good. Some call it progress, pointing to dozens of queer nights all over town. It’s true, we’re lucky — ours is an exceptionally accepting city. But aren’t we at least a little sad to see another landmark call it quits? (Oh, if those bathroom walls could talk.) Do experiences like those at the P Club prove we need LGBTQ-specific spots? These are all questions and trends we’ll tackle in the days and months ahead. For now, sit back, find a shaded, grassy knoll, and take in all the queer goings-on we’ve compiled for you, democracy-style. -The PQ Monthly Team
COVER IMAGE: By photographer Jeffrey Horvitz, PQ Monthly
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A SMATTERING OF WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE: The state of queer rights: From Washington, D.C., to Washington State................................................... page 6 NoPo bar accused of kicking out trans women........................................................................................ page 6 Veterans Transition Corps helps soldiers become civilians...................................................................... page 9 Stonewall Democrats make their mark...................................................................................................... page 10 Fat activists work toward an inclusive movement..................................................................................... page 16 Local Eagle Scouts on being ‘morally straight’ and proudly gay............................................................ page 17 Why we walk: Stories from and about AIDS Walk...................................................................................... page 24 Art not for the faint of heart: TBA:12 and Cock Gallery............................................................................. pages 23 & 24 Fun in (and out of) the sun: Staycations and summer parties.................................................................. pages 31 & 32 Columns: LGBTQ Legal Outlook; The Lady Chronicles; Whiskey & Sympathy; Rain City; Purple Elbows; Cultivating Life; and Eat, Drink, and Be Mary
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NEWS BRIEFS
BREVITY ROCKS! NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR LOCAL Former mayoral candidate and Occupy activist Cameron Whitten ended his 55day hunger strike for housing rights on July 25 with a ceremonial bite from a custommade vegan Voodoo Donuts pastry. Whitten said that while his demands were not met, the strike achieved a number of victories, from mobilizing activists and raising awareness, to Mayor Photo by Erin Rook, PQ Monthly S a m A d a m s ’ Cameron Whitten announcement of a Regional Housing Summit, to be held on a date to be determined this fall. Keep up with Whitten’s latest actions at cameronwhitten.com. Red Cap Garage will celebrate its final day of business Aug. 18. The Stark Street gay bar confirmed reports of its pending closure on July 31 via Facebook. According to sources familiar with the sale, Aura nightclub is also expected to close, while other properties held by Red Cap’s ownership are expected to remain open. Red Cap said that Boxxes, Fish Grotto, and the Fez will remain open and undergo renovations. Read more about the sale of Red Cap, reactions from the community, and what’s coming next at pqmonthly.com.
Pride Northwest, the organization that puts on the Portland Pride Festival and Parade, has launched an online fundraising campaign to support the annual celebration as well as ongoing community safety efforts. Pride NW said the goal for the “$5 Online Donation Drive,” which seeks to be accessible to those impacted by the tough economic times, is to raise $5,000 by Sept. 15. If you passed on the optional gate donation at Pride this year, now might be the time to pony up. Visit pridenw.org for details on how to donate. Looking for a more active way to give back to the community? Consider volunteering for Dream Zone, the first and only support group for LGBTQIPA youth in East Portland. (No, Portland doesn’t end at 82nd Avenue.) The Youth Planning Program grant that sustained the group recently ran out, leaving Dream Zone in desperate need of both youth and adult volunteer staff. Holler at Dream Zone President Edgar Cedeno (dream_teampdx@gmail.com) if you can help out, and find Dream Zone on Facebook, Twitter, and online at dreamzonepdx.webs.com.
Fermín Martínez
One active local youth nabbed the 2012 Portland Latino Gay Pride Scholarship. Oregon State University student and Beaverton High School gradu-
ate Fermín Martínez received the inaugural $1,000 award, presented in partnership with Equity Foundation. Martínez was a leader in his high school Gay-Straight Alliance and organized a school-wide observance of National Day of Silence in which more than 300 students participated. Learn more about Martínez at latinogaypridepdx.com. In other happy news, Portland couple Cory Murphy and Matthew Helmkamp won the Historic Old Church’s “Start Your Dreams Where Time Stands Still” wedding giveaway, entitling them to a ceremony and reception valued at $1,500. The couple met while attending Heald College; Murphy is now on staff with Pride NW and Helmkamp is studying library science at Portland Community College. The Aug. 25 ceremony will be co-officiated by Mayor Matthew Helmkamp and Cory Murphy Sa m A d a m s and Reverend Nathan Meckley of Metropolitan Community Church.
NATIONAL The Democratic Party is poised to add support for marriage equality and a transinclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to its platform. The language was unanimously approved by the Platform Committee and awaits ratification at September’s national convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan Presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney selected Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate Aug. 11. Ryan supports a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and opposes gay adoption and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
WORLD LGBTQ folks in Uganda and Vietnam recently held their first-ever public Pride celebrations. While state of LGBTQ rights is evolving in Vietnam, Ugandans still face a real risk of violence and arrest. Madonna gave the finger to Russia’s ban on LGBTQ speech in a recent St. Petersburg concert. The pop star gave a speech on LGBTQ rights, showed video of same-sex couples kissing, and passed out pink wristbands during the sold out show.
FABULOUSPDX PUBLISHER FACES CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGES By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
Robert Paul Patton, a 43-year-old registered sex offender and Milwaukie resident, has been indicted on a number of felony sex offense charges, including one count of child sexual abuse in the first degree and 62 counts of possessing child pornography. The former Sherwood High School principal is best known to the LGBTQ community as the publisher of FabulousPDX.com, a website that aggregates news from various media sources, including PQ Monthly. Patton was arrested June 13 on charges he sexually abused a 12year-old boy. Though Patton made bail and was released, police allegedly found child pornography on his computer and arrested him again July 18, according to Prosecutor Ryan Lufkin. As of press time, Patton was being held in the Multnomah County Jail on $700,000 bail. Child sexual abuse in pqmonthly.com
the first degree is a Measure 11 offense and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 75 months. The alleged abuse by Patton was reported by the 12year-old, as part of a report including accusations against other adult men, Lufkin says. According to the prosecution’s probable cause affidavit, “… [Patton] slept in the same bed as [the child] and another male named Jonny. [The child] reported that he gave the defendant a hand job. Jonny, when interviewed, confirmed that the defendant and [the child] were sleeping in the bed together and kissing. [The child] reported that this occurred in the summer of 2011.” Lufkin says the prosecution believes that Jonny Bladimir Landa-Aburto — who is currently being held in Washington County on charges including sodomy, sexual abuse, and luring a minor — served as a “facilitator.” “What we believe is that Johnny’s role seems to be to match up kids with other older males,” Lufkin says. Two other men have been arrested on related sex abuse charges. Víctor Fernán Gonzáles-Sánchez was arrested Jan. 27 on one count of sodomy in the first degree and two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree. Kelvin LeónMorales was arrested Feb. 1 on charges of sodomy in the
second and third degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, and displaying child sexual conduct. Both men are being held in Washington County. Patton’s trial is currently scheduled for Sept. 10, though neither Lufkin nor Patton’s attorney, Josh Gibbs, expect it will happen that soon. “These type of allegations are really serious. There’s just a lot to get sorted out,” Gibbs says. He declined to comment further on the case. This is not the first time Patton has faced such charges. He was convicted in 2003 of two counts of sexual abuse in the third degree involving a 16-year-old boy and one count of possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to six months in prison and one year in a halfway house. As a result of those convictions, Patton is required to register as a sex offender for life. He first re-appeared on police radar when he failed to do so within 10 days of his Dec. 13 birthday in 2011. Patton is not currently listed on the public database of Oregon sex offenders, which only shares information about sex offenders who have been designated as “predatory” — meaning that they present a high risk of re-offending or are considered a “sexually violent dangerous offender” under Oregon law. August/September 2012 •
NEWS
THE STATE OF QUEER RIGHTS FROM WASHINGTON D.C. TO WASHINGTON STATE By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
From the president’s support of marriage equality to the fight for the freedom to marry in Washington State, it’s been an eventful, and mostly positive, year for LGBTQ rights — and it seems poised to get even better. But before we look at the battles on the horizon, let’s review some of the year’s highlights. VICTORIES IN 2012 • Maine became the first state to proactively seek marriage equality via the ballot. • Delaware and Hawaii become the seventh and eight states to enact civil unions laws. • Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley sign marriage equality into law. (Both laws face challenges on the ballot; more on the Washington referendum after the recap). • Bans on same-sex marriage were ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Proposition 8), U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White (Defense of Marriage Act), the First Circuit Court of Appeals (DOMA), U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken (DOMA), and a federal judge in Connecticut (DOMA). • President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to announce his support for same-sex marriage. • The Democratic Party’s draft platform includes support for marriage equality and a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and awaits approval at the national convention in September. • Protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity were adopted at Texas A&M University and in Baltimore County, Maryland; South Bend, Indiana; Omaha, Nebraska; Harrisville, Utah,; and Springville, Utah. • Rep. Tammy Baldwin is poised to follow up her tenure as the first out lesbian member of Congress by becoming the first out lesbian in the Senate. • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service affirmed that the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
Volunteers with Washington United for Marriage drummed up awareness and support for Referendum 74 during the Portland Pride Festival in June. PENDING BATTLES Not bad for the first eight months. But as the November elections approach, there is much work to be done. Close to home, the biggest battle is in Washington, where voters will weigh in on marriage equality via Referendum 74. The bill would grant same-sex couples the right to marry while allowing religious organizations to refuse to perform, recognize, or accommodate same-sex marriage ceremonies. Washington United for Marriage raised more than $3.3 million in July to support the Yes on R-74 campaign, thanks to a $2.5 million donation from Amazon.com owners Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. The organization will use the funds on advertising and other campaign efforts.
Photo by Julie Cortez, PQ Monthly
Aside from donating to the campaign and (of course) voting “yes” on Nov. 6, how can supporters of marriage equality in SW Washington support the fight for equality? Drew Griffin, lead organizer for Equality Southwest Washington and campaign manager for Approve Ref. 74, suggests connecting with Washington United for Marriage. Vancouverites will have an opportunity to do just that Aug. 21 when WUM outreach specialist Maren Lundgren comes to town for a speakers’ bureau training. Contact Lundgren at maren@waunited.org for more information. But what about Oregonians? Though folks living south of the Columbia River can’t support R-74 with a vote, they queer rights page 30
NOPO BAR ACCUSED OF KICKING OUT TRANS WOMEN By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
Cassandra Lynn says her group visited the bar weekly without incident for two years. • August/September 2012
North Portland bar P Club (formerly the Portsmouth Pizza Pub) is facing accusations of illegal discrimination and an investigation by the Bureau of Labor and Industries following a tip from members of the Rose City T-Girls, a local social group for transgender women. “We had been going to the P Club about two years on Friday nights, and in that time we never had a complaint or had an issue with any of the regular customers that we knew of,” says RCTG member Susan Miller, who identifies as a cross-dresser. “We are not out to cause problems or draw attention to ourselves; we just wanted a place to go on a night with friends and have an enjoyable evening out just like anyone else.” Cassandra Lynn, a founding member of the group, says
P Club owner Chris Penner called and left her two voicemails stating that he did not want the group to return. The messages, which Lynn recorded on a YouTube video and sent out to attorneys, suggest that the group’s presence is giving the bar a reputation that is hurting business. “I’m going to have to ask for you, Cass, and your group not to come back on Friday nights. I really don’t like having to do that but unfortunately it’s the area we’re in and its hurting business a lot,” the June 18 message left on Lynn’s cell phone says. A second message, left on June 21, reinforces the idea that the group’s presence was bad for business: “I’ve done some investigating why my sales are declining and there’s two things I keep hearing: People think that a) we’re a tranny bar or b) we’re a gay bar. We are neither. People are not coming in because they just don’t want P CLUB page 30
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THIS MONTH IN QUEER HISTORY AUGUST
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August has been a mixed bag for queers in sports. On the one hand, it brought us tennis player Renee Richards (1934) and the first Gay Games in San Francisco (1982). Yet, in 2000, gays were still fighting for acceptance in the stands, let along on the field. A security officer kicked a lesbian couple out of an LA Dodgers game for kissing. The outrage around the incident motivated the team to not only apologize, but also create the first “gay night� in professional baseball. Pride continues around the world in August, bringing the first celebrations in Prague, Czech Republic (2011) and Liverpool, U.K. (2010). In August 2007, Democratic presidential hopefuls participated in the first-ever live televised debate focused on LGBTQ issues with LOGO. Also worth celebrating is the anniversary of the first nationwide gay rights measures in Argentina (2008) and legalization of same-sex marriage in Wisconsin (2009). Back in the ’50s, news publications didn’t cover LGBTQ folks, they exposed them. Even the New York Times entrapped a man (1953) wanted for “consensual sodomy� (AKA having sex with his male lover) by publishing a false ad from his mother and turning the man’s letter of response over to police, leading to his arrest. In other stories of newspapers behaving badly, a Cleveland publication reported on two men found naked in a puddle, adding dryly: “It is supposed they were cleaning out the gutter� (1855).
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Closer to home, the Oregon Territory makes official its antisodomy law in 1848. A Portland newspaper reports on the law’s usage against a gay couple whose neighbor reported them to the police. The sodomy law also puts gays at increased risk of sterilization in 1935 when the Oregon governor says that sex offenders can only be pardoned after being sterilized. He goes so far as to suggest expanding the state’s sterilization law, drawing inspiration from Nazi Germany. Yikes. On a lighter note, happy August birthdays to writer James Baldwin (1924), fashion designer Tom Ford (1961), DJ and Lindsay Lohan ex Samantha Ronson (1977), and musician and DJ JD Samson (Le Tigre, MEN). Sources: On This Gay Day (onthisgayday.blogspot.com) and the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific NW (glapn.org) Sodomy Laws Calendar. pqmonthly.com
VETERANS TRANSITION CORPS HELPS SOLDIERS BECOME CIVILIANS By Nick Mattos
example. The Department of Defense numbers of women ... claim that one in three female soldiers will be assaulted by fellow Ian LaVallee, a veteran of the Iraq War who soldiers during their time serving. And that’s served in the Army from 2005 to 2006, found the DOD’s numbers, which are often lower that serving his country was difficult before, than the reality.” Perhaps even more painful than the psychic injuries, though, is the rift that some veterans see between their perspective and that of those around them. “For many returning veterans,” he explains, “everyday American life can seem inane, and the things that people care about can seem meaningless. We have a different level of what we see as being important, worth knowing about and paying attention [to]. Seeing someone care more about some reality television show than what is happening to their neighbors, their city, or the world can be very alienating and disconnecting.” Even after the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, queer veterans can run into even more problems of abuse and alienation. “People who served under DADT and were outed for revealing their sexual identity are Ian LaVallee hopes to help other veterans rediscover “a different kind of normal.” sometimes seen as during, and after his service. ‘evil soldiers’ amongst some veterans “[Military personnel are] indoctrinated [for being discharged],” says LaVallee, into a world that is very different than civil- who identifies as queer. “Even without ian life,” he explains. “The military takes a lot DADT, there’s rampant homophobia of time to train us to live in this military culture and misogyny in military culture, and and in combat zones. Serving can be very life- folks are still afraid to stand up to it for changing, very stressful, very visceral. It can fear of repercussions.” be difficult to come back from these extreme In order to ease this transition for situations of life and death to a different kind all veterans, LaVallee started a dialogue of normal.” with fellow veterans he met while parThrough his newly-founded nonprofit, the ticipating in the Occupy Portland proVeterans Transition Corps, LaVallee is aiming tests. to help other veterans ease the transition from “We wanted to do something that military to civilian life. created space in the community for In LaVallee’s view, military personnel aren’t veterans to meet one another and given adequate resources to help them come approach their experiences, and to back from their experiences serving. help one another out,” he says. “There’s very little provided for transition,” From this inspiration came the Vethe says. “There’s no boot camp to bring you erans Transition Corps. back to civilian life.” “We are a non-partisan, non-political orgaAs a result, many veterans suffer from the nization that is open to all veterans — be they lingering effects of their service in a tortured combat or non-combat, U.S. Military or othersilence. “It can be post-traumatic stress,” wise. All of our founding members and board LaVallee explains, “it can be just alienation, members are post-9/11 veterans, but we’re and it can be physical injuries. There’s a large also working with veterans from the Gulf War prevalence of military sexual trauma, for era and the Cold War era,” LaVallee says. “We PQ Monthly
even have some Vietnam veterans who are working with us, as well as people from the Israeli Armed Forces. We want to help all veterans to self-actualize in the most healthy, productive ways that they can.” The VTC’s pilot program, Boots to Roots, aims to provide veterans with sustainable agriculture-based education, employment, and therapy opportunities through the philosophy and practices of permaculture. “We have about two-dozen veterans involved in this pilot, being instructed by two military veteran permaculture instructors, one from Australia and another from the U.S. Army,” LaVallee explains. “This horticultural therapy encourages people to work with the land and make it more abundant than when they arrived.” In the long-term, the VTC aims to unify and connect veterans and resources, both through their own offerings as well as partnering with other holistic veteran transition organizations such as the Returning Veterans Project, the Warrior Writers Project, and the Combat Paper Project. “Ultimately,” LaVallee says, “I’d have to have a permanent retreat space that can integrate all of these — to have a site where vets can hike, do writing retreats, yoga retreats. My personal interest is to do wilderness therapy, because for me I arrived at my relationship with the land through the wilderness. It was transformative for me to relate to the source of my physical and spiritual abundance through things like hunting and wildcrafting.” The VTC is a growing organization, and they are actively looking for folks who want to get on-board with their mission of holistic healing for those who have served our country. “We’re looking for people who want to collaborate with us, be they veterans or not, who are interested in helping us to achieve these goals,” LaVallee s a y s. “A n yo n e who is willing to help and create open and compassionate community with us to help veterans transition is welcome. And, please, send us yo u r ve t s ! We always want to connect with more vets who are interested in collaborating and participating in our programs.”
“EVEN WITHOUT DADT, THERE’S RAMPANT HOMOPHOBIA AND MISOGYNY IN MILITARY CULTURE, AND FOLKS ARE STILL AFRAID TO STAND UP TO IT FOR FEAR OF REPERCUSSIONS.”
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For more information on the Veterans Transition Corps, check out veteranstransitioncorps. com/ or call 360-388-1242.
FEATURES
Beyond the VA: More innovative resources for veterans The Returning Veterans Project — Provides free and low-cost mental health services, acupuncture, chiropractic and naturopathic care, and other complimentary and alternative medical services for returning veterans and their families in Oregon and Southwest Washington. 503-954-2259, www.returningveterans.org/ The Combat Paper Project — Hosts art therapy workshops in which veterans create fabric and paper out of their combat uniforms to enable veterans a creative catharsis while broadening the traditional narrative surrounding service and military culture. www.combatpaper.org/ Warrior Writers Project — Hosts workshops in writing, painting, photography, and a host of other mediums to facilitate veterans sharing their stories; publishes anthologies of poetry, prose, and art by veterans to bring their narratives to the public. www.warriorwriters.org/ The David Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness — Provides scholarships for instruction in Transcendental Meditation, programs for veterans’ groups, and research into meditation as an evidence-based treatment of PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression in veterans. www.operationwarriorwellness.org/ The Farmer Veteran Coalition — Mobilizes farming communities to create healthy and viable futures for veterans by enlisting their help in building a green economy, rebuilding rural communities, and securing a safe and healthy food supply for all. The coalition seeks to simultaneously assist the farming community by developing a new generation of farmers and to help our returning veterans find viable careers and means to heal on America’s farms. www. farmvetco.org/ Mosaic Foundation — Hosts Voices of Veterans, Voices of War retreats that bring together returning soldiers with older veterans and mental health professionals in order to create ritual, ceremony, and healing art. www. mosaicvoices.org August/September 2012 •
FEATURES
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE CHALLENGING THE ‘TWO-PARTY DUOPOLY’
ing,” she says, “but it still has a little ways to go in really understanding LGBTQ issues. However, they’re definitely affirming. I think part of my job is educating other Greens, the same way that other Greens educate me about the realities of racism.” Lugo feels that a critical aspect of achieving truly queer-affirming third parties is community involvement and leadership in the parties themselves. “I think that if GLBTQ people were more prominent in the party’s leadership, that would be excellent,” she says. “What we need to do as a party as a whole is to attract more progressive Democrats. Many progressives are Greens already, but they’re afraid to be part of the Party because they buy into the two-party duopoly. The Green party can’t do more for the GLBTQ community until members of the community participate in the party.”
THE CONSTITUTION PARTY
Christina Jean Lugo has found that the Pacific Green Party stood for the things she believes in. By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
Voters who seek options beyond the Republican and Democratic Parties have an exceptionally diverse array of third-party options in Oregon’s political landscape. Equally diverse, though, is the degree to which these parties represent queer equality and the interests of queer individuals with their policies and platforms. Here, PQ presents three individuals from three very different parties as they explain why they are affiliated with their particular party, the ideologies that inform their party’s queer policies, and some of the challenges that third parties face in a two-party system.
THE PACIFIC GREEN PARTY “I’ve been a member of the Green Party for about 20 years,” says Christina Jean Lugo, secretary of the Pacific Green Party and congressional candidate in the Fifth District. “Ralph [Nader, a former Green Party presidential candidate] was the bait, but the Green Party platforms totally won me over — talking about peace, ecology, and thinking about the future and our responsibilities towards it. They’re a feminist party, and GLBTQaffirming, anti-racist. Everything that they stood for was something I believed in. I stayed with them, even after I became disillusioned with Ralph.” The Pacific Green Party is Oregon’s local expression of the national Green Party, whose guiding principles emphasize environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace, and nonviolence. As an expression of this, the party is highly supportive of full queer equality and respect. “When I came out [as transgender],” Lugo offers as an example, “everyone [in the local party] was really good right away in using the proper pronoun. They’ve been very supportive on an individual level.” A member of the national Green Party’s Lavender Caucus, Lugo helps educate and guide the party to be more aware and considerate of LGBTQ issues. “I’d say that the party as a whole is LGBTQ-affirm10 • August/September 2012
Not all third parties have queer representation in their membership — or even want it. “We are unaware of any Constitution Party members who identify as gay or lesbian,” says Constitution Party of Oregon Chairman Jack Alan Brown Jr. “If there are, they have not registered with our party because of that identity, and they have not notified us.” Originally founded as the U.S. Taxpayer’s Party in 1991 and later absorbing the American Independent Party, the Constitution Party upholds a paleoconservative sensibility that stresses limited government, anticorporatism, anti-federalism, and strong religious and national identity. The party is unapologetically and explicitly Bible-based, and strict Christian concepts of morality and ethics suffuse the party’s policies. “We believe with religious fervor,” notes Brown when talking about the party’s stance on queer equality, “that every human being has God-given rights, but not because of how they live or what their sexual inclinations are. People do not lose those rights because of lifestyle choices they make, nor do they earn special favor in society by those choices. For the good of society in general, the public behavior of people has limits, and parents definitely have the right to shield their children from those who would direct them into different lifestyles.” “Having said the above,” he continues, “I would be remiss if I failed to point out that people are accountable to God for how they choose and what they do. I believe I speak for most (if not all) members of our party when I say that we do not believe that God’s favor will be focused on our nation if people ignore what He clearly says about certain behaviors including, but not limited to, sexual misconduct.”
THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY “Myself, I see gay and lesbian issues as being wrapped up in the broader issues,” explains Dean Shelton, a member of the Progressive Party. “I see the issue of marriage equality being part of the broader issue of equal rights for all people. There are a lot of people in this country and this world that are denied basic human rights and privilege.” Originally founded as the Oregon Peace Party in 2008, the Progressive Party takes a big-picture view of VIVE LA DIFFERENCE page 24
STONEWALL DEMS MAKE THEIR MARK IN OREGON — AND NATIONALLY By Daniel Borgen PQ Monthly
It’s nearly political convention time, and with that comes the familiar barrage of advertisements, speeches, debates — all of which is ramped up even more in the heat of a presidential election year. LGBTQ rights have, as most everyone knows, sprung to the forefront of the national debate: marriage, adoption, Chick-fil-A, you name it — it’s probably queer-related. In addition to the big, welcome news that the Democratic Party will include marriage equality in its platform, it’s comforting to know there are plenty of Oregonians working Joey Kerns hard here at home to ensure equality remains at the forefront. Case in point: the Oregon Stonewall Democrats. Otherwise known as the Democratic Party of Oregon’s LGBTQ Caucus, the Stonewall Dems honed in on specific Legislative Action Items (otherwise known as political objectives) during the state convention and made sure ample queer representation makes it to the National Convention. “We were successful in getting 15 self-identified LGBT individuals elected delegates to the DNC Convention, which exceeded our goal by seven,” said Joey Kerns, who serves as caucus chair. “We employed a strategy that helped boil down a complex, statewide process so that our members knew what conventions to sign up for and so they knew which candidates to support. By voting in bloc, strategizing, and forming coalitions, we ensured LGBT representation from Oregon at the DNC Convention.” But their work didn’t end there. Here at home during the party’s convention held this past April, the Stonewall Democrats added four Legislative Action Items (LAIs) to this year’s Democratic Party of Oregon’s platform. Of those four, two received enough votes to be considered “top priority” by the party. The two priorities: to immediately pass the fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, along with ensuring full marriage equality for same-sex Oregon couples. “LAIs express the vision and goals of the party,” Kerns said. “This means we have the Democratic Party of Oregon on record and focused on supporting marriage equality, the repeal of DOMA, fully inclusive ENDA, among other LGBT issues. This great success represents months of strategizing and planning by caucus members.” The other two pieces of the platform are: to adopt a non-discriminatory “comprehensive Oregon health care system that provides universal coverage accessible to all Oregonians” and to assure “freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity as modeled by the Oregon Equality Act.” That’s quite an agenda — and one that undoubtedly puts equality at the forefront this election year and beyond. But it’s not all policy-making and agenda-following. When November comes around, folks also have to win races. On that front, the LGBT Caucus has honed in on some races they see as key to their success. “We, of course, support all Democrats in the election,” Kerns explained. “But we have decided to support [Oregon Secretary of State] Kate Brown, [State Representative candidate] Claudia Kyle, [State Rep] Tina Kotek, and have officially endorsed Nena Cook for Oregon Supreme Court.” For more on the Democratic Party of Oregon’s LGBTQ Caucus visit www.stonewalloregon.org. pqmonthly.com
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August/September 2012 • 11
LGBTQ LEGAL OUTLOOK DEMOCRACY AND MARRIAGE EQUALITY By Mark Johnson Roberts Attorney at Law
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Portland attorney Mark Johnson Roberts is a former president of the National LGBT Bar Association and of the Oregon State Bar. He practices family law at the Gevurtz Menashe law firm with a particular focus on LGBT family law issues. He can be reached at markj@gevurtzmenashe.com.
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This month, P Q Mo n t h l y introduces a column on legal issues affecting the LGBTQ community. I am an out, gay family law attorney practicing in Portland. My practice is mostly straight divorces, but I work with LGBT clients as well. Usually I am dissolving relationships, but I also do adoption and surrogacy work and the whole range of family law issues as they affect sexual and gender minorities. Although my particular practice is in family law, I plan for the column to be more wide-ranging, dealing with current legal issues whatever they may be. I welcome your comments and your suggestions for future columns. This month’s focus is on democracy and, in particular, the importance of public LGBTQ participation. Sadly, the democratic process in America has rarely served our community well. Nowhere is this more evident than in the abuse of the initiative and referendum processes to deny basic civil rights to gay Americans. It’s apparent to anyone who thinks about it for a moment that no one’s individual rights should be the subject of a popular vote. That said, courts have been unwilling to limit the use of the initiative in this way. For good or ill, popular vote is the system we’ve inherited and we have to live with it for now. The good news is, after years of being pummeled in state after state where marriage equality was rejected at the ballot
box, we are well positioned to win in as many as four states this November. In Minnesota, our adversaries have placed yet another “defense of marriage” constitutional amendment on the ballot. Maine voters are being asked proactively to approve the freedom to marry. Right here in Washington, the legislature passed a marriage equality bill this year that our opponents have made the subject of a ballot referendum. The same is happening in Maryland. The time to start winning these measures at the ballot is now. Public opinion in support of marriage equality is strong — now over half of Americans — and getting stronger. The ability to win statewide votes is one of the few rhetorical advantages remaining to opponents of marriage equality. It has been clear for a long time that the tides of history were on our side. What is needed now is to turn those tides into electoral results. In Washington State, the civil union bill passed in 2009 was also put on the ballot, and the voters approved it. Washington voters, in other words, have already heard the arguments for and against LGBTQ relationship rights and have come down decisively on our side. Each of us — whether we live in Washington or not — should make a personal commitment to do what we can to help persuade the voters to do the right thing again. Donations to the campaign can be made at w w w.washingtonunitedformarriage.org. And our own Basic Rights Oregon is organizing local volunteer efforts. Contact Kyle White at kyle@ basicrights.org to volunteer. Together, we can make marriage discrimination a thing of the past.
PQMONTHLY.COM • FACEBOOK.COM/PQMONTHLY 12 • August/September 2012
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PERSPECTIVES
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
What is democracy? The general consensus seems to be that it has to do with power being held by the people, rather than the government, the military, or religious leaders. But the specifics vary from person to person. On one end of the spectrum, democracy might look like engaging with the political system by voting or even running for office. On the other, it might involve civil disobedience and other attention-getting measures — like Cameron Whitten’s recent 55-day hunger strike outside City Hall — aimed at influence the institutions of power from the outside. In the spirit of democracy, we asked local LGBTQ folks to chime in on that muchdebated topic and the ways they participate (or don’t) in politics. A few respondents questioned whether the United States is, in fact, a democracy. All said they had a part to play, whether invited to do so or not. More perspectives will be available online at pqmonthly.com. We invite you to join in the conversation and tell us what you think democracy looks like.
ALEX HORSEY
Age: 16 Preferred Pronoun and Identity Word(s): He/ Him/His City/Neighborhood: Portland (St. Johns) Political Affiliation: None stated What does democracy mean to you? To me, democracy is about having a voice. I guess my idea of democracy has less to do with everyone agreeing and more about everyone listening. Do you participate in any kind of political action? It’d be easy to say that because I can’t vote at my age, I can’t do anything. I still have a voice, and I consider it my duty as a young person of this world to use it. I make calls and write letters and emails to our elected officials about bills and issues that I care about, and in July I actually had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby in person. I believe that having a voice is more than just using it towards politicians, though. What we can and need to do is talk to each other about these issues.
NATALIE MARIE
Age: 32 Preferred Pronoun and Identity Word(s): She/ Her/Ms. City/Neighborhood: NE Portland, 17th and Alberta Political Affiliation: Registered Libertarian with radical tendencies What does democracy mean to you? Democracy is the active participator y governing of society by its people. Decisions in a democracy are made by a majority rule. It does not function well in large modern societies as there is no method of ensuring that every member is participating and/or being represented. Democracy therefore is much more useful in smaller localized communities, as the needs of all those which will be affected by decisions made, can be taken into consideration, accurately represented, and protected from bias, exploitation, and corruption, by competing interests. Do you participate in any kind of political action (protest, vote, lobby, etc.)? How do you engage in democracy? I participate by voting on local issues and candidates, advocacy, protest, civil disobedience and direct action, when warranted. I also actively speak my mind, feelings, thoughts, engage in grassroots organizing, education, and support local events [and] business[es] as well as engage in critical thinking to find constructive solutions, at all times. pqmonthly.com
TY CHANCE
Age: 35 Preferred Pronoun and Identity Word(s): He, Trans City/Neighborhood: Portland/Kenton Political Affiliation: Democrat What does democracy mean to you? It means having, unequivocally, the right to choose and not be denied choice through economic, social, or cultural barriers. Do you participate in any kind of political action? I attend protests, political performances, readings, vote, table, and engage my political community on a regular basis. Whether through attendance or creative contributions, I think visibility is still one of the most powerful tools to possess as an activist.
CARYN BROOKS
Age: less Preferred Pronoun and Identity Word(s): She is a standard-issue Sapphic City/Neighborhood: Roseway Political Affiliation: Heart in Oregon What does democracy mean to you? Democracy means that even the people who are totally wrong according to the high court of Caryn Brooks have the same power to try to summon support and activate change as those who are totally right according to the high court of Caryn Brooks. Do you participate in any kind of political action? Currently I work within the system in the office of Mayor Sam Adams where I am the communications director. During my tenure I’ve taken part in everything from the mundane-but-important act of filing council documents so an issue can be heard by the City Commissioners to working on communications and outreach on these same measures. I have voted in every Presidential election (and most every other one, too) since I turned 18. In my past life as a journalist, I was often prohibited in participating directly in politics, which was a bummer. Having grandparents who fled Russia to escape the Cossacks that killed the rest of our family has instilled in me paranoia about power imbalance, an appreciation for this country despite attendant flaws, a deep distaste for any person on any end of the political spectrum who uses Nazi terminology to describe current events in America, a desire to speak out, and a soft spot for the underdog.
JAMES DIXON
Age: 32 Preferred Pronoun and Identity Word(s): The “he/him” pronouns work perfect for me and I identify as ‘queer.’ City/Neighborhood: “I live in Portland in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood. Political Affiliation: I am a Democrat. What does democracy mean to you? Democracy is my right to vote and more importantly my opportunity to be an active part of change in my community. Do you participate in any kind of political action? I jump at every opportunity that I have to sign petitions when I see people out and about. Even if I don’t support the initiative ... I sign it anyway because that means that we will all get a chance to decide as a community. I engage in democracy by taking advantage of every opportunity to educate myself on the “facts” not the general populous “fiction.” I challenge people to do their research when voting on measures and propositions. I also urge younger people to vote — especially younger members of our LGBTQ community. I keep hearing, ‘I don’t like either president so I won’t vote.’ That scares me because what they don’t know is that there are so many other things on that ballot that affect us on the state and city level and unlike the electoral vote for U.S. President, we get a majority vote. August/September 2012 • 13
OPINION
THE LADY CHRONICLES MEET YOUR NEWEST SUPER COUPLE: FRIED CHICKEN AND SOAP OPERAS By Daniel Borgen PQ Monthly
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This is a tale about how I met my favorite soap actress — and how she became the first woman to break my heart, with just a handful of words. First, some back-story: My memory isn’t the greatest. I remember faces, frozen moments — but there’s so little that plays like an old movie, start to finish. Usually I can barely recall conversations from last month’s Bridge Club, so imagine the effort it takes to mine specifics from years ago. (A lot of Ambien and vodka have passed these lips.) Most of the good stuff is like a parade of Polaroids — solid, real, with some improvised details holding them upright. But one narrative remains vivid: my best friend Ingrid and I watching “Days of Our Lives” every day throughout elementary school. I toss “best friend” around a lot, a leftover habit from high school, where I spent all my time clinging to anyone not offering commentary on my mannerisms or highpitched voice. But if there was ever a relationship properly deserving that moniker, it would be ours — and “Days” brought Ingrid and me together. During long, lazy walks home from school, we’d navigate old, now-forgotten neighborhoods in West Vancouver, discussing all manner of gossip. We were living, breathing incarnations of The Elementary School Times. We were also latchkey kids, so we’d take our time getting home — but we never took too long, because “Days” was waiting. My house came first, so I’d rush inside, turn on the TV, and wait for the phone to ring. It would — the wait always felt eternal — and Ingrid and I spent entire episodes on the phone together; we were hooked. We grew up poor and lived in one of the city’s most dilapidated neighborhoods so everything about “Days” entranced me. Beautiful, sprawling homes, the finest gowns and ensembles, the chiseled, often-shirtless men — “Days” was my gay oasis in a hopeless working-class desert. And the embodiment of my daily reverie: the blonde-haired, blue-eyed vision, Jennifer Horton. Since I don’t have 500 pages at my disposal, I can’t retrace all of Jennifer’s storylines here. Suffice it to say, my heroine went from rebellious teenager to crimestopper (she busted a high school coach’s drug cartel, foiled bank robberies, and dismantled prostitution rings) to queen of my heart, all while dealing with a mother locked away in a psychiatric hospital. Someday I’ll be as strong and talented as Jennifer, I thought. With the hunky heartthrob boyfriend to boot. Jen’s love life was
center stage — she landed many gorgeous men in the ensuing years. Another realistic goal I’d set for myself. (I’ve always blurred the lines of fantasy and reality a bit; it makes the mundane a little less so.) Fast forward two decades: I’m manning a coffee shop in deep Clark County, on the same side of town as my old neighborhood. It’s been awhile since I’ve abandoned my “Days” addiction — though I watched religiously through my mid-20s. One afternoon, two summers ago, a familiar, misplaced voice cut through the usual, monotonous hum of espresso machines and coffee milkshake blenders. I looked up; there she stood in all her glory (cue heaven’s spotlight), ordering her nonfat latte: Jennifer Horton. Talk about gussying up the ol’ café. I nearly came out of my skin. I’ve had my fair share of celebrity interactions (count Cameron Diaz and Grace Coddington among them), but none quite like her. We talked, dished, took photographs, retraced “Days” lore. She was in town (Vancouver?!) visiting friends, and stopped by several more times that summer. And I spent an eerily familiar amount of time on the phone with Ingrid offering play by plays. Then her visit ended and she left — her departure marked my last live glimpse of Jennifer Horton. As deep as my delusions run, they’re not so powerful that I fancied myself much more to her than a sweet (but crazed) fan. I hadn’t thought much about her of late, save for stolen moments on “Days” and the occasional Bible verse sent on Twitter, which probably should have prepared me for The Moment That Broke My Heart: — her excited, deep-fried tweet on National Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Without going verbatim on you, know it was some “land of the free, home of the brave, I love freedom of speech and fried chicken” bullshit. Because, you know, nothing says liberty like reprogramming gays and likening gay sex to demonic possession. Both are positions Chick-fil-A’s fearless leader has supported. (Interesting aside: demonic possession was a storyline on “Days.”) This isn’t about simply expressing an opinion, or slipping into a voting booth and quietly casting a vote on marriage equality. The lengths equality opponents go to, the ugly places they take the debate — it’s hatemongering venom being hollered from the hilltops. And it’s a particular kind of ironic if you’ve spent the vast majority of your life exerting all your creative energy making art that’s about serial killers, infidelity, and elaborate lies, schemes, and deception. Because nothing says “family values” and like a soap opera’s body of work.
Formerly Lady about Town, Daniel now pens TLC for your reading (dis)pleasure. Reach him at Daniel@PQMonthly.com Find him on Twitter: @danielborgen pqmonthly.com
OPINION
WHY I AM ENGAGED By Gregg Moreland
In my view, it does not matter on which side of the border you live or whether or not you support marriage equality. This will still affect you. This is Referendum 74 in Washington. This is the campaign to preserve the freedom to marry for all committed and loving couples in Washington. In February, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law a bill that would allow any two consenting adults to marry. On June 6, the day before the law would have gone into effect, the opponents to marriage equality submitted more than enough signatures to get it on the ballot, stopping the law from taking effect. Washington United for Marriage, a broad coalition of organizations, businesses, faith leaders, and individuals across the state, have organized one of the largest campaigns of this nature to persuade the voters of Washington to approve Referendum 74. Several people have come to me to express their strong opinions. Some say that they don’t think marriage equality should be our main focus right now, as we have many other battles to fight on our way toward equality. Some say they just don’t believe the government should be in the “marriage business.” This is a battle that has been given to us by our opponents and we did not choose it. We need to join together and unite to fight the challenge in front of us now. Why is this important to me? I am a single gay male in Oregon; marriage equality in Washington does not directly impact me. However, indirectly, I know this campaign will benefit everyone fighting for full equality. The work of educating voters on the issues we face in the LGBT community and the lives we lead will have a large impact on easing the discrimination we face every day in employment, housing, and bullying. OK, yes, in both Oregon and Washington we have good laws that protect all citizens from being denied employment and housing. However, as I have learned first hand, the personal bias of the employer filling a job or renting their property will still be present and might be visible in more abstract ways so that they can still discriminate — but not in such a way that they are caught breaking a law. So, a broad campaign such as this will help change the hearts and minds of those who have bias against us and really that is how we will eventually achieve full equality. The campaign to approve Referendum 74 goes into the communities in Washington to tell our stories and tell everyone why marriage matters to us. In doing so, we are slowly changing the way people view their LGBT friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers. This matters to us because what is good for Washington also benefits Oregon. If you recall, Basic Rights Oregon has been working very hard over the last several years to overturn the constitutional amendment in Oregon banning marriage equality. This will require a ballot measure and that could be an even larger campaign than the one currently underway in Washington. If the referendum in Washington is approved by the voters, that success will benefit all other states facing future ballot measures. Oregon will benefit from the success in Washington when we, hopefully, go to the ballot in two years. On the flip side, if Referendum 74 is defeated, this could push back all the work we have done in Oregon, as the voters currently on the fence in Oregon will be less likely to move toward a position of fairness and equality. This campaign needs all of us working together. Washington United for Marriage is working with Equality SW Washington and the Human Rights Campaign volunteers in the Portland/Vancouver area to help make this a success. I encourage you to plug into one of these organizations to volunteer your time and to donate so that we can achieve equality. Get engaged for Washington. Gregg Moreland is a native Oregonian and one of the political and community outreach co-chairs with the Human Rights Campaign Portland Steering Committee. pqmonthly.com
RESTORING LIBERTY, PROSPERITY AND HONOR By Alex Bales
Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, 55 of the most brilliant men in our history signed a document that would be ratified as the Constitution of the newlyUnited States. It had been a long and stifling summer. The great American statesman Benjamin Franklin, now 81, exited Independence Hall. Encountering a woman on the Philadelphia street, he was reportedly asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin replied famously, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Today, our republic is hanging by a thread, virtually lost. Many blame the current administration, one party, or even one politician. The truth is, our genius framework has been taking a slow, fatal beating for a century. Our unique characteristic feature of limited government has been abandoned. Our currency is controlled and manipulated through paper notes by a central bank, triggering and prolonging booms and busts, while our current economic slump has been blamed on a nonexistent free market. Decades of irresponsible, impossible promises by our elected leaders have brought us a national debt equal to more than 100 percent of GDP. The American worker toils a significant portion of the year just to pay the interest on this unsustainable amount. Future generations are already enslaved by our reckless debt from the day they are born. Our foreign policy of military adventurism never changes significantly, no matter who is in power. We’ve failed to heed the warnings of our wise third president, Thomas Jefferson: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.” The paranoid mindset our permanent state of war has created has resulted in an alarming erosion of our civil liberties. We must undertake invasive and inappropriate groping to travel. American citizens can now be detained indefinitely without trial if suspected of terrorism-related crimes. American citizens — even American children — can be assassinated at the mere request of our president. We forgot the warning of Dr. Franklin: “Those who would sacrifice liberty of security deserve neither liberty nor security.” All the while, most Americans, including LGBT people, are more concerned with the really important news. You know, about how the owner of a chain of restaurants I’d never even heard of thinks gays shouldn’t be allowed to marry — despite him having almost no political significance whatsoever. Americans, including the LGBT community, are sadly unaware of the alarming facts of the true state of our union. Will our country someday restore itself to our founding principles of individual liberty and limited government? The prospects are dim, but I’ve seen encouraging signs in the last few years. I’ve been incredibly blessed to have befriended so many patriotic Americans through my involvement in the Tea Party move-
ment of 2010 and Ron Paul’s presidential run this year. The energy of millions of concerned Americans is truly beautiful and inspiring. I believe the best way to affect change is by working within our electoral system. The Tea Party and the Ron Paul Revolution have both used the existing Republican Party to their advantage as a vehicle for change. Both groups have significantly altered discourse in Washington. They have made the future more favorable to liberty. Dr. Murray Rothbard was one of the greatest libertarian thinkers of all time, authoring hundreds of books on economics, history, and philosophy. He was also an anarcho-capitalist, about as radical anti-state as possible. But he realized the importance of participating in electoral politics in winning minds to the cause of liberty, writing, “I see no other conceivable strategy for the achievement of liberty than political action.” The survival of our union will be preserved only if we abandon the notion that government is there to solve all of our problems. Government power can best be described in one word: force. Force and coercion are not the solution to our problems. Free people run a society much more efficiently than bureaucrats 3,000 miles away. We must do all we can to limit government power. Working within our electoral system has proven to be an effective way to change our course. Having a “kiss-in” at a Chick-Fil-A achieves nothing but further resentment and divide. LGBT issues and other minority rights are important, but they are a part of individual rights. As Ayn Rand said, “The tiniest minority on earth is the individual.” Rights aren’t rights because a government decides to bestow them on us. Rights come by virtue of our birth, from our humanity. Abraham Lincoln’s entire navy-clad army did nothing to defeat racism. The lingering problems of race relations were left unaffected until the segregationist Jim Crow laws of the South were repealed. Blacks and whites were then able to interact through commerce and free exchange. It was capitalism, not government, that defeated racism. I believe anti-gay attitudes will die out naturally, apart from government interference. But before that occurs, we must fight for the rights of all Americans, protected by our Constitution. If the Constitution is abandoned and the rights of all Americans cease to be protected, the LGBT community may have been nothing more than “useful idiots” on a road to serfdom. If you’re concerned about the direction we’re moving in there is a simple solution. Stop complaining. Get off the couch. Donate your time and money to your favorite candidate. Walk your precinct for them, or make calls for them. Run for office yourself! Read a book on Austrian economics, “objectivism,” or American history. Loan the book to a friend or family member. Remember, it’s just your future that’s at stake. Don’t fiddle while Rome burns. I keep the words of Dr. Paul in mind: “May future generations look back on our work and say that these were men and women who, in a moment of great crisis, stood up to the politicians, the opinion-molders, and the establishment, and saved their country.” Alex Bales is a life-long Keizer resident currently attending Chemeketa Community College in hopes of transferring to Willamette University to pursue a degree in economics. August/September 2012 • 15
FEATURES
GAINING MOMENTUM FAT ACTIVISTS WORK TOWARD AN INCLUSIVE MOVEMENT By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
The heart of the fat positivity movement grew another size this year. NOLOSE, an activist organization originally called the National Organization for Lesbians of SizE, has shed an identity-based membership policy in favor of one that has
NOLOSE board co-chair Galadriel Mozee envisions a world where all bodies are valued. room for everyone who supports the cause. “We shifted from being open exclusively to women and male-identified trans people after seeing that our policies continued to exclude people and support body policing at the conference,” says North Portland resident and NOLOSE board co-chair Galadriel Mozee, 35. “The goal of this change is to create a larger more politically active organization that challenges participants to really explore their own privilege and desire for coalition building.” This will be the first year men who don’t identify as transgender are welcome to join their fellow fat activists for NOLOSE 2012: Fat Strikes Back!, Sept. 7-9 in San Francisco. Organizers say the more-or-less annual conference will include DIY workshops, coalition building, skill sharing, pool time, and food. The itinerary may seem like standard conference fodder, but its impact is greater than the sum of its parts. “For a good part of my life I struggled with accepting and loving my body and seeing the beauty of other fat/of size people. It was a struggle that would sometimes lift and other times make life really difficult,” says Mozee, who first joined the NOLOSE board two years ago. “This shifted dramatically for me when I moved to Portland and was introduced to the NOLOSE community. There is a large and supportive fat positive community in Portland and I began to be able to see myself as valuable, beautiful, and just right.” Despite the progress of social justice movements such as 16 • August/September 2012
LGBTQ equality, people of size still face pervasive discrimination. Daily headlines attempt to link health with size while ads push an ideal body that is uniformly svelte. As a result, people of size may be denied adequate healthcare services and even be turned away completely, according to Mozee. “It is a racial, socioeconomic and food justice issue for me,” Mozee says. “I see the constricts of body politics squeezing especially tight on people of color, poor people, and people without access to food options.” While fat phobia — which, like homophobia, is more complex than simple fear — adds to the burden carried by already oppressed groups, Mozee says its not just fat folks who suffer. “Fat phobia hurts people of size by telling them they are not of value, there is no place for them and they do not deserve respect, but it also hurts people whose bodies currently fall into society’s acceptable parameters by demonstrating to them that should their bodies stop being acceptable they will lose privilege and power,” Mozee says. Fat positivity is likewise more nuanced that the name might suggest. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not about encouraging people to gain weight or eroticizing fat. Despite the fact that some folks identify as “SuperSize,” activists aren’t advocating for fast food binges. (Though they certainly wouldn’t shame a person for going on one.) “The belief that fat people eat unhealthy is a huge tenant of fat phobia and internalized fat phobia. It is important for all people, including people of size, to have access to fresh, whole foods, not in order to lose weight, but because having a direct connection to our food demonstrates our place in the cycle of things,” say Mozee, who identifies as a radical gardener. “Knowing how to grow and/or prepare fresh foods allows us to be self-sufficient.” In a world not built for people of size, fat activists are accustomed to doing it themselves. In Portland, that DIY spirit infuses fat-friendly businesses such as clothing resale shop Fat Fancy and designers Size Queen Clothing and Diesel Femme Wear & Wares as well as social events, including the size-positive swim party Chunky Dunk and dance night Jelly Roll. Bit by bit, fat activists in Portland are creating space for people of size to live their lives free from shame. Mozee describes her vision of a truly fat-positive world: “I think it would look like there being enough space for people to be comfortable, images that reflect all body types to be readily accessible and portrayed positively in the media; there would be access to health care and food options for all people and there would be legal protections to prevent people from discriminating against others based on body size,” Mozee says. “I would be able to exist without walking hard unless I wanted to and my value would never be in question because my body is large. I think this will happen when all people fight against size oppression and refuse to accept the warped ideas of what bodies should look like in order to be worthy of respect.” To learn more about NOLOSE, visit nolose.org.
CHUNKY DUNK CELEBRATES SHAME-FREE FUN IN THE SUN By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
Baring skin at the pool can make even the most confident folks feel a little self-conscious. But for people of size, what should be a relaxing summer ritual is often a source of ridicule. Lucky for fat Po r t l a n d e r s a n d their friends, there’s Chunky Dunk. Organizers rent the Penninsula Park Pool in North Portland on summer Sundays and attendees offset the rental cost with their $5 sliding scale donation. Chunky Dunk was started a few years ago by Stacy Bias, creator of FatGirl Speaks, and is currently organized by NOLOSE board member Amithyst Fist and her friend Domi. “People come up to Domi and I some- Chunky Dunk co-organizer Amithyst Fist cools times with tears in off with friends at the Peninsula Park Pool. their eyes saying they haven’t been swimming in 10, 15, 20 years,” Fist says. “It’s really magical to be able to give folks a space to feel a little safer.” Though the swims were designed as a safer space for people of size, all are welcome. Chunky Dunk even holds a trans-specific swim once a year, recognizing the body policing faced by transgender folks. “As long as you are respectful of all people at the swim you are more then welcome to join us,” Fist says. That includes children, though the event tends to attract mostly adults. “The trans-focused swim will be on Aug. 26.” While Chunky Dunk typically gets rave reviews from attendees of all sizes, in a recent edition of the Portland Mercury “I, Anonymous” column, one woman shared her negative experience at an unnamed “fat acceptance” swimming event. She claimed that the other attendees made her feel unwelcome because she was too small. Both Fist and Mozee say they are unaware of anything like that happening at Chunky Dunk. “We have always had all different body types at Chunk Dunk, including some of my very close friends who are thin people and they have never felt like this,” Fist says. “We would not stand for this kind of behavior and I strongly encourage this woman to reach out to me because I would like to speak with her.” The final Chunky Dunk of the summer takes place Aug. 26, 5 p.m.-7 p.m., at the Peninsula Park Pool, 700 N. Rosa Parks Way. For more information, visit chunkydunk.org or find Chunky Dunk PDX on Facebook. pqmonthly.com
FEATURES
‘MORALLY STRAIGHT’ AND PROUDLY GAY TWO LOCAL EAGLE SCOUTS ON THE BOY SCOUT EXPERIENCE — AND CONTROVERSY
Photos by Greg Maguire
Local gay men Thom Butts (left) and Randall Szabo (right) are proud to hold the highest rank in Boy Scouting. By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
Since its inception in 1910, over 110 million people have counted themselves as members of the Boy Scouts of America. Of those, roughly 2 million members have achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout — a lifetime title conferred as a result of a scout’s years of hard work and community engagement, as well as an intensive final service project that has resulted in over 100 million hours of community service, and three million more hours each year, being contributed to the community by Scouts. However, openly gay men and boys have been barred from participating in BSA activities since at least 1991, as the BSA believes that “homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be ‘morally straight’ and clean in thought, word, and deed.” While individual troops and councils of the BSA have chosen not to enforce the prohibitions against gay people, the national organization has upheld their stances as recently as July 17. In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the BSA, as a private organization, has the right to set their own membership standards, even if they discriminate against gay people; however, both President Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney have spoken out against the BSA’s stance since their July 17 statement. To provide a human context for the controversy, PQ presents profiles of two local gay Eagle Scouts. Here, they share the “how” and “why” of scouting, and consider the ways that being an Eagle Scout is a source of pride, even though they may disagree with the BSA’s standards and stances.
THOM BUTTS To meet Thom Butts today, the Boy Scouts wouldn’t immediately come to mind. In addition to his work as a successful real estate agent, Butts is holder of the Mr. Oregon State Leather 1997 and Northwest Leather Sir 2009 titles. “In addition to all that,” he says, “my husband calls me ‘honey’ and our boy calls me ‘daddy.’” However, there was a time growing up in Oregon City when Butts’ primary title was “Boy Scout.” “I was in Cub Scouts, Webelos, and Boy Scouts … and I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout,” he notes. “I later held most of the leadership posts — Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, and as an adult, Assistant Scout Master.” Like many scouts, Butts was encouraged by his family to participate in the BSA. Once he was involved, though, Butts took enthusiastically to scouting, always with the objective of becoming an Eagle. “For me,” he says, “it wasn’t really a question of [whether I would achieve] my Eagle Scout rank; it was more of a logical progression. It’s like going to college and getting a degree; [Eagle] was why I was in there.” Along the way, though, Butts made many friends, found camaraderie with his fellow scouts, and picked up some surprisingly useful skills. Butts cites his training in tying knots as a major factor as to why he’s so skilled in bondage as an adult. Butts achieved the rank of Eagle in his late teens after completing an extensive project of cleaning and restoration to the Singer Hill Trail in Oregon City. However, despite his pqmonthly.com
pride in his project and rank, his feelings about the organization are ambivalent. “I’m mostly proud of being an Eagle Scout,” he says, “but a little less so each time that the BSA comes out against the gay and trans community. … When my nephew got his Eagle a couple years ago, though, I did stand up with him and reaffirm the Scout Oath.” “In my opinion, a lot of what Scouting teaches is good,” Butts adds. “Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave — these are the qualities of a scout, and all are good attributes. However, I think the leadership of BSA is trying to cling to a century-old ideal of what society was, and doesn’t want to face the reality of what modern society actually is.”
RANDALL SZABO Randall Szabo found his Boy Scout troop to be a place where he could be accepted and embraced for who he was. A judicial clerk and recent law school graduate, Szabo became a scout after his family moved to Lafayette, Calif. “The troop was such a close-knit group,” he says, “a space in which I felt totally normal, and simultaneously a place where I could be really weird and everyone liked it. I became the guy that recited poems at the campfires in front of hundreds of scouts and got raving applause. As a scout, you’re doing this thing that is so strict and traditional that it gives you license to be crazy at the same time. It’s a place where boys are expected to be boys, and for me, it was a place where I was just a guy amongst guys.” For his Eagle project, Szabo led a crew of younger scouts in clearing out and renovating a decaying neighborhood playground. However, as a young man in the process of coming out, he felt it was important to let his views on the BSA’s policies be known before he attained the rank at the age of 15. “In my final Eagle board review,” he recalls, “when the board members asked me something I don’t like about scouting, I said that I didn’t like the policy on gay people and found it backwards and old-worldly. They didn’t give me any feedback on that answer, and I don’t blame them.” “When I attained the rank of Eagle there was a great sense of pride, and honestly there still is,” he says. “When you tell people that you’re an Eagle Scout, most people get an impressed look on their face, and for all these years it’s been so gratifying. I don’t expect that it will ever cease to be so. There’s something so oddly provincial about it, and yet the rank’s ability to bring up respect in people’s eyes has lingered in a way that I’ve enjoyed, and makes it especially disconcerting that it’s not available to everybody.” “I think the [BSA’s] policy is incredibly foolish,” says Szabo. “However, I don’t think the Supreme Court case was wrongly decided. The organization itself has to contend with its own conscience. Over time, though, I think it will feel increasingly silly about it.” While Szabo may not support the BSA’s policies, he believes strongly in the value of scouting, with the Boy Scouts or otherwise. “I think it’d be wonderful to see other organizations like Campfire that offer the scouting experience in which you progress through ranks and learn outdoor skills without these restrictions become more prevalent and perhaps in time rival the Boy Scouts,” he says. “In the meantime, though, I hope that everyone involved in the BSA is having a wonderful time, and having as positive an experience of it as I did. It really is one of the best things I’ve ever done.” August/September 2012 • 17
PRIDE
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pqmonthly.com
PERSPECTIVES
WHY WE WALK: STORIES FROM AND ABOUT AIDS WALK
Participants from all walks, gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square, get fired up just before start time. Compiled and Edited by Daniel Borgen, PQ Monthly
There aren’t many events that bring our city together like AIDS Walk does year after year. And as Cascade AIDS Project grows and expands, the walk follows suit. This year, CAP aims to raise over $450,000, which would mark another record-breaking effort, providing vital funds to essential prevention, education, and outreach.
“I was diagnosed with HIV in 1996, and at that time I couldn’t imagine telling anyone except the people who were closest to me. Over the following years I became less fearful of the stigma attached to being HIV-positive — and now I’m as open as I can be about it. Much of the credit for this freedom goes to my incredibly supportive friends and family — and I know the work CAP does has been vital in fostering acceptance and understanding of HIV and HIV-positive people. AIDS Walk is an amazing demonstration of community spirit and it allows me to see and be a part of Portland’s compassionate nature in a very real way.” –Jim Kennedy
“I’ve been involved with AIDS Walk for many, many years — way back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when it was called ‘From All Walks of Life,’ I was on the planning committee. They called me the ‘human rolodex’ because I remembered phone numbers from sponsors and contacts from memory. I remember the first year it really took off and thousands of people showed up. The walk was a very important part of my life then, and it still is. I still Everyone knows CAP provides testing and prevenget choked up on the tion services; what many don’t realize is the ways CAP morning of the walk, fills the gap between despair and hope, serving as the when I see so many difference-maker for countless people. The organipeople gathered in zation helps people secure housing and find essenmemory of friends and tial medical care; they provide emotional support and family. Some of them life skills training. Their services are as diverse as the were babies back then; people they serve. now they are adults The walk is right around the corner — Sept. 23 — with children of their and there’s still plenty of time to sign up, raise money, own, and are carryand walk. And to help nudge you in the right direc- A handful of happy walkers, including David Behrend (bottom, far ing their own kids in tion — and perhaps even inspire you, we’ve started to right)--who shares his story here. honor of William and collect stories from various voices in our community, stories Rex and Corey and …well, the list is too long for me to share that offer insight into the power behind this critical event. here.” –Byron Beck “I walk for my friends who are no longer here. I came out in 1987, and very quickly my closest friends were members of the drag community — most were drag queens. They helped me grow and learn and become who I was meant to be — and I could never forget them. Of all my friends, those mentors, I’d say 90 percent of are now gone, and that saddens me not only for my personal loss, but for our community as a whole.” –Kevin Cook (Poison Marie Waters) pqmonthly.com
“I walk because I still can to honor friends and loved ones who have passed away. My story is long; I have lost many — over 100 — since the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. I continue to walk and raise money because by walking, I hope to make a difference, to make people aware. I have some special emotion with this year’s walk; my mother passed away in January and left a significant amount of money in honor of me and my partner. I also like to remind people
of Elizabeth Taylor’s quote: ‘It’s no one’s fault but it’s everyone’s problem.’” –David Behrend “CAP and AIDS Walk are about creating possibilities that weren’t available to people living with HIV/AIDS in our recent history. Organizations like CAP have changed our collective experience with HIV/AIDS. I support CAP and AIDS Walk for two primary reasons: I believe the work CAP does to increase awareness, provide testing, and support people living with HIV is a critical part of maintaining our community’s overall health. And they are a trusted organization that stays true to their mission. I know my contribution is going toward something tangible that makes a real difference in people’s lives.” –Kendall Clawson “I walk to make a difference, to feel connected, to make noise. It’s been over 20 years since I first tested HIV-positive. I’ve watched dear friends and acquaintances pass over the years. For me, however, walking is not about those lost — it’s about tomorrow. I feel like we can truly change the course of this epidemic when we’re all in it together. I feel powerful filling the streets of downtown Portland and walking in a single purpose to raise awareness and political will. Twenty years of living with HIV, and for the first time in my life, thanks to new research, I believe we will get to the other side. I believe we’ve passed the halfway point, and we’ll get there, but only with us walking together.” –Michael Kaplan “Since working at CAP, I have had the privilege of being a go-to friend on the subject of HIV/AIDS. I am not an expert, a doctor, or any other medical provider. I am a paper pusher who works at a nonprofit that at its core saves lives — by testing, educating, and supporting those at risk and those living with the virus. I get to be a listener and a shoulder to cry on. I feel lucky. By what seems like osmosis, I have learned a lot about HIV and AIDS. I have met many heroes living with the disease and many who struggle daily. This is why I ask for your support. To help my best friends living with HIV, to help my best friends at risk of HIV, and to make the world an easier place to live, laugh, and love in.” –Michael Sorensen Stay with PQMonthly.com in the weeks and days leading up to the walk; we’ve got many more stories to share. And we hope to see you on the morning of Sept. 23. August/September 2012 • 19
GET OUT! Friday, August 17
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus GaYrage Sale! Come check out what goodies PGMC members donated for your pleasure. Top quality ... bottom prices! 4-10 p.m., 6806 N Williams, pdxgmc.org. PDX A Go-Go: Making Waves Up North record release party, featuring Susan SurfTone, The Del-Rods, Wave Sauce and The Outer Space Heaters. 7 p.m., Duff’s Garage, 1635 SE 7th, 21+, susansurftone. com.
Saturday, August 18
Daddies and Papas, a monthly group for gay, bisexual, and trans men raising young children; 10 a.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, for more information, email info@daddiesandpapas.net. (Repeats Sept. 15) Portland Leather Affinity Group Meeting. 3-5 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi. (Repeats Sept. 15) The Tranz Guyz discussion group addresses topics like coming out, hormones, “passing,” dating and relationships, family issues, and sex. 6 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi. Alder Street Hoedown! Slip on your boots for a fabulous LGBTQ country dance. 8 p.m. lessons, 9 p.m. dance, PPAA, 618 SE Alder, $7 dance only, $10 dance and lessons, facebook.com/alderstreethoedown. Why don’t you take a Gaycation? Think hot, sweaty, queer love on the dance floor (with resident DJs Mr. Charming and Snowtiger). 9 p.m., Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 21+, $3 cover. (Repeats Sept. 15) Bear Beer Bust. 9 p.m., The Eagle Portland, 835 N Lombard, 21+, oregonbears.org. (Repeats Sept. 15)
Monday, August 20
Return of Gay Skate! PQ Monthly takes the reins of this always-popular roller party! Each month, Gay Skate will feature a local non-profit doing good work in the community. Don’t forget to bring donations for Esther’s Pantry and Martha’s Pantry! 7-9 p.m., Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, $5, all ages, facebook. com/gayskate.
Tuesday, August 21
Estate Planning for LGBT Families and Indivduals. Join Tabitha Lundberg Koh, as she explains your options, goes over basic documents and answers questions on estate planning. 2 p.m., Friendly House, 1737 NW 26th. Late Awakenings, a support group for women who come out later in life, is a safe space to share stories of coping with these life changes. Confidentiality is respected. 7 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi. (Repeats Sept. 18) 20 • August/September 2012
Want the full scoop? Head over to pqmonthly.com to check out the full calendar of events, submit your own events, and look through photos from parties around town! pqmonthly.com/calendar
Trans-Fem*, a social-support group meets for fun, support, and discussion on what it means to live in the trans-feminine spectrum. 7 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi. (Repeats Sept. 18) Beary-oke! 9 p.m., Scandals, 1125 SW Stark, 21+, oregonbears.org. (Repeats Sept. 18)
Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, pdxqcenter. org.
Wednesday, August 22
The Oregon Bears present the Franks n Beans Strip Show! 9 p.m., Crush, 1400 SE Morrison, 21+, oregonbears.org. Apocalysp! a dirty rock ‘n’ roll queer night for the punk rock fag in everyone, with DJ Weinerslav! 9 p.m., The Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard, 21+, no cover!
Pivot hosts Faith and Sexuality, a support group for those who struggle with their sexuality because of their faith. 6 p.m., Pivot, 209 SW 4th, pivotpdx.org.
Thursday, August 23
Women in the Woods. Spend a long summer weekend in the company of over 100 women. Enjoy old growth forest, natural hot springs and a rushing river while relaxing and building community. womeninthewoods.com Gay & Grey 4th Thursday Social. 4 p.m., Starky’s, 2913 SE Stark. Internationally-acclaimed choreographer Durante Lambert presents Queen, a cutting-edge dance production with an all-female cast. The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut, $20, theheadwaters.net. (Repeats through Aug. 26) Temple at the Rose, a new west side night for homos and their friends. Come relax, mingle, dance, and party like you used to--the perfect way to start your weekend a day early. Deejay Gossip Cat and special guests. Free, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., The Rose Bar, 111 SW Ash, 21+.
Friday, August 24
Open Mic Night at SMYRC. Open to all youth 12-23 who identify as LGBTQ. 8:30 p.m., SMYRC, 2406 NE Sandy #100, smyrc.org.
Saturday, August 25
QPoP! (Queer Parents of Portland), a monthly group for queer parents, meets to embrace community and provide the support of other queer parents. 10 a.m.Noon, Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi. 55+/- is a lesbian social group made up of mature women who just want to have fun and network! 12:30 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, for more information email nanb@peoplepc.com. Ladies! INFERNO’s DJs Wildfire and D-Zel turn up the heat at the hottest evening dance party on the West Coast! 6 p.m., DIRTY Nightclub, 35 NW 3rd, $8 cover, 21+, infernodances.com. The Oregon Bears migrate to Embers for the Double X Dance, the scruffiest night in town! 9 p.m., Embers Avenue, 110 NW Broadway, 21+.
Monday, August 27
Coming Out Support Group. 6:30 p.m.,
Tuesday, August 28
LGBTQ & Disabled Support Group. 1 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, pdxqcenter.org.
Friday, August 31
Saturday, September 1
Slinger of soul, DJ Action Slacks brings out the shimmy with Sugar Town! featuring the swingingest, springingest soul music. 8 p.m., The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd, 21+, $5 cover. Maricon dance night for homos and their homeys. 10 p.m., Eagle Portland, 835 N Lombard, 21+, facebook.com/maricon.saturday.
Sunday, September 2
Bridge Club is Oregon’s T-Dance, and the best place to check out the cuties in the light of day. 3-9 p.m., Produce Row Cafe, 204 SE Oak, facebook.com/bridge.clubpdx.
Tuesday, September 4
Bears Coffee. 6:30 p.m., Cooper’s Coffee, 6049 SE Stark, oregonbears.org. The Border Riders Motorcycle Club holds a meet-and-greet for gay men interested in recreational motorcycle touring. 7-9 p.m., The Eagle Portland, 835 N. Lombard, 21+, borderriders.com.
Thursday, September 6
Oregon Coast Pride! Join the gays of the coast for an Inferno dance, stand-up comedy, drag shows, Flamingo Bingo, makeovers, prizes, live music and DJs, and family fun. Centrally located in Lincoln City to bridge the coastal LGBTQ communities. oregoncoastpride.com. (Through Sept. 9.) Paper Cowgrrls: A Crafting Circle for Women. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, $5 suggested donation. First Thursdays mean DIRT BAG wants to punch you in the face (in the form of a queer, indie dance pop, electro, house, remix jams party). With DJs Bruce LaBruiser and Ill Camino! 9 p.m., The Know, 2026 NE Alberta, 21+, No cover!
Friday, September 7
The Not Enough! Queer Music and Art Festival is dedicated to showcasing new music and art collaborations. $7-10 sliding scale, under 18 is free. Please note that
this event is cash only. For more information, visit notenoughpdx.com. (This event continues on Sept. 8.)
Saturday, September 8
Storytime with Maria. Youth Librarian Maria Lowe reads stories, sings songs and engages the children of LGBTQ families with activities for every age. 9:30-10:30 a.m., Q Center, 4115 N. Mississippi. MRS. is Portland’s favorite themed (and costumed) dance night. Check out their Facebook group for this month’s theme, then dance it out with your everlovin DJs Beyondadoubt, Il Camino, and Trans Fat. 10 p.m., Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 21+, $5, facebook. com/MRS.PDX.
Sunday, September 9
Butch Crew PDX social group. Come and join other butches for bonding and conversation. 3-5 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, For more information, email ButchCrewPDX@gmail.com. Bear Paw Bust. 4-7 p.m., The Eagle Portland, 835 N Lombard, 21+, oregonbears.org. Fifth annual Peacock After Dark. Hosted by Maria Peters Lake and Poison Waters, this family-friendly show will feature male/female impersonation along with singers and dancers from around the Pacific Northwest. 7-9:30 p.m., $30, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 111 SW Broadway, all ages.
Wednesday, September 12
Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. 1-3 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, oloc.org. Gender Crash! is a monthly group for youth who identify anywhere in the trans spectrum. 4 p.m., SMYRC, 2406 NE Sandy, smyrc.org.
Friday, September 14
BENT With your dance floor hero, Resident DJ Roy G. Biv, and special guests (as always). 9 p.m., The Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard, 21+, $5, facebook.com/ bentpdx.
Thursday, September 20
You really won’t want to miss the PQ September Press Party! Get the first look at the September/October issue and rub elbows with Portland’s “power gays.” 58 p.m., Dingo’s, 4612 SE Hawthorne, all ages. Adoption Mosaic hosts a monthly LGBTQ Adoptive Parent Support Group, offering the support, information, and tools necessary to nurture healthy families to prospective and current LGBTQ adoptive parents. 6 p.m., Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi, adoptionmosaic.org. pqmonthly.com
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3 Scandals - 1125 SW Stark St QUEER SPACES 4 Crush Bar - 1400 SE Morrison St 15 Red 1035Park SWAve Stark St The Cap/Boxxes Escape - 333- SW 26 Silverado - 318 SW Stark St Eagle - 835 N Lombard 37 Scandals - 1125-SW St St CC Slaughters 219Stark NW Davis 48 Crush - 1400 Morrison SteamBar - 2885 NE SE Sandy Blvd St 59 The Escape Park Ave Hawks PDX -- 333 234 SW SE Grand 610 Eagle - 835 Darcelle XVN- Lombard 208 NW 3rd Ave 711 CC St FoxSlaughters & Hound’s--219 217NW NWDavis 2nd Ave 812 Steam - 2885 NESE Sandy Starky’s - 2913 StarkBlvd St 913 Hawks Grand EmbersPDX - 110- 234 NWSE Broadway 10 XV -Mary’s 208 NW 3rdNW Ave5th Ave 14 Darcelle Hamburger - 19 11 217 NW 2nd Ave 15 Fox Joqs& -Hound’s 2512 NE-Broadway 12 - 2913 -SE Stark 16 Starky’s Local Lounge 3536 NESt MLK, Jr. Blvd 13 Embers - 110 NW Broadway 14 HamburgerQUEER Mary’s SPACES - 19 NW 5th Ave SOMETIMES 15 - 2512 NE- Broadway 17 Joqs Foggy Notion 3416 N Lombard 16 - 3536 Jr. Blvd 18 Local BranxLounge / Rotture - 320NE SEMLK, 2nd Ave 19 The Florida Room - 435 N Killingsworth St SOMETIMES SPACES 20 HoloceneQUEER - 1001 SE Morrison St 17 Foggy Notion - 3416 N Lombard 18 Branx / Rotture - 320 SE RESOURCES 2nd Ave QUEER/QUEER-FRIENDLY 19 Florida Room - 435 N Killingsworth St 21 The Q Center - 4115 N Mississippi Ave 20 - 1001NE SESandy Morrison 22 Holocene SMYRC - 2406 BlvdSt 23 Outside / In - 1132 SW 13th Ave QUEER/QUEER-FRIENDLY 24 Pivot - 209 SW 4th Ave RESOURCES 21 Center - 4115 N Mississippi 25 QGay & Grey - 2617 NW SavierAve St 22 2406 NE Sandy Blvd 26 SMYRC In Other- Words - 14 NE Killingsworth St 23 / In - 1132 SW 13thCtr Ave- 917 SW Oak St 27 Outside Ind. Publishing Resource 24 Pivot - 209 SW 4th Ave 25 Gay & Grey OFF THE MAP - 2617 NW Savier St 26 In Other Words - 14- 704 NE Killingsworth St City The Living Room Main St., Oregon 27 Ind. Publishing Resource Ctr Fairview - 917 SWIndustrial Oak St Southside Speakeasy - 3529 Dr SE, Salem, OR 97302 OFF THE MAP The Living Room - 704 Main St., Oregon City Southside Speakeasy - 3529 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, OR 97302
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SE Stark St
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ARTS & CULTURE
TBA:12 PROMISES GROUNDBREAKING, IN-YOUR-FACE CONTEMPORARY ART
Clockwise from upper left: Venus X, Clare L. Evans, and CHRISTEENE bring their innovative works to TBA:12. By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
Thank heavens for the Time-Based Art Festival. Founded in 2003 and inspired by European and Australian-modeled projects, including the Edinburgh and Adelaide festivals, Portland’s TBA Festival and its mother organization the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art have quickly garnered themselves an international reputation for embodying the creative vitality of the Northwest while showcasing emerging and master artists from around the world. On a local level, TBA has become a fixture of the city’s social calendar, exposing tens of thousands of Portlanders to the cutting edge in theatre, dance, media, music, and multidisciplinary works each year. 2012’s TBA Festival, running from Sept. 6-16 in several venues citywide, promises to up the ante even further with a challenging, inspiring line-up that includes such major acts as Laurie Anderson and Yo La Tengo alongside artists and performers that deserve to be big names. Perhaps no other performance will be as unsettling, gross, and hilarious as that of genderqueer neo-drag pop icon CHRISTEENE on Sept. 7. The creation of performance artist Paul Soileau, CHRISTEENE is a hideously fabulous and glamorously menacing pop chanteuse who mixes rap and R&B to indict the structures of the gender binary, capitalist imperialism, corporate mendacity, celebrity worship, and cultural complacency. Reports from live shows describe scenes involving butt plugs tied to bouquets of balloons being released into the air from CHRISTEENE’s rear end, intimate and bizarre confessionals over “tea,” backup boys in handmade panda masks urinating upon the burlap-encased singer, and a DIY anti-fashion wardrobe styled from the forgotten scraps of society. Appearing alongside CHRISTEENE are two sexually-distinct Backup Boyz, T-Gravel and C-Baby, along with accompanying DJ/music producer JJ Booya, rumored to be the entertainer’s third cousin. On a wholly different, but perhaps no less unnerving note, multimedia artist Clare L. Evans’ Sept. 13 design fiction presentation, RESTORE FROM BACKUP, questions love, memory, and design in the Internet age. “Every relationship leaves a trace,” says Evans, who is perhaps best known for her work with disco-pop band pqmonthly.com
YACHT. “In a world of data, even the most intimate relationships are now externalized, backed up. The Web voraciously holds onto our memories, even when we want to let go. Ending romantic engagements, breaking up with friends, avoiding a sworn enemy: these are all antithetical to the industry of our sprawling social networks.” Evans calls RESTORE FROM BACKUP “a service for precisely this problem.” “With RFB, a relationship can be completely excised from the Web and all the data contained in a physical object of the customer’s design,” she says. “If you could gather every single bit of this relationship data and turn it into an object, what would you do with that object? Would you hold it in your hands, feel its depth and weight, and summon from a patchwork of sensory and fallible recollections your ever-shifting, foggy, and surreal memories of the person? Or would you destroy it?” For those who believe that good art should involve shaking what their mamas gave them, the TBA Festival’s dance parties never disappoint. A highlight of 2012’s offerings is young New York City-based DJ Venus X, who is certain to pack Washington High on Sept. 6. Born in 1986 to Dominican-Ecuadorian parents in Harlem, Venus X’s sets mix raw blends of songs across genres, bridging club cuts to global street anthems, Al Jazeera clips, and YouTube samples, opting for narratives rather than beats-per-minute matching. Her verve on the decks has led the selectress to receive high praises in the New York Times, The Guardian, Vibe, ArtForum, V Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Fader, amongst other high-profile coverage. Her TBA Festival set will give the Rose City a taste of her legendary GHE20G0TH1K party, hailed by none other than the Village Voice as New York’s best party. In other words: clear your mid-September schedule right now. TBA:12 runs Sept. 6-16 at various venues throughout Portland; for a full festival schedule, check out PICA.org. Admission prices for projects vary; festival passes as well as discounts for PICA members are available. Tickets for individual projects are available online at PICA.org now, and from Aug. 20 onwards at the TBA Central Box Office at Washington High School (SE 13th and Stark, Portland) and by phone at 503.224.PICA (7422). August/September 2012 • 23
ARTS & CULTURE
COCK GALLERY CREATES SPACE FOR MARGINALIZED WORKS
Scott LaForce’s exhibit “Cum in Your Eye,” on display through Aug. 31, deals with meth addiction. By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
Paul Soriano’s small gallery on NW Everett would be easy to miss were it not for the red neon rooster in the window. Like the iconic New York City gay bar from which the gallery takes its name (and signage, Cock invites a meaningful provocation that belies its modest stature. “I l i k e t h e duality the name invokes,” So r i a n o s a y s. “Depending on your point of Photos by Erin Rook, PQ Monthly view it can be Paul Soriano innocent or it can be pornographic. Much like the artwork I hope to show, it provokes you to think.” Plenty of the art Soriano has shown since (and including) March’s inaugural “Attraction and Repulsion” have danced on the line between idyllic and illicit. The first show included colored pencil drawings of sphincters by Arty Johnstone, floral like a child’s sketch of a Georgia O’Keefe painting. When Cock showed “DARK,” a collection of brother Theodore Soriano’s emotionally intense Gollum-like sculptures in July, “Someone asked to stand next to it so they could weep,” Soriano says. It’s an experience he can relate to. “The first time I had gone to [the Museum 24 • August/September 2012
of Modern Art in New York City], I walked into the room that held Picasso’s ‘Guernica.’ Not knowing anything about the politics of this piece, I stood and wept. It was beautiful,” Soriano says. “I was changed.” Despite his lack of formal training, Soriano has identified as an artist since he was a young child, learning about art by skipping school to hang out in museums. He puts together shows like an artist rather than a curator, because that’s what he is. Between his day job as an apparel designer for Hanna Andersson and utilizing the live/ work space, Soriano doesn’t have to worry about making money off of the art. Instead, he strives to create a space for artists who, like him, have had difficulty showing their work because it is too erotic or might not sell well. “Cock Gallery is not a queer gallery per se — although I am a queer artist and I show a lot of queer art — as it is under-represented in the more mainstream galleries,” Soriano says. “My first responsibility is to present quality art.” Though most of the artists he’s shown so far have been gay man, Soriano says he’s aiming for diversity and would like to show lesbian and transgender artists as well. “The mission of the gallery is to show provocative, intelligent, professional works that might not otherwise be shown due to content or commercial value. I interpret this in the broadest sense,” Soriano says. “I ask [artists] to create a show around something meaningful to them, something they can’t show anywhere else because the subject is too personal or political or sexual or just too dark.” The self-taught painter says he has had a hard time showing and selling work for that reason, though the one piece he has sold in Portland is
Photos by Erin Rook, PQ Monthly
also one of his darkest and most personal and political pieces. The painting — a self-portrait done while Soriano was sick and emaciated by HIV, with a pink triangle and the names of Nazi camps gays were sent to written around the edges — is now hanging in a synagogue. Cock’s current exhibit, “Cum In Your Eye,” showing through the end of August, shares that power to create an emotional resonance. Scott LaForce’s vulnerable photo essay about meth addiction has inspired others to open up and spontaneously share their stories, Soriano says. LaForce juxtaposes sex and drugs-filled snapshots from his party days with picturesque scenes and poetry to highlight the intensity (both positive and negative) of his experiences. Soriano says LaForce’s art has previously been watered down and misunderstood completely by people who fear its darkness or lack a context for understanding the culture it reflects. “My only hope in all of this is to give a voice to the work of the many artists whose work might not otherwise be seen because it speaks to things that are a risk for commercial galleries — to elevate it, to honor it,” Soriano says. “These works are beautiful and powerful and meaningful. They are important because they’re about our real lives, our true natures and are artifacts to our times.” In September, Cock will show work from photographer Wayne Bund’s MIMESIS, an exploration of childhood fantasies and adult realities. Read more of PQ Monthly’s interview with Soriano online at pqmonthly.com. Cock Gallery, 625 NW Everett #106, is open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. (through January) and by appointment. New exhibits typically open on First Thursdays.
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE Continued from page 10
liberal politics that emphasizes similarities rather than differences. “ We re c o g n i z e t h a t people around the world all seek similar things: dignity, security, economic justice, human rights, and a healthy environment,” the party’s platform states. As a result, the party supports equal rights for gays, lesbians, and other LGBTQ citizens, including equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, as part of the intrinsic rights of all people. Even as he supports the Progressive Party, Shelton, like many others, is sometimes concerned that third parties face an uphill battle in making their voices heard. “Until we reform the way we elect candidates, I don’t know that any third party is going to make a difference,” Shelton says. “I’ve come to this conclusion recently in thinking of who I’m going to vote for in the presidential run this year.” The Progressive Party is unique locally for endorsing Rocky Anderson, an openly gay presidential candidate running under the Justice Party. “[Getting Anderson on the ballot] got me to thinking of why we have so many third-party candidates,” Shelton says. “It’s like the way that religion divides over ideology. I feel like the third parties do the same thing.” Ultimately, for Shelton, the crux of breaking the two-party system’s hold on American politics comes down to active political leadership by citizens in their parties of choice. “ We’re really just in need of a strong choice for a third-party candidate,” he says, “if we want to truly rival the Republicans and Democrats.” PQ by no means asserts that this article represents the full breadth and depth of parties or political ideologies active in the region. Head over to PQMonthly.com and join the discussion of the role of queer people in third party politics, along with ongoing electoral and political coverage from across the region. pqmonthly.com
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August/September 2012 • 25
DANCE
SWAGGER BUILDS COMMUNITY THROUGH BODY-POSITIVE DANCE WORKSHOPS By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
Portland dance instruction program Swagger is celebrating the evolution of their immersive, body-positive, queer-friendly dance class offerings by hosting workshops that fuse fun, fitness, and creativity.
their bodies in a creative way — to feel comfortable, supported, and encouraged, and to build a community around dance, which is really a celebration of life.” As students attest, when it comes to making dance available to all, Swagger succeeds in spades. “I didn’t know I could dance in front of people and feel this amazing,” says longtime Swagger student Supriya Khan. “I’ve always loved to move my body but didn’t think I could ever share that publicly. But [with Swagger] you start slow and before you know it you are dancing on the main stage of Pride
Em Connor and the rest of the Swagger crew make dance classes accessible to all. Founded in 2009 by dancers Em Connor and Erin Rook, Swagger has sought since its inception to provide an alternative to the often-harsh world of dance studios in order to bring the joy of movement and expression to all people. Rather than a focus on the strictures of the discipline, instructors such as Connor seek to create a relaxed, accessible atmosphere that allows students to comfortably challenge and thrill themselves. “When it comes to teaching, my motivation comes from the students,” Connor says. “I’m very motivated to provide a safe space for people to be creative, and to use
26 • August/September 2012
with all your mates, completely free and uninhibited, doing what you love to do: dance! As confidence builds, it becomes really intoxicating.” Khan even finds that the benefits in fitness, self-awareness, and confidence that she encounters in Swagger classes enrich
every other aspect of her life. “It is so liberating to put my stressful, hectic life on pause and slip away into the company of an amazing, unique crew and share your love for dance,” she says. “You leave each class more relaxed, positive, empowered, and an overall better you.” While Swagger has offered single dropin classes for the last three dance seasons, the program has recently shifted to focus on immersive workshop courses. “I really like teaching workshops,” Connor says, “because it provides an entire experience from start to finish. It’s different from a class, because every single week in a class I provide roughly the same thing with different choreography. … The workshops are more fine-tuned; students come in with a specific personal goal in mind, as well as the collective goal of crafting choreography.” Sw a g g e r’s n e w w o r k s h o p format also allows for an expansion beyond just dance moves into an extended exploration of the creative process. “With the workshops,” Connor explains, “a lot of it is based around discussion. For example, in the choreography workshop we discuss what motivates and moves us, and how inspiration comes to us. We even do some meditation … to help people find new ideas of movement and staging.” Connor finds that Swagger’s evolution has inspired her as an instructor almost as much as it has inspired her students. “Teaching opens up new creative avenues for me, which I definitely need right now and that I’m personally benefitting from,” she says. “I get to design this space for people that they then contribute to. It’s not just me coming in teaching a group; it’s me coming in with a rough guideline of how things may
go, and then feeding off everyone’s experience, ideas, and outlook on dance and creativity in general. I feel like I’m having a second wind creatively from changing things up a bit, and it’s completely energized me.” While Swagger’s first session of the choreography workshop is currently underway, Connor looks forward to the future of the program, which will likely include further explorations of the choreography workshop as well as some innovative new offerings. “Another workshop idea that I have is around helping folks to go beyond their fears of dance,” she notes with excitement. “Lots of students are afraid of dancing, so intimidated by a dance class, that they’d benefit from a very basic workshop including things like listening to music, counting beats — the very roots of dancing, the basics of the basics. It’s encouraging for folks to be in a group with the same goal in mind.” In order to continue Swagger’s evolution, the program is currently recruiting more movement instructors and workshop leaders. “I’d really like to meet other movement instructors and teachers who are also in line with the Swagger mission in order to build our teaching community,” Connor says. “I think it’d be amazing to offer a variety of teachers, with different teaching styles, and different genres of dance and movement. Swagger students deserve to have a diverse range of classes to choose from and learn from and grow with. It’s exciting for me to collaborate with others, but also valuable for students to be exposed to different types of movement.” For more information on Swagger’s workshop offerings — and to get a taste of the sort of supportive community that Swagger provides for its students and instructors — check out their website, www.theotherspacellc. com, as well as their very active Facebook group: www.theotherspacellc.com/.
pqmonthly.com
RAIN CITY THE SKIN, THE SLEEP, AND THE SILENCE By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
3 a.m., Saturday morning, and the city is still. In the southeast, the neon lights of Roadside Attraction are dimmed, softly illuminating the picnic tables and chairs of the empty patio with their red light. The tarnished metal train tracks cross Milwaukie Boulevard but lay silently, no tires or wheels running over them. Hawthorne Boulevard is a ghost town, the bright lights of the Baghdad Theatre shining onto an empty road, the stoplights running their cycle from green to yellow to red and back, unseen. Downtown, far below the echoing space of Ashes, the basement is full of the sound of dripping and the vulgar smell of mold, the pipes clanging, unheard by anyone but the ghosts. In beds all over town, the day demonstrates that it has wound down. Natalie lies beneath her silk sheets, the ceiling fan humming out a syncopated rhythm. Ross lays his head upon Dennis’ chest, hearing the thrum of a heartbeat, the cadence of his exhales blowing over Dennis’ skin. Kathryn lies drunkenly on her couch, still wearing her green dress, a wine glass falling from her fingers; Henri the cat struts over to lap at the champagne puddle it spills on the floor. Matt’s iPhone beeps — “You have five unread messages on Grindr,” it displays uselessly, its cord plugged into the wall beside the bed in which he snores. In a little house on NE 92nd Avenue, Jay looks at the back of his eyelids, willing sleep to come. Beside him, his girlfriend lies on her side, facing away from him; against his skin, he feels the tautness of the cotton sheet, the heat of her body, the sweat forming in the warmth of their summertime bed, the vast space between him and her. The thoughts come, emerging and sticking in his mind, whirling in the space behind his eyes. Jay breathes, trying to silence the thoughts. He reaches out beneath the sheet, sets his hand in the curve of his girlfriend’s hip, then retracts his arm. He sighs, weakened by the fight for slumber. Finally, blessedly, the willpower dissipates from him, and his mind surrenders. Finally, blessedly, sleep comes, and with it, dreaming.
We spend so much of our time walking around the city with a tender hollowness in the cage of our ribs, lonely within the solitary confinement of our skin. We rush to the bus, white paper coffee cups in hand, to get to our offices in the morning; we update our Facebook status from our phones at lunch; we head to the bar to have a drink and hope to meet the person of our dreams at happy hour. We go home, to our lovers and our families, our pets and our plants, our addictions and our compulsions. Then, the night comes, and all around our sleeping forms sit the artifacts of the fair people of the rainy city and our loneliness: bills sitting open on their desks, laptops open to OkCupid profiles, vacation photos in frames collecting dust. We lie in our beds, so close to the things that we hope will fill the space, keenly aware of their distance from us. We spend our days aching to connect — but at night, here in the dream life, a miracle happens: we are together. The dreaming comes: beneath the eyelids, pupils dilate, looking back and forth rapidly. In the parietal lobe of the brain, a drama plays out, and images come to the dreamer: Kathryn sees color and light, Natalie feels the touch of her lover, Matt stands back in horror as ravens fly toward him menacingly. Some say dreams are the brain giving up its wastes; others claim that they give the mind a means to play out its fantasies; still others assert that they are dispatches from a sentience, giving us a means to connect to another dimension of reality. Whatever happens, the dreams emerge, strange and beautiful, and then dissipate. But beneath the dreaming, there is a stillness, as present as breath, as silent as a grey cloud sliding over the great dome of the sky. One by one, the dreams end; one by one, Natalie and Matt, Ross and Kathryn, Dennis and Jay, you and I sink down from our stories. Transcendence is not an upward motion, but a downward one — and we descend into the dark stillness, where there are no bodies, no actions, nothing to tell the lie of our separateness. There, we sit as one, one story, one entity filling all the space of the rainy city, and we breathe. There, in the darkness, we sit in the stillness, unified, waiting to awaken.
Nick Mattos hopes that you enjoyed the miniseries “Rain City.” Go to PQMonthly.com to listen to the official Rain City soundtrack on Spotify, featuring music that inspired and appeared in the column. Finally, check out the upcoming issue of PQ Monthly for the debut of Nick’s new column, in which he promises not to deceive you without having good, solid reasons to do so. He can be reached at Nick@pqmonthly.com. pqmonthly.com
August/September 2012 • 27
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PERSPECTIVES
WHISKEY & SYMPATHY
Dearest Sophia and Gula,
I’m writing because I just don’t get online dating. Friends keep telling me to try the OkCupid thing, and from what they show me there are lots of people on there that pique my interest, but I don’t really understand how to reach out to them, or even what to do on dates. How would you two suggest I get my start in the cyber dating world?
Thank you, Lonely in Stumptown
LONELY …
DEAR LONELY IN STUMPTOWN,
Sophia St. James
Oh, the delightful world of online dating. It can be your best friend or your worst ex partner. One of the basic human impulses is to develop a romantic relationship — and maybe even fall in love. There are so many online dating sites that it can be difficult to choose which one to sign up with. The one that seems to be the most queer/LGBTQI-friendly is OkCupid. Though they do not have specific gender or orientation selections other than the “usual ones” (lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual), there is a search bar where you can type in terms to search for. Honestly, I think the easiest way to get started in online dating is just going for it. The first thing you will do is develop your bio and profile. This is the hardest yet one of the most important parts of your online attractiveness. Let your inner qualities shine through in the words you type. If you are goofy, silly, sensual, artsy, or analytical, make that known in the way you phrase things. This is what will bring out potential dates and make them want to message you. Next are your photo selections. This is another important piece to catching a date. Making sure you put your best face forward is key. Always try to let your personality show through. Between your bio and photos, that’s 80 percent of what’s going to hook that lucky person in to checking out your profile. The other 20 percent comes from the tests that you take to determine your personal likes and the actual conversation you have with that person. Keep in mind most of the questions you are asked are user-developed, meaning the questions come from the people who sign up to use the service. There are a few things to take into consideration when developing your profile page. First, don’t lie. They will find out, they always do. So be honest and up-sell your strong features; don’t complain about what you don’t like about yourself. People want to read the positive. Once you have your profile set and ready, set up your custom search for the specific details. This is where you get to ‘build’ your perfect date. Imagine if you could construct your date, this is how you do it. Once that is complete you are pretty much ready to go. Don’t be scared to get out there and do some searches yourself. As time goes on and you read other profiles, you’ll get a sense of what you are after. Just go with the flow, but stay alert. Stay safe when connecting with people online. Attacks seem to rarely happen these days, but you can never be too safe. One thing that seems to be a turn off is the constant messages without any plans to meet face to face. Meet in a public space first. Usually a quiet lounge or bookstore is a good place to meet and talk. Most dating websites show the last time you logged in and many use that as criteria for searching. Try to log in at least once a week at the minimum. Most of all, know yourself well enough to make that shine online. Good luck!
-Sophia
I miss the good old days of clubbing your future lover over the head then dragging them to your cave — so easy and honest. Finding our life partner has always been a bit rocky. What about your father selling you to the highest bidder to further your family’s name? Or my favorite: you wake up to your first period and BAM! You’re a sister wife. But now we have the internet to pimp ou rselves out to find a mate. We can choose a f lattering photo (when we were Gula Delgatto younger or chin up with a duck face) and let your new suitor know every perfect detail about all your favorite things to do … like hiking … EVERYONE SEEMS TO LOVE IT. I should get out there on those trails cuz it seems to be full of singles! I’ll bring my club. But seriously, Lonely, if you feel like you wanna try internet dating, I say “Jump in! You should try everything once or twice if it doesn’t make you bleed or cry!” Some of the stigmas (“you’re online just for sex”) are dropping from dating sites. Maybe it’s cuz there are other sites and apps out there that are designed for the quick hook-ups and those peeps are filtering out of the “looking for love” sites. Here are a few rules Gula wants you to follow: Put up a normal, nice photo of you large enough to see what you really look like. I hate when the thumbnail is small, they are wearing a hat and sunnies, and the photo looks like it went through the wash. Be honest about you. Let people know positive things about you. They will find the bad stuff out later, but by then they have paid for a few dinners. Look fierce. Don’t go to the movies on the first date. You are just sitting in a dark room with a stranger. Think about it — it’s creepy. You should be getting to know each other. After dinner take a walk. There are better chances of someone liking you if you get their heart rate up; when they think of you, subconsciously their heart will race and let off endorphins. Thanks, magic science. DON’T GET DRUNK. Embarrassing. DON’T GIVE IT UP ON THE FIRST DATE — unless it’s like an ‘80s movie and you stay up all night having crazy adventures like running from the cops and gang members, crashing a car in a pool at a huge house party, taking down the popular kids, and the whole time learning to love and trust each other. Then DO IT!
-Gula
Need some advice from Sophia and Gula? Send your query — with “Whiskey & Sympathy” in the subject line — to info@pqmonthly.com. Gula Delgatto’s life began in a small rural farming town in Romaina. She was scouted singing in a rocky field picking potatoes by a producer of a “Mickey Mouse Club” type ensemble. While touring the Americas the group fell apart due to jealousies and drugs. She later transitioned from Vaudeville to starring on the big screen to woman’s prison, and eventually advised the Dali Lama on fashion n-stuff. Currently she’s taking her life knowledge and giving back in an advice column for PQ.
Sophia St. James has been an erotic entertainer since 1996. She has traveled performing and educating the public on self confidence, self worth, and the art of sensuality no matter their outer appearance. Working as a sex and sensuality educator, sex toy/product reviewer, adult film director/producer, model, and erotic visual performer, Sophia is a well rounded woman with drive and determination. Sophia is also a mother and healthcare professional who takes pride in being a body positive and sex positive fierce femme. pqmonthly.com
August/September 2012 • 29
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P CLUB: “I’m going to have to ask for you, Cass, and your group not to come back on Friday nights.” Continued from page
to be there on a Friday night now.” Penner insists that he does not discriminate and adds that the bar has had held functions for the LGBTQ community in the past, including same-sex wedding receptions and a (now defunct) weekly gay night on Wednesdays called “Fame” (aka Gay Pizza). “The only response I have is — how do I want to put it? — we’re not an anti-gay bar,” he told PQ. “I have had gay, lesbian and transgender employees [including the current bar and kitchen managers].” But one former employee says he sees the group’s ejection as part of a larger, ongoing effort to turn over the bar’s clientele. A local booking agent who asked to be identified only as “J.R.” says he worked at P Club from 2003 to 2006 and for a short time in 2010. (He has also worked at the Twilight Room, which is owned by Penner’s family.) According to his account, Penner persuaded J.R. to return to the recently renovated club in 2010 despite past disagreements. “I decide the room looked really nice, maybe I should give it a shot,” J.R. says. “So I go over and talk with Chris [and] he tells me he wants to change up the ‘crowd coming in,’ i.e. the LBGT community, by booking live music and bringing in my crowd of friends and music fans, as opposed to the DJs they had coming in.” Three months into a six-month contract with Penner, J.R. says the owner tried to pull the plug on it via text message. When J.R. called back, he says Penner claims he hasn’t
“made an impact on ‘changing the crowd.’” The voicemails Lynn received, if left by Penner, support J.R.’s version of events. In one, the speaker talks about wanting to ask the group to leave 18 months ago, but changing his mind after being dissuaded by the bar manager. “I believe that is in reference to the time period in which he hired me to ‘change up the crowd’ at the P Club,” J.R. says. “He’s always trying to switch things up over there, and his bottom line isn’t happy customers, it’s money.” Lynn says that while the voicemails came as a surprise, there had been rumors over the past year that the owner wanted to talk to her about the group’s presence. “All we heard was rumor,” Lynn says. “We didn’t know whether to believe it or not believe it. I asked a waitress how serious it was two weeks before we got asked to leave [and] she said [Penner] was thinking about. When I heard it on the voicemail I knew for sure it was true.” Lynn says her group had been spending Friday nights at the bar for two years and that she had spent as much as $10,000 there. Though she says the group received a cold shoulder at the now-closed Candlelight Room, this is the first time they have taken action. Penner, who declined to comment on anything pertaining to the BOLI investigation, must file a response to the complaint by Aug. 23. The RCTG are being represented by attorney Beth Allen. PQ will continue to follow this case as it develops.
queer rights
in Oregon is does not start in 2014, it’s starting right here in Washington and the more people from Oregon get accustom[ed] to working toward this equality goal, the better chance they will have for victory in 2014. I want Oregon residents to know this is their fight, too, and if they want a state that does not discriminate under the law, a state that sees all people in the state as equal, and help change the political landscape in our country, now is the time to get involved.”
Continued from page
can and should support the fight for equality in Washington, Griffin says. “With Washington being Oregon’s closest neighbor, we need their help raising money as well as canvassing and phone banking. It is understood that Basic Rights Oregon wants to challenge Oregon’s marriage law in 2014 and they will have a greater opportunity for success if Washington is an equality state,” Griffin says. “The fight for marriage equality
To learn more about the Approve Ref. 74 campaign, visit waunited.org.
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30 • August/September 2012
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TRAVEL & OUTDOORS
PQ’S SUMMER STAYCATION GUIDE By Andrew Edwards PQ Monthly
Here are seven options for seizing the rest of your summer, no matter how much time, gumption, or gas money you’ve got. White Salmon, Wash.: This underappreciated Gorge town, about 1.5 hours from Portland, offers everything we Pacific Northwesterners love about summer: water, wildlife, and beer. Stay at Inn of the White Salmon (172 W Jewett Blvd.; 800-972-5226) for a small-town-stylish night
Skidmore Bluffs indoors, or drive 30 miles up Highway 141 to Lothlorien Woods Hide-A-Way, where you can sleep like an Ewok in a real-life tree house (222 Staats Rd., Snowden, Wash.; 509493-TREE). Drink like a woodsman with a Local Logger Lager at Everybody’s Brewing brewery (151 E Jewett Blvd.; everybodysbrewing.com), then climb towering basalt cliffs and take in soaring views of the Columbia on lesser-known hike Coyote Wall, whose trailhead is only about 15 minutes outside of town. Finally, an outdoor double-whammy: a whitewater-rafting/horseback-riding extravaganza for the cherry on top of your rugged weekend staycay (Northwestern Lake Riding Stables, 1262 Little Buck Creek Rd., White Salmon, Wash.; 509-493-4965). Oswald West State Park: You have to be made of strong stuff to count Oregon’s stretch of Pacific Ocean among your preferred swimming locales. Or, maybe you’ve found Oswald West State Park’s Short Sand Beach, just south of perennial pqmonthly.com
Portland favorite, Cannon Beach. South-facing and sheltered by a tree-lined cove, the white sands and calm green water here can seem more lagoon than ocean. The waves are also usually dotted with wet suits, as the spot is one of Oregon’s best for surfing. Additionally, the park boasts irresistible hiking trails, including the 7.6-mile, 1,700-foot-gaining trek up Neahkahnie Mountain, which offers such dizzying views of the Pacific, you’ll swear you can see Japan. Camping near Welches: This unincorporated Clackamas community is little more than a sign on the side of Highway 26, which is what makes it the camping destination you’ve been looking for. Remote but not far out, the Salmon River Trail begins here and will lead you through the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, which is every bit as enchanting as it sounds. Head out for the day, or backpack deeper into the lush old growth forest to camp at Bighorn, Rolling Riffle, or Goat Creek Campgrounds (yes, you are now in a Mark Twain novel). Nearby Green Canyon and Trillium Lake offer car-friendly camping (read: busy), the former nestled along the Salmon River and the latter known for its postcard view of Mt. Hood.
Bike Sellwood: Pedal down the east bank of the Willamette River toward an afternoon of Americana, Portlandstyle. Your first stop is 107-year-old Oaks Amusement Park for a double scoop of nostalgia. (The carousel at this oldfashioned “trolley park” is on the National Register of Historic Places). After braving the Looping Thunder Roller Coaster and the concessions stand, let your stomach settle on a treasure hunt at Sellwood Antiques Collective (8027 SE13th Ave.; 503-736-1399). If corn dogs and cotton candy weren’t for you, walk a block to Sellwood Corner Food Carts (7875 SE 13th Ave.) and have the $6 Jamaican jerk chicken with coleslaw at Eclectic Eatery BBQ. Just remember, you still have to bike home. Skidmore Bluffs: Now an acquired city park — complete with posted hours and an open container ban — the grassy cliffs technically called “Mock’s Crest” have officially been discovered. But that doesn’t mean they have sold out. Their unique view of the Willamette and Forest Park over the yards of industrial Northwest will always be one of the most thrilling in the city. Summer sunsets bring crowds, and for good reason; you’ll want to bring your sweetheart and a picnic basket. But don’t worry if you’re stag — the crowd is generally of the queerfriendly variety. We wouldn’t call the park cruisy, but your next make-out buddy could be just a tattered wool blanket away. Mazama Rambles: Looking for an unconventional way to see the city? Just need some exercise outside the gym? Look no further than the Mazamas Street Rambles. The Mazamas is a “nonprofit mountaineering education organization” (mazamas.org) that offers hikes and climbs across Oregon, as well as classes and activities for outdoors-people of any age and skill level. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the urban hikes leave from REI in the Pearl (NW 15th Ave. and NW Johnson St.) and typically head to Washington and/ or Forest Parks. On Wednesdays, they trek from Mazama
Photo by Andrew Edwards
Dougan Falls: Even the most prolific Instagrammer couldn’t have dreamed up the scene at t h is Wa shouga l R iver s w i mming hole. Toe-dipping shallows above surge into 100-foot-wide fa l ls t hat f rot h a mong jumpenticing rock ledges, then empty into a number of deep, crystalclear pools nestled among the surrounding pine forest. Smooth rocks prov ide prime space to practice your tan chi, or set up Dougan Falls a refreshments spread (we had soft pretzels and Caipirinhas). It feels blissfully remote, but at about 40 miles from downtown Portland, it’s in the same close-in league as busier spots like Sauvie Island and Rooster Rock. More wildlife, less “wildlife.”
Photo by Nicholas Wheeler
Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd St. and SE Stark St.) up to Mt. Tabor Park. Rambles begin at 6 p.m., last two hours, and offer varying distances, paces and group sizes. Maybe it’s time to cancel that gym membership. (www.mazamas. org; 503-227-2345). August/September 2012 • 31
GAY SKATE WITH PQ Oaks Park Roller Skating Rink
Monday
August
20th 7pm-9pm Admission $6.00 Each month, Gay Skate will feature a local non-profit doing good work in the community, giving them an opportunity to table and spread the word. (If your organization is interested in being featured, please email melanie@pqmonthly.com. PQ’s portion of the admission proceeds will go toward the creation of a PQ Monthly Scholarship Fund (details to be announced soon). Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food or personal items for donation to Esther’s Pantry and Martha’s Pantry (organizations serving people with HIV/AIDS in Portland and Vancouver).
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WWW.SUPUBLICO.COM 32 • August/September 2012
OUTDOOR, INDOOR
HOT FUN IN THE SUMMER IS UPON US By Daniel Borgen PQ Monthly
Do you love a good theme par ty? You seemed to like Red Dress enough, and you sure loved getting all sparkly during Pride weekend(s), so why not embrace this: Roman Gladiators. Dust off your red velvet capes and dig out those trust shields from the bottom of your closets, because on Saturday, Aug. 18, Fire on the Columbia is bring you some toga and goddess realness — beach-party style. (How often do you say “beach party” in the Northwest?) The cost of your ticket covers food, drinks, and entertainment (deejays, fire This year, Fire on the Columbia organizers gleaned inspiration from Roman glory days gone by. dancers, burlesque, it counts: outside. Check out www.fireonand more). All you have to do is buy your ticket and show thecolumbia.com for event, ticket, and up. For a small surcharge, the event will shuttle information. If you’re a summer Grinch and don’t feel shuttle you from the city to Sauvies Island; there are three runs the day of the event. like playing outside, we have the perfect Money raised will benefit the Oregon Cru- indoor alternative. MikeQ, of East Coast saders, a youth performing arts organiza- ballroom/vogue-house scene, descends tion. Beaches, dancing, charity — it does upon Portland to throw some Shade — and a “steady stream of vogue and ballroom get better. The hundreds-strong celebration keeps tracks, re-edits, and remixes.” Featuring growing, year after year — and, like lots of Serendipity Jones, Beyondadoubt, The Mirlegendary parties of its ilk, it started out acles Club, and Isaiah Tillman, organizers promise all-out inspiration on Friday, Aug. pretty small. “It used to be a pirate party my room- 24 — and the sort of dance party Portland mate and I called ‘Pirates on the Colum- rarely sees. “We’ve been doing these parties for the bia,’” said Phillip Marshall, event coordinator and Oregon Crusaders executive direc- last couple of years at various venues and tor. “After a couple of years of pirate boots spaces,” said Miracles Club’s Rafael Fauria. and parrots, it was time to move on to some- “We’re a group of friends united by a love of thing bigger and better. The best part of club music, particularly stuff that’s a little growing has been my organizing commit- non-conventional: Chicago house, deep tee of wonderful people — our DJ, our bar- house, garage, Detroit techno, that sort of tenders, caterers, and performers. Mother thing. I’ve been a longtime fan of the NY ballroom scene, so this all started with wanting Nature usually does her part, too.” The Oregon Crusaders provides youth to bring a piece of that energy here — and no education in the performing arts to almost one out there is doing it like MikeQ.” Fauria added, “When he agreed, I reached 200 Portland-area youth every year. “The organization’s top competitive out to a few friends who share a passion for ensemble just won the Drum Corps Inter- vogue-house — and I basically just tried to national World Championship on Aug. 7,” get together all the talented musicians and Marshall said. “It’s an enormously worth- dancers I know whose art has been inspired while cause that changes young people’s by the balls in New York. It’s rare to see dancing as an art form in the clubs, so that’s a lives forever.” You help kids and feast on all the gay really big part of it.” Ah, an East Coast night Romans you can handle? Reason enough? descends on the Rose City. We dig. Well, if you need another gentle nudge, For more information, check out “Ecstasy we’re here to bring you some hard truths. August is nearly over, which means sum- Presents: Shade with MikeQ, Beyondadoubt, mer’s winding down — which means you The Miracles Club, and Serendipity Jones” need to spend every moment you can where on Facebook. pqmonthly.com
Get it before itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone. The night before Red Cap Garage closes its doors, drag king Little Tommy Bang Bang will host his final (for now, at least) Peep Show (Aug. 17). The queer cabaret will feature an all-star cast including Artemis Chase, Ecstacy Inferno, Georgia Ray Babycakes, Chi Chi and Chonga (together again for one night only), Carla Rossi, Jeau Breedlove, Saturn, Asia Ho Jackson, Mr. E, Fannie Mae Darling, Velvet Hexe, Slim Pickins and Laura Beth, The Dolly Pops, Shpongledhoops, and more, followed by a dance party with DJ Hold My Hand. The too-goodto-be-free (tips encouraged) show starts at 9:30 p.m. Find it on Facebook. Looking for something slightly more cerebral? Celebrate the release of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Qs,â&#x20AC;? a publication of queer artists and writers curated and designed by Sarah Faith Gottesdeiner and including readings from Dexter Flowers, sts, Carrot Quinn, and Cooper Lee Bombardier. The free, all-ages event takes place Aug. 17 at Publication Studio (717 SW Ankeny St.). Focus better with a visual aid? Naked Girls Reading (think: post-burlesque bedtime stories) might be more up your alley. The Portland chapter presents its third â&#x20AC;&#x153;Book Fairâ&#x20AC;?themed installment Aug. 17 at Blue Monk. Hosted by Angelique DeVil, the reading features Babs Jamboree, Kit Katastrophic, Miss Kennedy, and NGRpdx co-producers Rayleen Courtney and Sophie Maltease. In case you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the hint, organizers want you to know the event includes full nudity (and is 21-plus). Get tickets at ngrpdxaugust.eventbrite.com. Speaking of full nudity: HUMP!, Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amateur adult film festival, is coming
5Ä°Ä 1ġĿÄÄş ġĎ ġĜÄ
up and looking for submissions (due Oct. 5). This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;extra-credit propsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meant to indicate that the film was made just for the fest â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are sweater-vests, packing peanuts, and â&#x20AC;Ś wait for it â&#x20AC;Ś lesbian sex. Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem quite as unique as the other two, but hey, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take the easy A. Read the rules at portlandmercury.com/gyrobase/ hump2012 and get filming.
other favorites including Against Me!, Girl Talk, Big Freedia, Holcombe Waller, Tender Forever, DJ Beyondadoubt, Mackelmore, Xiu Xiu, Serious Business, and many more. See the entire lineup at musicfestnw.com.
Nine-to-fivers may need to stay out past their bedtime on Tuesday, Aug. 21. SALT is bringing a killer lineup of musicians and DJs to Rotture thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sure to justify a haggard hump day. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking the avantgarde antics of Nicky Click, a DJ set from the eclectic Scream Club, the raunchy lady emcees of Sistafist, up and coming queer hip hop artist Jeau Breedlove, and the diary-inspired song sketches of Cole Baby. The 21+ show starts at 9:30 p.m. and sets you back $5 ($3 with canned food for Estherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pantry).
At more or less the exact same time, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art presPhoto by Julie Cortez, PQ Monthly ents the 2012 Time-Based Little Tommy Bang Bang will host his final (for now) Peep Show at Red Cap Garage on Aug. 17. Art Festival (Sept. 6-16). extravaganza, hosted by Maria Peters Lake The entire festival promises mind-blowing modern art of all media and Poison Waters at the Portland Center â&#x20AC;&#x201D; music, dance, visual art, video, theatre, for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available etc. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including art by Keith Hennessy, through Ticketmaster, but you can get all the Big Art Group, Zvonimir Doborvic, Miguel details at peacockafterdark.org. GutiĂŠrrez, Gob Squad, and Claudia Meza. Triangle Productions open its 23rd THE WORKS will feature Christeene, Alexis Blaire Penney, and GHE20GH0TH1Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season Sept. 6 with its rendition of the Tony Award winning musical â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avenue Qâ&#x20AC;? Venus X. Get more info at pica.org/tba. (runs through Sept. 30). The seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proFor those who want to get in on the art- ductions will include â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Very Joan Crawmaking, the Not Enough! Queer Music and ford Christmasâ&#x20AC;? (Nov. 28-Dec. 23), â&#x20AC;&#x153;25 Art Festival (Sept. 7-8) was still accepting Questions for a Jewish Motherâ&#x20AC;? (Feb. 7submissions as of press time. Dedicated 24), â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the Next Room (or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the vibrato showcasing new collaborations, Not tor playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;)â&#x20AC;? (March 7-31), and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avi Mariaâ&#x20AC;? Enough! includes two days of music, film, (May 2-26). For locations and pricing, visit performance, art, talks, groups, and more. tripro.org. Accessibly priced at $7-$10 a day, the festiThe Corin Tucker Band (ex-Sleaterval is free the under-18 set. Check it out at Kinney) releases its second album â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kill My notenoughpdx.com. Bluesâ&#x20AC;? Sept. 18. A music video for the song This mega-packed weekend also brings the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neskowin,â&#x20AC;? directed by Alicia J. Rose, is fabulous Fifth Annual Peacock After Dark, expected to come out in September as well. benefiting the Audria M. Edwards Scholar- The band will play Bunk Bar on Oct. 13. For ship Fund (Sept. 9). A diverse cast of per- more tour dates, go to corintuckerband. formers bring their best to the family-friendly com.
The man behind SALT, Samuel Thomas, is taking the Portland Queer Music Festival non-profit, with a fundraising campaign to create an umbrella organization called Queer Music United. The org will focus on promoting LGBTQ musicians and performers through education, showcases, concerts, an annual compilation album, and continuing the Portland Queer Music Festival. The fundraising campaign runs through Sept. 25. You can chip in at indigogo.com. September is a heavy-hitting month for the arts. You should probably start cloning yourself now. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that disco nap. Music Fest NW returns Sept. 5-9 with performances by a number of LGBTQ artists and
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PURPLE ELBOWS What does Chardonnay taste like without the window dressing? By Richard Jones PQ Monthly
The world’s m o s t p re s t i gious white wine? By all odds that would be Chardonnay. It crops up on the hills of eastern France, along the west coast of North America, Australia, South America — virtually any place where grapes survive. Each locale has its own character from climate and handling, So what is the real Chardonnay? Many wine buffs enjoy $40 California C h a rd o n n a y s w i t h a beautiful vanillin aroma from toasted oak. Then there’s the butter-toasty flavors from malo-lactic fermentations. Yum. Double yum. Only one thing missing —the flavor of Chardonnay grapes. Duh? Some 50 years ago, by pure dumb luck, I stumbled across an outstanding Chardonnay, namely a Premier Cru (French for “pretty damned good”) Chablis (a sly reference to the village of Chablis) from the Montée de Tonnerre vineyard. As the first really elegant Chardonnay I had ever tasted, it spun me around. For decades I searched for its equal. Alas, no other Chardonnay came close. At that time I had few thoughts of such things as French or American oak barrels, let alone secondary fermentations. My arrival in the Northwest put me in touch with a few Chardonnays proudly boasting of no contact with oak. Slowly the secret of that long-ago Montée de Tonnerre Chardonnay seeped into my skull. I had been searching in the dark for 30 years without a flashlight. So, you ask, why should you care what
Chardonnay tastes like without the window dressing? Good question. Think of it this way: does it matter what your huggy-bunny looks like without the window dressing? OK? And what does Chardonnay taste like without the added stuff? You might find a slightly citric (say grapefruit) tang. It might suggest a gentle herbal flavor (as opposed to a few powerhouse Sauvignon Blancs that can knock you over with randy herbs). Will you prefer the leaner more delicate Chardonnays or the full-bore version? Why not sample both and see? Fortunately, several excellent un-oaked Oregon Chardonnays await you: • Chehalem 2009 Chardonnay “Inox” ( Willamette Valley), $14.50. ( The 2010 vintage has just arrived on wine shop shelves.) • J. Christopher 2010 Chardonnay “Cuvée Lunatique” (Willamette Valley), $19. Both are very good. The Chehalem has more up-front fruit. The J. Christopher proclaims “no oak — no malo” and achieves a bit more complexity. • Zerba 2011 Chardonnay (Columbia Valley), $20, doesn’t mention oak or malolactic data, however the label proclaims it is “not your grandmother’s flabby California Chardonnay.” Pow! In your face, California! The lively, lightly herbal flavors suggest it has minimal additions. Nicely done! And don’t overlook Washington wineries. They produce a few un-oaked jewels as well as some big boys. • Airfield Estates 2011 Chardonnay “Unoaked” (Yakima Valley), $12. • Ryan Patrick Vineyard 2009 “Naked” Chardonnay (Columbia Valley), $10. Both are quite good, with the Airfield showing hints of spring herbs and crisp acidity. Those looking for a softer structure will prefer the Ryan Patrick. Ask your wine steward about other unoaked Chardonnay. And don’t ignore the barrel and butter styles. They can be very pleasing too. Just like your huggy-bunny in full window dressing.
More un-oaked Chardonnay If you look around for interesting Chardonnays, you’ll find a wide range in the Willamette Valley, some of which would make French vignerones envious. Southern Oregon and Washington can also offer good Chards in various styles. If you wander up to British Columbia, you’ll find the area around Kelowna a nice blend of the Swiss Alps and the Texas Hill Country. While you’re at in the Okanagan Valley, stop at Township 7 Vineyards and Winery at Penticton and sample their un-oaked Chardonnay. Closer to Vancouver, B.C., you can visit Township 7’s unimposing winery at Langley. If your passport is out of date, check out winemaker Bradley Cooper’s 90 seconds of comments on un-oaked Chardonnay: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsxXnVOjLVI
Richard Jones has imbibed a great deal of vino in his years as a winemaker, wine judge, wine writer, wine publisher, wine lecturer, and wine traveler. When he doesn’t have his nose in a glass, he works as a freelance reporter. pqmonthly.com
Cultivating Life THE BACKYARD BUZZ By LeAnn Locher
solution yet on the horizon. We need pollinators like bees to ensure produce grows successfully, and many say bees are an early The whirl and indicator of environmental demise. That’s swirl of a living, where backyard beekeeping can help in breathing bee- growing the bee population. hive is mesmerIf you’re thinking about starting up your izing, and they own backyard apiary, learn as much as you don’t just live can. Zenger Farm is a great resource for in the country. growing your buzz knowledge, offering Urban beekeep- workshops, lectures, and hands-on learne r s a re g r ow - ing through their Bee Group. ing in numbers “Beekeeping people are really cool,” in the Portland Cooper says. “It’s good to take the time area, and their magic apiaries are drawing and learn from experienced beekeepers in many new fans. before you do it.” An upcoming fundraiser Amari Fauna is a backyard beekeeper on for Zenger Farm is Tour de Hives, providing her urban Portland farm and describes a a chance to see how local beekeepers tend childhood filled with bee fascination. Com- their hives, and even chat with them. bine this fascination with her participation in “Seeing other hives shows me new ideas the new OSU Master Beekeeper program and like where to position them, and how to mentoring through Zenger Farms, and she create a healthy area for bees and people,” and her partner have Clement says. “Some found themselves people’s hives are so hosting two new beebeautiful, it’s inspirhives this year. ing.” “I watch my bees So what about early in the morning that whole stinging and again before I go thing? Yes, you might to bed,” she says. “It’s get stung. You might really exciting.” not. It depends on a T h e r e ’s g o o d few things: getting reason to have a hive to know the personin your backyard. alities of your hives Bees are pollinators, can help you better Photo courtesy of Zenger Farm ensuring fruits and understand them, vegetables have the Zenger Farm’s monthly Bee Group mentors backyard bee enthusiasts and to understand hot sex they need to with hands on experiences with their onsite apiary. if they’re about to grow great produce. Speaking with back- sting you. In fact, Fauna insists her bees yard beekeeper and neighbor, Lacy Cooper, are gentle. made me realize there’s a good potential “Stings are a bee’s last resort,” she says. that her bees pollinate my garden, and — “If you listen to the bees, you’ll recognize now that you mention it — our apple trees their humming sound. If it increases, and are doing really well this year. becomes a buzzing agitated sound, or if “You’re welcome,” Cooper offers before they fly around your face,” that’s when you I can do the math. Did I mention I love our need to hightail it to a safe place. neighbors? “Hives have personalities and a great And then there’s always the honey. OSU attitude. You can learn the ebb and flow of Master Beekeeper student and Zenger your hive; it’s a living thing,” Cooper says. Farms Bee Group mentor Chris Clement Wearing protective gear will also help, says bees get people talking and asking but many folks find that backyard bees and themselves, “What kind of impact am I backyard parties co-exist just fine. That having in my neighborhood? What can I sounds like a perfect backyard buzz. do to help bees?” Great things can happen when we talk Tour de Hives about bees with our neighbors. “Educating Visit Portland area backyard beekeepers and people about a good environment, sharing their hives on this self-guided apiary tour. your honey, it gets people talking,” Clem- Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. ent says. www.tourdehives.com for tickets ($5-$15 And we should start talking. Colony Col- sliding scale). Bonus chat time afterwards lapse Disorder is having an alarming impact with bee lovers at Lucky Lab, 915 SE Hawon the health of honeybees, with no clear thorne, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. PQ Monthly
LeAnn Locher is an OSU Extension Master Gardener and is keeping her fingers crossed for a good tomato year. You can connect with her and other like-minded gardeners at facebook.com/sassygardener. pqmonthly.com
THE GOOD LIFE
EAT, DRINK, AND, BE MARY DECARLI: INTENTIONALLY LOCAL By Brock Daniels PQ Monthly
Fumes of roasted garlic and gr illed meats fill the air on a warm summer day in a suburb of Portland. The sounds of dishes clanking in an open exhibition kitchen temporarily interrupt the hum of the full restaurant as the door is opened. Warm, straightforward, and comfortable. Decarli in Beaverton isn’t adjusting to 2012’s top trend across America by providing our community with local, sustainablyraised foods — they helped form the trend. Polenta fries With a “rustic sophistication,” Decarli’s executive chef and owner Paul Decarli meticulously transforms local products into Italian masterpieces — making Decarli my choice as Restaurant of the Year for 2012. Decarli propositions its guests with comfort and ease as they review the daily selections. The lack of complication does not translate to boring. Instead the menu at Decarli explodes with a modern interpretation of traditional Italian staples. Small plates range in bravery from house-made meatballs ($8) to cork-braised baby octopus ($9.50). Chickpeas, cerignola olives, grilled bread, and caper aioli come together perfectly in an almost hearty goulashy way with the cork-braised octopus. So tender, a diner having octopus for the first time would be infatuated. Moving onto a plate of gnocchi — a mini potato dumpling, so soft and supple it almost melts in your mouth like butter. The rich cooked-down ragout of beef and cocoa are married with the gnocchi as if they were meant to be together; a real treat from the practiced chef. Vegetarian options are available if the forms of an authentic hand-cut tagliatelle,
and several pizzettas, all of which are worth a little nibble, but please don’t leave without having at least 10 or 100 polenta fries. Crispy golden-fried polenta fingers paired with gorgonzola butter. Melted cheese and butter together — what could be a better match? Carlton Farms in Carlton, Ore., is responsible for the meat selections at Decarli. Founded in 1958, Carlton Farms is still owned and operated by the same Duyn family, and they pride themselves on quality, consistency, and a philosophy of operating a humane facility that exceeds the standards of the USDA. It is nice to see Decarli using not only local produce, but local meats as well. The long-grilled Carlton Farm pork leg ($22) is the highlight of the entrées at Decarli. Soft polenta, escarole, cipollini onions, grilled bacon, and heavilytoasted hazelnuts adorn a seared pork leg like no other — a flawless balance of smooth, sweet, salt, and crunch. Juicy and well-seasoned, the cute salt well on the table went unused. If licking my plate in public were socially acceptable, it would
have been done … but I guess that’s what the bread is for. Not only do we get to live in the most beautiful place in the United States, we get to explore the amazing gifts this area gives us through gay-friendly restaurants like Decarli. Sharing their space in the restaurant scene with local growers and producers to bring a community together shows that Decarli gets it. Intentional food, intentional service, intentionally local. Decarli 4545 SW Watson Ave. Beaverton, OR 97005 503-641-3223 www.decarlirestaurant.com
Brock Daniels, a Pacific Northwest native, has studied wine, culinary arts, gastronomy, and loves researching new food. Brock has written a self-published cookbook titled “Our Year in the Kitchen.” Reach him at brock@pqmonthly.com. August/September 2012 • 35
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THE FUN STUFF
QUERY A QUEER
in the midst of a middle school experience that saw me on the receiving end of some pretty intense cattiness by a group of former friends, its prohibition on backbiting (considered a sin on par with murder) was a major draw. I soon made a concerted effort to interrupt gossip at every opportunity and became practiced at seeing the Are you a lesbian puzzled by gay men? A good in everyone. transgender person pondering bisexuality? Why am I telling you all this? Because even a self-identiA straight person perplexed by queers of all fied “nice” person like me gets sucked into petty gossip and shit talking sometimes, and because the closest I can come stripes? PQ is here to help you through your to truth is in speaking about my own experiences. Which “questioning” period. Send your questions to brings me to my first point: Everyone is mean. It’s not just info@pqmonthly.com and put Query a Queer LGBTQ folks. One might argue that marginalized people in the subject line. should know better, and I’d agree. But knowing better and doing better are not the same thing. Question: The same history of oppression that ought to teach us For all the talk of queer solidarity, there sure seems the importance of being kind also leaves us with deep hurts to be a lot of cattiness and cliquishness in the comthat manifest in anti-social defense mechanisms. I’ve found munity. What’s that about? that (sociopaths and psychopaths aside) mean people are typically hurt people. This doesn’t excuse the meanness, Answer: Though I’ve never stood in a circle, holding hands and but it can provide perspective. This reality is compounded singing “Kumbaya” (OK, maybe once or twice at Girl Scout when a queer person (who has already been rejected by camp), I have always been that kid that asks, “Why can’t mainstream society) feels rejected by their chosen comwe all just get along?” My family valued being kind almost munity. We seem to develop a PTSD-like hyper vigilance as much as it valued being smart. As a child, I was often to attacks (real or perceived) — an inheritance of the culdistraught by the fact that my friends (I generally had two tural trauma of being queer. There’s also an element of competition born out of a to three at a time) didn’t like each other and set out to play peacemaker. When I encountered the Bahá’í Faith fear of there not being enough romantic options. When you’re queer, your pool of potential mates is considerably smaller than the average non-queer person’s. That’s not to say there isn’t enough love to go around, but the size of 40. Live bait THEME: CLASSIC NOVELS our community’s “pond” does seem to promote concepts 41. “Now _____ entertainment!” such as “butch scarcity.” It also means there are fewer 43. Not Sunni ACROSS 44. Used to call someone’s attention, pl. queer friends to be had, fewer queer cliques to “fit in” to. Our small world also makes it easier to find out that some1. *Harry Potter’s antagonist 46. Expression of pain 6. Hole puncher 47. Dissenting clique one’s been talking trash. 9. Attention grabber 48. Street of shops, especially in orient All that said, it also seems worth pointing out the role of 13. Beyond suburban 14. Sheepish cry 15. Supports climbing plants 16. *Holmes would try to verify this 17. Make a mistake 18. Popular jewelry stone 19. *Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer winner 21. *Emerald City visitor 23. Before tac 24. Sports award 25. Siesta 28. *”A Clockwork Orange” protagonist 30. Performed alone 35. Away from wind 37. Heart feeling 39. Mother-of-pearl
50. Fraud or imposter 52. U Rah ___! 53. Mixed breed canine 55. ___ de Janeiro 57. *It chronicles Leopold Bloom’s journey through Dublin 61. *Twist and Heep creator 65. _____ Protocol on climate change 66. Consumed 68. China Grass 69. NBA great _____ Baylor 70. St. Louis player 71. Speak one’s mind 72. Make hot and dry 73. ___ Lanka 74. Used as fertilizer and explosive
DOWN
29. Repeating sound 31. Lad’s counterpart 32. Autumn color 33. *”Fear of Flying” author Jong 34. *It happened in Venice 36. *Jane Austen classic 38. ____ A Sketch 42. African river, also spelled “Chari” 45. Delilah’s trusting victim 49. Street in Paris 51. One millionth of a meter 54. Former Russian leaders 56. Giraffe-like African animal 57. Short for ukuleles 58. Singer/actor Lovett 59. Hindu discipline 60. Evoke emotion 61. Ashton’s ex 62. Give off 63. Number of baseball fielders 64. Tiresias in “Oedipus Rex,” e.g. 67. Smoker’s lung residue
1. Not bright 2. “____ of thumb” 3. Seed cover 4. 15th century North America explorer 5. Famous picture book pig 6. Tucked in 7. *One main topic in Tolstoy’s 1869 classic 8. Hog fat, pl. 9. Jumping stick 10. A team reserved for emergencies 11. Comedian with red, curly hair 12. 3-point shot 15. Heavy elementary particle 20. Enthusiastic approval 22. Roman goddess of fertility 24. Car emission, e.g. 25. Honorific title given to Muslim rulers 26. Central Pacific greeting 27. Actress Rosie
38 • August/September 2012
perception. That is, sometimes we think someone is being catty or cliquey when they’re not. We misinterpret people’s actions to see what we expect (or fear). Queer folks are so used to getting the short end of the stick that we sometimes assume that’s what we have, without even bothering to measure it. I am not immune to that sinking “nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms” feeling. I don’t think any of us are (some are just better at faking it). Which brings me to my preferred coping mechanism: I like to imagine that everyone (at the party, on Facebook, whatever) is awkward and insecure. I figure this is just as likely (if not more) to be true as the assumption that everyone is socially adept and confident. If I believe that people’s cliquishness is a result of their fear of straying from the safety their group (rather than their desire to avoid me), that their rude comments are born of insecurity about themselves rather than hatred of me, it’s easier to either brush my shoulders off or kill ’em with kindness. Michelle Tea wrote about this in “What I now know about … Mean Dykes,” a piece for the June 27, 2002, issue of The Stranger. She ended by identifying the ways she can stop being one of those mean dykes: “I know I can shut my trap when the urge to talk trash flares hot and ugly inside me, and ask myself what exactly about this person, so like me, threatens me, pushes all my many buttons. I can stick up for queers when I hear their names rolled through the mud by someone who, in all likelihood, doesn’t really know them. I can offer a good quality about a girl to offset the rotten ones being discussed, making her human, not a monster-dyke we can relieve our insecurities with through hating. I can stop bolstering my fragile identity by criticizing all in my community I imagine I’m not. I can catch a gaze and hold it.” ‘Cause let’s be real, we’re all fragile. If we give each other the benefit of the doubt a little more often, we can focus on holding each other up instead of tearing each other down.
-By Erin Rook, PQ Monthly staff writer
pqmonthly.com
THE FUN STUFF
End Up Tales ASTROSCOPES WITH MISS RENEE Miss Renee aka Tarot Chick is an empath, tarot card reader, and spiritual astrologer of 19 years based out of NE Portland. She loves love notes so feel free to holla or schedule a tarot / astrology chart session: that_tarot_chick@yahoo.com.
TRYING NOT TO SEE THROUGH THE SMOKE I like to tell myself I’m over Gaycation. No offense to kick-ass DJs or the generally rad space — but in that sweaty cave of dimly lit queers “dancing” to the extent that space allows, I become someone I don’t particularly like. And since like attracts like, well, you get the idea. I tell myself a lot of things. That the queer across the room making creepy-if-I-were-sober eyes at me looks kinda cute from this angle. That your attempts at dancing would make more sense if we were doing it together. That this could be my only chance so I’d better take it. So I do that dancing gradually closer and closer until we’re grinding thing, synchronizing hip swerves instead of handshakes. We’re speechless until we approach the bar, your hand already finding a home in my back pocket. I tell myself I’ll just order a soda water, but when you buy me a whiskey I ditch those bullshit stir stick baby straws and take hard sips while you introduce yourself. I forget your name as soon as the smell of Parliaments and PBR passes my nostrils. Heady with intoxication and dehydration, I tell you mine — and then some. I get chatty when I drink. After 10 minutes of blathering I pause to breath. I’ve already told you my occupation, astrological sign (“Scorpio,” I say, eyes full of meaning), and how long it’s been since I had company. You take the hint and before long, our smoke break (I like to tell myself I don’t smoke) is bordering on indecent exposure. I close my eyes, not for romance, but to avoid seeing you in the way-too-bright-for-this street light. To avoid seeing myself. Or the eyes surely seeing us both. As the crowd starts to spill out into the street, we fumble with our phones. You ask for my number and I look down at the solid black screen of my phone. Dead. Shit. I suddenly remember that, outside the mouth of the cave, my friends are probably impatiently attempting to text me. So, before I can verbally vomit my digits, I stumble over an excuse, a goodbye, and a kiss too soft for our one night (only!) makeout session. As I turn the corner I run into my friends exiting the bar and give thanks for strength in numbers as you disappear into the shadows.
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LEO: There’s little more aweinspiring than a well loved Leo. Hopefully the last few weeks loved you up good because planetary shifts into serviceoriented Virgo, home/family-loving Cancer, and breakthrough Scorpio are likely to soon ask you to humbly serve, hold space for, and uplift those not fortunate to be quite as awesome as you.
CAPRICORN: Although Cap is an earth sign, your symbol’s a Sea Goat. This practical, earthy tribe is more sensitive than it’ll EVER show. The next six weeks gives profound breakthrough opps as a watery trine between Mars in transformational Scorpio, full Moon in psychic Pisces & Venus in home-loving Cancer wash away barriers. #MadonnaExpressYourself.
ARIES: Mercury, new moon Aug. 17 and Venus Sept. 7 all in fiery Leo plus your ruling planet Mars shifting from partner-oriented Libra into “as intense as humanly possible” Scorpio 8/23 frees you and sets the stage for 1.5 months of Titanic’s “King of the World” moments. Tip: Buy condoms/ dental damns and chafing powder.
VIRGO: What do you want, Virgo? Cuz you could get it now. However, it won’t arrive through your typical mental gymnastics but through your heart, learning how to ask for what you need, and daring to dream. Mars in sizzling Scorpio harmonizing with full moon in psychic Pisces Aug. 31 makes you blush with desire. Open.
AQUARIUS: Pa l l a s At h e n e i n astrology represents the ability to see patterns. Pallas harmonizing with “Broaden your world” Jupiter and “Be realistic” Saturn reveals how you’ve been throwing the baby out with the bathwater repeatedly and that you can get clean water in other ways. Venus opposing you in Leo Sept. 6-Oct. 2 encourages lion-heartedness.
TAURUS: Kuddos if you’ve made it to the last leg of August w/o slapping some @#*! upside their head. Your ruler Venus in supportive Cancer, Sun Aug. 22 and Mercury Aug. 31 in earthy Virgo help mellow the vibe throughout September. Transmute combative tendencies of Mars opposing you in intense Scorpio into sexy scenarios or overdue breakthroughs instead.
LIBRA: It’s amazing what you can get done with a push! Hopefully you utilized Mars’ fire while it blazed through Libra over 1.5 months. Now it’s time to put the energy/focus back onto your home life/living situation, values, and what you need to feel comfortable again after all that shifting. Slower. Even slower.
PISCES: Your mojo is strong! August/September belongs to YOU. Full moon/Chiron, Mars and Venus in a powerful water trine wash obstacles out of your path, allowing you to smoothly swim through. The toll: you must open your hands and surrender all that no longer belongs to you. Theme song: “All Is Full Of Love” ~Bjork
GEMINI: Hopefully Sun, ruler Mercury and new moon in fiery Leo lent you confidence. Hold onto that as Sun and Mercury shift into sister sign Virgo. Other planetary aspects turn a laser focus toward love with full moon in dreamy, romantic Pisces Aug. 31 driving usually relationship-cagey twins toward a love jones of epic proportion. Surrender, yo!
SCORPIO: Scorpio rules the genitals and anus. Virgo rules abdomen and intestines. Mars in Scorpio and Sun, Mercury in Virgo’s theme is eliminating the waste in your life. Issues that initially flared in Spring 2011 can be purged and transformed now. Mars (impetus) Chiron (wounded healer) and Venus (love, values) harmonizing in a water trine smooth the way. Squat.
CANCER: Come on baby light my fire, indeed! The end of August/September could have Crabs fired up to move/destroy/revamp ANYTHING that stands in the way of your comfort/desires/values. Full moon in sister sign Pisces Aug. 31 may reveal hidden/repressed desires. It’s okay (and good!) to shine. Stop hiding your light.
SAGITTARIUS: Your tribe isnt exactly known for their emotional sensitivity or working well with others. You are, after all, mavericks of the zodiac. However, you’re ALSO highly intuitive. Planetary aspects in sensitive Cancer, exacting Virgo, and dreamy/psychic Pisces request that you slow, zip it, and ask yourself precisely what you need. Get your ohm on.
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE 38
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August/September 2012 • 39
PERSPECTIVES
introducing our:
fall collection 2012 A ProVocAtiVE MiX oF SEductiVE SiLHouEttES, FEtcHing FiniSHES And tEMPting tEXtiLES. WELL-PricEd, in Stock And rEAdy For dELiVEry.
1106 West Burnside Street / 503.972.5000 / Mon thru Fri: 10am to 8pm, Sat: 10am to 6pm, Sun: 11am to 6pm Complimentary Parking Validation at PMC (12th and Couch) / www.mgbwhome.com Halston Sofa 88”w x 34”d x 29”h dressed in a dark taupe textured solid ($1980) $1475, Dana Leather Chair 28”w x 34”d x 40”h wearing vibrant orange leather ($2250) $1525, Caffrey Cocktail Table 62”w x 24”d x 17”h $1370, Caffrey 1 Drawer Side Table Left 24”w x 26”d x 23”h $1120, Powershag Rug 8’ x 10’ in ink $1750, Tate Lamp 22”h $495, Café Scene 43”w x 43”h $1995
40 • August/September 2012
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