February/March 2014

MONTHLY

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2 • February/March 2014

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PQ TEAM The Right to Turn Away the Gay? Not On Our Watch Melanie Davis

Owner/Publisher melanie@pqmonthly.com

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And now we’re seeing House and Senate Bills pop up around the United States dubbed “The Right to turn away the Gay”—which the Kansas House passed 79-49. (There’s little hope of it surviving their Senate as-is.)

The bill was drafted in response to federal court rulings that overturned same-sex marriage bans in Utah and Oklahoma. Rep. Charles Macheers, R-Shawnee, said on the House floor that his bill prevents discrimination.

“Discrimination is horrible. It’s hurtful … It has no place in civilized society, and that’s precisely why we’re moving this bill,” he said. “There have been times throughout history where people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs because they were unpopular. This bill provides a shield of protection for that.”

So “The Right to Turn Away the Gay” bill is designed to discriminate against (probably gay) patrons of businesses that have to obtain state licenses in order to do business in the United States (Land of the Free). We Our publisher, Melanie Davis, selected this photo to demonstrate the extreme nature of some states’ “Turn Away the understand people came to this land seeking religious freedom; in doing so we have separation of church and state. Additionally, we continue to Gay” bills. How far have we really come? fight never ending civil rights battles to ensure Equal Protection according 2014: This is the year we celebrate our sister publication El Hispanic to the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which guaranNews’ 33rd birthday and PQ’s (Proud Queer) 2nd. It’s been an amazing jour- teed that all people would have rights equal to those of white citizens. Not ney, as we set out with a bold mission two years ago to ensure that “Every the manipulation of words of hate that Rep. Macheers is trying to weave Letter and Every Color is represented.” With our feet on the ground and together, as if the right to discriminate is a cause that should be supported our eyes focused on the big picture, here is where we are. and put into effect by law in 2014.

2014 is supposed to be the year we experience global unity—we have “The Right to Turn Away the Gay” bills are ignorant, arrogant, and hypthe epic Olympic Winter Games happening right now in Sochi, Russia, a ocritical of the laws of our land and any elected official wasting taxpayers’ country that’s enacted specific laws about “gay propaganda” (and we’re time and money on this dangerous bill is purely wicked. In 2014, we need watching unspeakable violence and oppression against queers), a country to call on all of our brothers and sisters of Every Letter and Every Color to exploding with protest against its President—Putin—and his reign, which stand together. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is ostensibly amounts to dictatorship. As we raise our fist in anger to Russia a threat to justice everywhere.” Unfortunately, injustices are banging on and its laws against homosexuality, we must look within our own coun- the door of equality in 2014. try and recognize that there are eight states that have similar laws. AlaAs your publisher of Proud Queer (PQ Monthly) and El Hispanic News, bama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas I can assure you we’re committed to the cause. and Utah all have laws against homosexuality similar to the country we –Melanie Davis shared a Cold War with—and it’s the year 2014.

2014 NO GAYS?

A SMATTERING OF WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE:

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Some say the debate over PrEP is reminiscent of old ones over the birth control pill... Page 6

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Combating transphobia (and lots of other things): PQ chats with GLAAD..................... Page 9

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We catch up with some characters from our queer paper’s first two years........................ Page 10

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Style Deconstructed: Peek at some of the more stylish members of our community........ Page 14

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contributing writers TJ Acena, Ben Burwitz, Belinda Carroll, Marco Davis, Gula Delgatto, Andrew Edwards, Leela Ginelle, Kim Hoffman, Shaley Howard, Konrad Juengling, Richard Jones, LeAnn Locher, Monika MHz, Miss Renee, Katey Pants, and, of course, your PQ Editorial Team

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Bridge Club, Tea Dances, and Chelsea Starr (the year is looking up)........................... Page 15 PHOTO BY ERIC WAINWRIGHT

Our inspiration this month was the (eventual) promise of summer. Days are getting longer, and patios will be here in no time. On page 15, you’ll read about a handful of the deejays we love moving our feet to. Thanks to Bridge Club and Chelsea Starr for being such good sports--and to Vendetta for being such good hosts.

Photo by Eric Sellers, concept and styling

by Sellers, Michael Talley, & Daniel Borgen.

Artemis Chase resurrects Peep Show (but not Red Cap)................................................ Page 16 Another tidbit from Astoria................................................................................................. Page 19 BRO’s Jeanna Frazzini and Oregon United for Marriage’s Mike Marshall................ Page 21, 22 Spring Theater Preview, courtesy Leela Ginelle................................................................. Page 27

“Dance Dance Dance Talk Talk Talk” are lyrics to “Can’t Be Funky “ by Bush Tetras THE NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE OF PQ MONTHLY IS RIVENDELL MEDIA, INC. BRILLIANT MEDIA LLC, DBA EL HISPANIC NEWS & PQ MONTHLY.

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Also: A love story (about house parties), Racial Equity report cards, business briefs, arts briefs, and your LGBTQ columns: The Lady Chronicles, ID Check, Bisexual Column, Everything is Connected, Cultivating Life, The Home Front, OK Here’s the Deal, and more. Dive in!

February/March 2014 • 3

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NEWS BRIEFS

A complaint was filed on Jan. 14 with the Bureau of Labor and Industries when a staffer in Mayor Charlie Hales’ office alleged Chief of Staff Gail Shibley harassed him when she pressured him into revealing he is HIV-positive. Shibley was the first openly gay member of the Oregon legislature. The staffer’s name will remain anonymous for medical privacy. He claims Shibley called him a “skank.”

The matter of “skank-slinging” adds a special twist to this otherwise unfortunate situation. PQ will be following the story and have more to come in future issues.

An anti-gay initiative could make its way onto the ballot in November, which states florists, bakers, and other specialty businesses can refuse same-sex couples their services if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. Local business-owners have been under fire this past year for turning away same-sex customers — spiking conversation about religion and business. Can’t we all just get along and eat cupcakes about it?

On Jan. 23, the Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition, along with the Q Center, announced an important new program that could vastly improve and lead school systems across the country. The Oregon Safe School Certification Program will certify schools in compliance with anti-bullying laws, giving administrators, teachers and students tangible training and benefits. The chosen program manager is Neola Young, not to be confused with folk rocker Neil Young.

Freshman Willamette University kicker Conner Mertens recently announced his bisexuality on Jan. 29. In a statement to the press, Mertens said: “It got to a point where I just got tired of it, trying to hide who I was and trying to pretend I was something I was not.” The valiant 19-year-old came out to his teammates to avoid keeping secrets, sending a strong message to sports athletes and organizations everywhere — your sexuality does not affect your sportsmanship.

Hopefully you made it in time for the Cover Oregon application fair. It all took place on Jan. 30 at Q Center.

The event was co-sponsored by Basic Rights Oregon, Q

Center and Cascade AIDS Project — because, yes, the gays need proper health insurance, too.

On Jan. 31, Multnomah County Commissioners Liesl Wendt and Judy Shiprack were tested for HIV at Cascade AIDS Project. On Feb. 13, Commissioners Marissa Madrigal and Diane McKeel were also tested. This initiative aimed to spotlight the importance of getting tested for HIV. In a press release from the CAP, Interim Deputy Executive Director Peter Parisot wrote: “According to the Oregon Health Authority, gay and bisexual men account for nearly 80% of new HIV diagnoses in the state. This fact may mislead other populations into thinking they’re not at risk and put off testing.” CAP’s Testing4All program was put in place three years ago and continues to advocate testing, and a safe, donations-acceptable testing system free of discrimination.

On Feb. 3, the Portland Lesbian Choir performed a gleeful opening ceremony at the Oregon House for the commencement of the Oregon Legislature. State Representative and House Speaker Tina Kotek sponsored the special ceremony. The choir is in its 27th season — and these ladies sound better than ever.

An Oregon jury found a woman guilty of obstruction of justice for her role in an attack on a gay couple who were walking a pink poodle in Hillsboro. Saraya Sophia Lisa Gardner will be sentenced later in May. Her husband, George Allen Mason, still faces trial on more serious charges in the attack—which happened last March. David Beltier was hit on the head with a heavy tool—he and Jeremy Mark were walking their poodle, “Beauty,” which they had dyed pink with Kool-Aid. Eyewitnesses say Mason was driving, yelled at the men, and then attacked them while yelling anti-gay slurs.

This just in: Another Republican has joined us on our side. Deputy House Republican Leader Julie Parrish, R-West Lynn/Tualatin, made an announcement via her Facebook on Feb. 1 in support of marriage equality. Several of her colleagues are members of the Freedom Oregon committee, made up by a group of Republicans, including

Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, and Jim Thompson, R-Dallas.

In a recent press release from Oregon United for Marriage, it was announced that the Oregon Board of Rabbis, Oregon Area Jewish Committee, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland joined the campaign for gay marriage. According to OUFM press secretary Peter Zuckerman, they are now a part of 54 other congregations and 175 clergy in support of legalizing gay marriage. This calls for a toast of kosher wine.

Over the Feb. 7-9 weekend, Lake Oswego United Church of Christ and Beit Haverim, a Jewish congregation held an open house, an Oregon United for Marriage sponsored event called Open Hearts = Open Minds. The event featured religious same-sex marriage advocates, proving different religions can unite over something dear to all of our hearts — our open sexuality.

Bernice King, the youngest offspring of Martin Luther King, Jr. was scheduled to speak at Portland State University on Feb. 12 — her appearance creating a buzz for LGBTQ advocates aware of her co-leading an anti-gay marriage march in Atlanta in 2004. Despite the controversy over her speaking at PSU, the Chief Diversity Director, Jilma Meneses expressed her speech was meant to express racial equality and her father’s legacy. In a phone interview with Oregon Live, Menesis stated: “My understanding... is that she would not participate in a march like that today.”

The anti-gay laws in Sochi, Russia, home of the 2014 Winter Olympics, have been the topic of all conversations in February as the games commenced, causing gays everywhere to ask important questions — to watch the figure skating, or not to watch the figure skating? Meanwhile, here in Portland, Q Center posed with the Sochi sign in Pioneer Courthouse Square, encouraging locals to take pictures with the sign and to get “as queer as possible,” says Q Center’s Logan Lynn. They took to social media, using the hashtags #gaypropaganda and #sochisignYeah, we’ll show ‘em!

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February/March 2014 • 5

NEWS FEATURE

TO P EP OR NOT TO P EP: SHOULD THERE BE A QUESTION?

By Andrew Edwards, PQ Monthly

As an HIV-negative man in a relationship with someone who was HIV-positive, Bradley Roberge made the decision to protect himself from contracting the virus by employing a simple, inexpensive method of prophylaxis. Now single, he continues using it “because it is proven to reduce my risk of becoming infected if I am exposed to HIV.” That controversial form of prevention is something y o u’v e p r o b a b l y heard of, but may not be terribly familiar with: a small blue pill known as Truvada. A component of the most commonly preTo many in the queer community, promoting any scribed HIV antiretHIV-prevention method other than condom-usage is roviral drug combiirresponsible, bordering on heretic. nation in the United States, in 2012 Truvada became the only FDA-approved medication for preventing HIV-infection—a treatment known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In 2010, the New England Journal of Medicine published the findings of a three-year clinical study called iPrEx, which showed that when taken as prescribed—once a day, seven days a week—PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 99 percent.

Despite this potentially game-changing fact, a report from the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project found that between January 2011 and March 2013 only 1,774 Americans started taking PrEP. That’s little more than 3 percent of the estimated 50,000 U.S. residents who are infected with HIV each year.

Puzzlingly, Portland seems to be emblematic of this lagging uptake. Josh Ferrer, Manager of Prevention Services for Washington and Clackamas counties at Cascade AIDS Project, says he doesn’t have information on exactly how many people in the Portland area are taking PrEP, but he “can say confidently that it’s not a substantial number.” He said of those 1,774 people, only about a quarter of them live in the western United States.

A Portland man, who we’ll call Joe, says when he began taking PrEP last October, his physician at Kaiser Permanente—one of the largest providers in the state—told him he was the fourth person in the entire Kaiser Oregon network to access the drug. “I know one other person in Portland who’s using it,” says Joe. “I know a lot of people in San Francisco [on it] and I have a lot of conversations with people in Seattle who are on it, but there seems to be some type of vacuum here.”

Roberge, a former-Portlander, admits that even in San Francisco being open about his decision to take PrEP is “a

6 • February/March 2014

little scary,” and that he’s been selective about whom he tells. “I have definitely noticed PrEP stigma in my community and seen it in the news,” he says. “Not everyone is excited about this.”

The fact is, to many in the LGBTQ community, and especially among those who survived the AIDS epidemic of the ‘80s and ‘90s, promoting any HIV-prevention method other than condom-usage is irresponsible, bordering on heretic.

“Since day one of the HIV epidemic, anytime that you talk openly about condomless sex and gay men, you’re playing with fire. It’s a very stigmatizing topic and passions run high,” says Ferrer. Many public health officials are afraid people will see PrEP as a blanket substitute for condoms, encouraging behavior they deem reckless. Michael Weinstein, head of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest AIDS organization in the world, said it would cause a public health catastrophe.

The condom-only message, however, does not seem to be working. The CDC reported in 2013 that unprotected anal sex among men who have sex with men (MSM) increased by more than 20 percent from 2005 to 2011. On top of that, the number of new HIV infections among MSM increased 12 percent from 2008 to 2010. MSM accounted for 63 percent of new HIV infections. “I think the greater public health catastrophe is to stay stagnant in HIV prevention and keep going with the status quo,” says Ferrer.

“If [that] was working, we wouldn’t continue to see rates of HIV infection the way they are.”

AIDS Clinical Trials Group advocate Aaron Laxton wrote in August 2013 for Advocate.com, “It is time for us to … have these tough conversations with each other regarding risk-reduction practices and prevention outside of simply putting a condom on. It is time to wake up and recognize that beating people … over the head with the ‘condom’ message isn’t cutting it.”

Joe compares the PrEP resistance to the backlash that occurred when the birth control pill for women first came out. “A lot of the negative attention is people trying to control gay male bodies and tell them how they can have sex,” he says. “I think there’s something really wrong with the type of logic that we can’t trust people’s own abilities to manage their own health.”

That question—whether or not people can be trusted to take PrEP correctly—is on the forefront of the minds of many of its detractors. When taken only twice a week, PrEP’s effectiveness falls to 76 percent. Some argue it will give those who practice unsafe sex a license to practice even more unsafe sex. And if someone contracts HIV while on the treatment, it’s possible the virus could develop a resistance, as Truvada alone is not sufficient to control HIV. Yet evidence suggests that these worries are misguided.

A study by the Gladstone Institutes, a nonprofit research organization, built on the iPrEx study by gathering behavioral data to determine if “risk compensation” was occurring. It found no increase in sexual behavior among participants—quite the opposite, in fact. “Our results suggest that HIV prevention strategies such as Truvada don’t result in risk compensation because they provide an opportunity for participants to actively engage in and reduce their

risk of HIV infection,” said lead researcher Robert Grant, MD, MPH. “Engagement, which also includes counseling, provision of condoms and management of other sexually transmitted infections leads to motivation, which comes at a time when motivation for preventing new HIV infections is vital to curbing the spread of this worldwide epidemic.”

This year, the CDC even went so far as to change the language it uses regarding HIV and MSM to better address the goals of HIV prevention. It will no longer use the term “unprotected sex” to refer to sex without condoms, because—as pointed out by the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance points—not all condomless sex occurs “in an environment of heightened HIV risk.”

Like many health organizations and care providers, CAP approaches HIV prevention as a sort of toolbox. “Each of us doing this work has a variety of tools to help people meet their HIV/STD prevention needs—things like condoms, regular testing, prevention counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, etc.,” says Ferrer. “We know that many people have no issue with condoms but that there are also plenty of folks who slip up. Are we supposed to give up on them or say ‘I have nothing to help you’?”

Moreover, PrEP could be a vital tool in reducing risk for those who might not have control over whether or not their partner uses a condom. “This could be someone … who exchanges sex for drugs, money, housing, or something else they need to survive,” says Ferrer. In a 2013 piece by the New Yorker, Salim Karim, chair of the United Nations’ AIDS Scientific Expert Panel, said that making PrEP available worldwide, especially to young women in sub-Saharan Africa, “is essential to achieving an AIDS-free generation.”

Ultimately, those in favor of PrEP seem to agree—it is not a license for irresponsible behavior, nor is it a universal solution for everyone at any time. “People may find themselves in certain life circumstances … which may put them at greater risk for HIV,” says Ferrer. “While condoms are a great tool, they may need something additional to help protect them during this period. That’s where PrEP comes in. It’s not meant to be something you take for the rest of your life but rather as an added protection for when you may be in that season of risk.”

Since beginning PrEP, Roberge and Joe have both remained HIV-negative. Both agree the regimen seems like a good fit for them, and would recommend it to others interested in adding a layer of protection to their sex lives.

“It hasn’t really changed my behavior,” Roberge says. “I think it has changed my relationship with sex and intimacy by removing some fear.”

As far as getting those reluctant—including our fair city of Portland—on board? “It starts by just continuing the dialogue and having conversations around PrEP, no matter where you stand on the subject,” says Ferrer. “Ultimately, I think it just takes a critical mass of enough folks who become aware of PrEP, start bringing it up with their providers, and talking to their peers and communities about it.” He says the number one thing you can do is educate yourself. “It’s your health and you deserve to have an open and honest discussion about PrEP with your healthcare provider.”

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February/March 2014 • 7

FEATURE

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FEATURE NEWS

PEEK INSIDE GLAAD’S EFFORTS TO COMBAT TRANSPHOBIA

By Leela Ginelle, PQ Monthly

The presentation is followed by an explanation of why the incidents they’ve come to discuss are important to the For a transgender person, partaking in television can trans community. These explanations are key to GLAAD’s feel like walking in a mine field, as one never knows when goals of educating, says senior media strategist Tiq Milan. dehumanizing, transphobic material will pop up.

“We tell them, ‘This is OK. This is not OK, and this is why Fortunately for trans people, and those who care about it’s not OK,’” Milan says. “’If your programming is focusing them, they have a poweron the body of the trans ful, active ally in the world, person and not the living in the form of the media spirit, you’re dehumanwatchdog organization izing them, and making GLAAD. Formed in 1985 in it easier to kill them, or New York to combat defamfor the police to target atory HIV/AIDS coverage in them.’” the news, it’s since grown After the explanation into a venerable, well-concomes a dialogue about nected force, working with what’s been presented. all forms of media to create Kane and Milan both positive representations of say these dialogues are LGBTQ people. largely positive, and that In recent years, a growthe organization’s mesing amount of GLAAD’s sage is almost always focus has turned to comwarmly received. bating tranasphobia in both “The process is very the entertainment and news effective,” says Milan. industries. The key to this “People are willing to be work is education and relabetter, and want to be tionship building, accordbetter, particularly media ing to Matt Kane, GLAAD’s and creative types.” associate director of enterKane concurs, adding, tainment media. “in recent years we’ve “ We c o m e f ro m t h e seen record highs of thought that starting a diaLGBT characters on netlogue is valuable,” Kane says. work shows.”

“A lot of people we meet with The method is not working on the show or in fool-proof, however. Last the networks come from fall’s virulently transa place of no education or phobic episode of “Mike miseducation, so our meet& Molly” demonstrated ings can be a chance to presthat the message doesn’t ent them with information All hail Laverne! She remains an outspoken trans advocate. (And the new season of Orange is the always sink in right away. and analysis.”

Likewise, Kane says some New Black is--sort of--nearly upon us.)

As an example, Kane dispeople are not receptive cussed GLAAD’s meeting last year with executives from CBS to GLAAD’s message. about repeated instances of transphobic humor on “Mike “There have been some occasions when creators & Molly” and “2 Broke Girls,” as well as sensationalistic, thought they knew best, or felt they had the right to use exploitative trans characters on shows like “CSI.” the word ‘tr-nny,’” he said.

Meetings like these begin with a presentation of data, Kane believes his group’s overall effectiveness, and the which come from GLAAD’s exhaustive analysis of televised general trend toward trans awareness and acceptance content. This data can be found in the two reports the orga- will carry the day—even with the most recalcitrant types. nization publishes each year, “The Network Responsibil- “We think as they see what their peers are doing, in terms ity Index” and “Where We Are on TV,” both of which can be of respectful depictions of transgender characters, they’ll found on its website. want to follow suit,” he says.

Although GLAAD’s initial response to “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson’s anti-LGBTQ comments in GQ hinted at a boycott effort, with spokesperson Wilson Cruz saying, “A&E and [Robertson’s] sponsors . . . now need to reexamine their ties with” him, Kane stresses that such actions are not part of the organization’s playbook.

“That’s an action no one wants to get to,” he says. “We always want to turn a negative situation into a positive one.”

W hile GL A AD’s initial efforts focused largely on addressing defaming characterizations of gay men, Kane says the organization now seeks to promote diversity in representation within entertainment of all kinds, including positive portrayals of LGBTQ people, members of ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities. He cites the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” as a positive example of this type of diverse storytelling, and believes it will increase as entertainment outlets strive to reach new audiences.

“I think it’s generational,” Kane says. “Kids today grow up in peer groups that are more diverse than what is generally reflected in the media, and they expect to see their realities depicted. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the first two networks we gave ‘excellent’ scores to in our ‘Network Responsibility Index’ were MTV and ABC Family, both of which are aimed to young people.”

GLAAD is taking proactive steps to work for positive trans representation in the news in the form of the media trainings it’s holding in New York. For the trainings, GLAAD is inviting transgender community leaders to its offices to help teach them to tell their stories to journalists.

Milan says with the recent attention paid to prominent transwomen, like Laverne Cox and Carmen Carrera, there’s a desire in the media to hear from others about their experiences. “We’re inviting them in to help teach them the skills to convey their narratives,” Milan says. “It’s our job to get them comfortable with being in front of the media.”

For now this effort is limited to the East Coast, and overseen by GLAAD’s News Media division, Milan says, “because we don’t have the capacity to do it nationally.”

The campaign is vital to GLAAD’s efforts to improve the media’s understanding of the challenges transgender people face, Milan says. “It’s important to keep pushing to have transpeople visible, and I think it’s already starting to happen here. What I’ve seen is an influx of transwomen wanting to tell their stories.”

“It’s our job to help them get out there, and show people what the community’s like - that it’s not just two women,” Milan says, chuckling. “And it’s not just women either.”

Throughout our talks, Milan and Kane kept stressing the need to “push” and “keep up pressure” in their efforts to combat transphobia in the media, both well aware that change of this kind doesn’t happen by itself.

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February/March 2014 • 9

NEWS FEATURE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - CATCHING UP WITH A FEW CHARACTERS FROM OUR FIRST TWO YEARS

The gang’s all here (almost): PQ checks in with a few of the last year’s most popular stories, including Sweet Cakes (left) and Gay Portland (right).

By Nick Mattos, PQ Monthly

In our two years of covering the region’s LGBTQ news, PQ Monthly has highlighted some interesting, odd, controversial characters. To bring you up to speed, here are updates on four of the people and organizations that PQ readers continue to ask after the most. Prepare to be thrilled, outraged, and surprised by what’s happened to these four since we last gave them ink: SWEET CAKES BY MELISSA: The Gresham bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa made national headlines in late January 2013 for denying service to Portland couple Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman, citing that their religious beliefs precluded them from creating a same-sex wedding cake. A great furor ensued, with LGBTQ rights activists staging both online and in-person demonstrations against the bakery. Sweet Cakes owners Aaron and Melissa Klein reported that they received extensive personal harassment due to their actions as well — a truck used for Sweet Cakes deliveries was broken into and vandalized at their home, with “bigot” written on the back window of their vehicle.

On the other side of the “culture war,” many others of similar religious stripes as Sweet Cakes owners Aaron and Melissa Klein came out in support of the bakery.

However, the support was not enough to keep the bakery’s brick-and-mortar location open; in September of 2013, the bakery closed their retail location and switched to a special order-only business model operating out of their home.

In January 2014, the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries wrapped up its investigation into Sweet Cakes, citing that they had found “substantial evidence” that the bakery had illegally discriminated against the lesbian couple by denying them service. “Under Oregon law, Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” read BOLI’s press release. “The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private business owners to discriminate based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot legally deny service based on race, sex, age, disability or religion.”

10 • February/March 2014

JOHN PAULK: The former chairman of defunct ex-gay ministry Exodus International, John Paulk scandalized the Evangelical world by telling PQ Monthly that he that he no longer supported the “ex-gay movement or efforts to attempt to change [individuals sexual orientation]” in our April 2013 issue. Paulk then went on to issue a formal letter of apology, which also revealed that he and his ife Anne Paulk (herself claiming to be a former lesbian) were seeking a divorce.

A few days after the issue was released, Ann Paulk — now the leader of the Restored Hope Network, an ex-gay ministry similar to Exodus International — released her own statement, stating that “someone dear to me has made different choices followed by very different words. And there, on that path, our ways part sadly. ... His conclusions and mine are very different in key ways. I would ask that you join me in praying for his decisions regarding his future, hope, God’s truest freedom, and love to direct his decisions.”

Paulk continues to live in Portland, serving as the owner and executive chef of Mezzaluna Fine Catering Inc. He is very active on social media, frequently posting about his desire to find a partner and giving anecdotes about raising his sons. As for his religious life, “I find it so very heartbreaking when someone only has compassion and grace on those who feel just as they do and make little allowances for the Lord to do His work in someone,” he recently posted to his Facebook page. “To be honest, I’m frightened of this style of Christianity and conservatism. I mean, it really concerns me when there is no room for a differing of opnion or perspective.”

SHIRLEY Q. LIQUOR: In January 2013, The Eagle caused an uproar amongst many Portlanders by booking the controversial comedian Chuck Knipp to perform at their bar. Knipp, a white gay man who frequently performs in blackface in his drag persona of Shirley Q. Liquor, immediately proved himself to be a polarizing figure to Portlanders; the ensuing controversy caused the Eagle to cancel the performance in February 2013.

Knipp continues to tour and perform as Shirley Q. Liquor — as well as his other personae including Betty Butterfield and Watusi Jenkins — at gay clubs and festivals throughout

the United States. While he does face an increasing number of protests and ensuing cancellations, particularly in urban areas, Knipp still enjoys a significant fan base centered in the American South. The Shirley Q. Liquor website continues to offer DVDs and recordings of the controversial performer; for the sale price of $79.99, one can even book a private phone call from Shirley Q. Liquor. In his off time, Knipp serves as a Quaker minister in a Georgia congregation.

QUEZZ BURTON AND GAY PORTLAND: In March 2013, start-up media venture Gay Portland, helmed by “founder and CEO” Quezz Burton and claiming to have five staff writers, launched online. An investigation by PQ Monthly published in our April 2013 revealed that Burton claimed local organizations as “supporters” or “sponsors” without the organizations’ knowledge, created ficticious staff people for the organization, and was attempting to solicit funds from the community under fraudulent pretenses. Furthermore, this was revealed to be part of a chain of alleged fraudulent online activities for Burton — he had previously faked his own death on an online virtual reality forum in an effort to solicit funds, creating numerous fraudulent personalities in order to weave the deception.

After a delayed launch, the Gay Portland media venture did not survive past Pride Season 2013. “Gay Portland will be closing as of June 28th 2013 due to the founder moving out of state and lack of personal wishing to maintain Gay Portland without its founder [sic.],” stated the site’s Facebook fan page. “Its been fun and to the best for you all.” The Gayportland.org domain name expired shortly afterward.

PQ’s current investigation indicates that Burton is now living in the city of Virginia, Minnesota. However, the Facebook fan page of his most recent online business venture, “The Rainbow Shop,” claims that it is based in New York City. “The Rainbow Shop” is a CafePress front offering wares such as flip-flops, baby onesies, and clocks emblazoned with gay pride-theme clip art. While Burton did not respond to PQ”s request for comment, the former publisher appears to have left the field of journalism entirely. ### pqmonthly.com

NEWS PERSPECTIVES

ID CHECK

FEATURES

A View from a Finish Line

By Leela Ginelle, PQ Monthly

I don’t know precisely how often I become self-conscious, but now, when I do, I realize my body is the way I always wished it had been.

I’ll think about myself, and remember that in the past, before my recent gender confirming surgery, thinking of myself always meant frustration, and embarrassment. The absence of those feelings, and the presence of joy, and pride, is still surprising.

I don’t know why a surgery was necessary for that switch. If I could have avoided the last three years of transitioning, and the confusion, strife, insecurity and tension they entailed, I’m sure I would have. Now those months are slipping away. It feels as though I’m in the “results” phase of my life regarding gender, as opposed to the “efforts” one.

My internal picture is slowly changing, catching up to new physical realities.

Moments of bitterness occur, when I compare the fraction of my life I’ve now spent feeling at home in my body to near complete history I’ve lived feeling the opposite. More often, though, I’ll think about the giant vista I imagine before me in my future.

The urgent goals, surrounded by treacherous dangers that made up the last three years are past. My internal motor is dialing down to accommodate my new outlook.

Each day my body heals a little and I think about gender in a different, less political way. The passions I felt around the topic dimming, and my new equanimity causing pangs of guilt.

Being over forty, barely, and both eccentric and contemplative, I’ve watched myself change in many ways during my life.

Phrases like, “This will always be important to me,” no longer feel reliable when I hear them in my head, because so many things that did, sincerely, seem important to me at one time ceased to at some point.

Changes I’ve experienced during my transition, a time for me of hyper-vigilance and extreme introspection, all seemed momentously important, as though the definition of who I was varied constantly and needed minding lest it get away from me and into dangerous hands.

The prospect that stasis, rather than flux, might be the foundation of my life sounds radical, as flux in my identity, like dysphoria with regards to my body, has been far more prevalent for me historically.

Transitioning, as a project, enlisted my mind to track and catalogue changes. Those changes now presumably complete, my mind slows, in disbelief that its overwhelming task might be ceasing. Perfectionistic

habits, which felt unbreakable when practiced until very recently, as they suggested stability in the midst of whirring doubts, appear more and more like superstitious coping devices, whose use may no longer be required.

Slowly, my body begins to feel incontestably mine. Memories of childhood violations, and of harassments committed during my transition, grow fuzzier, quieter, and easier with which to avoid engaging.

The constant drive to do or be something different, linked likely to a desire to escape all those pains, is fading, as well. As of now, at least, my hunger for some elusive justice to right all the wrongs done to me is abating, replaced by an exhausted contentment.

A marathon perhaps only I knew I was running, which began on the day my transition did, has, I believe, been completed, although being abstract, I can’t say it’s ended with certainty, and so I continue to search inside for the incentives I’ve used to keep running: Fear, anger, terror, and despair, and see only their shadows.

The habit of hiding a basic piece of myself, and the fear of others discovering it, conditioned by a lifetime of enforced closeting, and persistent even during my transition, when what I’d been hiding was progressively more on display, is buckling to the reality of its obsolescence.

After my surgery, when there was nothing for me to do but sleep, eat, rest and heal, I watched these thoughts roll by, like clouds on summer day. Being back in the world, though, they can feel upsetting, as, despite the seeming dawn of stasis within me, the question of who I am, in all its meanings, feels frustratingly unsettled.

Maybe that’s always the case, though.

What would be the requirement or even the advantage of a fixed identity? Dysphoria was a problem with a prescribable answer.

In that way it’s unlike life, in which situations present endless options.

Transition, in fresh hindsight, resembles college. One starts, does a bunch of stuff, and before they know it, they’ve finished.

Along the way, one likely discards much of what they’ve learned previously as hopelessly ignorant, and unenlightened, having had their minds expanded by each step of the emotionally taxing process.

As a graduate, returned to civilian life, one harbors the secret pride of belonging to an exclusive group, and the belief in one’s self that comes from achieving something one didn’t know they were capable of.

Leela Ginelle is a playwright and journalist living in Portland, OR. You can write her at leela@pqmonthly.com. pqmonthly.com

February/March 2014 • 11

FEATURE

12 • February/March 2014

pqmonthly.com

BUSINESS BRIEFS FEATURES PERSPECTIVES FEATURES

PQ Monthly would like to congratulate Keri Caffreys on her new job as a recruiter with the Multnomah County Health Department. As a Recruiter, she will help fill job vacancies for the MCHD with a strong focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and empowerment. Caffreys comes from more than seven years with the City of Portland, where she held positions as Senior Human Resources Analyst/ Recruiter and Human Resources Business Partner. We wish you much success, Keri, and thank you for your passion for inclusion and equity in public health settings.

RAINBOW TAX & ACCOUNTING, JACOLYN C. WHEATLEY CPA It is that time of year again, sigh, when we have to do our gathering of documents for taxes. I don’t know about you, but the word “taxes” just rattles me! Let me ask you this: “What has your Tax Accountant done for you lately?”

If you are having trouble getting organized, need a bookkeeper, are shelling out taxes year-after-year, behind on your returns, getting hassled by the IRS, or not getting the refund you think you should, don’t worry—just follow in Robert’s footsteps and call Jackie Wheatley. “I saved my client Robert $175,127 in taxes and penalties,” says Wheatley. What Wheatley does for her clients is take them through the process of their taxes, with great patience and finesse.

Wheatley is diligent about communicating with the IRS, on your behalf, to ensure you are given all the credits, write offs, etc., that you deserve—even if you are delinquent in your returns. In the case of Robert, he was being hounded by the IRS and Wheatley was able to calm the situation down and work with the IRS to get things under control. This type of heroic act is what Jackie is known for. If you are looking for a new accountant, it does not matter whether you are a small business, a 501c3, a large company, international, interstate, or local, she is here for your accounting and tax needs. She is here to help get you back on track. Rainbow Tax & Accounting just moved to a beautiful office space just minutes east of Sellwood. Please call Jackie at 503-482-8298 or email her at Jackie@RainboxPDX.com. Jackie Wheatley has over 20 years of experience serving the tax, accounting, and technology needs of individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits. Mention PQ Monthly and receive a halfhour no-charge consultation, after tax season between May 1 and Nov. 30.

SCRATCH-N-SNIFF In 2006, our own Shaley Howard was searching for some type of work that she would enjoy spending most of her time doing. A friend suggested to Howard that she open up a petcare business, since she loves animals and digs being outside in the NW. A minute later Scratch-n-Sniff was born! “I’m inspired every day because I get to be outside and I love animals. It really is as simple as that!” says Howard.

While you are at work or away on vacation, Scratch-n-Sniff will walk your dog for $17 per 30-minute walk and also house sit for $60 per day, which includes all pet care. No more worrying about your pet not getting out to relieve itself or to get enough exercise. Howard tells me, “I provide care for pets and I get to spend quality time with them. Almost every house I walk into, there is some cat or dog running to greet me with joy. Best Job Ever!” The zip codes Scratch-n-Sniff covers is 97227, 232, 211, 212, Aaron Pergram’s extracurricular activities include the Oregon Ballot and the bassoon.

213, 214, 215, 215, 217, 218. There are several happiness to Aaron’s approach. “I focus heavily on conemployees at Scratch-n-Sniff to help provide daily care for sulting with my client before we test drive. Yes, purchasing all the furry clients! If you will be traveling or would like to a new car is fun and exciting but remember that you will have your pet walked daily, please contact Shaley at 503- most likely be living with this purchase for a good amount 453-9421 or go online to www.ScratchnSniffPDX.com For of time. I want to ensure that the vehicle you drive off the lot new clients only please mention PQ Monthly and receive is the best possible match for your individual driving lifeone complimentary dog walk when purchasing a package style.” When Aaron is not helping his clients into a Hyunof two or more dog walks at $17 each. dai, he spends his free time performing with the TaiHei BEAVERTON HYUNDAI, DR. AARON PERGRAM “I have spent plenty of time in mechanic shops and around cars, growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, but I began selling cars right here in Beaverton, Ore. I believe deeply in the Hyundai product and chose to work for Beaverton Hyundai.” Aaron Pergram began selling cars in Oct. of 2013.

“My younger brother has been in the car business for years and encouraged me to begin a career in this industry. I have a long family history of mechanics and sales professionals, therefore I quickly adapted to the auto sales world.” What makes Aaron different from other sales people is that you will not be subjected to an aggressive sales approach and tactics. There is a higher emphasis on client satisfaction and

Ensemble playing the Bassoon. Aaron is not new to music and the arts; he moved to Portland, from Eugene, in 2012 to perform with the Oregon Ballet. “I have been playing the bassoon for 17 years and hold a doctorate in music from the University of Oregon. The TaiHei Ensemble is a collaborative new music group that commissions and performs works with a Pacific Rim focus. This group has been one of the best new music experiences that I have engaged with during the length of my performance career.” If looking for a new car, give Hyundai a try and please call Dr. Aaron Pergram at 503-953-0093. To find out more about Dr. Pergram’s music, please go to www.Pergram.org.

--Gabriela Kandziora

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February/March 2014 • 13

STYLE

STYLE DECONSTRUCTED

This member of the Dapper Boys Club is always dressed to the nines--whether she’s making your breakfast or noshing in her favorite haunts. She’s also the boss at Byways Cafe, where she was photographed for this spread.

By Eric Sellers and Michael Talley, PQ Monthly

COLLIN MCFADYEN, 46, CO-OWNER/EXECUTIVE CHEF, BYWAYS CAFÉ Ours is a city teeming with fashion, personal expression and trend setting individualists. I’m asking questions designed to get into the heads of some of Portland’s stylish LGBTQ icons. PQ style is not made in magazines, malls or on television; it’s personal. Now is the time for a style deconstruction.

I met Collin many years ago and from the first time I saw her I was hooked. She is one of the most stylish and genuine people I have ever met. The past couple of years Collin has taken her style to a whole new level. She has had dinner at the White House, wearing a mix of thrift store finds and high end bargain shopping. I have seen her at almost every gala and fundraiser wearing nothing but perfection. Collin reeks of comfort when it comes to her own personal style. (MT) PQ: At what age did you realize style mattered?

Collin: Around age ten, and it was more about gender roles than actually looking good.

My mother was always forcing me into “girls” clothing and I hated it! Wearing a dress made me feel freakish and awkward, but when I had on Levi’s, a T-shirt, and my Chuck Taylors I was king of my neighborhood.

PQ: Who gives you a style boner today?

Collin: My friends! I’m part of a group called the Dapper Boys Club that’s all about masculine style. We get together and cruise each other’s outfits, talk accessories, and have a great time showing off en masse. I love the little twists each Dapper brings to the genre; some Victorian influences, “Grandpa” looks, and we even have a butch Fairy.

PQ: What accessories are a must-have in your closet?

Collin: Watches, lately. I like switching out the colored bands on my Timex Weekender.

It’s a classic watch that anyone can wear. I’m also into using old lady lace handkerchiefs as pocket squares. I like the balance of an extremely delicate, feminine item paired with a very butch look.

PQ: Smells? Are you all-natural? Soaps, sprays, discuss. We wanna know brands.

Collin: I know some folks are really into smelling like a “real” human but I’m not one of them. I like to smell like nice, clean chemicals, thank you. Lever2000 soap, Kiehl’s Facial Fuel, and Burt’s Bees body lotion. I do throw on a splash of Burberry Sport if it’s a date night, because my sweetie loves it.

PQ: The soundtrack of your closet—list 4 songs on your Style EP. Collin: “Dress You Up” by Madonna. “Too Funky” by George Michael. “Everything’s Wrong (If My Hair is Wrong)” by The Waitresses. And of course, Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie.” PQ: Eat, drink, scene—what do you nosh? What’s your sip? Where are your haunts?

14 • February/March 2014

Collin: I live just off of Mississippi, so I’ve got choices galore. The smoked oyster board at Interurban is ridiculous. I like to walk up to Vendetta, where they have the best hot toddy’s in town, and the folks at the Florida Room always treat me right. Other faves are Grain and Gristle on date night, and Bollywood Theater on any night. My sips? I like good whiskey and cheap beer. Crush is always fun, and 80’s Video Dance Attack is where I like to get my groove on. Red wine and chocolate on the couch with my lady will finish the evening on a sweet note.

PQ: Forever Young! I want to be forever young. What do you slather and slop on to pamper yourself?

Collin: I’m a runner, so my face gets exposed to sweat and the elements a lot. I’m careful about washing and rehydrating it post-run. Being a chef means washing your hands and face countless times a day, so I keep hand lotion (Burt’s Bees) at work. Oh, and I’ve finally realized sunscreen is important. (Too late.)

PQ: You have a time machine. Go back in time and buy new vintage from any era.

What would you get?

Collin: I’d go to the late 50’s and get a really nice wool fedora and topcoat. Vintage outerwear can be hard to find because it’s the protective layer of your outfit, it gets beat up, stained, slammed in the car door. The chance to buy it new and in my size? Let’s go!

PQ: Name your favorite artist, fashion designer, and musician. And tell me why they’re your favorites.

Collin: Artist? Yikes, that’s tough. I cried when I stood in front of Van Gogh’s “Starry, Starry Night” in Paris. Fashion designer? Tom Ford, hands down. He’s my idea of the new Renaissance Man. He saved Gucci. He makes the most perfect tuxedos ever. “A Single Man” is one of the most beautifully detailed movies I’ve ever seen. He’s been with his husband for forever. He’s so handsome he gets to model in his own ad campaigns. He’s from Texas.

He’s my man-crush. Musician. Hmm—I can’t choose! Elvis Costello got me through my teen years. And I love Madonna. I’m usually mixing it up. Right now I’m rediscovering Bronski Beat and Art of Noise.

PQ: What’s your most irritating fashion faux pas?

Collin: Fleece pajama pants are not “outside” clothes! Uggs are barely even shoes; they’re practically slippers. This look screams, “I don’t give a shit.”

PQ: Where are some of your favorite places to shop?

Collin: Ah, that feeling when you find a treasure and it fits and it’s cheap? That’s the best. Goodwill, Rerun, Hollywood Vintage, Red Fox—Jeana (my girlfriend) and I love to take “field trips” to smaller towns just to hit the local Goodwill and other thrift stores. For basics, like a plain dress shirt, the Nordstrom Rack is always a go–to. I adore Jack Spade’s accessories, bags, and ties, but I hate their clothes. I usually wear vintage, but when it comes to my running clothes I want the brightest, hottest new thing on the market. I hated neon in the 80’s but I can’t get enough of now. pqmonthly.com

FEATURE

THE BRIEFEST OF HISTORIES: THE SUNDAY T-DANCE From the first moment I stepped onto that patio at Produce Row, I was in love with littlechristophersays.blogspot.com, wishes he were Joan Didion, and spends much of Bridge Club. It had been a long time since there was a sustained queer social held on a his time reading or drinking with Ryan Kost at the Red Fox. He can be contacted at cbaySunday afternoon that held my interest—think way back to Poison Waters’ Church of the erle@gmail.com or during his regular office hours at Red Fox. (Editor’s note: regarding Poison Mind. (Shhh, I am very young.) For me and quite a few others, the (new) Sunday the Didion—don’t we all, queen.) t-dance is a reinvention of our forgotten history—a nod to times when we couldn’t dance Ryan Kost’s first real turn at deejaying came when Bayerle and Deguara invited him to together in public, let alone, say, kiss. It’s a nod to the queers who partied in discreet speak- play an early set at Bridge Club nearly two years ago. Since then, he’s become a regular of easies; women who danced with women and men who danced with men—and those who the daytime party, launched Laid Out (Holocene, every last Thursday) with Misti Miller and quickly changed partners when the police raids came. is a frequent guest DJ around town. (He’s also played parties up north in Seattle and took Su n d a y s o c i a l s a re a turn in NYC.) Much about community (and as he loves throwing a perhaps a Bloody Mary party, Kost says it’s really or three). They’re a place just an excuse to DJ. He where queers come frequently releases mixtogether to talk art, poltapes and makes them itics, fashion, and all available to stream and manner of gossip—where download at sounddeejays experiment with cloud.com/gossipcat. As music and share their pasfor what’s next, he says sion with you, where artists he’s cooking up somemake their art. It isn’t just thing special with DJ about partying—it’s more Bruce LaBruiser (Jenny celebration; a celebration Bruso) set for the end of of our diverse, immensely April. If you’re interested talented collective. And in booking him, email we don’t judge you if you ryan.kost@gmail.com. stay home and watch “60 And from the foxy Minutes”—just don’t judge Brendan Scott (Pocket us for wanting to revel in Rock-It): I am a 28-yearnear-divine glory. old house/disco/funk It’s my absolute pleaDJ and musician born sure to introduce Bridge & raised in Portland. In Club—I’m thrilled to feamy seven years as a DJ, I ture them on our cover and have played all over the I hope you get out of the city, mostly as a guest to house and find out what various queer parties. they’re all about.

Currently, I am involved Though not a member in three monthly parties, of Bridge Club, Chel- A smattering of the sweet ones who make you move on the dance floor. (From left, Christopher Bayerle, Ryan Kost, Chelsea Starr, Mikiel Deguara, Rob Loucks, Brendan Scott.) play bass in local group sea Starr has been guest “Magic Mouth,” and also enough times to deserve an honorable mention. (And aren’t all guests part of the extended create visual art. In the future, I hope to create my own T-shirt line and build a graphic family?) Starr is a DJ and clothing designer living in Portland. She moved here (kind of design business. You can find me Feb. 22 at Lumbertwink, Feb. 27 at Laid Out, March 2 recently) from San Francisco, where she promoted parties and deejayed all over town for at Bridge Club, and March 8 at Magic Mouth’s in-studio performance at KEXP Seattle.

12 years. She’s traveled quite a bit as a deejay, and continues to do so. You can find her on Then Magic Mouth goes to SXSW! People can contact me at bscott@pnca.edu, or hit me Feb. 28 opening for House legend Jeno at Analog Café. Reach her at www.chelseastarr. up on my beeper. com or chelseastarr@yahoo.com.

Obviously no mention of Bridge Club would be complete without John Camacho (Huf Mikiel Deguara is the co-creator and booker/CEO of Bridge Club. When not at Bridge ‘N Stuf), who’s been involved with everything from Queerlandia to Bridge Club from the Club, he can be found around town deejaying under the moniker HOLD MY HAND—he’s outset. Although he kindly declined to be part of this photo shoot, we still love him—and played pretty much everywhere. Every third Thursday he is at POLARI, a Bridge Club one- you can find him on Vendetta’s sunny patio on BC Sundays, plotting world domination. off at Vault Martini. By the time this issue prints, you’ll have seen him on Valentine’s Day (Or city domination.) at Love Ball (Embers); he remains a member of the Love Ball team. Please send all bookAnd read this: http://www.back2stonewall.com/2013/11/gay-history-lost-tradition-suning inquiries to mikieldeguara@gmail.com. day-tea-dance.html Little Bear (Christopher Bayerle) helped create and deejay a whirlwind of Portland --Daniel Borgen parties including Bridge Club and Polari (third Thursdays at Vault.) He maintains a blog,

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February/March 2014 • 15

EVENTS

GET OUT

ARTEMIS RETURNS TO SAVE US ALL

By Daniel Borgen, PQ Monthly

I met Artemis Chase in May of 2010 at her first Peep Show; it feels like a lifetime ago—Stark was still (mostly) intact, there were no strip malls where our history used to be. I was completely skeptical at first—who was this queen who aimed to reinvigorate a tired venue (the now-defunct Red Cap) and bring queers PEEP SHOW (BUT NOT RED CAP) IS BACK! from all over the city downtown?

Peep Show? What the hell was a Peep Show?

Peep Show turned into a force—a place where diversity and talent reigned supreme.

Artemis cultivated talent—and was masterful in mixing the new with the established (note: not old). Joey Arias, Sherry Vine, Pandora Boxx, ChiChi and Chonga, the list goes on, and so did the performances. Artemis shocked many, though, when—like Shannon Dougherty in “90210” or “Charmed”— she walked away while at the top of her game. (Little Tommy Bang Bang continued Peep Show until Red Cap closed its doors.)

But Artemis is back and she’s bringing Peep Show with her—and queer nightlife has never been so grateful. I sat down with her shortly after her bid to become Portland’s Next Superstar Diva (a competition I kindly dubbed Drag Queen Hunger Games).

PQ: So many people were shocked by your hiatus. We won’t call it retirement.

What was that all about?

Artemis Chase: I honestly thought it was a retirement at the time. I let the chaos of the nightlife world wear me down and burn me out. I am a total hippie at heart; I decided to go live in a little cabin out in the woods. It was really amazing and peaceful at first—I did tons of yoga and meditated all the time.

But after 2 years of not being on stage I realized that I just couldn’t stay away. So I came back with a new attitude and a plan to avoid the kind of burn out I experienced before— and here I am. Ready to tear this town up!

PQ: Your first act upon your return was to compete to be the next Superstar Diva.

I’m not supposed to say this as a completely unbiased editor of a queer newspaper, but I thought you were a shoo-in.

AC: Lord! Yes, a lot of people thought I was a shoo-in. But it really came down to the direction the bar wanted to take their show. And what I do didn’t fit into their plan.

I think they are right. They have a fun show there, but I think I would have ended up stifled by the format of having to do so many numbers in one night. I would much rather put all my energy into one or two epic production pieces in a show. So being a part of the competition and realizing that helped point me in the direction I should be going.

PQ: Back to Peep Show—what was the most gratifying thing about being hostess?

AC: My crowd! They were the most ener16 • February/March 2014

getic, loyal, loving group of people I have ever performed for. I cannot wait to be up on stage for them all again in March.

PQ: What are some of your favorite memories? (Mine include Sherry Vine and Joey Arias.)

AC: For me it was the night we had Pandora Boxx as our special guest. She was just so much fun to work with and the crowd that night blew my mind. Plus I had to fight tooth and nail with bar management to make that show happen, so seeing it come to fruition was a big accomplishment. And then Rufus Wainwright showed up in the crowd and hung out with us.

PQ: How is Peep Show transforming this time around?

AC: We’re working on pushing the talent level even higher and encouraging our performers to think as far outside the box as they can—we’re incorporating new multimedia, projection, and video elements into the show that are going to be really awesome. Basically I’m opening it up to all different types of artists who want to get involved even if they aren’t performers and finding ways to make it all fit together—very experimental. So if anyone is interested in being involved they should definitely get ahold of me. And I’m taking things back a bit more to the original seedy concept of Peep Show and it’s going to be a sexy, raunchy, ridiculous good time! Wait ‘til you see the new T-shirts.

PQ: Why do you think gay-owned bars are dying off so quickly in Portland—and should we care?

AC: I may get in a lot of trouble for saying this, but I’m not really that concerned with bars being specifically gay. I don’t need to be surrounded by only gay people. In the events that I do I have always strived to create an atmosphere where everyone can come and party together whether you are gay, straight, bi, trans, alien, or animal. I think we live in a world where a lot of these divisions are starting to crumble and I want to be right there helping tear the walls down—and if I’m in a mixed bar and need to know if that hot guy over there is on my team, well I can just pull up Grindr.

PQ: Who and what inspired Artemis to be? Which artists did you perform first?

AC: Lypsinka, Sweetie, Dame Edna and Candis Cayne were my four biggest inspirations. I love camp and humor and above all else, a killer lip-synch. I get really angry when people discredit the art of the lipsynch. Nailing every word and nuance of a song with true expression and emotion is a ridiculously hard thing to do. Artemis has really just been an experiment all along. I never had a drag mother, so it’s just been trying new things constantly and seeing what sticks. I’ve done all sorts of music all along, but my first number ever was “Secret, Take You Home” by Kylie Minogue. And it didn’t stick. I’ve never done it since. But a few of my early numbers that have stuck around are “It’s Oh So Quiet” and “99 Red Balloons.”

Catch Peep Show March 12 at The Analog Café. And for this season of Drag Race, Artemis picks Bianca Del Rio, Courtney Act, and Darienne Lake for the final three. pqmonthly.com

GET OUT! Note: It is utterly impossible to include all events in print, so stay with us online for updates. www.pqmonthly.com.

PQ PICKS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 PQ Monthly Press Party: Mix and mingle with the makers of your favorite queer newspaper—writers, artists, this party has it all. This goes down every third Thursday, at rotating venues. (Mark your calendars.)

You’ll never know who you’ll gaze at from across the room, maybe it’s your new soul mate. This month: Local Lounge. (Such a glamorous locale!) 5pm-7pm, 3536 NE MLK. Free, clearly.

Free HIV & STD Testing: Committed to the health of Portland’s community, Hawks PDX offers both free HIV and STD testing, twice monthly. Presented in conjunction with Cascade AIDS Project and Multnomah County Health Department, you can check your status to protect your health and those you play with, as well as speak to counselors if you have questions. Hawk’s PDX, 234 SE Grand.

Dark Night of the Soul III: This, queens, is everything—what started as a kernel of an idea by our beloved Jason Myers has turned into a storytelling behemoth. No matter the incarnation, Home Theatre System delivers. From the architect himself: Back for a second year, Home Theatre System proudly presents another storytelling experiment in stand-up tragedy.

Watch these queer men flaunt their shame, heartache, and failure as they take off their “mascs” with nonfiction tales of vulnerability and darkness. 8pm, Old Town Floyd’s, 118 NW Couch. $5 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Queertopia! From the birthday girl herself, Belinda Carroll: Hey kids, it’s my birthday! And in the interest of my own self-interest I have got a crazy good line-up for Queertopia this month! Drag, Burlesque, live music, comedy, dancing. All for five American dollars. Hosted

by Belinda Carroll and the ever-amazing Crystal Davis.

DJ Aurora mixxxxxing up the jams! (Jamming up the mix? I’m not good at slang.) And more. Check it out.

9pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. Furball: Their semi-annual hairy ass and hairy chest contest is back--$100 prizes for both. Dj Danimal spinning classic rock & 80’s on vinyl with no house music all night. No cover before 10. $5 cover after. 9pm, Eagle, 835 N. Lombard.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22: Blow Pony gets a special calendar shout out for booking Rap Girl, a size positive queer feminist rapper based out of Portland Oregon. Her Riot Grrrl rap style & Pussy Power dance anthems are sure to move your booty on the dance floor and inspire you to start a revolution (in your pants). 9pm, Rotture, 315 SW Third. $5.

Lumbertwink returns! Park rangers Wayne and Matt invite you to explore the great outdoors, without leaving the dance floor or patio. It’s Lumbertwink’s first CAMP OUT and our first party on a Saturday. 9pm, Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE Eleventh. $4/$6.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Drag Origins: A Podcast. There is a lot of drag in

Portland. You could even say that there is a renaissance of Portland drag. Portland drag has history ranging as far back as Darcelle to the Superstar Divas to the Embers Queens, the Sweethearts, Sissyboy, and finally, Peep Show and the current wave of drag stars. Watch the panel (which is huge) talk, ask questions. Is drag misogynistic? (Among the queries.) Art, fundraiser, more. Find it on FB. 7pm, Old Town Floyd’s.

118 NW Couch. Free.

LAID OUT: It’s in capital letters because it’s important. From resident Gossip Cat: Fuck the roll call—WE JUST WANNA PARTY and we are bringing the goods.

To help celebrate this milestone, we’ve invited the amazing Jens Irish to the booth—he’s been tearing up Portland’s nightlife ever since his (relatively) recent arrival.

He’s gonna bring us back to our house-y roots and help us lose our minds. The usual suspects as well.

9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $5.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Brothaz Rock: Feb. 7 was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and CAP is having a party to observe it. Testing is at the core of this event and it is critical for prevention. It is hoped all black people will mark Feb. 28 on their calendar as their annual or bi-annual day to get tested for HIV. 10am—9pm, testing, movies, music, games, more. Find them on FB. Pivot, 209 SW Fourth. Free.

Queens Behaving Badly: A Comedy Spectacle featuring Valerie DeVille, Zora Phoenix, Violet Bleeding Hart, Topaz Crawford, Artemis Chase, Pagan Holladay, Jackie Daniels. Whew, that’s a lot of queens. 10pm, Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE Eleventh. $4. But don’t leave your ones at home—tip your queens.

Turnt Up! From the brilliant mind of Dillon Martin: Querdos, basement vibes, intimate, dark, sexy, chill.

A simultaneous experiment and execution of queer magic, dance party, house music, and performance downstairs. Lounge space, rad jams, and cute hangout scenario upstairs. We create safe, sexy, and radical space together. 9:30pm, East End, 203 SE Grand. $5.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14 CRAZYSEXYCOOL—an epic birthday bash celebrating Carla Rossi, Jeau Breedlove, and Samuel Thomas.

Featuring Bomb Ass Pussy, Kim Delacy, Shitney Houston, Pilar Salt, Kasio Smashio, and more. 90s hip hop theme, best dressed contest, and all the things. 9pm, Rotture, 315 SW Third. $5 suggested donation, money goes to charity.

MONDAY, MARCH 17 Gay Skate, sponsored by yours truly (PQ Monthly).

Every third Monday. Join Sock Dreams, the Rose City Rollers, and all the amateur skaters in the city at the one and only queer skate night. Work muscles you never knew you had — I know this is where you’ll meet your next life partner. Innocent, yesteryear fun at one of the last all-ages, booze-free events. 7-9pm, Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way. $6. All ages.

FEATURES Want more? We’ll give you everything. Head over to pqmonthly.com and check out our online calendar of events, submit your own events, and peruse photos from your reporters-about-town. Also, remember to carefully examine our weekly weekend forecast — with the latest and greatest events — each Wednesday (sometimes Thursday), online only.

--DANIEL BORGEN

DANCE IT OUT (CHEERFULLY PAY YOUR COVERS; DEEJAYS GOTTA EAT, TOO.)

FIRST SUNDAYS Bridge Club. A slew of stellar deejays play music on the city’s most treasured patio. Old Boys Club regularly welcomes special guests. Snack, mingle, get down. Bridge club is delighted to announce its permanent new home—Vendetta! No winter hiatus this year, lovelies. 3pm, Vendetta, 4306 N Williams. Free.(Watch for their new Drag Race party starting, you know, when Drag Race starts.)

EVERY SUNDAY. Superstar Divas. Bolivia Carmichaels, Honey Bea Hart, Topaz Crawford, Isaiah Tillman, and guest stars perform your favorite pop, Broadway, and country hits. Dance floor opens after the show. The Drag Queen Hunger Games are over, and the shows must go on! Check out the newest and freshest Diva hits. 8pm, CC Slaughters, 219 NW Davis. Free!

Ceremony at Black Book. Obscure Indie/Disco/Vinyl-only dance party. DJ Travis Blue. 9pm, Black Book, 20 NW Third. Free.

FIRST THURSDAYS Dragathon (only this last Thursday, Feb.20). Sponsored

by Smirnoff, this Drag Race-esque competition features 11 queens and celebrity judges, hosted by Ecstacy Inferno.

(These Caravan of Glam queens are relentless with their work ethic.) This last show announces the winner! 8pm, Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE Eleventh.

Dirt Bag. Keyword: Bruce LaBruiser. She’ll make all your musical dreams come true. Indie, pop, electro, all of it. Dance to the gayest jams. 10pm, The Know, 2026 NE Alberta. Free.

Hip Hop Heaven. Bolivia Carmichaels hosts this hip-hop-heavy soiree night every Thursday night at CCs. Midnight guest performers and shows. 9pm, CC Slaughters, 219 NW Davis. Free.

FIRST SATURDAYS Sugar Town. DJ Action Slacks. Keywords: Soul, polyester.

9pm, The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42. $5.

Maricón! Ill Camino rotates special guests and reinvents Crush with his beloved once-monthly dance party. (Moisti will still make cameos.) For homos and their homeys. 10pm, Crush,1400 SE Morrison. $3.

SECOND THURSDAYS I’ve Got a Hole in My Soul. Three keywords, the most important being: DJ Beyondadoubt. Others: soul, shimmy.

9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $5.

SECOND TUESDAYS Bi Bar—every second Tuesday at Crush, and it’s an open, bi-affirming space for music and mingling. Correction: Bi/Pan/ Fluid/Queer. 8pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison.

SECOND FRIDAYS Slo Jams is a Queer Modern R&B & Neo Soul Dance Night at Local Lounge. DJ II TRILL (TWERK) and DJ MEXXX-TAPE lay down everything from Mary J // Jagged Edge// Keyshia to Badu//Lauryn Etc. 10pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $5.

SECOND SATURDAYS Mrs.: The queen of theme welcomes its new hostess, KajAnne Pepper! And dynamic DJ duo: Beyondadoubt and Ill

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23: Ever since I disSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22: covered them doing their Whitney tribute back Mad for Plaid Bowling. in 2012 (I can’t believe it’s been two years Come do something differalready), I’ve dubbed this The Greatest Thing ent—you can still totally make to Happen to My Life. Hot Chocolate! Join it to Blow Pony afterwards.

Poison Waters, Maria, Tiara Desmond, Kourtni (Which we recommend.) Here Capri Duv and Alexis Campbell Starr as they celyou make/join a team, come sporting our favorite plaid attire, and ebrate their sisterhood and mutual love of enterbowl until we’re all equal. Or at least help HRC get some importtaining in a prideful tribute to African American ant work done. Either way, it’s wonderful! Look at you, bowling vocalists. This time around is Movie Madness, for equality. And it’s basically a sport, so you’re totally Sporty their salute to black films. You do not want to miss Spice, too. I think it sounds like a night of dreams. this talented troupe and the evening they have planned for you.

(Don’t wear too many layers, it gets real warm in Invite your friends to join you for a generous helping of Hot Chocothere. Real sweaty.) (There’s a bar.) 6:00pm, Amf 300 Pro Lanes, 3031 SE Powell. Tickets: http://action.hrc. late. Tickets are just $10 at the door, which opens at 5pm, show begins at 6pm. You’ll be home in time for the evening news. Darcelle’s, 208 NW Third. org/site/Calendar?id=116901&view=Detail.

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Camino. Costumes, photo booths, all the hits. 10pm, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi. $5.

THIRD WEDNESDAYS Comedy at Crush: Belinda Carroll and a slew of locals rustle up some funny. Special guests, and Crush’s signature cocktail and food menus. Donations, sliding scale. (Comics have to eat and drink, too!) Crush, 1400 SE Morrison.

Beat It at Black Book: Samuel Thomas has a beautiful new night all for you at one of the city’s most exciting new(ish) venues.

(Sundays are real, real gay.) A monthly event celebrating everything from beards and tattoos to butch queens. Mark your calendars: THIRD Sundays. Hosted by JC Powers, killer deejays. 7pm, Black Book, 20 NW Third. $3 (free if you have a mailed invite) THIRD THURSDAYS Polari. Troll in for buvare. Back-in-the-day language, music, and elegance. An ease-you-into-the-weekend mixer. Bridge Club boys make the music. Bridge and tunnel patrons have no idea what to do with us when we pour in. Hint: it’s always the Sunday we go to press. 10pm, Vault, 226 NW 12. Free.

THIRD FRIDAYS Ruthless! Eastside deluxe. DJs Ill Camino, Rhienna. Come welcome new resident deejay Rhienna and listen to the fiercest jams all night long. Keyword: cha cha heels. 10pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $3.

THIRD SATURDAYS Burlescape! Burlesque & boylesque wrapped in a taste of tease! Zora Phoenix, Isaiah Esquire, Tod Alan. (And there’s more than that, kids.) Zora is a treat and a treasure—and so are her shows. Try one out! 9pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison. $10.

Gaycation all you ever wanted. DJ Charming always welcomes special guests. (For January, Mary welcomes DJ K. Marie and Troubled Youth.) Be early so you can actually get a drink. Sweaty deliciousness, hottest babes. THE party. 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $5.

FOURTH THURSDAYS Monsteroki. You read it right. Gula Delgatto hosts an evening involving her own special brand of karaoke. Sometimes she decides the song, sometimes you do. (She sings! She dances!) 9pm, Crush, 1412 SE Morrison. $3.

FOURTH FRIDAYS Twerk. DJs ILL Camino and II Trill. Keywords: bring your twerk. The city’s longest-running queer hip hop/R&B party-where artists, deejays, performers come to mix, mingle, and move on the dance floor. Established fun, all night long. 9pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $5.

FOURTH SATURDAYS Blow Pony. Two giant floors. Wide variety of music, plenty of room for dancing. Rowdy, crowdy, sweaty betty. 9pm, Rotture/Branx, 315 SE 3. $5.

LAST THURSDAYS Laid Out, Bridgetown’s newest gay dance party. Seriously, the posters read: “gay dance party.” Deejays Gossip Cat and Pocket Rock-It, 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $3 after 10pm.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25: Portland Queer Music Festival Benefit Showcase, featuring Aiden James.

A word from the Fest: “We are coming back! Save the dates: 8/1-3.” Can’t wait to hear more amazing queer music?

Then join us for this, a benefit where every dollar paid at the door goes to supporting queer musicians and making the Fest happen. Aiden James, fresh from his Portland performance at last year’s Pride, headlines, and is supported by locals Hypnotits, Kim DeLacy, and Butcher. Be a do-gooder and listen to good queer music. 9pm, Rotture, 315 SE Third. $5 suggested donation.

February/March 2014 • 17

FEATURES

PERSPECTIVES

THE LADY CHRONICLES Don’t (try to) Make Your Heart Feel Something It Won’t

By Daniel Borgen, PQ Monthly

Marco’s house sits atop an enchanted hill in downtown Astoria, steps away from the Flavel House, a famous structure filled to the brim with wandering spirits. Marco’s home, however, is a bastion of hippie love and acceptance—and you feel it from blocks away. The edifice is the kind of quaint, grand structure you might find in North Portland— carriage houses and history galore. I’m in Astoria for Dragalution, an evolving drag experiment I’ve heard lots about—it stars Marco’s alter ego, Daylight Cums.

The weekend also marks the third away from my new lover, William, an adorable creature with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes who hails from San Diego. In a short time, he’s captured my heart. What should have been a quick Grindr tryst turned into multiple sleepovers—and I allowed myself to fall hard and fast. One night turned into two, then eight; in no time we’re all routines and schedules. “I miss you, baby,” the texts read.

“I can’t wait to see you again.” I remain calm, collected, marveling at my ability to maneuver time and distance—never my forte.

Marco’s house should be a museum— the Gayest, Most Beautiful Place I’ve Seen.

It’s colorful, adorned with art and artifacts; on the coffee table sits Marco’s ode to Madonna, his own Sex Book, wherein he recreates Madge’s masterpiece. There’s an altar room—everyone has one of those—where most of the herbal remedies are doled out, a drag lab upstairs, and a well-worn kitchen/ bar combo, where Marco quickly and easily whips up all manner of feast. Oh, you’re hungry; let me prepare this beautiful crab and fried cheese spread, ready in minutes.

Properly navigating time/distance means knowing when to put your phone down. And I tried—I worked very hard to live in the moment. But I peeked a lot. It’d been awhile since a male person sent such niceties my way. I provided him play-byplays of the day’s activities: a trek to Dairy Maid in Warrenton, a wonderfully terrifying, delicious burger joint where the thin, mousy cashier does her best to avoid eye contact. You may be strung up on a fence post at any moment, but those fried things!

The shack’s menu is simple, descriptions short and sweet. Handmade signs are littered about, notes to employees, mostly, imploring them: “Remember to stir the dips!” I wondered how long the dips sat, but I enjoyed them anyway. “Get lots of ranch,” William told me. (Like you have to tell me twice.)

With bellies filled with beef and bacon, we headed back—after a stop at the liquor store, where I became best friends with the shop owner. No matter where you are, local business owners sure love gays who spend money on booze. “We’re open until 7 if you boys run out!” The road back to Marco’s was long, made pleasant by picturesque,

cozy cottages and shops that line the streets and coastline. (Nothing like the combo tanning/guns/ammo shops we saw on our initial drive in. I’m looking at you, Clatskanie.)

Upon our return, we headed up to the drag closet to procure our gender-bending looks.

Here’s where I always get into trouble with men I date. Walk into a Halloween party in monster drag, my date yells at me and picks a fight. Find out I routinely go to Red Dress, the guy I’m sleeping with says he isn’t sure he respects me anymore. (Ditto if I bottom for him.) William, though, laughed and said all the right things. “Everything I’m interested in is beneath that dress.” Swoon.

Marco’s a generous queen, and we all left the house in reinvented variations of old Daylight Cums castoffs, styled to the hilt.

My god, the show. After we marched through the streets like it was Pride, I glimpsed the line that wrapped around the Columbia Theater. You’d have thought Beyoncé was in town: Eager show-goers for days, dressed up and screaming for Daylight as they saw her and her queen-y troupe arrive. The energy made the hairs on your neck stand on end. The first half of the show was all kinds of Madonna and Josh Groban (it worked), and the second half highlighted Daylight’s original work. (There was a gorgeous story about angry hand jobs. It hit very close to home.) The entire thing devolved into a big, sweaty dance party; I stumbled upon pure magic. “Hope you’re having fun!

Can’t wait to see you.” Oh, William.

The next morning, my friends and I sat in Mary Todd’s Workers Bar, examining the bar’s murals and relics and marveling at the waitress’s kind, raspy voice, decompressing and revisiting. We poured tens of dollars into the jukebox and feasted on chicken fried steaks and stiff screwdrivers. The volley of texts between me and my beau continued; our reunion was so near—another overnighter. I didn’t know that would be my last weekend away from William.

I’ve never been great at figuring out why things end, especially if there’s no big conflict or blow out to point to. We returned home, I saw him as usual; a few days later I sensed the change in the air. Texts became less frequent, not so much oozing with niceties—there were more days between sleepovers. After our last, we didn’t hold hands on our walk home from brunch. When we had the conversation to end all things, I was shocked and wrecked, but I didn’t argue, because there’s nothing worse than a sore loser. Besides, it’s like Bonnie says, you can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.

I think that’s how love is. You win some (friends), you lose some (William), and you just hope someday the wins outnumber the losses.

Daniel@PQMonthly.com 18 • February/March 2014

pqmonthly.com

PERS{ECTOVES PERSPECTIVES

WITH DAYLIGHT CUMS ANOTHER DRAGALUTION fried Greek cheese, bread and then more crab! It was a feast fit for a Queen about to make her presence felt again on the stage of the Columbian Theater.

We got dressed early; we all wanted to play dress up so bad. I have so many favorite moments replay in my mind. It is the most comforting loop. Nicholas in my brother-in-law’s first dress he made to do drag in, Andrew in those black ruffled panties with the half athletic shirt, and David straightening his seams on his fishnets—Adam in the dress that once made me look like a sausage, working it with his mile-long gorgeous legs, Editor’s note: We had Marco write a preview for this event in December. Here’s his play-by-play. and Daniel in my favorite dress to twirl in with a perfect party wig and a smile for days.

By Marco Davis, special to PQ Monthly The best part was all of us girls all dressed up and waiting for pizza to arrive so we could have a pre-show snack—but It’s a gorgeous sunny January day—and Dragalution more importantly to have something for later when we got has arrived. I was expecting a car full of my favorite boys home (tipsy). We are all in the altar room—yes, altar room— to be pulling up to my house at any moment—moments dancing to Whitney Houston, letting our gay explode; Daniel before I had to leave for dress rehearsal. I was bummed I was the belle of the ball, busting into an incredible dance/ didn’t have bubbles to blow on them as they climbed the drag number for us all to drink in. The doorbell rings, there stairs to the house. All I could do was assume my position are queens everywhere—on the porch smoking, in the hall and sing a bit of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.” Becky (my visiting, and in the other rooms expressing fully. It is my usual roommate) and I had been getting ready for this big day pizza guy (I always get the gluten-free crust with no red sauce) for days—we love to host a nice time. and he doesn’t even flinch when I answered the door and hand The thing I love most about my life is the deep connec- him a wad of cash for all of our pies. tions I have. I don’t need to be with you all the time—but At 8:45 we begin our parade to the theater. This may have when we are together it is the best time, filled with the fullest been my favorite moment of the night. There were around moments that carry me through the rest of my days. Astoria 15 of us all dressed up, walking through downtown Astoria was buzzing with excitement about the show. I was so alive to the theater in drag! It was such a music video moment in in the moment I almost felt numb—the strangest of feelings. my mind. I felt so powerful and free, owning those streets When I returned from dress rehearsal, I found every- en masse and being so large for all to see. Our approach one in the front room playing Cards Against Humanity; to the theater was grand. (There was already a long line Beyoncé was singing in the background and drinks were of people waiting to get in.) There were so many people being consumed. We ate crab, triple cream cheese, salami, dressed up and ready for a party.

These shows are magic for me. The amount of love and support that is vibrating throughout the line and the theater is what carries me for months. I was nervous about this show. I feel I really stepped forward as Daylight Cums and allowed myself to be seen as the woman and performer I am. The first half of the show was classic Broadway, a gal and her supporting men lifting and showing her off. The second half was all original music and all Daylight. I went full tilt in the first number and kept the energy up to the end with our explosive finale, “Song of My Life.”

The dance party at the end is always such a hot time.

Everyone is worked up and ready to work it out on each other on the stage as we bump, grind, and make out and love one another. It was raw, pure, and sweet at the same time.

I always think that some man will swoop in and just dip me back, kiss me and tell me he has been waiting for me for years and sparks will fly—I will have found my true love.

That never happens. What I get is so much more; I have the people in my life coming up to me and loving on me and telling me how inspired they are. I have people lift my soul to levels I never knew were possible in human form. I feel whole and supported and loved.

I love my life; I love the people who support me and challenge me to grow and take chances I normally wouldn’t take. I love getting to be Daylight Cums, sharing my revolution with you all, walking in stride with you all. We are powerful and amazing and we can make change happen in our lifetime.

We are all worth the extra work it takes to have our voices and beauty heard. I look forward to sharing the stage with you all again on April 5, when Dragalution will be once more— until then, know I love you and I am always here for you!

Blowing you kisses, Daylight

NIGHTLIFE ADVICE

WHISKEY & SYMPATHY

Dear Monika and Gula:

Kelly Stafford

503.515.2986 hshrealty.net

I am a gay gentleman in his (upper) mid 30s. I haven’t dating anyone longer than, say, a month or so in many years. (I had a really bad breakup with my live-in lover and it has taken me some time to want to date seriously again.) I finally met someone I really like--and not only do I like him, we enjoy each others’ company and have hit it off splendidly. There’s one thing I can’t quite get past: His age. He’s much younger than me. (15 years younger.) It hasn’t been a problem yet because we haven’t met each others’ friends or anything--we’ve just been holed up at home and in bed, but I can’t help imagining all this unfolding as nothing short of a train wreck. (I’ll have so much in common with his 22 year old friends!) I know I just need to “let it be what it’s going to be,” but I worry about my heart. Do I go all in even if I feel like it can’t possibly last? How much of an age difference is too much? Why can’t I just let things be what they’re supposed to be? Help!

Scared in Sellwood

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SAVE THE DATE! PQ’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY PARTY!

FEBRUARY 20TH JOIN US IN CELEBRATING DURING OUR FEBRUARY PRESS PARTY AT • February 20, 2014, 5P.M.-7 P.M. LOCAL LOUNGE (3536 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212)

20 • February/March 2014

Scared,

Monika MHz

God, don’t I know these exact doubts. While we were busy growing up during the Bronze Age, our lovers were watching a monkey with kleptomania get scolded by a Latina child in serious need of adult supervision. But as an experienced agegap dater, I can tell you: it’ll be ok. I’ve dated in both directions of the age-gap, and those insecurities go both ways.

(Hi-yo!) I was always nervous people would make pop culture references that went over my head, or that their friends and I would never get along because we have become convinced by our media overlords that the chasm between generations is unbridgeable. But it is with lots of spite towards the shittiest generation, who has the audacity to call themselves the greatest, that I assure you that not only can that bridge be built, but that it likely already has been.

I tell a lot of dated jokes, and frankly so do a lot of us.

Though I make a strong effort to keep up, my brain is frequently stuck with the likes of laughing at Morrissey or the Breakfast Club. But here’s the amazing thing I’ve always found: if I’ve bonded with an individual, outside of the bedroom, kitchen, shower, living-room, and back-seat, then we’re likely to get on in all the ways that matter. When he tells jokes, you laugh, and when you tell jokes, he laughs.

It’s true, sometimes a joke might go over someone’s head, but that happens with people our own age, too.

I get it though, you’re less worried about your hot new boo, and more worried about what his friends will think of you. But if he loves being around you for reasons that extend beyond your underpants compatibility, I think you might be surprised about the quality his friends, and the same goes for yours. If he likes being around you, he’ll probably like your friends. Trust that his friends won’t be Justin Beibers, and if they are you both can bounce early. Again, you might be surprised—people are often hyper conscious of their friends who are insufferable Canadians. And you know what I say: “A common enemy brings couples closer,” which is why I always try to find which pop culture figure we both hate.

But seriously, Scared, as an experienced age-gapper, I’m telling you that you’re freaking out about a whole lot of nothing.

You sound like you’re about nine inches away from becoming Teddy Westside from our December issue. He only seemed to care about “Are we marriage material?” and didn’t pay enough attention to “Am I having fun?” You’re fresh into seeing this guy, calm the fuck down, and eat a dick. You’ll be fine.

Love, MHz

Dear Scared:

Gula

I like to watch the amazing show “Millionaire Matchmaker” with Patti Stanger—and she says you can only date 10 years up and 10 years down. But she also says only 2 drinks on a date and no sex until monogamy—so I’m not sure I believe everything she says! She also doesn’t like red heads.What?! Gingers are hot. We are so lucky being gay. I would add another 5 years to her 10. Us gay folks keep it young—at 40 we can listen to Miley and not feel bad about it. The only thing you need to get used to is your friends calling you “Chicken Hawk,” “Panther” (gay cougar), and “Silver Fox”. Just some terms your bitchy old queen-y gay friends will call you. Think Ryan Sager on crack. NAMBLA! That was a joke; NAMBLA’s not cool, bro.

I was a sweet, fresh-faced, know-it-all 22 year old and couldn’t relate with guys my own age, so I thought to myself— date someone older, someone with their shit together. So I met Ben; he had just moved back with his parents from California. He was 35 and so nice; he had had a few long relationships and seemed normal. We dated for about 3 months until little things started bothering me. He got super possessive! Got real jealous of my friends saying they were too “cool” for him. (Jesus Christ, right?) He started to smother me, wanting to know where I am all the time! Then of course there was the... I am older so I know things. Ouch.

After a huge blow out we broke up—but not until after he told me the story of why he was here in Portland. He had lost his mind a bit in Cali. He got in a fight with a friend, told everyone he was going to kill him, and then drove to a motel to O.D. on pills. After the cleaning lady found him he spent a few weeks in the looney bin. Then he met your truly. The moral of that tale is no matter how old you are, there are crazies out there. Lots of them.

Let things be the way they are supposed to be. Sounds like you guys have things covered in the bedroom department.

Don’t rush things. Try going out with friends. His friends, Then yours. Separately. If you bring the age thing up all the time it will be a problem, if friends bring it up, you need to just pass it off as not big issue with you guys. Or brag about the hot 22-year-old tail you’re getting as they have less and less sex in their loving, long-term committed relationships.

The biggest issue of them all is that you connect, and love and respect each other. ‘Cuz it doesn’t matter how old you are, when you put your heart out there it can get hurt. I say do it! If things don’t work out, call me! I’m 40.

Love, Gula

Need some advice from Monika and Gula? Send your query — with “Whiskey & Sympathy” in the subject line — to info@pqmonthly.com.

Monika MHz is a DJ, queer trans Latina, and a feminist/Xicanista whose relationship status is “it’s complicated” with dubstep. Kinky, prudish, sexty, or cyber; survival, straight, queer, gay, double queer (with a trans woman), or lesbian — if it’s sex, or a mistake, she’s been there, done that. Monika is an activist working hard for marginalized populations and runs a program offering in-home HIV testing for trans women. When not writing, she’s probably off somewhere making a dick joke or peeing while sitting down, like a champ.

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.

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CALENDAR FEATURE

WE NEED YOU: A MESSAGE FROM BRO’S JEANA FRAZZINI

Basic Rights Oregon has been working towards winning the freedom to marry for more than a decade, in the legislature, the courts, and the public arena.

Six years ago, I became the Executive Director at Basic Rights Oregon. So much has changed in our movement and right here in Oregon. At that time, we were putting our Domestic Partnership legislation and the Oregon Equality Act into action with the help of an amazing coalition and task force of government agencies. In 2009, we worked with a broad coalition to pass the Oregon Safe Schools Act, and we embarked on our biggest strategic plan to date with a bold new approach to ensure that all LGBT Oregonians experience full equality, establishing goals for 20092013 that included: • Building majority support for full marriage equality for all Oregonians • Building a broad and inclusive movement • Achieving significant policy change to improve the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming Oregonians • Increasing and enforcing protections for LGBT and allied youth across Oregon • Enforcing and defending our victories Back then we were just beginning to establish our Transgender Justice Working Group and Our Families Cohort and building what would become our Transgender Justice and Racial Justice programs. We did not yet have a clear path for increasing access for transgender and gender non-con-

forming folks in healthcare insurance, nor the amazing video campaign of Our Families highlighting the experiences of LGBT families of color in Oregon that were picked up nationally. We were doing a lot research and experimentation on how best to win the freedom to marry after our loss in 2004. Times were different, and since then we have had many amazing victories here in Oregon, as well as nationally, with still a lot of movement building work ahead. As we head into 2014, Basic Rights Oregon is going into our biggest year to date, and it’s critical to have your engagement and support in all areas of our work.

Basic Rights Oregon has been working towards winning the freedom to marry for more than a decade, in the legislature, the courts and the public arena. As an anchor organization in the Oregon United for Marriage coalition, we are working hard on the initiative campaign underway to ask Oregon voters to replace the state marriage ban with the freedom to marry in November 2014. Basic Rights, along with ACLU of Oregon has also signed on with a lawsuit, as a parallel effort to secure marriage equality in Oregon for same-sex couples. The lawsuit alleges that Oregon’s constitutional ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples— Measure 36—violates the U.S. Constitution. We are pursuing all avenues, and one way or another we will win the freedom to marry for all loving, committed couples in Oregon.

In our Transgender Justice work, we are celebrating one

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year of having the Oregon Insurance Division banning private insurers from denying medically necessary care to transgender people. And this year we led the effort to make Oregon one of only a handful of states where transgender people can change their birth certificates to accurately reflect their identities without costly surgery requirements. In 2014 the team will research, develop and launch plans to remove trans-specific exclusions from the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), Oregon’s Medicaid program. We’ll continue our strong focus on educating state agencies, and we’ll deepen our leadership development work within the trans community, with specific focus on trans people of color, trans women, and trans youth.

In our Racial Justice and Alliance Building program, we were successful in supporting the efforts of our coalition partners by educating LGBT friendly legislators about key racial justice issues, and last year victories included passing both tuition equity and cultural competency! In 2014, we’ll continue to expand our work to centralize the leadership of LGBT families of color and to support our base to take actions in support of racial justice. We are inspired to work every day for racial justice and to lift up the voices of LGBT people of color. This work will be more important than ever in 2014 as anti-immigrant forces step up their attacks at the ballot with the “Oregon Safe Roads Act referendum.” We are also excited to work with Western States Center and Oregon United for Marriage in inviting leaders of organizations that work in communities of color to convene Communities of Color United for Marriage to combat the race wedge that we have seen used by our opposition in all avenues of LGBT equality here in Oregon and nationwide.

On top of all of this amazing work, Basic Rights will also embark on our next strategic plan, determining our vision for 2015-2020. This effort will include a series of community listening sessions, one on one conversations with community leaders and surveys—all to hear from YOU about setting the course for Basic Rights Oregon for the next five years and beyond.

We have a big year ahead of us and we need everyone to do their part by: Digging in to win the freedom to marry; Becoming a leader or ally in the work for racial and transgender justice; Building a vision together with our strategic plan process; Having a huge impact at the ballot in ensuring that we elect pro-equality candidates and pass ballot measures that positively affect us all.

If there ever were a time to get engaged with Basic Rights, that moment is now. With your help—and only with your help—we can win the freedom to marry and move forward with achieving equality for all Oregonians!

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NIGHTLIFE FEATURE

“OUR OPPONENTS ARE PUSHING A COMPETING INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO CONFUSE VOTERS”

Oregon is the only state where marriage for same-sex couples will be on the ballot in 2014.

A CHAT WITH OREGON UNITED FOR MARRIAGE’S MIKE MARSHALL PQ: Why should I care about the Oregon United for Marriage campaign? Isn’t BRO wellfunded? What can my $25 at a house party do?

Mike Marshall: Your $25—combined with many $25 contributions—will help. But I challenge you to do more. Sign up to make a monthly sustaining contribution, or go even bigger—add a zero to that $25 and make it $250. Because we need it. Our opponents are now pushing a competing initiative designed to confuse voters and ultimately allow businesses to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples. In other words, we are now running two ballot initiative campaigns—yes on marriage, and no on a license to discriminate. Basic Rights Oregon is a key partner in this work, in addition to their ongoing racial justice and trans justice programs.

PQ: Tell us a little bit about your background in running campaigns for marriage equality.

MM: I joined the movement in 1998 when I became the campaign manager of California’s first marriage equality campaign. In fact, it was one of the nation’s first campaigns against an initiative that excluded same-sex couples from marriage. At the time, only a handful of lawyers in the LGBT community wanted to talk about marriage, and voters had just banned it in Hawaii. It was a different world. I’ve been involved with the movement ever since. I’ve also served as the executive director of several small, community-based organizations and have been a consultant for a spectrum of mission-driven organizations. My partner Rob and I fell in love with Portland after a visit a few years ago, and we have spent the past year figuring out how to make our life here. I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’re here now.

PQ: How are the polls looking? Are you worried about voter turnout during a midterm election?

MM: Right now we are ahead but that could easily change. And the opposition is going to focus all of their national resources on defeating marriage equality in Oregon. We need a bigger margin of support to withstand those attacks. That’s why we need to raise so much—to not only put out our own positive ads about loving, committed couples, but also to respond to the attacks on our families and to push back on the discrimination mea-

sure. By our analysis, more than 60 percent of the voters in November will be over the age of 50—that’s challenge for us. Meanwhile, there are roughly 400,000 Oregonians under the age of 40 who aren’t registered to vote, and we know that at least four out of five of them support marriage for same-sex couples. Unless they’re registered, their voices won’t be heard. We need to create the largest volunteer team this state has ever seen, to drive young voters to register and then vote.

PQ: What does the overall strategy to win in Oregon look like?

MM: The immediate strategy is to collect signatures to qualify the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection Initiative for the November ballot. Every signature is an opportunity to for a volunteer to talk to an Oregon voter about why marriage matters to gay and lesbian couples.

Those conversations are crucial. This spring, our strategy will shift to voter registration. Finally, we’ll focus on persuasion among voters who are conflicted, and, of course, we’ll turn out the vote once ballots drop.

PQ: What happens to the campaign if the courts resolve things first?

Why go to the ballot box? Why don’t we just let the courts decide this thing?

MM: In Oregon, the dual strategy to pursue the freedom to marry at the ballot and through the courts puts us in a strong position to win this year. The only way to get the anti-gay language out of our constitution is through a vote of the people, and as we’ve seen in Utah and other states, legal cases are full of twists and turns—with uncertain timing. The campaign to win at the ballot on November 4 is in our hands, and we can’t stand by and wait for a possible court outcome to build the kind of campaign we know it will take to win on November 4. One way or another, I’m confident we’re going to win marriage for all Oregonians this year—if we do the hard work.

PQ: How is fundraising going? How many signatures have we collected?

MM: We need 116,284 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, and so far we have collected 135,281. That might sound like enough, but we need a big margin to ensure we qualify—some signatures will be tossed out. We’ve just announced that volunteers should turn in all outstanding signatures to the campaign by March 15, so we can start the final processing to turn them in. In terms of fundraising, we are hitting our targets and have raised $2 million so far. That’s a great start, but there’s $10 million to go.

PQ: How does Oregon’s campaign fit into the national strategy to win marriage equality?

MM: Oregon is the only state where marriage for same-sex couples is slated to be on the ballot in 2014, and the first state where people will vote out a constitutional amendment excluding same-sex couples from marriage. Twenty-nine states have these amendments. Overturning them is the frontier—and the national focus—of the marriage movement. The opposition’s hurtful new counter measure strategy is a blatant attempt to distract voters from the real issue—loving and committed couples who hope to marry—and we need to defeat it so that the opposition does not spread this strategy to other states.

PQ: What specifically—besides giving money—can people do to help?

MM: They’re many ways to get involved, and we need more people to get involved for us to win. You can volunteer, donate, talk to your friends and family about why marriage matters, register to vote, register your friends to vote—there are lots of things to do. The first step is to call or email the campaign to get plugged in. Call us at 503-207-4828 or email us at info@orunited.org.

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ARTS ARTS & & CULTURE CULTURE

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February/March 2014 • 23

FILM ARTS & CULTURE FEATURE

DAVID, MARK, MARRIAGE EQUALITY HOUSE PARTIES, AND YOU

Let a love story that spans tragedy and distance inspire you to help the campaign for marriage equality in Oregon.

By Gary Thill, special to PQ Monthly

This past Valentine’s Day weekend, thousands of Oregonians showed their love for marriage equality by throwing a party—a house party. If you missed it, it’s not too late.

Joining the party is not only fun, it’s critical to help win marriage equality this November.

That’s because house parties and social gatherings allow the Oregon United for Marriage campaign to identify the best supporters and volunteers, raise crucial resources, and have one-on-one conversations about the need to expand the freedom to marry to include all Oregonians next November.

Looking for another reason to host a house party? Take a page from David Kahl and Mark Holloway, a couple so destined to be together even Hurricane Katrina couldn’t keep them apart. Nine years later, when David and Mark decided to get

24 • February/March 2014

married, they turned their engagement into a house party fundraiser.

But to get to that point, they first had to withstand the storm. Back then, the two were living in New York City and had just met. “What I could tell immediately about Mark was that he had a big heart,” recalls David, owner of Ergo Depot.

They shared another connection: They had both grown up in Louisiana. That link would hit home nine months later when Hurricane Katrina hit. “David’s family was right in the path of it,” remembers Mark, executive director of Social Venture Partners Portland. “It was very dramatic.”

Three hours before the category 5 storm made landfall, all contact was lost. Says David, “The last thing we heard was my sister on the phone screaming, ‘I gotta go! The walls are moving!”

Mark had just started a new job, but he and David quickly made plans to head for home. “He didn’t know if his family was alive at that point. He was really panicked, and I wanted to be there to support him,” Mark says.

Fortunately, David’s family had made it to safety. But in the storm’s aftermath, he decided to move back to Louisiana while Mark returned to New York. “There are certain things in your life that just shake you,” David says. “9/11 was one, and this was one.”

It also rocked their relationship. “I knew I loved Mark, but neither one of us knew if it was going to last,” recalls David.

Then David found a new love: Portland. Would Mark join him? “The first thing I thought was, ‘Am I willing to move for this guy?’” says Mark. “But I didn’t think we’d gotten to the end of what was possible for us.”

Turns out, they hadn’t—not by a long shot. Since coming to Portland, David has taken Ergo Depot from a fledgling company to a $6 million business. Mark, who also started as a “one man show,” has since helped grow SVP Portland into a staff of 10.

And nine years later, the two are engaged to be married. Sure, they could go across the river to tie the knot. But for David and Mark, it’s about being recognized in a state that’s been integral to who they’ve become.

That’s why they turned their engagement into a house party fundraiser for Oregon United for Marriage.

“We couldn’t have done this anywhere else,” David says. “That’s why the opportunity to get married in Oregon is so important.”

To find out more, go to www.oregonunitedformarriage.org/houseparty/.

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DYKES ON BIKES® & FRIENDS

ARTS & CULTURE

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RIDE LOUD & PROUD WITH US! February/March 2014 • 25

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PERSPECTIVES

OK, HERE’S THE DEAL …

MUSINGS ON (JANET) MOCK AND (PIERS) MORGAN

By Monika Mhz, PQ Monthly

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On Feb. 4, outrage hit the LGBT/Queer community, centered around an interview of activist and author Janet Mock on Piers Morgan Live. Don’t worry, I’ve already written a lot about the incident, and I have no desire to dive into that rabbit hole again.

Suffice to say that Morgan and Co. failed to follow the GLAAD guidelines for reporting on trans individuals when not only promoting the show, but conducting the interview as well. Just as there are guidelines for reporting on LGB and Q people from GLAAD that the media has begun to work to follow, there are also guidelines laid out for trans individuals. Failing to follow those guidelines, Morgan and the show’s staff opened themselves up to criticism. It was that criticism that led to outrage from every letter in the initialism we hold dear.

Though it wasn’t all directed at the clueless “news” team. A lot of it was directed at the specter of the letter T, and how they “[disgracefully]” had the audacity to urge media to comport with GLAAD, from — [sarcasm alert] — such community gems as John Aravosis.

Aravosis has a long history of writing cluelessly about trans individuals and our history. When he wasn’t busy [allegedly] blaming the victim in Steubenville, he’s been [allegedly] railing against trans inclusion in ENDA and pink-washing away the trans founders of the gay revolution in faux-historical intellectual masturbation.

But here’s the deal, the thing Aravosis has always done perfectly — aside from being an asshole [allegedly] — is represent the clueless assimilationist Lesbian, Gay, or Bi individual who presents themselves as an authority on all things LGBT, packaging their self-proclaimed authority as a means to direct conversations, politics, and media.

This time Aravosis, along with an onslaught of LGBers struggling to figure out what exactly the problem was with Morgan’s “amazingly pro-transgender [sic] interview.”

The fact that we even give a damn if a gay man, or any cis person believes an interview is “pro-trans” or not is exactly part of the problem, but I digress. The point is about a detail that cis people, without a clue, have latched onto while they flail around the copy feigning, “trying to understand.”

The overwhelming reading of the events from cis people, even those that supported Janet Mock, was that the outrage was rooted at referring to Mock as anything but a woman throughout her entire life. Nope. It really is a misreading of the harm done by the language used to slippery slope us down the insufferable path where, “OMG it’s impossible to talk about a trans person’s ‘before!’” Instead,

the contention the trans community has is the weird and obsessive focus on on genitals via the centering of surgeries that are still financially or medically unavailable to the majority of the American trans population — not to mention those who don’t want to surgically modify their beautiful unique bodies.

Centering manhood and womanhood on genitals pivots gendered experiences on a largely invisible aspect of everyone’s daily lives. Men don’t check a woman’s genitals before paying them less in the workplace, dismissing their ideas, harassing them on the street, etc. And if genitals were the singular determinant on trans lives, forcefully outing a trans woman, as Grantland [allegedly] threatened to do with Dr. V was would increase access and advantage. And a woman with rare genitals would get paid more, and be less vulnerable to domestic violence and IPV as well as harassment, not more.

While sexism plays a primary role in all American cis women not owning their own bodies, that sentiment extends itself to trans women. It’s my belief that it is, instead, a variety of other subjective interpreted characteristics are conveyed to society through secondary sex characteristics and sex stereotypes among other things that determines whether or not a person is classed as a woman or a man by individuals or, broadly, by society. It’s always bugged me when we say trans women who medically intervene in their lives as teenagers are somehow “former men.” As a kid and a teenager, she found access to articulate herself as the person she knew she was, and experienced what most would classify a girlhood. To then say she was a man, until an expensive surgery, lays itself ignorant of her lived experiences as well as ignoring some compelling stories in her life that aren’t as dull as, “woman exists as woman, moves to New York, and meets a guy.”

Finally, to those that say “Janet is only famous for one thing... ,” I’d like to point you to her book — that you should have read before the interview, Morgan — and her fierce activism and advocacy she’s been engaged in over the last three years. Stop asking about “sex-changes” like it’s 1950, and start asking about lives lived. Trans women are probably a hell of a lot more interesting than you give us credit for.

Editor’s note: Read Monika’s excellent blog about the Piers issue here: http://www. pqmonthly.com/piers/18287

Monika MHz is a queer trans Latina who makes her way as a Portland-based House music producer/DJ, activist, and writer. Practicing radical love through music, she believes in the transformative nature of music and its real substantive and cultural power to save lives. You can find Monika online at monikamhz.com and @MonikaMHz.

26 • February/March 2014

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ARTS & CULTURE

“NEXT FALL” LOOKS AT LIFE, DEATH, & LOVE

The Tony award-winning “Next Fall” is another entry in what’s proven to be an incredibly diverse season for Triangle Productions.

By Leela Ginelle, PQ Monthly

Geoffrey Naufts’ play “Next Fall” centers on a couple, Luke and Adam, exploring their differences—Luke’s devoutly religious and Adam’s an atheist—and the ways they negotiate them. A life-threatening accident brings the men’s families together and the issues of faith and doubt into high relief.

Triangle Productions brings the play, which won a Tony for Best Direction during its Broadway debut in 2010, to Portland from March 13 to April 6. Triangle’s Artistic Director Don Horn, who will direct this production, says the play fits the company’s mission, and also resonates with him on a personal level.

“The play is very close to me as I had a similar life situation when my son lay in a hospital bed in a coma for 46 days,” Horn says. He hears echoes of his own experience in some of the plays tense, intimate moments. “The questions that are raised and the opinions of those around are very eerie,” Horn says. “No one knows how they will react until this type of a situation is thrust upon them.”

Horn says he longs for the play, which the New York

Times’ Ben Brantley praised as “artful, thoughtful and very moving” to inspire reflection among audience members, particularly concerning the touchy, and at times divisive, subject matter it explores.

“My hope is that the show causes people who either see the production or who read about it begin to have a dialogue,” he says. “I’m a person whose life is based on faith; however, I do not expect anyone to follow my way of believing. One question that is asked of me is, ‘How can you believe in a God that doesn’t love your life style?’ Ah, I don’t think he likes many people’s lifestyles, but he loves me as I am one of his creations.”

Triangle will partner with Basic Rights Oregon on the productions, with BRO holding a talkback following an as yet undetermined Sunday performance. It’s an arrangement Horn enjoys. “I believe that anytime theater can partner with organizations it’s a win-win for both,” he says.

“BRO was a renter of mine when I owned the Theater! Theatre! This won’t be first time we’ve worked together, as we did so in 2004 for Measure 36, when Jeff Whitty came to town after he won the Tony for Avenue Q.” Among the cast members in “Next Fall” is AM Northwest co-host Helen Raptis. Raptis, a news and morning program presence for over 20 years, also has extensive Portland theater experience, having appeared in “The Vagina Monologues” and “The Laramie Project” at the Newmark Theater, “Sordid Lives” and “Juicy Tomatoes” with Triangle, and, most recently, a cameo spot in Portland Center Stage’s “Twist Your Dickens.”

Horn and Raptis clearly share a deep mutual admiration, with Horn saying emphatically, “I love Helen!” and Raptis offering that, “I’ve worked with Don a number of times before and the experiences have always been fantastic.”

Horn jokes about the differences between Raptis and her character Arlene, saying, “She will be challenged by this work as it is not her ‘normal’ way of living.” For her part,

though, Raptis sees many similarities between herself her latest role, however, musing, “Well, Arlene talks too much, often putting her foot in her mouth. She loves her son, her dog, and even her ex-husband. She’s also flawed, and I can relate to all of that.”

Raptis shared her diagnosis and struggle with breast cancer with television audiences in 2000. Her reports on the topic earned her a Regional Emmy nomination. She says her own life threatening experience informs her understanding of “Next Fall” and its themes.

“Cancer rocks your world and makes you a more compassionate and empathetic person,” she says. “You learn how fragile life can be. At any moment, on any day, your life can be turned upside down.”

As a veteran of television and the stage, Raptis finds it difficult to compare the experiences. “Both are an adrenaline rush,” she says. “In theater I play someone else, on TV I’m myself, and both are challenging and exciting.” In the end, though, theater offers something television doesn’t.

“I do love the applause of an audience. Now that is really a high that can’t be equaled.”

The Tony award winning drama “Next Fall” is another entry in what’s proved an incredibly diverse season from Triangle Productions, which has included the grand, sumptuous musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” as well as Wendy Westerwelle’s current one-woman comedic show “Medicare-Fully Fabulous.”

Horn says he doesn’t think about seasons in terms of the big picture, though.

“Producing for 24 years I’ve never found a ‘formula’ that really works, except listen to the audience and give them what they want,” he says. “I think my audiences want to have the variety. As you can tell, we don’t produce what others do!”

“Next Fall” Triangle Productions. 1785 NE Sandy Blvd.

March 13th through April 6th. See website for details.

DEFUNKT THEATER’S “LET A HUNDRED FLOWERS BLOOM”: LIFE, LOVE & HIV

By Leela Ginelle, PQ Monthly

Prior to 1996, an HIV diagnosis was tantamount to a death sentence. That year, however, brought the advent of anti-retroviral therapy, a treatment that gave HIV-positive patients a While the subject matter is weighty, the approach is chance to live healthy, anything but solemn. productive lives.

This switch changed everything for a generation of gay men who’d lived for over a decade in the shadow of a plague that ravaged their community. This moment of profound hope, and the grief and confusion that attended it, are captured in David Zellnik’s play, “Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom,” which will be produced by Defunkt Theatre from Feb. 14 to March 22.

Zellnik has strong personal memories of the time he’s depicted.

“I came of age in the ‘80s, just hitting puberty when the direness of the AIDS crisis became clear,” he says. “I would say that HIV, my own teenage fear of HIV, is totally and irrevocably wrapped up in my sexuality. So that moment in ‘96 when it seemed like the AIDS crisis might be over, when friends might live and I might not have to be so scared anymore, well it felt incredibly personal.

“I had moved to NYC in 1989 to go to college and watched the city go from ACT UP rage to a sort of collapsing despair, pqmonthly.com

and then to hope. The play is my small record of that time.

It’s also a love song to men slightly older than me who had borne the brunt of the crisis and whom, in ways both good and suspect, I envied for the intensity of their journey.”

Defunkt’s Matthew Kern is impressed by the complexity Zellnik has captured. “The characters in the show experience a form of arrested emotional development,” Kern says. “They spent ten years expecting to die and now are faced with questions about what they want out of life, who they want to spend their lives with, all the things that young adults normally get to focus on but that got swept to the side by the AIDS crisis.”

While Zellnik’s subject matter is weighty, though, his approach is anything but solemn. “Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom” is narrated by Puppy, a gay man with disabilities who uses a wheelchair. Puppy writes Marxist pornography, and Zellnik depicts his creative process with great gusto.

Zellnik says he embraces the combination of the serious with the exuberantly libidinous as being true his characters’ experiences. “Too often, it seems to me, plays try and iron out the wrinkles of real interaction in a misguided nod to genre: That is, serious plays get serious scenes, funny plays get funny scenes, and you can step out of the lines a little but not too much,” he says. “I like to give the characters room to be as weird or as heartfelt in the same scene as they want to be.

And with a lead character like Puppy, a gay, disabled, Marxist porn writer, you just have to follow where he wants to go.”

Kern concurs. “David Zellnik is a highly skilled writer and he is able to switch seamlessly between the hilarious porn, fantasy world of Puppy’s imagination and the reality of the characters’ daily lives,” he says. “Puppy writes porn

and utilizes all of the ridiculous cliches that we expect, but his porn also has a political agenda, and he is deadly serious about it. So there’s this wonderful mixture of outrageous humor and beautiful ideology, all rooted in these characters that are very relatable and human.”

The play was introduced to Defunkt by company contributor Paul Angelo, who was involved in the original New York production in 2001, and will direct this staging.

“We fell in love with it right away,” Kern says. “Reading it made my face ache from smiling while simultaneously wiping away tears. It is also a true love story, and one that is romantic without the slightest bit of sap or sentiment, so we thought it would be perfect for this time of year.”

Defunkt is partnering with Cascade AIDS Project on this production, Kern says. CAP has provided speakers who’ve shared their experiences with the cast and crew, and advised the company about technical matters involving side effects from medications and the survivor guilt and PTSD suffered by people who lived through the peak of AIDS. Defunkt will have a post performance talkback event with CAP on March 1st. “It will be a panel discussion about living with HIV and AIDS and feature some speakers who were the age of the characters at the time the play takes place,” Kern says.

Zellnik will attend a performance, as well, but says he won’t be consulting with Defunkt on the production, as he prefers to let them create their vision without him. “It’s nice when the play finally breaks free,” he says, “like a kid all grown up and ready to voyage out into the world.”

“Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom” Defunkt Theatre 4321 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Feb. 14 to March 22. See website for details.

February/March 2014 • 27

BOOKS

PERSPECTIVES

The Bi Line THE TASMANIAN DATER

By Ginger Millay, PQ Monthly

GAY SKATE WITH PQ Oaks Park Roller Skating Rink

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I enter a room dressed to the nines, a whirlwind of smiles and stories, curtsies and crude jokes. Is it any surprise that I am fantastic at getting dates? It isn’t because I am the hottest, smartest or most successful person out there. I don’t use any online dating services. I do have an active social life and am polyamorous, so when I see someone I’m interested in, I go for the most direct opening possible: You’re Cute. Wanna Make Out? Snark all you want, I date more than anyone I know, hence my Tasmanian Dater status. Say what you will about my approach, this one simple, zealous line has had a 95 percent success rate. Really.

I’ve been doing it for years. Unless someone is in a relationship that will not allow it, or is not at all open to kissing ladies, we’re making out two seconds later (that first second is for them to process that yes, I did just say that).

It’s all in the friendly tone & relaxed confidence. More “Hey, why not?” less “Please dear lord, someone pay attention to me!!!”

Sometimes my intended will give me a response: “Really?” “Well, I’m straight…”

“Well, I’m gay…” to which I simply counter with “yep,” “’k,” or “so…?” A kiss can be as easy and casual as a handshake. Even if we are never going to take it any further than that, it’s a pretty damn fun way to meet a friend.

If my target is a good kisser and is interested, then we’ll chat, dance, etc. If they are cool, boom! We make a date! If, however, they are interested but not a good kisser, at least I already know. This approach cuts out that bummer moment when you first kiss that hot, funny, smart person only to find out that they smooch like a ravenous pit bull.

“Doesn’t this method require some serious chutzpah?” you ask. Sure, it takes chutzpah, but why wait for someone to approach you? They aren’t mind readers. Pull on your big-kid undies and go for it.

My super direct approach takes some guts, but the results are magnificent. Lest you think it only works for random hookups, I’ll have you know I met the last several people I seriously dated in this manner. It’s just a way to get your foot in the door, like passing a “Do you like me?” note in elemen-

tary school.

Everything beyond that is up to you. But it sure is memorable, and confidence is goddamn sexy.

I’ve actually gotten to the point that I dislike it when people hit on me, because if I were interested, I would have already approached them. My sister tells me that my forwardness only works ‘cause I mostly hit on women, and the men I like are pussies, but I think that’s a huge load of gender normative pony dung. If a guy isn’t comfortable enough with himself to handle a woman being the aggressor, I certainly won’t be interested in him.

I have also found that the more butch a woman is, the more thrown she is by my direct approach. I am always surprised just how shocked some chicks are that an uberfemme in a vintage dress in hitting on them so bluntly. But I am! And I ain’t just dabblin’, darlin’! It’s kind of wild just how ingrained the butch/femme dynamic is in our culture. We’re both women, who cares how we choose to present ourselves? I’m out to shift this paradigm. Care to join me? We have cookies!

Ultimately, sure, my being a cute, friendly girl may be a big factor in my doing so well employing this method. I’ve never been anything else, so I can’t really say, but I truly believe anyone can reap the benefits of being direct.

There are caveats, of course. This approach can very go wrong if you are too aggressive. You can creep people out or just come off crazy. If you read intimidating, you put both yourself and you’re intended in an uncomfortable situation, so take a deep breath. Relax. Smile. Think of bouncy castles and sweet, gentle kisses. Be lighthearted, playful. Just be yourself, plus a what-the-hell attitude and shot of good ol’ fashioned Fonzie confidence. So what if someone turns you down? At least you gave it a go. The more you try it, the more you’ll believe in yourself. The Tasmanian Dater abides.

You’re cute, and someone totally wants to make out with you. Go for what you want and enjoy!

Ginger Millay is in love with NYC, where she works independently as an event producer, party planner, and Dominatrix.

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SPORTS

MUSIC LOCAL BUSINESS

HOLD ON TO YOUR STICKS, LADIES!

From young girls to the young at heart, these women are showing there is an ice hockey presence--a strong one--in the Portland-Vancouver area.

By Shaley Howard, PQ Monthly

Hey all you female East Coast and Canadian transplants here in the Northwest—are you the only one in a crowd that understands what it means to put the “biscuit in the basket, eh”? Do you miss your sport? No, not figure skating or broom-ball but ice hockey—one of the coolest games on the planet. Most of us in the typically moderate and rainy climate of the Pacific NW know that ice hockey is huge on the East Coast, in Canada and other parts of the world—but it’s not exactly the biggest sport out here in the west—yet.

Hold on to your sticks ladies—did you know there’s a women’s ice hockey group right here in Portland? They’re called PDX Women’s Ice Hockey (you can find them on Facebook). OK, not a very fancy group name—sort of just gets to the point—but these are some of the best female hockey players around and they’re definitely passionate about this sport.

Caroline Parks, who currently plays in the PDX Women’s Ice Hockey group, grew up back east and played hockey throughout college. When she moved to Portland back in 1999, she hadn’t skated for a while. Wanting to skate again but living in an area that was lacking in ice hockey opportunities, especially for women, she and Ben Stadey, Director of Hockey Operations of the Winterhawks Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) and local hockey coach for kids, started the group.

“There were four teams when we began back then. We would just play each other through the course of the season and then have playoffs. Over the years there’ve been various groups of women that I’ve played with. We would have midnight time slots on Fridays for practices as that’s all we could get—crazy times. Then we finally got some momentum and the group took off,” Parks told PQ. About 25 to 30 women play regularly on Monday nights at Mt. View Ice Arena and everyone is welcome, all ages and all skill levels. The group has a democratically elected leadership; teams vote for certain people to fill positions for a designated period of time, then they all rotate through.

They also send travel teams to regional tournaments periodically in cities like Wenatchee, Everett, Spokane, and they’re hoping soon—Seattle.

When talking with the women who’ve been playing hockey for years or even those who’ve recently picked it up, I kept hearing a common theme; the sport of hockey is fanpqmonthly.com

tastic but it’s the friendships created and camaraderie that seems to be at the heart and spirit of the game they love.

“Although I love the game—the speed, the sounds of the blade of the skates cutting into the ice—it’s the friendships I’ve built on every team that I’ve played on that keep me engaged and yearning for more time at the rink. There’s a bond that’s formed in the locker room, on the bench, at the post-game meal that is close-knit, meaningful and so important to my well-being. I can’t imagine my life without it,” said longtime player Aleta Mills.

Wanting to encourage more girls to participate and learn about ice hockey, Parks, Rose King and Jessica Duggan—all longtime ice hockey players themselves—recently started a girls’ hockey program for girls aged 4-10 called Rose City Hockey Club at the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton. They’re currently in the middle of their first season and already have over 60 girls enrolled for their third session coming up on Feb. 22. 95 percent of the kids participating are brand new to hockey but all are welcome, plus they provide all the gear, skating instructions, and plenty of volunteers are on hand to help.

“We’re trying to create a really fun, affordable and supportive environment for hockey while we’re teaching the fundamentals; things we learned from our years of hockey such as leadership, being a good person, self-esteem—a lot of that was through team sports. We’re trying to give little girls a safe place to try a kick-ass sport and build their confidence—good stuff,” said Rose King, co-founder of Rose City Hockey Club.

From young girls to the young at heart, these women are showing there is an ice hockey presence here in Portland. Whether you’re an experienced player looking to find your tribe or you’ve never played but always wanted to try, here’s your chance to meet a ton of cool women and learn how to play hockey.

“Hockey isn’t just a special sport—it is an incredible sport,” said Parks. “I’ve played every sport under the sun and with hockey there’s such a bond with your teammates that in my opinion far exceeds any other sport. It’s such a close environment and most people I’ve known are so passionate about it. It gives you such great energy both for girls and women It’s an amazing sport to get involved in.”

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ pages/PDX-Womens-Ice-Hockey/120433658011762. Watch a match—or play! They’d love to have you.

February/March 2014 • 29

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PERSPECTIVES

PERSPECTIVES

The Ordinary Demonic

By Nick Mattos

1) When we think about demonic activity, our model is largely defined by modern horror movies—great cinematic displays of malevolent possession manifesting in unnatural physical contortions, otherworldly voices, and green vomit. However, in the field of demonology, instances of the sort popularized by “The Exorcist” are classified as “the extraordinary demonic.” Far more common and insidiously damaging to most people’s lives, though, is “the ordinary demonic”—a class of demonic activity that spurs people towards things like lying, gossiping, drunkenness, and heresy. These are all quite common. However, many modern demonologists note that the most common, most damaging manifestation of the ordinary demonic is something that we often harbor, protect, excuse, and even cherish in ourselves: bitterness.

2) In 2003, a team of German psychiatrists proposed a new disorder to be added to the psychological diagnostic canon: Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder. “They feel the world has treated them unfairly,” explained Dr. Michael Linden, the psychiatrist pioneering the proposed PTED diagnosis. “It’s one step more complex than anger. They’re angry plus helpless.” Further complicating this, in Dr. Linden’s words, is that “these people usually don’t come to treatment because ‘the world has to change, not me.’”

3) Left to my own devices, I am an immensely bitter guy. There are affronts and slights and perceived injustices that occurred years ago that have continued to torment me like demons. I can be in the middle of the most ordinary day — the teapot on the oven range, the rent paid and the work getting done, the windows open to a bright world — and, almost without warning, some slight will conjure them, leaving me spitting vitriol. It was, and is, one of the most embarrassing and unbecoming aspects of myself. The frightening part, though, is that these demons are so ordinary that sometimes I don’t even notice when they’ve arrived yet again.

4) I have this wonderfully smart, funny friend, Glenn, and he’s sitting across from me at RoboTaco; we are eating lunch and I am telling him about the realization of my bitterness. “You know what’s interesting?” he asks me between bites of his barbacoa tacos.

“People really don’t talk about bitterness at all. We use all these different words — ‘being resentful,’ or ‘holding on to something,’ or ‘being negative,’ or ‘being irritable.’”

“Totally,” I note. “We even elevate it into a sort of virtue in queer society sometimes,

like, folding it into ‘fierceness’ or ‘sassiness’ when really it’s something else.”

“Calling it ‘bitterness’ — basically, calling it by its proper name — just reads really harshly. I think most anyone would take offense at being called bitter.”

5) I speak from haunted experience here: an embittered person is poisoned. Just as much as demonic possession tortures the possessed, bitterness rends a person in uncomfortable and disfiguring ways. However, worse, an embittered person is also poisonous; the things they do in the throes of their ranklement cause harm to the people around them. Furthermore, it contributes greatly to the collective bitterness of society; the end result is a great miasma of angry, helpless negativity. In this life, in these times, we simply cannot afford to be poisoned or to be poisonous.

6) “Stop tone-policing me!” Please, hear me out: there are an infinite number of situations in which being angry or even confrontational is healthy, helpful, and even loving.

Dynamically experience and express appropriate, in-scale emotions—seriously, let ‘em rip, it’s good for you and the world. However, bitterness, even bitterness that feels totally justified, really will destroy you and everything around you. Even if you don’t believe me, listen: “If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart,” says Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron, “it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart.”

7) So, here you and I are, with arrows in our hearts. What does one do with bitterness? Try thinking of it this way: there’s not just one way to put out a fire. Depending on the nature of the blaze, one can sprinkle baking soda on it, or throw a cup of coffee onto it, or toss the object into a lake, or spray it with a fire extinguisher. Not every solution is appropriate or effective for every given fire, but every fire can be put out. If bitterness lives in your heart, you are effectively on fire—so try whatever you possibly can to put yourself out, and if one method doesn’t work, urgently move on to try the next one until you find something that works.

8) I am still trying to put out this fire, and perhaps you are too. But please, for you and me both, listen: the ordinary demonic calls for an everyday exorcism, a moment-to-moment turning away from bitterness and towards forgiveness. There is great hope that some day, the teapot will whistle on the oven range, the windows will be open to the bright world outside, and we will live free of our demons. This can happen, for you and me both. In a very real and urgent way, the world needs it.

Nick Mattos can be reached at nick@pqmonthly.com pqmonthly.com

February/March 2014 • 31

NEWS

“RACIAL EQUITY REPORT CARD INDICATES POSITIVE TRENDS, WORK TO BE DONE”

Editor’s Note: This story also ran in our sister publication, El Hispanic News.

By Nick Mattos, El Hispanic News/PQ Monthly

A newly released assessment authored by a diverse coalition of advocates grades Oregon legislators on their individual commitment to advancing opportunity and addressing disparities impacting Oregonians of color.

Released on Jan. 15, “Facing Race: 2013 Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity” was produced by an independent working group composed of members of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Basic Rights Education Fund, Causa, the Center for Intercultural Organizing, the Partnership for Safety and Justice, the Urban League of Portland, and the Western States Center. “This report is the second multi-issue report assessing our legislator’s commitment to creating racial and ethic equity in our state,” says Cassandra Villanueva, Director of Organizing and Advocacy for the Partnership for Safety and Justice, who worked on the assessment. “Our intention with this report card was to be constructive, but also to open the door to work with legislators who care about closing the racial divide in Oregon.“ Following up on a 2011 report, this report card is the first in the state to grade individual legislators on their policy decisions and voting records relating to racial equity.

“When we look at a range of social and economic indicators, there are communities of color in Oregon that are suffering in a number of areas,” says Villanueva.

“Legislators have a tremendous amount of power and influence with the decisions they make, The policy decisions they make can either increase opportunity or worsen disparities. Oregon’s racial gaps run deep and it undermines our ability to ensure a strong and stable future for all residents.”

Villanueva cites the state budget process as a key area where racial equity can and should include a racial equity focus. “The budget is a reflection of our priorities as a state,” she explains, “and legislators should take into account the existing disparities between communities of color and white Oregonians, and address these disparities on a budgetary level… [as] communities of color have disproportionately borne the brunt of budget cuts.”

While the report card presents a stark vision of the realities of Oregon’s legislative activity, Villanueva asserts that these results actually show a positive trend in the state’s policy activity. “In 32 • February/March 2014

comparison to our last report in 2011, there was more progress made in passing legislation that addresses racial equity,” she says. “For example, in our last report card, there were 23 pieces of legislation assessed and 10 ten passed; this year, we analyzed 21 pieces of legislation and 18 passed. [Furthermore,] one third of the bills that passed had meaningful Republican leadership. This goes to show that ensuring racial equity in Oregon requires both Democrats and Republicans to come together and act as one to move Oregon forward.”

However, the results of the report card do indicate a divide between Democrats and Republicans — only one Republican, Representative Bob Jenson of Pendleton, received an “A” on the report card, whereas every one of the 32 House and Senate members rated as “Needs Improvement” is affiliated with the Republican Party. “Ensuring racial equity in Oregon requires both sides of the aisle to come together,” says Villanueva. “It’s not a partisan issue – it takes both to make sure that legislation passes.”

The report cards indicate that there is still more work to be done, both for legislators and for voters. “Moving forward, we make four key recommendations for legislators,” explains Villanueva. “First, they can be explicit about addressing racial equity in Oregon, and that includes working with communities who are directly impacted by these disparities. They can also institute racial impact statements, which are a great tool for legislators to take into account to understand the consequences of their decisions. They can work with directly-impacted communities by partnering with organizations that they represent —legislators should consider bringing bills forward from communities that are directly affected by racial equity issues. Finally, our fourth recommendation is to desegregate data for different racial groups. Many ethnic groups have distinct experiences and needs, and when governmental agencies lump these groups together, the resulting data can result in misleading policy analysis and bad decision-making.”

For voters, communication is key in order to ensure that their elected officials understand the urgency and importance of racial equity on all levels. “Voters have a responsibility to hold their elected officials accountable for the decisions they make,” asserts Villanueva. “This will require talking with their legislators about the impact of racial disparities and the impacts of the decisions they legislators make.”

“Ultimately, Oregon’s racial gaps run deep,” notes Villanueva. “The sense of urgency with which we should address these disparities is heightened with the state’s shifting demographics. Communities of color are a significant part of Oregon’s future, and we shouldn’t be left behind in policy and budget decisions. Addressing racial equity is critical to Oregon’s future.” ###

pqmonthly.com

PERSPECTIVES

CULTIVATING LIFE Hanging out with the Birds

By LeAnn Locher, PQ Monthly

During our recent Snowpocalypse 2014! we spent countless hours watching Ice TV, also known as gazing o u t t h e w i n d o w.

Seeing the landscape in a totally different way, completely covered in snow and white was mesmerizing, and I could practically feel my blood pressure lowering. A big part of this was watching the birds. The white backdrop showed off every bit of color on a bird, and I was surprised at the diversity that flocked to our backyard. Chickadees, kinglets, towhees and robins were constant fixtures, along with blue jays and Northern Flicker woodpeckers. Of course, there were the hummingbirds as well, up at the crack of dawn fighting among themselves and clicking away at me to get out there with their food. It was a whole world of activity in our garden dur ing a time in which we are rarely in it, but instead look out upon it, and the birds lit everything up.

Are you feeding backyard birds? You should. Here are some tips.

We feed in three different ways: bird food seed, suet, and hummingbird food. Each attracts different kinds of birds.

Feeding with bird food: There are many different kinds of feeders and they vary in price range. The thing I look for is ease of use to fill: Is it easy to pull the top off and fill with food? Is there an overhang on the top to protect the food from our wet climate and rain? Is there any protection from squirrels?

As for the food itself, I look for non-sprouting seed, and a mix made specifically for our Northwest birds.

Keep the extra bird food in a tightly sealed container to prevent attracting unwanted rodents. Keeping a scoop in the container is handy and makes filling the feeders that much easier.

Feeding with suet: Suet blocks are a mix of fat and seed that you buy or make and hang in a suet cage. These attract different kinds of birds, and many a time I’ve glanced over at movement in the garden to discover

a suet feeder is completely covered with a flock of a dozen tiny bushtits, all feeding together. I mainly hang suet during the cold months because suet melts at higher temperatures. Check out the upside down starling-resistant suet feeders, and consider using hot suet, made with hot pepper oil.

Birds love it, but squirrels don’t.

Feeding hummingbirds: Hummingbird feeders are usually bright red and are designed to simulate flowers where they sip their nectar. I’ve found the more simple the feeders, the easier they are to clean and fill. During freezing weather, bring in the feeder after dark and set your alarm for early morning to return the feeder outdoors. Hummingbirds remember where their food comes from, and our overwintering Anna’s hummingbirds are smart and territorial, depending on us to feed them when everything is covered in snow. Hummingbird food is easy to make: Combine 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar, bring to a boil and let cool. No need to use red food dye or buy hummingbird food: Keep it simple and the hummingbirds will hang out year round. If you have hummers dueling it out to use the feeder, hang another in a different part of the garden.

They’re territorial and don’t always like to share.

For all of your feeders, hang them where you can see them from inside. If you can, under a tree canopy but at least 5 feet from the ground will be ideal: Keeping them less exposed to the elements, and high enough away from predators.

Things not to do: • Don’t use untreated wood for birdfeeders. It gets damp and molds and is more of a mess than it’s worth.

• Don’t feed the squirrels. Those sweet little peanuts the neighbor puts out for them end up buried in my garden: ick.

• Don’t feed the crows with leftover bread. They come and stay in masses, scaring away all of the other birds, leaving poop everywhere they congregate.

I haven’t taken inventory of all of the birds visiting this season, but I am loving the rush of activity out in the garden when I’m barely in it. At least someone’s enjoying it this time of year.

LeAnn Locher gardens and explores the home arts in North Portland. Connect with her and other home arts badasses at facebook.com/sassygardener pqmonthly.com

THE HOME FRONT Celebrate Cattle Class

By Steve Strode, PQ Monthly

We all kvetch about how less glamorous air travel is today, how we’re sardined in the plane seats, how airlines nickel and dime us at every turn, and yada yada— but let’s be honest, we have what we were willing to pay for. For years we shopped by price only and not amenities, and most airlines that gave a little extra are no longer in business or have had to scale back to remain competitive. On the plus side, in real dollars, it’s less expensive to fly today than in the 1970s and we are traveling more than ever.

What does this have to do with real estate? It really hit home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. My partner Jose and I were invited on a trip to Puerto Vallarta and a group of us left that Thursday morning. We arrived at our friend’s condo by 4:00 or so, changed clothes, and headed to a neighbor’s for a traditional US-style Thanksgiving dinner. Upon arriving, we met 30-40 people—the majority of whom were from the West Coast, Midwest, and a smattering of local folks. Most of the group were well-acquainted, and have formed a cohesive community of part-time residents over the years.

None of us were particularly exotic or adventurous, most of us were decidedly middle-class, yet many had taken the plunge to buy property in Mexico. Compare that to when I grew up—a second home for people like me would be a cabin in the woods or on a lake within a few hours’ drive. So sure, air travel is a complete pain in the butt, but for millions of us we’ve decided the trade-off is worth it.

The world continues to feel smaller and we want to explore all of it.

Last year in PQ I wrote about a gay couple, John Fall and Larry Holmes, who were buying in Mexico but hadn’t yet closed on their property. They are now proud owners of Casa de las Flores, and I checked back in to find out what they’ve learned and see what advice they may want to share.

HERE ARE THEIR TOP SUGGESTIONS: 1) The best thing any foreigner looking to buy real estate in Mexico can do is this—never forget you are in someone else’s country. There are different conditions, customs and expectations than you are used to; they are not any less valid than what happens in your country—they are just differ-

ent. Practice attitude adjustment before you get on the plane, and you will have a much better experience when you arrive.

2) Expect to wait. Time is not money. Time is time, and everyone has plenty of it. You will have time, too.

3) Referrals, referrals, referrals. Ask people who have already bought real estate about knowledgeable and reliable real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and lawyers. Make sure at least two different sets of people give you the same referral before contacting the person.

4) Consider getting a real estate lawyer. The laws are complex, especially if you buy property in a restricted zone.

Briefly, in Mexico there is a restricted zone within 50 kilometers of the coast.

Foreign buyers cannot purchase property directly within this zone, so they must set up a bank trust to own the land called a fideicomiso. It still gives the same rights and privileges of regular ownership—but is an extra step and can be incorrectly perceived as less desirable than “fee simple,” like we typically have here. There is legislation making its way through the Mexican Senate to do away with this, and it is anticipated that once it’s passed the market will heat up even more.

In this month’s issue of Global Perspectives, published by the National Association of Realtors, the lead story is about overseas retirement. In addition to folks wanting to buy homes for vacation purposes, there is a growing concern that people may outlive their savings. We all know the last decade was brutal and is only now turning around. Retiring abroad may enable people to retire more affordably and/or not be forced to delay retirement. In addition to the commonly mentioned destinations like Mexico and Costa Rica, emerging hot spots are Nicaragua, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Thailand. Most of these countries also offer special retirement visas, tax breaks and discounts to attract foreigners.

John and Larry’s final advice—if you love Mexico, and the beach, and men (or ladies, if that’s your thing), this is the place for you.

If you love only two of the three, settle for renting a condo once a year or so—preferable theirs.

Steve Strode is Portland-area realtor with Meadows Group Inc., Realtors. He is also co-founder of a newly forming non-profit organization called rEqual, a nationwide LGBT real estate coalition.

February/March 2014 • 33

ARTS BRIEFS Philadelphia singer-songwriter Aiden James headlined last year’s Portland Pride — and evidently we made a great impression upon him, because he’s back in town on Feb. 25. Playing as part of the Portland Queer Music Festival Benefit Showcase, the wonderfully charming and talented Mr. James will share the stage with a diverse sampling of the region’s best queer musicians, including Portland hiphop enchantress HYPNOtits and Seattle’s Butcher. Perhaps giving the headliner the biggest run for his money, though, will be Kim Delacy — the folk-pop alter ego of local phenomenon and PQ crush KizMet. Luckily, the Rotture stage will certainly be big enough for the two of them.

(Feb. 25; 9 PM to late. Rotture, 315 SE 3rd Ave, Portland.

Tickets $5, 21+) What if, after we died, we didn’t go to heaven or hell?

What if the place we ended up in instead closely resembled Berlin during the Cold War? This is the odd, fascinating question asked in “Die Unterwelt,” the abstracted pop opera presented by internationally-acclaimed trans-disciplinary artist Nadia Buyse (aka DUBAIS) on Feb. 28 at the Hollywood Theatre. A PNCA graduate, Buyse has received great critical and popular acclaim for her performances in such venues as the Time-Based Art Festival, Berlin Month of Performance Art, the ART STAYS festival in Slovenia, and Free the Word Fest in the Republic of Georgia. This is Buyse’s last performance in Portland before moving to Berlin — so you’ll kick yourself if you miss this. (Feb. 28; 9:30 PM. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Portland. $7) Stand in solidary with workers in the world’s oldest profession on International Sex Workers’ Rights Day at the Sex Workers’ Rights Benefit on March 3. Benefitting the Portland Womens’ Crisis Line and Sex Workers Outreach Coalition, the event will feature a wide array of art and performance by local stars including Sophia St. James, Carla Rossi, Autry!, DieAna Dae, Layne Fawkes,

Ozzy Poles, Valeria Aguilar, and Jennifer Montenegro.

(March 3; doors at 6 PM, show at 7. The Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave, Portland. Tickets $12, available at StarTheaterPortland.com) Presented by Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, Portland2014 is a major biennial exhibition celebrating artists who are defining and advancing contemporary art practices. Portland2014 will include exhibitions, events and performances in multiple locations throughout Portland from March 8 through April 27, 2014. Exhibitions in Disjecta’s 6,000-square-foot building in North Portland, Upfor Gallery in the Pearl District, White Box, University of Oregon, Portland in Old Town/China Town, and The Best Art Gallery in Portland in Northeast Portland, will be complemented through a series of public artworks, interventions and a Saturday Series of public lectures and panels designed to engage diverse audiences by activating new contexts for contemporary art throughout the city. For more information, including a complete calendar of the exhibition, visit biennial.disjecta.org.

Looking for a gaming buddy, a partner in cosplay, an awesome person to invite to your next cocktail party or a cuddle buddy for a Game of Thrones marathon? You won’t want to miss the Portland Geek Council’s Speed Friending event on March 20 at Mississippi Pizza. Meet likeminded and friendly people in a low-pressure, high-entertainment-value atmosphere presented by Molly Newman of Quizzical Empire and co-hosted Jaime Kirk aka Master Dingo from PDX Yar. Enjoy delicious pizza, beer, and drink specials while you’re at it — all the better to bond with geeks over, right? (20 March; 7 PM to 9 PM. Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi Ave, Portland. Admission free.)

Tom Spanbauer is the favorite author of many a Portland queer, and for good reason — he infuses the

world w ith magic.

His novels including “The Man Who Fell in Love with the Mo on” a nd “Fa raway Places” explore the themes of of race, sexual identity, and the ways that individuals create their own families to prevail over shortcomings that exist within t hei r t r ue biologica l fa m i lies w it h a magica l rea lism that demands comparisons to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Francesca Lia Block.

His for t hcom i ng novel “I Loved You The foxy and immensely talented Aiden James M o r e ” e x p l o r e s descends upon the Rose City--and plays a benefit for t he blu r re d l i ne s the Portland Queer Music Festival. between friendship, love, and sex over two decades of relationship, calling into question the accuracy of memory and the permeability of the lines between gender identities. “I Loved You More” will be released by Hawthorne Books on April 1 — so, head down to your favorite local bookseller and put your copy on preorder now. For more information, visit TomSpanbauer.com. We’ll have more with Spanbauer in our next issue—so watch for it!

--Nick Mattos

QUEER APERTURE Through his Queer Aperture project, photographer Jeffrey Horvitz has spent years documenting the LGBTQ communities of Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C. He’s well aware that a picture paints a whole mess of words, but here he offers a few actual words to better acquaint us with his dynamic subjects.

What is your name?

Roey “Bingo Ash” Thorpe

at the End of the World” (Michael Cunningham), “The Women of Brewster Place,” (Gloria Naylor)

How long have you lived in Portland?

13 years

Favorite movie?

“The Thomas Crown Affair”(remake) “Ma Vie En Rose”

What is the first time you noticed that Gayness existed?

Practicing kissing with girls at slumber parties

Favorite word?

Justice

What would you consider a guilty pleasure?

For public consumption, I’ll say always having the perfect manicure

Least favorite word?

Can’t

Your having a dinner party of 6 , whom would you invite?

Vanessa Selbst, KD Lang, Rachel Maddow, Brittney Griner, Heather Peace, Ellen Degeneres, Wait, is there a theme emerging ?

What would you consider a perfect meal?

Anything served at Judge Kemp and Eric Schnell’s house What would be a perfect day off?

A day full of lots of fun things, starting with a champagne brunch with my dearest friends PHOTO BY JEFFREY HORVITZ

34 • February/March 2014

Favorite book?

“The Magician’s Assistant” (Anne Patchett ), “A Home

Favorite swear word?

It’s situational What is your profession?

I work for the Equality Federation doing political strategy and organizational support If you could with a snap of a finger what would be another profession you would like to do?

I would play professional poker Whom would you like to meet dead or alive?

Harriet Tubman For more Queer Aperture visit, queeraperture.com

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