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PQMONTHLY.COM Vol. 2 No. 9 Sept.-Oct 2013
WHERE HAVE ALL THE DRAG KINGS GONE? • PLGFF: DELVE INTO DIVERSE LGBTQ REALITIES • RODNEY HICKS: ON STAGE & IN LOVE • CARAVAN OF GLAM: SPREADING THE QUEER LOVE
2 • September-October 2013
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PFLAG and Basic Rights Oregon were among the many groups to come out proud in support of the march celebrating the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. What will you come out for in the coming month?
OUT AND OPEN
National Coming Out Day is almost upon us (Friday, Oct. 11) and, like we did last year, we looked to that rather momentous day as a starting point and guide for our current issue. We let it saturate our words and pages. Whether you’re taking the stage with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (check out our calendar), or celebrating by gathering signatures for Oregon United for Marriage, or queering your activism in some altogether unique way, we hope you’ll take a moment and think about the great many ways we “come out” — as one of the many varied shades of queer, or for our causes, the things that are near and dear to our hearts. And maybe even some that aren’t. Maybe this National Coming Out Day, in addition to the aforementioned coming out, we could pledge to take a little time trying to understand the things we’re not passionate about. Sound a little vague and nuanced? Let us break it down for you. There are times — probably more than anyone would like to admit — when we’re so enamored by our own tunnel vision, we’re prone to quickly dismissing ideas and beliefs that don’t align with our own. “Why does he prefer that pronoun? Why are pronouns such a big deal, anyway? Don’t they realize I don’t mean to hurt their feelings?” Or, in a completely different vein: “Why did that person set out to exclude me completely?” Here’s the thing: they probably didn’t. We pretty much know by now that a lot of the “contentious exchanges” that go down in our community are a result of assumptions and misunderstandings. We realize this, typically, the day or week after. Maybe it’s the undying idealist in us, but perhaps this National Coming Out Day can be a springboard — to strive to better understand each other. We can “come out” for empathy, for compassion, for putting ourselves in another person’s shoes. Because no matter your beef with someone, no matter how personal it feels, we’re betting you have more in common than not. And now that you’ve sat through our latest sermon — dive in, dear readers. We worked hard all month to make these pages pretty and interesting — just for you. -The PQ Monthly Team
A SMATTERING OF WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE:
ON THE COVER
jules garza
Paying it forward: Investing in queer community safety................................. page 6 The future of the Portland Pride Parade biker contingent.............................. page 9
Staff Photographer jules@pqmonthly.com
Perspectives: Married in the eyes of the IRS; Equal justice under law.......... page 13
izzy ventura
Staff Photographer izzy@pqmonthly.com
Laverne Cox is the new everything.................................................................. page 21
media
Where have all the drag kings gone?.............................................................. page 22
Sammi Rivera
Caravan of Glam looks to spread big queer love far and wide.................... page 25
Director of Video Productions
Rodney Hicks: On stage (and in love) in Portland........................................... page 29
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Delve into diverse realities at the Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival........ page 29
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PQ readers and writers share their autumn reading recommendations....... page 31 “These stories are told with such humanity and multi-dimensionality,” Laverne Cox says of “Orange is the New Black.” “The conventional wisdom in the business is that you have to be or look a certain way, and our show is challenging that.” Read more on page 21. Photo by Jill Greenberg for Netflix
Columns: OK, Here’s the Deal ...; LGBTQ Legal Outlook; The Lady Chronicles; Everything is Connected; Ponderlust; Cultivating Life; and Eat, Drink, and Be Mary. Plus Get Out! Calendar, Astroscopes, Queer Aperture… and more! September-October 2013 • 3
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NEWS BRIEFS
(Left) Se-ah-dom Edmo recently attended a White House roundtable with Obama administration officials to discuss issues affecting LGBTQ and Two Spirit Native Americans (photo by Julie Cortez). (Center) Oregon United for Marriage officially opened its campaign headquarters Sept. 10 (photo by Jules Garza). (Right) Tigerlily Restaurant and Bar in Vancouver closed its doors Sept. 8 (photo by Jules Garza).
LOCAL In a landmark ruling, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry has ordered North Portland bar owner Chris Penner (Twilight Annex, aka The P Club) to pay $400,000 in damages after denying service to members of the Rose City T-Girls on the basis of their gender identity. The case marks the first complaint filed by Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian under the Oregon Equality Act and the first to result in an order against the respondent. The final order directs Penner to pay between $25,000 and $50,000 to each of the 11 complainants, as well as a $5,000 civil penalty. BOLI says it is still considering a complaint against Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the Gresham bakery that denied service to a lesbian couple seeking a cake for their wedding. Owners Melissa and Aaron Klein closed their storefront location Sept. 1 and announced that they would continue baking and selling cakes from home. Also being considered by BOLI is a complaint on behalf of a lesbian couple, Shanak Devoll and Kate Neal, who say a Broadway Cab driver kicked them out on I-84 because of their sexuality. The filing comes after the City of Portland found that cab driver Ahmed Egal’s behavior “constitute[d] a threat to public safety and convenience,” revoking his license and fining Broadway Cab $1,000. A former employee of the Eugene Mongolian Grill is suing the owner, alleging he not only permitted her coworkers to subject her to anti-gay sexual harassment, but also retaliated by firing her when she complained. The case is supported by a right to sue letter issued by BOLI. Downtown Portland gay bar CC Slaughters has made headlines twice in the last month for denying service to two recently married same-sex couples (one lesbian, one gay) on the grounds their attire violated a dress code that targets common bachelorette party attire. The brides were wearing wedding dresses; the grooms were wearing shirts that said “Groom.” The couples attempted to attend CC Slaughters on separate evenings. Vancouver’s Tigerlily Restaurant and Bar closed its doors Sept. 8. The venue, owned by Northwest Gender Alliance President Jackie Stone, became a hub for the local LGBTQ community during its nine months in business. In addition to drag shows and other events, Tigerlily hosted fundraisers for the community at large. The Dykes on Bikes® Portland, Oregon Chapter is looking for someone to design a logo for the front patch worn on member’s motorcycle vests. While queer artists are encouraged to apply, all applicants will be considered. The winning designer will receive $200, a one-year honorary club membership, $100 in restaurant gift certificates, a dedicated page on the Portland Dykes on Bikes® webpqmonthly.com
site, the opportunity to design Pride Ride pins for 2014 and 2015, and a variety of promotion. Entries are due by Oct. 15. For submission guidelines, contact president@dykesonbikesportland.com. An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University is showing promise following a recent trial in which it appeared to clear simian immunodeficiency virus (a non-human primate form of HIV) from 50 percent of the treated monkeys. Further research is needed to determine why the vaccine candidate, developed at OHSU’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, was only effective in half of cases before an HIV-version can be tested in humans. The research results were published earlier this month in the journal Nature. Oregon United for Marriage campaign offices are officially open for business. The organization behind the 2014 ballot initiative to extend marriage equality to same-sex couples held an open house Sept. 10 at 727 NE 24th Ave. The space will be a home base for the campaign’s staff and volunteers. For more information, visit oregonunitedformarriage.org. The Portland Business Alliance board of directors recently announced its support of an amendment to the Oregon Constitution ending the ban on same-sex marriage and for a business community-led effort to advance marriage equality. The PBA said in a release that equal treatment of all Oregonians contributes to an environment in which businesses and employees thrive. Outside In is looking for medical professionals interested in volunteering their services with its transgender health clinic. Trans Clinic is open one or two Tuesday evenings per month and services trans folks who are homeless, low-income, uninsured, or otherwise unable to afford gender-affirming treatment, including hormone replacement therapy. An informational session with be held Sept. 24, 6 p.m.-7 p.m., at 1132 SW 13th Ave. For more information, visit outsidein.org. Se-ah-dom Edmo, of Lewis and Clark’s Indigenous Ways of Knowing, recently travelled to Seattle to attend a White House roundtable with Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and other Obama administration officials to discuss issues affecting LGBTQ and Two Spirit Native Americans. In late August, the Democratic National Committee unanimously elected Oregonian Laura Calvo vice chair of its LGBTQ Caucus. Calvo was the first trans person to be elected (rather than appointed) to the Democratic National Committee earlier in the year. Portland State University has been recognized as on of the “Top 25 LGBT-Friendly Colleges and Universities” by Campus Pride, a non-profit that works to make cam-
puses safer for LGBT students. The annual list is determined following a research-based assessment of campus policies, support, academics, student life, housing, campus safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention efforts.
NATIONAL The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which recently established a permanent LGBTI research coordinating committee, is soliciting input regarding research opportunities as well as feedback on how to engage LGBTI communities in its work and training in research and clinical settings. The deadline for input in Oct. 28. For more information, visit grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/ NOT-OD-13-076.html. A new report, co-authored by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), the Center for American Progress (CAP), and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) explores the broken bargain for transgender workers and offers policy and business recommendations to make the American dream accessible regardless of gender identity. According to the report, “A Broken Bargain for Transgender Workers,” 90 percent of voters believe that federal law protects transgender workers from employment discrimination when, in reality, only 17 states and the District of Columbia do. Instead, 40 percent of transgender workers are unemployed, 80 percent have experienced discrimination and mistreatment in the workplace (sometimes including physical violence), 25 percent have been fired for being transgender, and, as a result, transgender workers are nearly four times more likely to live on less than $10,000 a year. A bill to make name changes easier and less expensive for transgender people recently passed the California State Legislature. Currently, California law requires a court order and the publication of the name change in the news. If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, the new law will include protections to measure privacy. Pfc. Manning, the soldier recently convicted of illegally obtaining and leaking classified military and government information to Wikileaks, has come out as transgender and is now known as Chelsea Manning. The news, made via a statement to the Today Show, did not come as a surprise since Manning’s gender identity (and occasional use of the name Breanna) came up during her trial. Still, officials at the Ft. Leavenworth prison where Manning is being held have said they refuse to consider Manning a woman and do not intend to provide medically-necessary transition related during her incarceration, which could last between eight and 35 years. Manning has submitted an application for a presidential pardon, but Pentagon officials have indicated it is unlikely to be approved. September-October 2013 • 5
NEWS
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HUMP DAY FREE RIDE!
Danni/y Rosen (front right) has been involved with the Alliance for Safer Communities since the mid-1990s and currently serves as the citizen co-chair. By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
When it comes to safety, the advancement of LGBTQ equality can be a double-edged sword. While queer folks are gaining legal protections in a number of arenas, increased visibility can lead to backlash from those who feel threatened by a change to the status quo. Progress can also lull us into a sense of complacency — as if our work is already done. Fortunately, queer folks like Danni/y Rosen have their eye on the ball. Rosen is a citizen co-chair of Portland-based Alliance for Community Safety (formerly known as the Sexual Minorities Roundtable). Rosen first attended meetings for the group, which is dedicated to working with local law enforcement to improve relations with the LGBTQ community and increase safety for all, since the mid-1990s. Through the Alliance for Community Safety, Rosen has had the opportunity to volunteer with the Crisis Response Team for the sexual minorities community and to sit on the Portland Police Bureau Performance Review Board, the PPB Force Review Board, PPB hiring panels, and the PPB Award Nomination Review Panel. Rosen talked to PQ about that what threats face LGBTQ people in Portland and what folks can do to make a difference. PQ: Do you feel safe as a queer person in Portland? Why or why not? Rosen: When? I think we all have a range of “safe.” Could I be assaulted? Yes, anyone can. Do I think that being queer increases that likelihood? When I first started presenting en femme in public it raised my awareness of how privileged I had been as a male. I began to view my personal safety differently. This was in the ‘80s and a very different atmosphere for those of us who were transcending the expected gender roles and presentation. There are a few places in Portland I would be uncomfortable and suspect that being queer might slightly increase my risk, but those are areas that I would consider it prudent to be more careful in general. For the most part I think our fellow citizens help keep each other safer. I would like to see an increase in those reporting being victimized or assaulted and witnesses stepping up to help prosecute those who assault others. PQ: Do you feel like Portland/Oregon has become a safer place for LGBTQ people in recent years, or do you sense a backlash? Rosen: In some ways Portland is safer; [in] other ways there is still much to do. Legal protections have increased the penalty for those who threaten LGBTQ people. There has been increased reporting and prosecutions. There is an increased awareness about LGBTQ people and due to the number of people who are “out,” many now realize that their neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members may be LGBTQ. Has there been a backlash? I think with
some. Some people are scared and those fears are fed by public discourse. When there are ballot measures or hot topics that the media is focused on it can be a catalyst to those who become bolder because of the vitriol of some articles and programs. This is why the alliance tracks historical data on hate crimes to stay aware of potential problems or areas in the community. PQ: Do you think that, in our focus on random antigay assaults, we lose sight of other threats to the safety of LGBTQ folks (including domestic violence, racist attacks, police profiling/brutality, anti-trans harassment, etc.)? Rosen: The short answer is yes. But more broadly it is the “news cycle” focus that I find fault with. We tend to focus on those events presented by whatever media we value. Television/radio broadcasts, newspaper/magazines, internet articles, social media circles, word of mouth — all provide an ongoing cascade of incidents. We tend to focus on the sensational, or those that most closely impact our own community or communities — we all are members of various communities and those incidents that touch on multiple relationships have a tendency to draw increased focus. Much of the violence within our society goes unnoticed or only a few have knowledge of the incidents. If you look at any of the surveys about violence or abusive behavior there is a large percentage of people reporting in those surveys about their experiences. If even a portion of these were to have the same level of attention as those we do hear about, we would be flooded. There is entirely too much violence in society. PQ: Do you think the LGBTQ community is as concerned about its collective safety as it should be? Rosen: Concerned — yes. To the point of doing something about it personally — sometimes. A few years ago, partly in response to some particularly bad incidents, a community foot patrol was started in the entertainment district (Old Town/downtown Portland). There are other community patrols throughout Portland. People sign up and take the short training or come out to shadow a patrol and then are often never heard from again. The Q-Patrol has had over 80 people indicate they would patrol. There are now about 30 members on the emails list. Each summer patrols have been cancelled because a minimum of three volunteers could not be staffed. Last year the number of patrols was reduced in hopes that coverage could be maintained for the higher risk dates. This last month the patrol during Pride was cancelled for lack of volunteers. Spending a few hours a couple of times during the summer (patrols start in May and end in October) to make a difference is important. We can often see something like the “Hands Across the Hawthorne” turnout and those collective actions are highly important. If even 1 percent of those people took a turn or two during the summer we would have patrols every weekend. pqmonthly.com
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September-October 2013 • 7
NEWS
8 • September-October 2013
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NEWS NEWS
Should they all be dykes on those bikes? Community members debate the future of the Portland Pride Parade’s biker contingent
How the head of Portland’s Pride parade is going to look in the years ahead is far from settled. By Julie Cortez PQ Monthly
For those who line the streets of downtown Portland and cities across the nation every year, the roar of engines followed by the sight of leather-clad bodies astride gleaming motorcycles have become an instantly recognizable signal that their wait is over — the “Dykes on Bikes” are here, and the Pride parade has begun. It’s a dramatic entrance by a contingent that, until recently in Portland, drew little drama or much notice about how it came together — or who was invited to ride. In some cities, many of the riders are patched members of a Dykes on Bikes® motorcycle club — such as in San Francisco, where the tradition began in 1976; in others, participants are often referred to as Dykes on Bikes despite the lack of an official DOB chapter. Portland fell into the latter category until last month, when the Dykes on Bikes® Portland, Oregon Chapter was officially approved by the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. However, a heated debate erupted on Facebook shortly before this year’s Portland Pride Festival in June and continued at a subsequent public meeting in July, revealing that there are some deeply-felt differences of opinion about what Portland’s contingent should be called, whether anyone other than female-identified “dykes” should participate, and what roll an official Dykes on Bikes® chapter should play in the parade. “My concerns are that a nearly 40-year-long tradition that is the Dykes On Bikes lead off to Pride is going to be swallowed up in the egos of a motorcycle club,” says Tobin Britton, who engaged in the online debate and attended the meeting in July. “One of the very ‘in your face’ statements that queer women had every year was rolling the thunder down the middle of a street, topless and loud and unapologetically.” The debate seems to have been sparked by the realization that Portland’s riders were being referred to as Dykes & Allies on Bikes — with critics saying Pride Northwest and volunteer biker contingent organizers Melanie Davis and Gabriela Kandziora (respectively the owner/publisher and the business development manager of PQ Monthly and El Hispanic News, as well as the secretary and president of Portland’s new Dykes on Bikes® chapter) had suddenly, pqmonthly.com
Photo by Julie Cortez, PQ Monthly
without community input, changed the name and begun including trans men, allies, and other people who do not identify as dykes. Kandziora says the “& Allies” was added when, realizing that the Dykes on Bikes® name was trademarked, a group of about 25 riders “from all over the state” met for breakfast on the Sunday of Pride weekend in 2010 and agreed to include “allies” in the name to avoid trademark infringement. “Only officially recognized chapters of the SF Dykes on Bikes® WMC can use the phrase in promoting their chapter & in the wearing of their colors (e.g., patches),” Vick Germany, president of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® WMC, told PQ Monthly via email. “We have and will take legal steps to prevent the unauthorized use of the phrase. Having said that, we also recognize that when a group of lesbians on motorcycles ride in a parade, they are often referred to as ’Dykes on Bikes.’ … As long as the group of riders are not saying or publicizing that they are Dykes on Bikes®, then we generally do not take action. We evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis.” According to Kandziora, the inclusion of trans men and other allies is in keeping with tradition here, where, she says, Portland’s relatively small contingent has not been limited to dykes in the past. “I have six trans guys that all want to ride in the Pride Parade and I’m not going to tell them or our allies they can’t,” Kandziora says. “… I’m not going to tell someone they can’t do something — that’s just not my style.” Debra Porta, president of Pride NW, asserts: “To be very specific, there are no exclusions in registering for Dykes on Bikes and there never were.” Pride NW allows riders to register to ride in the parade through its website for a $15 fee to help cover parade costs. There are no questions about identity, sexuality, or what kind of bike the registrant rides. “You go online, you register [for the parade]. There are no questions you have to answer other than, ‘Do you have insurance?’” According to Porta, prior to 2005 or 2006, riders were allowed to just show up and ride in the parade without any kind of registration. “It was really disorganized [and] confusing,” she says. “I’ve heard people use the ‘cluster F’ word for it.” Britton, who as “a crusty old-school stone butch dyke” prefers male pronouns, recalls those less-organized days fondly. The president of Black Out Leather Productions and president
and co-founder of Boys/Bois in Leather Service - Rose City, Britton also thinks Kandziora and Davis, in forming an official club and so explicitly including trans men and allies in the Pride contingent, have “underestimated how connected to certain traditions a segment of the gay population is.” That tradition, according to Britton, is one “of women showing up on parade day to ride, loud and proud. It was a political statement then [in 1976] and remains a political statement in a climate that is trying to return women to the Stone Ages. Small town girls, big city, for that one moment when those bikes fire, get the same thrill.” Britton is currently gauging community interest for an all-female-identified motorcycle club, which, he asserts, would not be an attempt “to take over Dykes on Bikes and the [all-female] MC won’t be riding officially in the parade. We will join all the other dykes on the open ride that is riding in the Dykes on Bikes contingent.” Britton estimates he has ridden in the Portland Pride Parade for 16 years. “It’s only been in the last few years where the Dykes on Bikes contingent has seen a real jump in the numbers of trans riders and even more men,” he says. “There were many years where it really was female-identified and butch dykes.” “I will just emphasize this,” he adds. “...I don’t begrudge them their club; they can have their club. I just don’t want their club to take over a community tradition. For me it boils down to that right there.” Gus Wolter, a trans man who serves as treasurer of the new Portland Dykes on Bikes® chapter, remembers the parade history differently. “My first parade as a Dyke on a Bike was in San Francisco [in] 1987,” he recalls. “In 1994, I moved to Portland and rode the parade here for the first time. I remember it vividly because my first time riding in Portland was extremely different from San Francisco. In SF there were over 400 bikes. In Portland, in 1994, there were six. I remember all five of those other dykes and the bikes they rode.… Of those six riders in 1994, four of us are (or were) trans men. I transitioned in 1998.” Britton says he doesn’t “know why men would want to ride in a contingent called Dykes On Bikes in the first place,” be they trans or cisgender, but adds that he welcomes trans women. “Trans women are women and if they dyke identify, then cool,” he says. Wolter argues identity is more complex than that. “I was born into a female body with two X chromosomes and an ‘F’ on my birth certificate,” he says. “I was raised, socialized, and lived most of my life walking through the world and being seen as a woman. I’m proud of my history, and, I don’t feel I have to give it up…. I came out as a dyke in the mid ‘80s. I was, and still am, a butch. As an out butch dyke, I’ve heard pretty much every foul epithet there is for being a butch dyke. … I’ve walked the streets and taken that heat for myself and my community for almost 30 years. Now that I’m an out FtM [female-to-male] it’s just slightly different heat. Some if which, to my dismay, comes from within my own community…. But, I’m hopeful that as minds expand, so do hearts and attitudes. Bottom line: I’ve earned my right to ride in the parade with Dykes on Bikes®. I’ve been doing it for almost 30 years. And I’m going to do it until I physically can’t anymore.” Taking into account the push and pull of tradition, identity, and inclusion — and the formation of an official Dykes on Bikes® chapter as well as Britton’s planned all-female club — how the head of Portland’s Pride parade is going to look in the years ahead is far from settled. Porta says Pride NW will depend on feedback, gathered through community meetings in the months ahead, to gauge “what does the community want this to look like … within the mission and culture of Pride NW and Portland.” dykes on bikes p age 21
September-October 2013 • 9
NEWS FEATURES NEWS
OK, HERE’S THE DEAL … We are not whole By Monika MHz PQ Monthly
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A few weeks ago my editor asked me to write something for this month’s “Coming Out” issue. I was still reeling from what had been a week of media-induced trauma coupled by the pain caused by far too many of my Black trans sisters falling victim to gendered violence in an incredibly short time. One is too many; two is unbearable. I welcomed the distraction. But, dear reader, my heart is in pain. My head is a mess and I feel clouded by sorrow, pain, anger, and resignation. I’m certain those close to me have noticed that for the last few weeks I have lived with the knowledge, so fresh, that we aren’t whole. As a community we — trans women and trans women of color — aren’t whole, still so fractured with the veins of pain and harm living as scars in each interaction. And we aren’t whole as dictated by those outside of us. I’ve said it before: trans women and trans women of color especially are among the most brilliant and beautiful and amazing people I’ve ever met. But to so many we are so much less. They don’t see us as whole feminists, whole queers, whole women, or whole people. As I read and heard thousands of people debate the finer points of trans lives on television, as I hear more “news” shows featuring rape jokes when discussing a trans woman’s life in prison, as I read Janet Mock’s account of Islan Nettles’ vigil, and as I’ve read and heard the public discourse in recent weeks turn to trans women, it’s been distressing how quickly trans women’s words, thoughts, and lives have been discounted. Even within our own broader LGBT community I’ve seen so much talk and so much space taken up to speak on our issues, my issues, by those who do not share trans women’s history. But it’s true that our lives are meaningful as a means to an end for many, and it’s a problem that’s only been getting worse — from the first “Trans Day of Remembrance,” a day of political grandstanding built on the dead bodies of Black and Latina trans women, to the vigil for Islan being a place for politicians to speak about “anti-gay” violence and rob her of the truth of her life. This isn’t just a small community exploiting the marginalized women among us. This is the queer movement — and, as a result, politicians — using the photo-ops and moments of our lives and deaths to peddle their wares, their organizations, and programs that will more than likely never help or touch the lives trans women of color. And often they do this while robbing our
trans-ness from us. This act of discursive violence — denying our wholeness — prevents us from talking about the very real and different ways anti-queer and anti-woman hatred converge into a special gendered violence reserved just for trans women and trans women of color in particular. When those politicians spoke about Islan as if she were a gay man, they forced her into a closet in death. And this is what it’s come to. Without a voice, without our living bodies, there is no “out” of a closet for many trans women greater than the action of living our lives. Our bodies, our minds, our sexuality, and our lives are policed by violence (discursive and physical) and for many of us, life in and of itself feels like our “radical” act. I hate that our lives and our living bodies are “radical,” but I’m honored to share that experience with so many amazing others. I’ve lived most of my life navigating the world as a “woman who happened to be trans,” but only this past year have I been given the amazing gift of being open about that history — wearing “trans Latina” as my honor. It brought so many amazing women into my life whom I proudly and happily call my sisters. Standing on the shoulders of giants, I see the literal wounds on my chest and body — the scars from beatings, and knives, and rape — and they are a somber reminder each day. I see the tears of my sisters and I begin to see clearly again. It’s clear to me that the problem is that our lives are not celebrated and our voices are not uplifted at a time when there is, sometimes, so much attention on our deaths. We must, as a community, recognize our lives when we are living — and when we are not — if we want to begin to see change. We have to begin to value all trans women of color, but especially Black and Latina trans women who live at the intersections of violence and injustice. I believe we can do amazing things, that we are amazing. I believe we must let shine, uplift, and that we must honor our living voices and narratives. That the whole lives we lead will be given a place at the patchwork table. And, for us, that “outness” will be less loaded and complicated in life and death.
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.
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FEATURES PERSPECTIVES
Married in the eyes of the IRS Equal justice under law By Jackie Wheatley
“In the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin
Jackie Wheatley, certified public accountant As any accountant can tell you, some taxes are more certain than others. The tax implications of marriage for same-sex couples has long been an area of murky uncertainty. It just got a whole lot clearer. On Aug. 29, 2013, the IRS issued “Revenue Ruling 2013-17.” The ruling’s title may be bland, but its content is anything but. This ruling is a major step forward for marriage equality. The ruling boils down to this: if you were married in a state or foreign country that legally recognizes same-sex marriages, the IRS considers you married. Even if the state you currently live in does not recognize the marriage, effective Sept. 16, 2013, all legally-married same-sex couples are required to follow the same IRS rules as any other married couple. The ruling doesn’t just affect the future of same-sex marriage. It can also affect the past. Couples can file amended returns for any open tax year (currently 2010, 2011, and 2012). They don’t have to, but many will get a significant refund from filing amended returns. I run a CPA practice which specializes in same-sex marriages and registered domestic partnerships (among other things). During the days after the IRS announcement, I contacted most of my married clients to discuss whether they were eligible for refunds. Many of them are receiving big refunds. Let’s take three examples: 1. Couple A will receive approximately $18,000 in refunds for 2010, 2011, and 2012. 2. Couple B will receive approximately $10,000 in refunds for 2010, 2011, and 2012. 3. Couple C would pay approximately $1,500 more per year. As we see with Couple C, a bigger refund is not guaranteed. In this case, we will not amend the returns. Even though Couple C didn’t get a refund, running the numbers was useful. Now they know they will get pqmonthly.com
a significantly smaller refund this coming tax season. I have fielded many questions during these last two weeks related to the IRS ruling. Here are the most common: Q: If I go get married in Washington, can I amend my 2010, 2011, and 2012 tax returns for a refund? A: No. You cannot go get married in Washington (or California) in 2013 and amend your prior-year tax returns for refunds. (Nice try.) The rights and responsibilities of marriage began the day you get married. Special note: for those of us who got married during “March Madness” in 2004 in Multnomah County, the revenue ruling does not apply because our marriages were annulled by the courts (something for which I am personally grateful, but that is another story for another time). Q: If my employer provided health coverage for my spouse and included the value of that coverage in my income, can I amend my tax returns for a refund? A: Yes. You are entitled to a refund of both the federal income tax and social security tax paid on the income. Your employer is also entitled to a refund for their share of the social security tax paid — a fact you might want to mention to them! (Remember you had to be married, not a registered domestic partner.) Q: Do I have to file a joint tax return with my spouse? A: No, you are not required to file a joint tax return. However, you are required to file using the Married Status. You may no longer file with the Single or Head of Household Status. Whether or not you file a joint tax return with your spouse requires application of specific rules related to being married and filing a separate tax return. Generally, filing separately does not reduce the total tax paid. Q: If my partner and I get married, will we save money on our Federal Income Taxes? A: It depends. You will need to contact a tax professional and have your specific situation analyzed. Not all married couples (gay or straight or queer or somewhere in between) enjoy tax savings as a result of getting married. Q: We are Oregon residents who are not Registered Domestic Partners and are thinking about getting married before the end of the year; will getting married allow us to file joint tax returns in Oregon as well? A: No. Without the Oregon RDP, you will be considered a single tax payer for Oregon and married for the IRS. This is one of the many reasons we must still keep up the fight for the Freedom to Marry in Oregon! Jackie Wheatley is a local certified public accountant with over 20 years of experience serving the tax, accounting, and technology needs of individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits. Jackie specializes in the complex tax needs of individuals and businesses in the LGBTQ community. Her practice also includes a wide range of accounting, payroll, and business development services tailored to small businesses in the Portland Metro area.
By Brad Avakian
Unlike 33 other states across the country, Oregon enjoys strong protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment, and public places. Passed by a broad, bipartisan coalition, the Oregon Equality Act of 2007 says that no qualified, hardworking Oregonian may be denied a job or shot at a better life just because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).
Oregon Equality Act cases are difficult — by design Each complaint filed with our agency is different. We pursue each investigation not with an inherent bias for or against the complainant, but with a duty to find the truth, determining the unique set of facts surrounding each complaint. In fact, out of the 183 complaints filed under the Oregon Equality Act since 2008, BOLI investigators have closed more than 50 percent of cases for lack of substantial evidence. These are not easy complaints to prosecute. But, when the facts show unlawful discrimination, we will hold wrongdoers responsible for their actions. Oregon Equality Act of 2007: Looking ahead
Brad Avakian, Oregon’s Commissioner of Labor and Industries The law prohibits discrimination in housing and public places, including the denial of equal access to businesses based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Oregon’s equality law exempts religious organizations including religious 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. As a state senator, I worked for the law’s passage, including carrying the legislation on the Senate floor when it passed 21-7. Today, as Oregon’s labor commissioner, it’s my job to vigorously and equitably enforce Oregon’s civil rights laws so that LGBT Oregonians and others are treated fairly as they go about their daily lives. No one should have to fear losing a job or place to live simply because of who they are. And no Oregonian should be humiliated by being denied service at a restaurant or other business because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. Business owners are, of course, well within their rights when posting signs reading “no shoes, no shirt, no service.” But under Oregon law, there’s a significant difference between measures to protect the sanitary conditions of public restaurants and messages that target or exclude people based on unlawful discrimination.
This summer several high-profile cases have increased the visibility of Oregon’s new equality protections. Several weeks ago, our agency found substantial evidence that a North Portland bar, The Twilight Room Annex (formerly the P Club), had discriminated against its transgender customers when its owner asked the group not to return so that the establishment would not be known as a “tranny bar” or “gay bar.” Our agency directed the bar owner to compensate 11 members of the T Girls (the former patrons) for the emotional, mental, and physical anguish as a result of their treatment. But some of the most lasting, significant work we’re doing has nothing to do with enforcement. Through our Technical Assistance for Employers Program, we’re working directly with employers who want to know how best to navigate Oregon’s new laws so that they can avoid potential violations in the first place. Our agency fields about 20,000 calls a year from Oregon businesses seeking guidance on this and many other state and federal laws. We want Oregonians to understand their rights and Oregon businesses to know that we are a resource for them. The reality is that the vast majority of Oregon business owners understand that workplace protections for LGBT Oregonians are an issue of basic fairness — and the right thing to do for customers and the communities in which they operate. As Oregon’s Commissioner of Labor and Industries, I will always work to see that no Oregonian has to face unlawful discrimination or unfair treatment where they live, work, or play. Brad Avakian leads Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, where he enforces Oregon’s civil rights laws and works to strength our state’s economy and workforce. As a former civil rights attorney of 15 years, Avakian knows how important it is to stand up for people’s rights when they’re treated unfairly. September-October 2013 • 13
SPORTS
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LGBTQ LEGAL OUTLOOK NO REASON TO PANIC By Mark Johnson Roberts PQ Monthly
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At its annual meeting in San Francisco in August, the American Bar Association passed a resolution calling on federal, state, local, and territorial governments to take action against use of the so-called “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses in criminal court. Used primarily in assault and murder cases, these defenses ask the jury to find, in essence, that the defendant’s actions were appropriate responses to their discovery of the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity, generally through a non-violent sexual advance or during actual sexual relations. These defenses are long-lived historical artifacts, survivors of a time when simple hatred was the accepted public response to LGBT people. They seek to blame the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity for the defendant’s violent reaction. According to D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the National LGBT Bar Association, who presented the resolution to the ABA’s House of Delegates, “By fully or even partially excusing the perpetrators’ crimes against LGBT victims, these defenses enshrine in the law the notion that LGBT lives are worth less than other lives.” The gay and trans panic defenses find three footholds in the historic application of the criminal law. First, the defenses are used to establish insanity or diminished capacity — an inability to form criminal intent — because the perpetrator suffered from “homosexual panic disorder,” a medical diagnosis no longer in use since 1973. Second, the defenses are used to establish provocation: that the victim’s mere status as a gay or trans person, a nd somet imes a non-v iolent sex ua l advance, were sufficiently provocative to induce the perpetrator to kill. Finally,
t he defenses a re used as an element of self-defense, arguing that the victim’s st at u s a s a gay or trans person raised a t hreat of ser ious bodily harm that justified the perpetrator in killing the victim. The ABA resolution and its accompanying report call for three specific actions. First, that juries should be instructed to make their decisions without improper bias or prejudice towards any person. Second, that the law should specify that non-violent sexual advances and discovery of a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity cannot be sufficient provocation for murder. Third, that courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, and the public all be educated about these defenses and the harms they perpetuate against LGBT people. Although some state courts and at least one state legislature have taken action to limit the use of the gay panic and trans panic defenses in court, much remains to be done. In Oregon and Washington, it appears that little stands in the way of the successful use of these defenses. The Washington Court of Appeals decided a case disapproving the gay panic defense, State v. Bell, in 1991, but neither state’s supreme court or legislature appears to have addressed the issue. The ABA’s support is a crucial step in eliminating the use of the gay and trans panic defenses to justify killing LGBT people, but it is not the end of the road. The ABA’s resolution has no force of law; all the ABA can do is encourage judges and legislators to do the right thing. For real change, laws should be introduced and passed in both Oregon and Washington to finally and forever consign these defenses to the dustbin of history.
Portland attorney Mark Johnson Roberts is a former president of the National LGBT Bar Association and of the Oregon State Bar. He practices family law at the Gevurtz Menashe law firm with a particular focus on LGBT family law issues. He can be reached at markj@gevurtzmenashe.com.
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FEATURES FEATURES
16 • September-October 2013
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FEATURES
MEAT, DIRT, LIGHT By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
1) Finally, I was grown up: I developed a bum knee. One day, I woke up and my right knee ached. Suddenly, I understood what all of the grown-ups were talking about when they complained about their chronic aches and pains. It’s nothing sharp or excessively painful, sure — but there are days when the last thing I want to do is walk. Still, I move. 2) Yogic philosophy offers a conceptual map of the layers of consciousness. In this theory, the self is something like a Russian nesting doll, with each subsequent level known as a “kosha.” The first kosha, the outermost layer of the self, is “annamaya kosha.” Charmingly-slash-disturbingly enough, this name can be translated as “meat body.” We often like to think of ourselves as something ver y abstract — a spiritual entity, a political being, some sort of fully self-directed and self-actua lized person with agency over our physical self. We work out, we get surgery, we diet, we cover and adorn and reveal ourselves in an effort to align what’s outside with what’s inside. Even in the vision of yogic philosophy, the annamaya kosha is just the outermost expression of the true, core spiritual self. However, the thing that is hugely liberating about this concept — and the hardest to engage with at times — is that the outermost expression is still real, authentic, and often unchangeable, interacting w ith the outer world in a way that we have no real control over. At times, we really are nothing but meat. 3) W hen I w a s i n my ea rly 20s, I adopte d a ve ga n d iet for a bout si x months. I quickly found, though, that such a diet just didn’t work with my body chemistry the way that it works well for so many people I know; I was often weak, tired, sick, and depressed, putting on weight and losing muscle mass. In an effort to stay on the wagon, I asked a good friend of mine with a background in nutrition about how to plan my diet more effectively. “What are you craving?” “Honestly, milk. Also, steak.” “So, eat those.” “I’m trying not to eat those.” “Listen,” she sa id, genuinely concerned. “Your body has wisdom to it. It’s
not like you’re craving heroin, or a candy bar. Your body is asking for nutrients it needs and is likely getting deficient in. Your body may be dirt, sure — ashes to ashes, dust to dust — but there’s an intelligence, a certain sort of light, in dirt. So, eat some meat.” 4) Every hippie in Portland seems to love Mary Oliver, and most of them have memorized a particular line from her poem “Wild Geese:” “You do not have to be good / you do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles in the desert, repenting / you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” More than once, I’ve heard this posed as a sort of emotional appeal arguing that people shouldn’t be concerned with “doing the right thing,” or turning away from impulses that don’t serve the larger world, or even that there’s no morality beyond “following one’s heart.” I would even posit that such people, when they talk about “following the heart,” are really talking about following the hunger of what the yogis call the annamaya kosha. 5) With all due respect to Ms. Oliver, I present this interpretation: What she’s likely saying in this line is that the “soft animal” of the body is full of desire — our meat bodies constantly and urgently cr y out for comfort, food, sex, luxur y, everything. The fact that the body “loves what it loves” doesn’t itself demand penance — that’s what it does and will do. Your body can want and cry out for all sorts of things, and this is okay — but this does not mean that you have to do these things. Desiring something does not automatically justify something, or make these things good for you or the community around you. The body is the body, in all of its soft animality — but you are not your body. You have the agency to choose what you do; “you don’t have to be good,” certainly, but for your sake and the sake of ever yone around you, please choose to be so. 6) Even though my knee hurts, I still walk on it. It’s hard sometimes, certainly — I just want to sit around, avoiding the creaking sensation as I lean my weight onto it in the process of moving through the world. However, the thing I always have to remind myself of: even when it’s uncomfortable to move it, even when the meat-dirt-light of my body is calling out for something else, I have a clearer sense of what needs to be done for the long run. What it really needs is to move, and keep moving — and so, against the wishes of the soft animal of my body, I move.
Nick Mattos can be reached at nick@pqmonthly.com. pqmonthly.com
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JOEL HAMLEY Principal Broker, ABR, SRES
The Real in Realtor
WHISKEY & SYMPATHY
Dear Gula and Sophia:
My partner and I have been living together for a while, so you could say things are pretty serious. We both identify as progressives, try to support every LGBTQ cause in whatever way we can, and volunteered for marriage equality in Washington even though we had no plans to get married. So I was surprised by how differently we reacted to the news about DOMA and Prop 8. I’m excited, sure — more equality is the goal. But my partner is over the moon, and has taken to opining on the virtues of marriage and gravitating toward the Kitchen-Aid aisle at Target. I thought we were on the same page, but maybe we were not that into marriage for different reasons. How do I bring this up without hurting my partner’s feelings or, worse, triggering a breakup? Sincerely,
No Altar Here in NoPo
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Sophia
Marriage equality has been a hot topic within the queer community for years now. There has also been just as much divide on whether or not we [as a community] should be focusing so much time and energy on such a topic. As a romantic femme, I wholeheartedly believe in affording those who choose to wed the ability to do so. I also respect the decision of those who would rather not get married. The fact that you and your partner now appear to have differing views definitely should not be a topic of strife — rather a topic to be discussed and understood. PLUS, we are just assuming they have changed they position on marriage. And you know what they say about assuming??? Revisiting conversations that once had been settled upon should be something couples do on a regular basis. It allows all parties to continually know where the relationship stands and where each person’s views on important matters rest. It can be as simple as gently mentioning it while relaxing on the couch. “Hey honey, I don’t think I ever asked you why marriage was never your thing?” or, “What do you think about all the success of marriage equality?” These are open-ended questions, which will allow your partner to respond with more than one- or two-word answers and allow a conversation to begin. But what do you do if your partner IS leaning towards having a desire to jumping the broom? How do you talk to your honey about what appears to be a sensitive topic? Openly and honestly, that’s how. It may sound silly, but if you sit down and write out what you want to say it will help you to organize your thoughts and create gentle-sounding questions. No matter how it comes out, write it down. Then re-read what you have written and take some time to dissect your thoughts and form them into heartfelt topic points. When it’s time to talk with your partner, speak from the heart and be honest. Allow them time to process what you have said. Let them know you respect and value their views. Be available and open to talk. But, most importantly, as mentioned before, be honest. xox,
Sophia
Gula
We are all gathered here today to chat about different views on marriage. I wanna start with mine. Growing up my mother said over and over, “One reason I had kids was to have weddings!” So when I came out my mom’s voice rang in my ears. I was going to let her down on another level. I felt pretty bad thinking after the shock of having a gay son went away there will always be that sadness for her not seeing me walk the aisle and have a wonderful life like she has with my father. So mentally I took it off the table. A wedding was something I was never going to get. I was almost bitter about the whole thing. I have friends and a nephew who are legally married and wished them a lifetime of love and joy. I have been a best man and have been a man of honor, but the whole time I resented it — seeing families shower the couple with such pride and hope for the future, when my own family can’t even seem to ask if I am dating anyone. It was the time I grew up in. Now laws are being passed and minds are changing about same-sex couples. It’s back on the table. Do I want it? I want that blender! I am single and I am glad there could be a legal wedding for me, but I don’t see any kind of engagement in the near future so it’s not a big deal to me — just to my mom. Not a big deal until I received my first gay wedding invitation from my lesbian neighbors. They have been together for 30-some years and I have lived next to them for the past 15; I was there when they “legally” got married by a lawyer for an AMAZING amount of money just to have a handful of rights. My other straight neighbors got even more by just tying the knot. I was there when Portland legalized marriage and they were the 69th couple to get hitched and a month later it was null and void. And I was there when the invitation read: “Please be there when we get married for real, in Canada.” I was there. Knowing their past, being on the gorgeous island of Victoria, and witnessing my lovely ladies actually getting married brought a tear to my eye. I might not be getting married; you might not want to get married. But there are couples out there that long to be together. Bonded. In front of their friends and family and in the eyes on this country. With new laws come new troubles. Like I would tell a straight couple in your situation: Talk.
Gula
Need some advice from Sophia and Gula? Send your query — with “Whiskey & Sympathy” in the subject line — to info@pqmonthly.com. Sophia St. James has been an erotic entertainer since 1996. She has traveled performing and educating the public on self confidence, self worth, and the art of sensuality no matter their outer appearance. Working as a sex and sensuality educator, sex toy/product reviewer, adult film director/producer, model, and erotic visual performer, Sophia is a well rounded woman with drive and determination. Sophia is also a mother and healthcare professional who takes pride in being a body positive and sex positive fierce femme.
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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PQ PICKS
Thursday, September 19 PQ Monthly Press Party: Mix and mingle with the makers of your favorite queer newspaper. This goes down every third Thursday, at rotating venues. You’ll never know who you’ll gaze at from across the room. This month: Vincente’s Pizza. (It’s delicious.) 5pm, 1935 SE Hawthorne. Free. Free HIV & STD Testing: Hawk’s offers free testing, twice monthly. Presented in conjunction with Cascade AIDS Project and the Multnomah County Health Department, you can check your status to protect your health and those you play with — and speak to counselors if you have questions. Testing is from 7-10pm. Hawk’s PDX, 234 SE Grand. Friday, September 20 Testify! A Drag Storytelling Revival. The summer of 2013 is drawing to a close, and as the days grow darker, let’s celebrate one last time our freedom and interconnectedness as a family of benevolent sinners. Featuring a lineup of misfit storytellers and performers, this nonfiction theater experiment in faux churchiness is not to be missed! This impressive lineup includes — but is not limited to — Fannie Mae Darling, Q Doc mastermind David Weissman, Zora Phoenix, and Sally Mulligan. All proceeds go to AIDS Walk 2013. If I could, I’d put this night on banners all over our beautiful city. It is everything. 8pm, Old Town Floyd’s, 118 NW Couch. Bring cash for donations. Freakathon, Queercore Dance Party at Valentine’s: Punk, Garage, New Wave, Riot Grrrl, whatever they want. 9pm, Valentine’s, 232 SW Ankeny. Free. Saturday, September 21 Bearracuda PDX with Hi-fi Sean: London’s calling, children: Bearracuda returns for a very special night of music with England’s own Hi-fi Sean. Bearracuda moves down to Branx for maximum dancing and fun — socializing, tasty snacks, and friendly, furry guys. 9pm, Branx, 320 SE 2. $6. Sunday, September 22 After AIDS Walk 2013, stroll down to The Fox and Hounds for the official AIDS Walk after-party. Why bother, you query? Alexis Campbell Starr serves as hostess, the Superstar Divas join her (Bolivia, Honey Bea, Ginger), and DJ Michael Morris makes the music. 2pm, The Fox & Hounds, 217 NW 2. Free. Wednesday, September 25 Queer Leather Dinner: This event is intended for everyone who self-identifies as Leather and any shade of queer, or is interested and wishes to learn more. Queer Leather visitors from out of town are encouraged to attend as well. This queer social is meant to build and spread the word about the Queer Leather Community in Portland. 7pm, Crush, 1412 SE Morrison. It’s back to school season, children, and everyone knows what that means. Or maybe you don’t: it’s time for another Drag and Talent Showcase. Pagan Holladay and her ragtag pack of hooligans bring their unique brand of debauchery to Scandals for a back-to-school blowout you won’t soon forget. From the Holladay: “Some ass, some class, and a whole lot of sass — you’re in for a night of she-larious shenanigans you do not want to miss.” Who can argue with that? (Don’t try.) Zora Phoenix, Valerie DeVille, and many more. 9:30pm, Scandals, 1125 SW Stark.
Thursday, September 26 Fans of excellent music and dancing, pay attention — this is your night. New York’s Light Asylum and Portland’s Dangerous Boys Club are coming to our fair city. Deejay sets by our beloved Gossip Cat (Laid Out, Bridge Club) and Roy G Biv (Control Top). If you haven’t heard Light Asylum, do yourself a favor and get thee to the internet. And tonight? It’s Laid Out + a show. 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $10 advance, $12 at the door. Friday, September 27 Chicken Strip! I can’t even begin to describe it as well as these kids, so here: “Get juiced. Don’t miss it. This show is only every two months. This time we’ll have one set — so get there early and stay late. It’s a heavy dose of dance floor raunch and drag for children of the night. Opening portals for queens, kings, and dance-y skagg bags alike.” Hosted by Melody Awesomazing, presented by Dillon SillyBusMartin, music by Chelsea Starr — there are a slew of performers on tap. 9:30pm, Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11. $5. Saturday, September 28 Blow Pony gets a special shout out here because they’re welcoming Kitty Grimes and Hypno Tits this month! It’s like Denver, Portland, and Vancouver, B.C., got together and had a very queer baby. 9pm, Rotture, 315 SE 3. $5. Friday, October 4 First Friday Fetish Party at Hawk’s: with Puppy Play demo by Billy and Pup Angel. Leather, latex, spandex, sports gear, boots, truckers, fur, and more. A new series of demos every month by masters in the field — you can learn, volunteer, or just drink in all the hot men at the event. 8pm, Hawk’s, 234 SE Grand. Friday, October 11 Out and Proud Out Loud. Celebrate National Coming Out Day with your Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This is your chance to tell your coming out story and to hear how others took that step through the closet door. This is a celebration of you being you. About 20 members of the community will be telling their stories. Questions/submissions should be sent to OutandProud@portlandsisters.org before Sept. 30. 7pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison. $3. Lumbertwink returns! And it’s the “super butch” Halloween edition. From the architects: “Lumbertwink returns to Funhouse for another night of manly interaction and dress-up. On the heels of Halloween, anyone in plaid or costume gets in for three bucks.” Dancing inside, socializing outside, photos by Wayne Bund, music by Laid Out’s Gossip Cat and Bridge Club’s Hold My Hand, all of the things. 9pm, Funhouse, 2432 SE 11. $3 or $5, depending upon your level of inspiration. Saturday, October 12 Erin Foley: Lower the Bar Comedy Tour. Foley has appeared on Chelsea Lately and Conan, and she’s bringing her unique rapid-fire speech and acerbic wit to our fair city. She’s branded a unique position for herself in the industry as a gifted stand-up comedienne and actress. Hosted by our own Belinda Carroll. 8pm, Funhouse Lounge. Tickets: showclix.com/event/3774019/tag/search
Sunday, September 22: AIDS Walk 2013. The one time a year you and 10,000 of your closest friends descend upon Pioneer Courthouse Square to walk around the city in support of Cascade AIDS Project. (And to raise half a million dollars doing it.) For education, for prevention, to end stigma, and until there’s a cure. Join a team, start a team — it’s still not too late to raise money. Here’s the link with all the information you’ll need: aidswalkportland. org/. (Don’t stay out too late Saturday; this one’s fairly early, and you’ll be photographed. Lots.)
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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.
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DANCE IT OUT (CHEERFULLY PAY YOUR COVERS; DEEJAYS GOTTA EAT, TOO.)
First Sundays Bridge Club. A slew of stellar deejays play music on one of the city’s most treasured patios. Old Boys Club regularly welcomes special guests. Brunch, mingle, get down. 3pm, Produce Row Café, 204 SE Oak. Free. (Note: on hiatus until they secure a new venue.) Every Sunday. Superstar Divas. Bolivia Carmichaels, Honey Bea Hart, Ginger Lee, and guest stars perform your favorite pop, Broadway, and country hits. (I. Love. These. Queens.) Dance floor opens after the show. 8pm, CC Slaughters, 219 NW Davis. Free! First Thursdays 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 Fridays (and every Friday) Eat My Martini, Portland’s newest lesbian club night. Portland is long overdue for a regular lady spot. Every Friday: drink specials, dancers, deejays, and more. 9pm, Fontaine Bleu, 237 NE Broadway. $10. First Saturdays Sugar Town. DJ Action Slacks. Keywords: Soul, polyester. 9pm, The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42. $5. Maricón! DJs Moisti and Ill Camino reinvent Crush with their beloved once-monthly dance party. 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 Fridays BMP/GRND. Portland’s only queer dance night devoted entirely to that tragic(ally wonderful) decade. DJs Kasio Smashio and Rhienna. Wear ‘90s gear, get in on the cheap. 9pm, The Foggy Notion, 3416 N. Lombard. Free before 10pm, $5 after, $3 w/ themed attire. Second Saturdays Rotate. Bridge Club’s Hold My Hand brings his unique musical stylings — and a slew of special guests — to Crush. Dance it out. 9pm, Crush, 1412 SE Morrison. $3. Mrs.: The queen of theme. (This month: Brokeback!) And dynamic DJ duo: Beyondadoubt and Ill Camino.
Friday, October 4: “Bridegroom” kicks off the Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, an event I look forward to (very much so) year in and year out. There are always the films that are on your radar (like “Bridegroom”) and the ones that come out of nowhere and surprise and delight you. Opening night’s film is about what happens when two young men meet, fall in love, build a life together, and vow to get married. Their relationship is cut tragically short when one of them suddenly dies — and the story of what happens after, how people without the legal protections of marriage can find themselves shut out and ostracized — is poignant and enraging. The festival runs at Cinema 21, 616 NW 21. Passes/schedule here: plgff.org/.
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Costumes, photo booths, all the hits. 10pm, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi. $5. 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. 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 Gaycation all you ever wanted. DJs Charming and Snow Tiger. Be early so you can actually get a drink. Sweaty deliciousness, hottest babes. THE party. 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $3. 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 Sundays Gender Abundant Square Dance. All-ages goodness. No experience necessary! 7pm, The Village Ballroom, 700 NE Dekum. All ages! $7. 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 Inferno! DJs Wildfire and D-Zel. Ladies, ladies, ladies. Rotating venue — check online for the latest! 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. Filth: (Formerly Hey Queen!) For the party girls. The more intimate, shoulder-to-shoulder Saturday night choice. Bruce LaBruiser and special guests. 9pm, Beulahland, 118 NE 28. Free. Last Thursdays Laid Out, Bridgetown’s newest gay dance party. Seriously, the posters read: “gay dance party.” Deejays Gossip Cat and Pocket Rock-It, with photos by Eric Sellers. 9pm, Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $3 after 10pm. Thursday, October 17: Dina Martina returns to Portland. “Martina goes way beyond drag into some new kind of twisted art,” said John Waters about our featured lady of the night. A native of Las Vegas, Ms. Martina made her first stage appearance in 1989. After achieving cult status in queer meccas like Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, she made her official New York debut in 2005 and sold out in minutes. Her fans include the likes of John Cameron Mitchell, Margaret Cho, and Jennifer Coolidge. Says The Stranger: “Her Body moves like two pigs fighting their way out of a sleeping bag and her face looks like a collision of a Maybelline truck with a Shoney’s buffest, but Dina redefines what it means to be a star.” 7pm, The Fez, 316 SW 11. Tix: brownpapertickets.com/event/438712!Dina
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NIGHTLIFE
20 • September-October 2013
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ARTSCALENDAR & CULTURE
dykes on bikes Continued from page 9
But, she asserts, “This isn’t all going to be fixed by June.” According to Kandziora, the Dykes on Bikes® Portland, Oregon chapter will approach Pride NW to discuss their ideas for the parade lineup. “We would prefer riding with everyone,” she says, “including other motorcycle clubs.” Porta credits a recent increase in interest and participation in Portland’s biking contingent for the disagreements that have come to the surface of late. “I think the growth has brought up new questions that Portland hasn’t had to deal with before,” she says. “ … We can’t complain about that. If that’s something the community is paying attention to, that’s great.” The meeting in July made it “more clear to me … how much there are large parts of our community who don’t feel engaged, who don’t feel respected, who don’t feel included,” Porta says. “… We forget that it’s not easy for people to come on in and get engaged. We have to go out and ask them.” At the same time, Porta says respect is warranted for those in the community who take the initiative to volunteer their time and leadership. Kandziora and Davis volunteered to organize the ride at a time when no one else would, and, prior to this year, Porta says, no one had openly expressed opposition to their approach. “Whether we agree with the way our community person does something,” Porta says, “the point is that person stepped up.” If you wish to be involved with the process for shaping the future of the biker contingent in the Pride parade, email Debra Porta at president@ pridenw.org. For information on the Dykes on Bikes® Portland, Oregon Chapter, visit dykesonbikesportland. com or facebook.com/DykesonBikesPortland/. For more information on Tobin Britton’s all-female motorcycle club, email him at daddiruff_pdx@yahoo.com.information on Tobin Britton’s all-female motorcycle club, email him at daddiruff_ pdx@yahoo.com. pqmonthly.com
Laverne Cox is the new everything By Leela Ginelle
the public has really been craving women’s stories, and the chance to see women who look different. These stories are told with such humanity and multi-dimensionality. The conventional wisdom in the business is that Throughout the summer America has delighted in “Orange is the New you have to be or look a certain way, and our show is challenging that.” Black,” Netflix’s excellent, hour-long “women in prison” drama, while the Cox is hopeful the success of “OITNB” will affect the way others shows transgender community and its allies have delighted in the success of work, particularly in terms of casting.”I hope the industry starts to see that Laverne Cox, a transgender actress who portrays a trans inmate named it’s ok to have a trans woman integrated into your cast…,” Cox says. “Like Sophia. the world won’t explode, Cox understands the you know, if there’s a response, and rememtrans person on televibers the hope she felt a sion.” few years ago when trans For years Cox has been actress Candis Cayne was an activist and spokescast on the show “Dirty person for trans causes, Sexy Money.” appearing on MSNBC “That moment was and submitting editosuch a huge inspiration rials to outlets like the for me,” she says. “I had Huffington Post. She says been trying to have a she feels a need to use substantial career as an the platform she’s sudactress for a long time, denly been afforded to and I began to believe it talk about the issues she was possible because of feels strongly about, such Candis Cayne.” as her desire to see trans An activist as well as issues “foregrounded in an actress, Cox underLGBT circles [as it’s often] stands the importance gender expectations that that a breakthrough role oppress LGBT people.” like hers can have. “I “I mean, sometimes think representation is it’s about who you’re really, really important,” having sex with,” she she says. “We see that the says, “but a lot of times majority of Americans when we enter culture, believe that gays and it’s about gender and lesbians should be able it’s about expectations. I to get married, and we can’t think of how many had the repeal of Don’t gay male friends of mine Ask, Don’t Tell. I think a have been told they’re lot because of the hearts not masculine enough and minds of people, by other gay men.” the majority of people in She also hopes to turn America, were changed the focus to the plight of through media representrans women of color. tation. So I think it’s really “Our unemployment rate powerful.” is four times the national Cox has been working average,” Cox says. “The on television for several highest homicide rate in years, competing in 2008 [the LGBTQ community] on the reality show “I has been among trans Want to Work for Diddy,” women for several years and producing her own in a row. Our people, our reality project in 2010, trans women are dying in Photos courtesy of Netflix; top right by Jill Greenberg; lower by Paul Shiraldi the sadly short-lived Laverne Cox is doesn’t have a lot in common with her “OITNB” character, Sophia, but Cox sees one similarity: “Once we decided we needed to transi- the streets, and we need “Transform Me,” a sort of tion, we did whatever it took to get there.” support. We need help. “Trans Woman Eye for the We need a focus in terms Straight Girl” that showcased her empathy and charisma. of the movement on our issues.” Cox is quite candid about how she’s changed since she started workCox credits the support she received early in her transition for helping as an actress. “I’ve worked on a lot of my own stuff,” she says. “My own ing her believe she could succeed like she has, citing her therapists, her internalized transphobia, my own internalized racism, you know? AKA, family, and the support groups she attended at her LGBT center. shame. I think when we are able to accept ourselves more, then we can “Support groups were really, really important for me — just to meet bring different elements of who we are to the character.” other trans women who were doing things,” she says. “There were trans While the character Sophia can be subdued and measured, in conversa- women who were working on Wall Street, who were in real estate or comtion Cox is a capital “E” extrovert. Her personality and charm leap through puters, and who had all these fantastic jobs. I was like, ‘Ok, I can be trans, the phone; pity anyone who has to follow her in an audition room. and do all this stuff.’” Cox says she and Sophia are different in many ways. Sophia worked a Cox knows her high-profile role on a hit show has helped her commumasculine job pre-transition, while Cox studied ballet. Sophia is attracted nicate that idea to countless trans people around the country, but she to women, which Cox has never been. works to keep things in perspective, laughing about having recently been “But the ways in which we’re similar are that once we decided we needed told she’s an icon. to transition,” she says, “we did whatever it took to get there.” “First of all,” she says, “I feel way too young to be an icon. But I know Although, she adds, “I didn’t break the law to do it.” it’s important for trans folks specifically, but for anyone really, who’s not Cox isn’t surprised by the public’s strong reaction to the show. “Well, seeing their stories told on television to see their stories told up there and the writing is incredible,” she says. “It’s really smartly written, and I think see people like them on TV.” PQ Monthly
September-October 2013 • 21
NIGHTLIFE ARTS & CULTURE
Where have all the drag kings gone?
Center photo by Jodi bon Jodi; right photo by Erin Rook, PQ Monthly
Julie Johnson (left) has been performing as Clyde S. Dale for more than a decade. Max Voltage (center), once crowned San Francisco’s top drag king, has since moved on to other creative endeavors. Korin Schneider, better known as Little Tommy Bang Bang, now does drag only on special occasions. By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
It’s no secret that Portland loves drag. On any given weekend, fans of the classically queer art form typically have a number of performances to choose from. Whether you like regal and sequined female impersonators, sassy and comedic divas, or abstract and genderbending queens — there’s something for everyone. Unless you’re looking for a king. While the city was once home to a number of drag king (or drag king-dominant) troupes, today there are few individuals still claiming the title and nary a collective of fauxbearded fellas to be found. Remnants of former Portland troupe DKPDX can be found among the ruins of the internet — a rave review in the Mercury (circa 2004), a Tribe.com page inactive since 2005, a mention on an abandoned personal website, a tag on a former member’s Throwback Thursday Instagram post. In 2008, a new troupe called the River City Riders popped up briefly, as well as the E-Kings (the in-house troupe for defunct lesbian bar the E Room). That was also the year that long-time solo performer Bruce TD King (aka actress Jennifer Lanier) became the first drag king to win Mr. Gay Pride Vancouver (joined by wife Dustina Haas as Ms. Gay Pride Vancouver — a title typically granted to drag queens). A year or so later, a new king entered the scene, pulling together a diverse group of performers under the name Drag Mansion. That king was Little Tommy Bang Bang — arguably the best known and most flamboyant king to perform in Portland in recent years. But even the Drag Mansion, which took the reins of queer cabaret Peep Show after drag queen Artemis Chase stepped down and has shared the stage with a number of national drag celebrities, has gone all but dormant. Just last May, a new drag king performance night took hold at Vancouver gay bar Tigerlily (its predecessor, The Northbank, was a popular spot for drag performances by members of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire). But its monthly run came to an
abrupt stop when Tigerlily closed its doors this month. The drag king scene, such that it is, now consists of a few solo acts performing occasional gigs. PQ talked to a few veterans of the scene to learn about how they became kings, life in the shadow of the queens, and the future of the drag king performance scene. What makes a king Max Voltage, a classically-trained musician, dancer, and choreographer whose stage persona has in many ways melded with their personal identity — first stumbled upon drag in 2001 while attending a Jesuit University. In response the school’s homophobia, Voltage decided to create queer visibility by putting on a drag show, despite having never performed in drag. “I recruited a bunch of my straight (but not narrow) theater friends, and put together a drag king boy band. I was a huge hit, and a huge controversy, for that matter. After that, I was hooked.” Voltage went on to win the San Francisco Drag King competition in 2003 and to found a drag troupe called Ubergay Cabaret with their brother, who performed as a drag queen. The troupe presented a fairy-tale drag-popopera called “Jack’s Off the Beanstalk” in Portland and toured the East Coast in 2005. Shortly thereafter, it disbanded — along with DKPDX and Sissyboy. “As a baby-dyke gender weirdo, I didn’t have many stages or performance outlets available to me,” Voltage says. “Drag kinging offered me that stage, that opportunity to be a rock star, to play with gender, to be creative in a completely different way than I had been with classical music, and to find feminist queer performance community. Drag kinging paved the way for my artist self, and all the creative adventures I’ve had since.” Korin Schneider — better known to Portlanders as glam rock king Little Tommy Bang Bang — was introduced to the scene in 2006 in Wisconsin, when she started doing small parts in performances by a troupe called the Miltown Kings. Eventually, she worked her way up, nabbing guest
slots and officially joining the troupe in 2007. Like many gender bending performers, her motivations were varied. “For some, I think it is a way to more safely express a part of their gender or sexual identity that they are not comfortable with sharing (or not able to share) in their day to day lives. For others I think it is a way to escape themselves, to become someone else for an evening. For some I know it is the only way they feel famous or loved when usually they feel unpopular, unpretty, or unnoticed,” Schneider says. But, as the saying goes, the personal is also political. Especially in drag. “Sometimes people do drag to make political statements,” Schneider adds. “Some integrate it into their art practice. Some to smash the patriarchy. Some for comedy or entertainment. Some to feel a part of a community. Some for tradition. Some to raise money for various causes in the queer community. Some because they saw it on TV and thought they could do better than Rupaul’s Next Drag Superstar. The list goes on. For me, it is a combination of a little bit of several of these things.” Julie Johnson — known by the stage name Clyde S. Dale — has been performing drag for the more than a decade, getting her first taste 20 years ago at Vancouver’s Northbank. “Drag to me is a chance for me to be someone different [from] myself,” Johnson says. In the beginning, Johnson was one of the only ones performing as a king. Eventually, she met a performer called Johnny-O, who served as an inspiration. “After that I got back into the Court and ran for Interstate Bridge and from there was Gay Vancouver 2007-2008 and I went right into being Prince 34 in 2008-2009,” Johnson says. “I took one year off and got ready to run for Emperor 36 of the Raintree Empire in 2010-2011 and am still with the Court of the Raintree as a board member.” Johnson started a troupe called the Tiger Kings in May, but the group’s performances are currently on hold following the unexpected closure of its home base in Vancouver, Tigerlily Restaurant and Bar. drag kings p age 27
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22 • September-October 2013
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ARTS ARTS&&CULTURE CULTURE
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September-October 2013 • 23
ARTS & CULTURE FEATURES
Nick Mattos can be reached at nick@pqmonthly.com. 24 • September-October 2013
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ARTS & CULTURE
Caravan of Glam looks to spread big queer love far and wide
Allie McQueen (left), Saturn Saturn (center), and Carla Rossi (right), joined Ecstacy Inferno for the inaugural edition of Caravan of Glam — they performed for a packed house at Vancouver’s now-defunct Tigerlily. By Daniel Borgen PQ Monthly
Vancouver seems like an odd place to start a movement — especially a gay one teeming with drag queens, acrobats, and cabaret performers. But that’s exactly what promoter Justin Buckles and Ecstacy Inferno (aka Angel Hanson) have set out to do. They’ve dubbed their movement the “Caravan of Glam,” and it’s a plan to spread some big queer love throughout small (and bigger) towns all over the region. It’s something Buckles and Inferno, both raised in small towns — the former, Coos Bay, the latter, Oregon City — remain incredibly passionate about. As we sit outside Scandals one midweek evening, Buckles beams over their newest brainchild. “I ran into Ecstacy one night at CC’s — it was not long after Central Oregon Pride,” he recalls. “I was just in Bend and saw this incredible need for something more regular there. I saw Ecstasy and knew she was the one I wanted to work with. So after I got home that night, I texted her, and it was on.” “Well, first I was like, ‘Who the fuck is this?’ I have four exes named Justin,” Inferno remembers. “I had lost all my contacts a few weeks before that, and usually when people are texting you at 3 a.m., they’re wanting, you know.” The two flash easy smiles and glances and she continues: “But since that night, it’s been eerie how easy it’s been. We’re in sync. We can finish each other’s sentences.” So what, precisely, is the Caravan of Glam? Its first incarnation — held at Vancouver’s now-defunct Tigerlily — brought a slew of performers across the river. Allie McQueen, Carla Rossi, Asia Ho Jackson, and several others joined Ecstacy Inferno, irrefutably one of the most energetic queens in town, on stage. “The first night was way more receptive and had way more support than we expected,” Inferno says. “Tigerlily was full of eager, hungry, and thirsty patrons from Vancouver and Portland — they craved a high-energy show filled with different entertainers, and every single performer brought it that night, hard core. It kind of set the bar for Caravan and showed others what we’re about, what we expect from our entertainers — and it opened our eyes to just what is about to happen.” Since that now-infamous night at CC’s, Buckles and Inferno have been planning like mad. “We sat down, hashed out the basic Caravan of Glam idea, and started working on it,” Buckles explains. “We both realize our combined experience — mine in the entertainment industry along with managing Red Cap, and her ability to put a show together paired with her take-no-prisoners attitude — could make something pretty amazing happen. I started making phone calls, we did a couple of quick day trips to look at venues — and just a month after we started work, we had a year’s worth of shows booked in Bend, followed by a year’s worth of shows at Late Night Delights in Southern Oregon.” “At the moment we’re in talks with venues in Salem, Eugene, and Lincoln City—and we’ve been approached by venues in Boise and Olympia.” An impressive resumé for a newborn. The moment this writer heard about the Caravan, it occurred to me: How has no one thought to do this before? No one has taken a variety show on the road, year round, to some of the smaller venues and towns across the region? It seems like a very real way to make a big difference in the lives of queer youth who might feel isolated and alone, for starters. Though many of the venues are 18 and pqmonthly.com
older, the Caravan plans daytime meet and greets with the community in the cities they visit, so underage queers can still rub elbows with drag royalty. Inferno, remembering her own troubles past and struggles with addiction, talks openly about her past. “Without proper role models or something positive to look toward, it’s easy to head down a dark path. We just want to put this option out there — we want to be positive role models and give back to our community. It’s like when I perform at the Escape, and kids come up to me and tell me, ‘You’re an inspiration.’ It’s wonderful, even if it’s hard to hear.” When pressed about why hearing such affirmations can be a struggle, Inferno replies frankly, “As an addict you learn to hate yourself. The road back to love is a long one.” In fact, addiction almost ended Ecstacy Inferno forever. She’s performed drag off and on for well over 15 years, but it wasn’t until San Francisco’s Heklina Heklina brought Miss Thing to town that Inferno rededicated herself to the craft. (And won February’s competition. I still have the calendar.) “Heklina and Miss Thing reminded me of all the amazing things we can do as a community — when we do it together.” She adds, “And yes, we definitely have queer youth in mind, but the show is really for everyone.” Buckles knows exactly where Inferno’s coming from — both from their time together now and from his tenure on Stark Street. In addition to bar management, Buckles has worked as a production manager on “American Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” and “Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels,” to name a few. In addition to the Caravan, he’s also launched his own production company, Justin Buckles Productions, which will be, at least in part, a talent agency. Talent will certainly be what it takes to sustain a show like this. And perhaps a little money. Regarding Portland’s penchant for wanting something for nothing (i.e. paying covers), Ecstacy Inferno gets serious: “It takes most queens a few hours to get ready, not to mention the cost of makeup and costumes. This shit isn’t free. But in return, after I put on my face, I will give you a show for your money. You will walk away satisfied.” And the pair is nothing if not ambitious. In addition to their multi-city, multi-acted tour, Buckles booked a three-day tour with “Drag Race” fan favorite Latrice Royale, who wowed Portland on a sold out boat during Pride weekend. “At the height of all this I called Ecstacy and said, ‘I want to do a tour with Latrice.’ She thought I was crazy, and I kind of agreed,” Buckles says. “But after I hung up with her, I took on the challenge and booked Latrice for three shows — Portland, Eugene, and Bend, with the Bend show being the debut of the Caravan of Glam.” We’d expect nothing less from such a dynamic duo — and from the burgeoning queer cabaret. During Central Oregon Pride, Buckles remembers a conversation he had with a local. “I asked him what was coming up next, after Pride,” Buckles recalls. “He said, ‘Well, we have Pride next year.’ It broke my heart.” Well, un-break your heart, Mr. Buckles. It seems you and the Inferno have found a solution. For more information, “like” Caravan of Glam on Facebook. You can also email Justin Buckles at justinbuckles@me.com or Ecstacy Inferno at mizzecstacyinferno@yahoo.com. The Caravan’s next appearance is in Medford on Sept. 28 at the Imperial Event Center. September-October 2013 • 25
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It’s a balmy Portland evening (in the midst of that humid streak), and I’m sitting across from my date at North 45, an establishment whose macaroni and cheese was sent directly from the Almighty. It’s all I can do to not go face down in the giant bowl sitting in front of me — I have little self-control, even during romantic outings. (My unending singleness is really one of the great mysteries of the universe.) The sun is beginning to set, and the chatter from the packed patio is a divine, chant-like hum, an appeasement to the summer gods. I sit cross-legged at the big wooden picnic table, leaning into my date so I can hear him (he’s a bit of a soft-talker), fending off the dull roar of the neighborhood masses who’ve gathered around us. He’s tall, dark-featured, fit, bears an uncanny resemblance to my ex-husband — something I find both comforting and unnerving. Right now he’s talking about his love affair with running; he can’t get enough, often runs twice or three times a week — he doesn’t believe in sleeping in. Despite these clear juxtapositions to the way I conduct my daily life, I haven’t sent hope packing just yet. Besides, we’d been talking on Scruff for over a week before we graduated to texting and phone calls — there must be something. Even at my advanced age, with a list of romantic disappointments longer than “Moby Dick” laid out page-by-page, I can’t help but get excited about the prospect of even the tiniest something. There, in those moments, my heart overrides my brain; feelings trump experience and precedent; spring fever strikes at the end of summer. Part of me is wildly ashamed of this tendency; surely it’s some sort of personality flaw. Another slightly bigger part embraces it. I am who I am. And Therapist has taught me there’s no harm in hoping. I manage to steer our conversation away from fitness and rising with the sun. Besides, I’ve already disclosed my long-term fitness goals. They read thusly: do enough weekly cardio to stave off morbid obesity brought on by late night taco cart binges; dabble in weight training enough to give my mostly soft body some semblance of shape. I have modest goals. (And motivation.) We covered most of this in our lengthy pre-interview. “What’s your favorite movie?” I couldn’t pick — if I had to, something by Wes Anderson or Christopher Guest. “What music do you like?” Neko Case and Arcade Fire sum it up. “What do you do for work?” I make coffee and gay words for the gay newspaper. I usually try to get that doozy out of the way as early as possible, what with the gay man’s affinity for self-loathing and label-
ing himself as “post-gay.” I could spend 10 years in graduate school studying this phenomenon and never understand it. You hate gay culture, drag queens, and you act like contributing to the local gay newspaper is like publishing my diary on Gawker. But since I’d already broken the news to this particular date, I thought we’d cleared that hurdle. “See, the thing is,” he starts, his eyes darting toward other tables, toward the brick walls behind me, anywhere but my eyes. “I don’t like gay things. Like, I don’t like gay bars or parties or events; they’re just not my style.” He tossed out the term “post-gay,” which was new to me. “And I really want to date someone like me.” You want to date someone just like you? How extraordinarily interesting. He continues what turns into a rant, explaining in great detail how enlightened and current he is, how outdated I am for identifying with my people’s culture. I try to retrace the steps that brought us here, and I am lamenting the fact that I’m wasting precious face time with impossibility. I realize a date isn’t a marriage contract, but if someone disclosed a debilitating deal-breaker during your pre-screening process, would you go on that date anyway? “I’m deathly allergic to dogs.” I have five; let’s have dinner at my house. “Perfect.” I suppose it wasn’t the lack of chemistry I found disappointing — the big, gaping chasm between Scruff spark and real-life compatibility is routinely daunting. I am not even certain it’s the anti-gay gay, with which I have plenty of experience in our fair city. They’re scattered throughout all our mobile dating apps. This summer I’ve realized — and I pray it isn’t a sign of dementia — I miss genuine, in-person courting and I worry it’s gone for good. Some big news kicked my nostalgia into overdrive, and perhaps my poor date suffered as a result. Next summer Peacock in the Park returns — the perfect, muchmissed Pride prelude. For anyone who’s grown up in or around this city, this news is everything. We grew up on those lawns (and in those bushes), sitting in the sun — cavorting, watching daytime drag, talking to foxy strangers sitting on the blanket next to ours. It’s where I met my first real boyfriend, Jacob — a sweet boy I proceeded to demolish emotionally because I was a post-Pentecostal, confused wreck. Am I doomed because, like Neko, I’m holding out for that teenage feeling — simpler times that are gone for good?
Luckily, Jacob forgave me.Daniel@PQMonthly.com. pqmonthly.com
ARTS & CULTURE
drag kings: “Drag queens have this appeal to the straight audiences that kings never quite had. A lot of the best drag king troupes performed political, innovative queer art; it wasn’t meant for straight audiences.” Continued from page 22
For Johnson, drag is not just about self-expression, but also connecting with community. “I have meet a lot of cool people and have made some really close friends that I call family.” Standing in the shadow of queens Despite Portland’s once thriving drag king scene, and the still significant number of gender bending performance artists coming out of queer and dyke communities, female and genderqueer identified performers can’t seem to get out from under the shadow of a queen-dominated performance culture. Schneider says it’s hard for kings to compete with queens, and that the uphill battle for respect is the main reason there aren’t more drag kings. “It’s frustrating to, more often than not, feel overshadowed by whichever drag queen is standing by. I think the reasons this happens are multiple and deep,” Schneider says. “Part of why I think it is harder for kings is that, in 2013, there isn’t something intrinsically radical about seeing a woman wear pants or a suit. But put a man in a dress, and that is still shocking to most people…. It is hard for a drag king to be as sparkly, glamorous, and fierce-looking as a lot of the drag queens are. Trust me, I’ve tried. A 6’2” person with 9-inch metallic heels, a giant wig, a sequin dress, and red glitter lips is most likely going to be more fun to look at than what the average woman trying to present themselves as male would be able to wear.” She’s worked around that by developing a 1980s glam rock-inspired character, allowing her to wear shiny clothes, accessories, and big hair while still playing a masculine role. Schneider also tries to tip the balance by creating engaging performances that go beyond simple lipsyncing. “But this is a lot of work, and I have definitely caught myself feeling resentful towards some queens for putting less into their performances and getting better responses, more money, and more praise. I try not to, but sometimes it’s hard,” Schneider says. “This is why I won’t do competition shows anymore. It felt bad to lose to queens who I know put in less work than I did, and even worse to feel like no matter how hard I tried, I could probably never win.” While queens may spend hours perfecting their hair, contouring, and shading, kings often pour themselves into choreography and story lines. But what makes a peacock more impressive than a less flashy songbird? It’s hard not to wonder if it has something to do with the bird’s gender. “[Drag kings] are not real boys, they’re girls trying to be boys and that’s easy — put on a shirt and jeans and makeup for shading,” Johnson says. “I give the queens the ultimate respect for I know I don’t like to put all the dresses on and pantyhose, but I hope that one day we take the stage and get just as much respect as the queen on the stage before us or with us.” Voltage agrees that gender differences play a significant role in the disparities between kings and queens. But that’s not the only factor — the tendency of drag king performance to be about more than the spectacle can be off-putting to some audiences. “Drag queens have this appeal to the straight audiences that kings never quite had. A lot of the best drag king troupes performed political, innovative queer art; it wasn’t meant for straight audiences,” Voltage says. “So then as kings, often you keep entertaining the same community. Plus with a troupe model, you have a few people doing a ton of work every month to put on these shows. So it’s pretty hard to sustain. But you know what, if Logo would just give me my own drag king reality television show, I bet I could set some kings into motion.”
for dyke/genderqueer/trans community to come together; we were like mascots for our newly formed dyke/genderqueer communities,” Voltage says. “I think in smaller towns, where there’s still that need, drag king culture thrives.” These days, Voltage is more interested in what could be called a post-drag approach to performance art — one that embraces explorations of gender without being confined to simple crossdressing. Voltage is currently producing a Homomentum-inspired musical, featuring “a drag king makeover, a magical boy band, unicorns, a band of intergalactic performance artists, a queer revolution, and lots of glitter.” A staged reading will be held Nov. 15 and 16 at CoHo Theater. As for Little Tommy Bang Bang — he only brings out his mullet on special occasions, such as the recent Time-Based Art Festival event “Critical Mascara.” Otherwise, Schneider is occupied with other forms of art and craft. Clyde S. Dale is on hiatus while the Tiger Kings find a new home. Johnson says Vancouver’s Fraternal Order of the Eagle is a possibility, but she has no official plans to revive the group. Regardless of what the future holds, these kings and their fellow performers have left an indelible mark on Portland’s performance art scene. “Although it has been a tough path at times,” Schneider says, “I am glad I have stuck it out. I have gotten to have some important conversations, and hopefully I’ve changed some minds about what a drag king can do in what often feels like a world full of queens.”
The future of the kingdom With the number of active drag kings dwindling, what does the future hold for the art form? Are drag kings, like lesbian bars, a relic of a time since past or performers whose time has not yet come? It depends who you ask. Schneider says that, despite the challenges faced by kings, they will return to the stage — troupes in tow — eventually. It’s simply part of the “cycle of (drag) life.” “I don’t know of any official drag troupes active at the moment. These things seem to go in waves, though, and I feel like there will probably be another one soon,” Schneider says. “They have their time and place, then they break up or grow apart and new ones form and grow and the cycle repeats.” While a number of venues for drag king performances have run their course (Max Voltage’s Homomentum, Little Tommy Bang Bang’s Peep Show, Clyde S. Dale’s Tiger Kings, and Hamburger Mary’s), new performance nights have cropped up in the last year, such as Chicken Strip, Totes Hilarz, amd Testify. “I think these new venues for performing will inspire new performers to take the stage, and eventually new troupes will form,” Schneider says. Voltage believes that drag king culture appears where it is needed. While Portland’s scene has evolved to include more dyke/queer-focused events, kings are still needed outside the metro area. “When drag kinging started to really blow up, in the early 2000s, it was also the location pqmonthly.com
September-October 2013 • 27
BOOKS
OPEN 11 TO 6 EVERYDAY
28 • September-October 2013
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MUSIC ARTS & CULTURE
Delve into diverse queer realities at the Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Rodney Hicks: On stage (and in love) in Portland By Leela Ginelle PQ Monthly
Photo by HutcH
PLGFF offers glimpses into the diversity, beauty, and challenges of queer life through films such as Ten Yan’s “Pit Stop.” By Nick Mattos PQ Monthly
Want to understand the diversity of queer culture more fully? Ready to be entertained, thrilled, informed, and perhaps even shocked? The 2013 Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is ready to provide you all of the above — and more — Oct. 4-12 at Cinema 21. In this 17th year of the internationally-noted festival, the PLGFF remains committed to its original intent of bring thought-provoking and entertaining queer cinema to Portland. The festival offers a very wide array of narrative films and documentaries showcasing an extremely diverse look at the realities of queer life and experience. One major highlight of this year’s festival is “Before You Know It,” created by acclaimed director PJ Raval. The three men focused upon in the film are no ordinary senior citizens — they’re also among the estimated 2.4 million lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans over the age of 55 in the United States, many of whom face heightened levels of discrimination, neglect, and exclusion. Of particular local interest is local subject Dennis, a gentle-hearted widower in his 70s who begins the process of exploring his sexual identity and fondness for dressing in women’s clothing under the name “Dee.” Born before the Civil Rights era, Dennis and his fellow subjects have witnessed unbelievable change in their lifetimes; while “Before You Know It” focuses on their stories, it serves as a poignant reminder that aging and its challenges are universal. The AFI Award-winning documentary “The New Black” tells the story of how three intersecting identities — black, gay, and Christian — overlap and interact within the larger African-American community. Documenting activists, families, and clergy on both sides of the campaign to legalize gay marriage, the film examines homophobia in the black community’s institutional pillar of the black church and reveals the Christian right wing’s strategy of exploiting this phenomenon in order to pursue an anti-gay political agenda. Focusing upon the historic fight to win marriage equality in Maryland, director Yoruba Richen takes viewers into the pews, kitchens, and streets of black America to chart the evolution of divisive and critical issues within the community. The PLGFF will also serve as the world premiere of a local filmmaker’s highly-anticipated sequel to an international cult hit. “The Falls: Testament of Love,” directed by Portlander Jon Garcia, follows up on the story of two Mormon missionaries who fall in love while preaching the good news of Joseph Smith’s restoration of the Gospel to the Pacific Northwest. Shot in Portland with a local cast and crew, “The Falls: Testament of Love” picks up five years Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival page 30
pqmonthly.com
W hen Broadway sta r Rodney Hicks came to Portla nd to play t he lead role in Portland Center Stage’s production of “Oklahoma!” last year, he didn’t know the decision would change his life. It did, though, as he fell in love with both his director, PCS Artistic Director Chris Coleman, and the city. Hicks has no regrets now, only words of joy about his fiancé (“He’s the love of my life”), and his new home (“I fell in love with the city and Photo by Patrick Weishampel everything about it”). His greatest passion at the Rodney Hicks stars as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop.” Playing through Oct. 27 at Portland Center Stage. moment, however, might be his current role, the Rev. Dr. The difference struck Hicks from the beginning. “On Martin Luther King, Jr., in playwright Katori Hall’s “The ‘Oklahoma!’ in rehearsal, Chris was like, ‘I don’t want you Mountaintop.” to run around like cowboys. I want you to be. These were Hall’s play, which has enjoyed successful runs in London real people who were around at this time,’” he says, pausand on Broadway, depicts a conversation between King and ing in admiration. “This theater, they really go in. I don’t a hotel maid on the day before his death. know if people really understand that.” “It’s deconstructing the myth so you see the man,” Hicks In conversation, Hicks has an enthusiasm that’s infecsays of the script. “He was so burdened at that moment. tious. This has always been the case, judging from an anecHe said, and this is a literal quote, ‘I have the world on my dote he tells from decades before involving singer Lauryn shoulders.’” Hill. The two were in the musical “Bringing in the MornAfter securing the part, Hicks poured himself into prepa- ing,” before he’d starred in “Rent” and before Hill’s band ration, gaining 30 pounds, and researching his subject. The Fugees had released an album. “I spent four months — the first part of my prep — “[Hill] said to me, ‘You have so much joy. People are asking, ‘How do I get inside of this man?’” going to try to take that joy. Don’t let them.’ And that stuck His attempt involved reading Taylor Branch’s three-vol- with me for 20 years. And she was right.” ume opus, “America in the King Years,” and devouring any Hicks’ joy is palpable as he talks about living an authenfootage he could find of the civil rights leader. tic life with the man he loves; the two will marry in WashHicks says the results of this work have been humbling ington state in October. “I’ve spent so many years running and inspiring. “Usually at this point [a few days before away from myself, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m opening] I’m afraid. But now, I can’t wait to share this story homosexual and I love it! I couldn’t play this part if I didn’t with an audience. It’s a piece where you have to leave your- bring all of myself to it.” self in the dressing room and just be in the moment.” Looking ahead, Hicks has a string of amazing roles At 39, Hicks has already experienced a remarkable career planned for himself, sure to whet the appetite of any theater as an actor. Having left college at 20 to pursue acting in lover. He’ll follow his turn as Dr. King with Portland PlayNew York, he won a part in the original cast of “Rent.” He house’s production of August Wilson’s “Jitney,” in January. appeared on Broadway again as Peter in the 2000 revival According to Hicks, he jumped at the chance to work of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and off-Broadway in the origi- with Portland Playhouse on the project. “They said, ‘Well, nal cast of “The Scottsboro Boys.” Along the way he’s taken we don’t have a lot of money.’ I said, ‘Forget the money. regional roles in Shakespeare plays and musical across the Let’s talk about the work.’” country. Next spring he’ll reunite professionally with Coleman “I know I’ve been fortunate,” he says, adding, with a for PCS’s main stage production of “Othello.” laugh, “I’m part of the 1 percent of actors.” For now, though, his focus is on “The Mountaintop,” and An unusual contract, which gave him a revenue percent- his role. “That’s my whole life right now,” he says. “When age from “Rent,” has allowed him to follow his instincts and you see the play you’ll understand.” passions as an actor. That meant passing on a major role Hicks hopes the audience will take the same journey he in the series “The West Wing” at a time when he was still has with the play, and that they’ll derive the same inspiracloseted and working out his own identity. tion from its story. “I knew if I took that part I might lose who I was,” he “Living with this part, it’s come to me that if this man says. “But my friend Dulé Hill got it, and he was perfect, did all these extraordinary things, so can I, in my own way,” so everything happens for a reason.” he says. “We all can.” Hicks’ instincts today have led him to Portland, a city whose theater scene he finds refreshing. “In New York right “The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall is currently running now, it’s really about the dollar,” he says. “It’s business. It’s at Portland Center Stage’s Ellen Bye Studio through Oct. 27. corporate. Here, it’s about the work.” Information and tickets at pcs.org. September-October 2013 • 29
BOOKS
Welcoming the fall: PQ readers and writers share their autumn reading recommendations Compiled and edited by Nick Mattos
“‘Existentialism and Human Emotion’ by Jean-Paul Sartre is one of the most accessible, life-affirming philosophy books you could read; it’s also novella-sized and requires no previous understanding of Existentialism to appreciate it. Lesson #1: There’s no such thing as evil! (Well, sort of. Just roll with it). Lesson #2: ‘In creating the man that we want to be, there is not a single one of our acts which does not at the same time create an image of Man as we think he ought to be.’ So, food for thought next time you’re considering a sketchy decision born out of Grey Skies Depression: ask yourself not what this poor choice means for you, but for humanity.” — Jenny Catchings A basic introduction to the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism and Human Emotion” explores concepts of freedom, meaning, and everyday life, arguing that men and women are beings for which nothing is predetermined. (Citadel; reissued 2000) “I highly recommend ‘Christine Jorgenson: A Personal Autobiography’ — I couldn’t put it down! I could definitely relate to it being a veteran, a trans woman, and a performer. All younger folks should read this and know what it was like for queer pioneers.” — Norma Ballhorn In 1951 George Jorgensen, an American man of 26, left for Denmark and returned a year later as the first world-renowned transsexual, Christine Jorgensen. In her own personable style, Jorgensen offers a firsthand account of her scandalous life as a trans pioneer. “Nature made a mistake,” she wrote, “which I have corrected.” (Cleis Press, 2000) “‘No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories’ by Miranda July is an evocative portrayal of relationships, both awkward and unassuming, as told by several narrators. July’s incredible ability to lure readers out of their comfort zone is quite clever and comes with no apology. I guarantee that you will experience intimacy and sexuality in a way you never have before with this inspiring fall must-read.” —Jeremiah Clark In her first collection of short fiction, acclaimed artist and filmmaker Miranda July tells 16 stories of characters entering extreme, often surreal situations in their quests to be loved and accepted; along the way, she explores the ways that strange logic and longing manifest in one’s life. (Scribner, 2008) “‘Rid of My Disgrace’ by Justin and Lindsay Holcomb deals with one of the most raw parts of brokenness in life: sexual abuse. Holcomb defines sexual abuse, shares his own story and those of many others, and offers hope and healing. It is a great read for those who have been abused, for those who have abused others, and for those who are close to victims of abuse. As a Christian theologian and pastor, Holcomb presents a message of hope for abuse victims in a Gospel story not just about forgiveness of sins, but also freedom from the shame of being sinned against.” — Kiel Nation Justin and Lindsay Holcomb, a couple experienced with counseling survivors of sexual assault, detail an approach by which survivors can move from destruction to redemption. (Crossway, 2011)
Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Continued from page 29
after the missionaries have left the field. Though their lives have taken radically different paths, the death of a mutual friend unexpectedly reunites the two men at a time when both are attempting to establish their adult lives. As old feelings of attraction and regret are rekindled, RJ and Chris must once again confront their seemingly impossible love. Exploring themes of love, desire, family, and religion, “The Falls: Testament of Love” asks whether love is a function of fate or fantasy. 30 • September-October 2013
“‘Bambi: A Life in the Woods’ by Felix Salten is the German children’s novel on which the Disney movie was based, and has been one of my favorite books since childhood. It’s a haunting little fable about finding one’s place in a brutal world. I recommend it as a fall read particularly for a brief chapter in which two leaves, two of the last remaining on a tree as winter is coming, discuss their own mortality. Just thinking about it gives me chills.” — Randall Szabo First published in 1923 and considered by many to be the first “ecological” novel, “Bambi” follows the life of a young deer coming of age in the forest; in doing so, author Salten considers the sometimes-joyous, often-cruel cycle of life and fortells the impact that humanity would prove to have upon the natural world. (Aladdin, 1988) “Years ago, I found a tattered copy of ‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem’ by Joan Didion in a free box. By now, I’ve probably bought six copies of it, because I keep giving them away — it’s just that good. Didion has this striking, pristine way that she captures the strangeness and dread of American life, particularly in the end of the 1960s; as such, it’s the perfect book to read when your personal Summer of Love is giving forth to the chill of autumn.” — Nick Mattos Widely considered to be the quintessential portrait of America in the 1960s, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” tells narratives of a distinctive and challenging time in a clear-eyed, often elegiac voice that has helped define the modern essay. (Farrar Strauss and Giroux, reissued 2008) “‘Last Exit to Brooklyn’ by Hubert Selby, Jr. is the book to recommend to your straight white male friends who say nothing offends them. One of the most affecting things I have ever read, the whole book is one big trigger warning. Set in impoverished 1960s Brooklyn, nothing like the 60s you expect, it follows a loose cast of people living on the fringe of society. It is brutal reading featuring pitiless descriptions of pre-Stonewall New York. Excellent for perspective, if not your sense of well-being. Made me thankful for all that I have.” — Ryan Jay Acclaimed author Selby showcases the junkies, prostitutes, workers, and thieves brawling in the back alleys of 1960s New York, brilliantly and frighteningly illustrating the horror and rage seething in America’s cities. (Grove, 1994) “‘Watchers’ by Dean Koontz! It’s one of his earlier novels, and aside from describing the scientifically fictitious wonder of coming to know a fully cognizant, humanly intelligent golden retriever, it also addresses the wonders of unflagging human strength not only in the face of external adversity, but also when it comes to overcoming one’s own inner demons. It is a timeless, powerful, and uplifting novel with just enough dashes of wicked humor to offset the epiphanous tightness that will undoubtedly occupy the reader’s chest — an excellent novel to instill soul-deep warmth as the air cools around us.” — Danni St. Athens Thoroughly frightening and entertaining, Koontz explores t hemes of dread, st reng t h, a nd t he hunger to f ind community in this strange and haunting tale of love in a time of genetic modification. (Berkeley, 2003)
The PLGFF serves as a celebration of queer life in all of its permutations — and to do so even more fully, this year’s installment features an innovative new usage of social media to document queer realities. The #QueerMe2013 campaign invites festival fans to post photos of a queer theme (whatever “queer theme” means to you) to Instagram tagged with the hashtag #QueerMe2013. Photos with that tag will then be added to a slideshow on the PLGFF website and considered for usage on the official festival poster and program. From parties to premieres, documentaries to dramas, the PLGFF never disappoints its throngs of festival-goers — so, head to PLGFF.org to view a full list of films
and parties, make your picks, and book your tix now. The Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival runs from Oct. 4-12 at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave.). Tickets for opening night’s film “Bridegroom” are $12, and tickets for the opening night party at 23 Hoyt (529 NW 23rd Ave, Portland) are $20; a bundle of both tickets is available for $25. General admission tickets for each film are $10, with a packet of eight vouchers valid for entry at any film except opening and closing night available for $70. Platinum Festival Passes — including admission to all screenings and events at all venues, and reserved seats for all films — are available for $155; a full pass for all films is available for $100. pqmonthly.com
ARTS & CULTURE
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September-October 2013 • 31
PONDERLUST JUDGING REALNESS: THE PROBLEM WITH A QUEER CULTURE OF EXCLUSION By Erin Rook PQ Monthly
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In my 30 years on this planet, I have belonged to a staggering number of identity-based groups, some of which would seem to be mutually exclusively, and in nearly all to which I have, at one point or another, been told I don’t belong. I’ve been a girl child and an adult male. I’ve been cisgender, genderqueer, and transgender. I’ve been a heterosexual, a bisexual, a lesbian woman, and a gay man. I’ve been an atheist, an agnostic, a spiritual-but-not-religious, a part-time Quaker, and a Bahá’í. On the surface, it would appear I’ve also been rather indecisive. Or that I’ve been gradually emerging from a deep and multi-chambered closet. But this is how self-discovery works. Rarely do we flip a switch from one firm idea of ourselves to another, never to change again, despite the apparent finality in an act like coming out. We cling to this notion because, as humans, we are drawn to binaries. Man/ woman, gay/straight, in/out, self/other. They give us the illusion of order in a chaotic world. The reality is, identity is both fluid and relative. It is not static, nor can it be defined by external forces. We are all shape-shifters to varying degrees. The light at our core remains constant and true, but the lenses and filters through which we radiate change over time. This is why self-identification is key. It’s hard enough to know one’s self — to attempt to define another is a fool’s errand. And yet, we do it all the time. For a culture that holds up self-identification as a sort of Holy Grail, we sure are quick to judge who is allowed to identify in what ways. Community boundaries are often a site of tension — and likely have been as long as humans have organized themselves into tribes. But in the queer community, we like to pretend we have a “come as you are” policy that takes new members at their word. If you say you’re one of us, then you are. Unfortunately, we don’t always hold to that high ideal. Take, for instance, the woman who, after the breakup of a longterm lesbian relationship, falls in love with a man. Suddenly, representatives from the Official Lesbian Membership Committee are at her doorstep, demanding she revoke her card and accept the label of “hasbian” — or “LUG” (Lesbian Until Graduation) if the breakup corresponds with collegiate commencement. It doesn’t matter is she still identifies as a lesbian, bisexual, or any other type of queer — she is shunned as “straight” without so much as an exit interview. This is especially likely if the man she’s dating is cisgender. If he’s trans, she’ll still be pressured to alter her identification, but she many be allowed to remain on the
outskirts of the community as a “fickle” bisexual (you know, the women we love to claim for our team if they’re celebrities, but tend to shun in real life). Other ways to fail the “real” lesbian test: Dress too femme (thereby buying into heteronormative beauty ideals), dress too butch (thereby elevating masculinity and by extension, patriarchy), appear to uphold the gender binary by dating a butch (if you’re femme) or a femme (if you’re butch). Really, any adoption of qualities that seem to reflect the heterosexual mainstream is shunned. Case in point: the misguided and poorly applied policy at Portland gay bar CC Slaughters that prohibits any and all wedding-related attire (including white gowns and shirts that say “Groom”) in an effort to keep out the bachelorette parties of straight tourists. While disrespectful behavior is the target, recently married gays and lesbians get caught in the crossfire. But it’s not just sexuality that’s under scrutiny; we also have the gender police. There is, unfortunately, a reason websites like Trans Enough and Original Plumbing exist. This question of who gets to claim “trans” recently made headlines with the announcement that TV host B. Scott is suing BET for gender identity-based discrimination. Some within the transgender community have accused Scott of being an opportunist, an effeminate gay man with an androgynous fashion sense who is riding on the coattails of “real” trans people (aka folks who have pursued medical transition and identify with the sex “opposite” that assigned to them at birth). That Scott has identified as transgender is, apparently, not enough. The flip side of this culture of exclusion is non-consensual inclusion. This includes the urge to label every gender variant person as some kind of queer (including but not limited to that effeminate guy at the office who wears pink shirts and earrings, that tough-looking gym teacher with the mullet, that short soft-spoken guy with shapely eyebrows, that tall muscular blonde with the strong facial features) and then, when proven wrong, to assume they are closeted. This impulse is also found among lesbians who think trans men aren’t brave enough to be butch women, or gay men who think trans women don’t have the nerve to be effeminate men. A similar erasure can be found among lesbian-identified women who make it a point to say they only date women and trans men. Identity politics can be empowering, especially when it gives a voice and sense of community to those marginalized by the majority. But when we behave as if we know others better than they know themselves, we create the opposite of community — we create outcasts.
Tell me who you are and I’ll believe you: erin@pqmonthly.com. 32 • September-October 2013
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ARTS BRIEFS THE GOOD LIFE PERSPECTIVES
In an innovative creative exchange, Newspace Center for Photography (1632 SE 10th, Portland) presents Pacific Midwest: A Milwaukee, Group Show. A diverse sampling of work created by the Milwaukee, (pronounced “Milwaukee Comma”) group, the show represents the first part of a collaboration to ultimately bring an exhibition of Portland photographers to Wisconsin. The show hangs through Sept. 29; for hours and further information, visit NewSpacePhoto.org. El Centro Milagro (525 SE Stark Street, Portland) hosts La Luna Nueva Festival, Portland’s only Hispanic Heritage Month arts and culture multidisciplinary festival, Sept. 13-28. This annual festival celebrates the richness and diversity of Latin artistic expressions with nightly presentations of Flamenco, Tango, Latin jazz, theater, play readings, comedy, visual art, and more. Of particular interest to queers: a free live reading of Vicente Guzman-Orozco’s play “Macho,” a comedy exploring the trials and tribulations of urban gay Latinos, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23. For a full calendar of events, visit Milagro.org. Brooklyn artist Nicholas Rispoli presents “Incarnate,” a surreal and unsettling show of mixed-media work, at Cock Gallery (625 NW Everett, Portland) through Sept. 28. The show has received praise from national media outlets for its bold and engrossing display of Rispoli’s own personal pantheon of spiritual entities; in his artist’s statement, Rispoli explains that “there is a comfort in knowing that if I create this mythology and believe in it, it will appear beyond the flesh.” For more information and hours, visit Facebook.com/CockGallery. Brace yourself: hot, sexy, fabulous local wonders Magic Mouth will unleash their longawaited EP “Devil May Care” on Sept. 20. You’re likely shrieking with excitement as you read this, but follow along: to celebrate this release, the band will host a showcase with San Francisco’s Double Duchess, Seattle’s Glitterbang, and Portland’s own DJ Beyondadoubt on Sept. 20 at Tonic Lounge (3100 NE Sandy, Portland). The show starts at 9 p.m.; tickets are $7 and available at magicmouth.net. Be sure to bring smelling salts, because girl, you are going to swoon. Interationally-celebrated modern art space Disjecta (8371 N Interstate, Portland) presents “Incident Energy,” a multi-channel video installation exploring the themes of nature, culture, and the body by artists Jacob Pander and Marne Lewis. By utilizing heat-sensitive thermal imaging technology usually associated with military, border, or aerial surveillance, the artists aim to inspire awe and contemplation by framing the luminous energy of the human body and offering a glimpse into visual worlds that are ever-present yet hidden from our perception. The exhibition opens Sept. 20 with a free public reception and live performance at 7 p.m.; “Incident Energy” then continues with public hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information, visit Disjecta.org. To kick off their 16th season, White Bird Dance presents the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway) on Sept. 25. Featuring the distinctive visions of established and emerging choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Cayetano Soto, and Norbert de la Cruz, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has gained renown worldwide for their bold, contemporary take on the ballet form. Tickets start at $26; for more information — and to see White Bird’s thrilling line-up for the rest of their season — visit WhiteBird.org.
Are you ready to GOTH ROCK!? If so, block out Sept. 28 on your calendar and head down to the Doug Fir Lounge to catch the unspeakably spooky and wonderful Chelsea Wolfe. The Los Angeles-based songwriter recently electrified her dark, folksy sound, resulting in her Siouxie and the Banshees-reminiscent new album “Pain is Beauty.” Show starts at 9:45 p.m.; tickets are $13 and available via TicketFly.com. In local publication news: Portland author Cari Luna has released her debut novel “The Revolution of Every Day.” Published by Tin House, the novel has received high praise for its nuanced, emotionally complex take on life and community within a Manhattan squat house. Luna will be reading from her novel Photo by Anna Dobos at 6 p.m. on Oct. 2 as part of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe celebrates the electrified sound of her Wordstock at the Library (810 new album “Pain Is Beauty” with a show at the Doug Fir on Sept. 28. SW 10th Ave., Portland); at noon on Oct. 6 as part of Wordstock (Oregon Convention Center, Portland); and at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Powell’s Books on Hawthorne (3723 SE Hawthorne, Portland). For more information and to read an excerpt from “The Revolution of Every Day,” visit CariLuna.com. In honor of National Coming Out Day, the Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence present Out and Proud Out Loud — a revelatory and moving performance of spoken word, poetry, essays, and art about the experience of coming out and becoming oneself. If you’d like to share your moment of realizing that you were different (read: fabulous), the Sisters are accepting submissions of three- to five-minute performances; send your submissions and questions to OutAndProud@portlandsisters.org before Sept. 30. Don’t worry, folks with stage fright: Sisters are available to perform your work for you if reading in front of an audience is an overwhelming proposition. The selected performances will take place 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Oct. 11 (National Coming Out Day) at Crush (1400 SE Morrison, Portland). $3 suggested donation at the door. For more information, visit PortlandSisters.org.
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THE GOOD LIFE
Cultivating Life MUSIC
EASY WAYS TO PRESERVE GOOD FOOD OF THIS TIME OF YEAR
EAT, DRINK, AND, BE MARY THE RIGHT BALANCE By Brock Daniels
By LeAnn Locher PQ Monthly
“Basil and tomatoes for dinner again?” — the dreaded unforgivable phrase that came out of my mouth earlier this week. It’s precisely what I yearn for the other 10 months of the year: caprése salad made fresh from the garden. But this is the time of year when we are flush with so much good stuff from the harvest: stone fruit are still going strong; tomatoes, zucchini, and corn are producing like gangbusters; and the herbs are at their tipping point. Don’t even get me going on figs. There are severa l techniques I’ve come to realize are straight-for ward ways to preserve the flavors of this time of year that don’t re qu i re pu l l i ng out t he h ot w a t e r b a t h canner. All it takes i s one e ven i ng , and you can stock your freezer with t a st y pesto a nd roasted tomatoes.
Whirl a handful of nuts, several cloves of garlic, and as much basil as you can cram into a food processor, drizzling in extra virgin olive oil to get it to a consistency you like, along with plenty of freshly ground black pepper (go light on the salt though, remembering the parmesan cheese you’ll add later offers plenty of that). Pour batches into one big bowl, tasting as you go to determine if it needs more nuts or garlic. Season to taste. Pour into small freezer containers and ice cube trays. Once frozen in the trays, remove and pop into freezer bags. This makes it super easy to remove a cube or two for soup or sauce flavoring all year long. De a ling w ith a ton of arugula? Su b s t i t u t e a r u gula for basil and you have a whole different yet tasty kind of pesto. R oast those tomatoes
R o a s t ‘e m ! Roasting brings out a deeper flavor, and makes them super easy to bag and freeze. Super easy, no canner required. Preheat oven to Make and freeze Set aside an evening, and you’ll be able to enjoy the bounty of summer in 425. On a lipped pesto baking pan, drizzle the dead of winter. olive oil and place I recently dishalved tomatoes covered huge bundles of freshly harvested face down. Salt and pepper, throw in a few basil at Krueger’s on Sauvie Island for $2 cloves of garlic, and pop in the oven for 45 each. Score! Pesto it was to be. And here’s minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and the thing about pesto for freezing: it’s a pour tomatoes and all juices into freezer simple combination of nuts, olive oil, basil, bags. Press out as much air as possible and and garlic. Don’t add the cheese until you’re voila! Ready for the freezer. ready to eat it. Pro tip It’s all about simple technique versus strict recipe. Take your pick of nuts: walLots of produce in your kitchen attractnuts, pistachio, even pumpkin seeds. Toast them lightly to bring out their flavor. I tend ing fruit flies? Pour an inch of apple cider to like walnuts: they’re more affordable and vinegar into a small glass or mason jar. accessible than pine nuts. Or stick local and Add a few drops of dishwashing soap and place on kitchen counter. The scent of the go with hazelnuts. This year I used a mix of roasted and raw vinegar attracts the fruit flies but the soap garlic, offering up a deep nutty flavor along breaks the surface tension of the vinewith raw garlic’s signature tang but without gar so as soon as the fruit flies land, they drown. overpowering it all.
LeAnn Locher grows, cooks, and preserves all kinds of good stuff. She loves to connect with other home arts badasses at www.facebook.com/sassygardener. 36 • September-October 2013
PQ Monthly
ticular variety, it is important to know what that fish looks like in normal conditions. Dark or patchy coloration may be an indicator of stress or it may be a sign of health. 2. Condition. Individual parts of the fish need to be closely examined. The eyes should not be bulging and or clouded. The fins, especially the dorsal fins, should be erect and spread well. The gills should be a nice pink. Fins should not appear ragged or torn, and they should definitely not be clamped close to the body of the fish. Flat and smooth scales, well-rounded stomachs, and a well-proportioned body are all indications of a strong and healthy fish. 3. Sourcing. Choose a reputable store from which to buy your fish. Often, stores that value sustainability will carry higher quality fish. The people working there truly care about quality and will be honest in assisting you with the best selection available.
Conscious eating and stewardship are growing in popularity. An understanding and appreciation of where the food we eat comes from helps guide cutting edge menu plans in today’s restaurants. The pioneering idea of Kristofor Lofgren, founder and CEO of Bamboo Sushi in Portland, pushes boundaries of what a modern restaurant business model should look like. With the goal to create the most innovative and creative restaurant group in America, Bamboo Sushi is the thriving example of this objective. Bamboo Sushi is the first certified sustainable sushi restaurant in the world. Dedicated to offering the freshest fish, meats, and produce with the greatest consciousness to marine stewardship, sustainability, and the environment, immaculate small bites are hand crafted. One of Bamboo’s signature sushi rolls, the Ring of Fire, features fried oysters, cucumber, and yamagobo snuggled tightly inside a mixture of chopped albacore with jalapeño and jalapeño marmalade, seared and finished with fried rings of shallots and yuzu juice. The juxtaposition between the crispy fried oysters, spicy peppers, and tartness of the fresh yuzu juice make this Ring of Bamboo Sushi’s two locations offer certified-sustainable sushi. Fire heavenly. Vegetarian dishes like the Imo Koroshi, (potato killer) — fea“With 67 percent of seafood in the United turing roasted yam that is pressed with garlic States being consumed in restaurants, we soy butter, and sesame chili powder — off- believe it is imperative to create a restaurant set incredible meat dishes like the Bamboo where people can get the freshest and best Flank Steak with pickled mushrooms and fish possible, while simultaneously helping herbed Momiji sauce. With such a wide range to save the oceans and marine life,” Lofgren of menu options there is sure to be a new shares on bamboosushi.com. favorite discovered each trip. It’s the right balance between providing If you’re looking for an after work hangout incredible food to Oregonians, and having a or great weekend beverage oasis, Bamboo conscious focus on sustaining the environoffers an array of Asian-inspired specialty ments where our food comes from. The right cocktails. Jalapeño sake, pink guava puree, balance is the perfect balance. and hibiscus simple syrup make up the Bamboo Sushi (two locations) Dragon, while the Raindrop is a blend of lemongrass-infused rum, elder blossom nectar, a Southeast dash of lemon bitters, and lemon juice, on the 310 SE 28th Ave. rocks. A full shochu and sake menu is availPortland, OR 97214 able along with a nice selection of exclusive 503-232-5255 scotch for those purist drinkers, too. Hours: Dinner nightly 4:30 p.m.–10 p.m.; While out shopping at our local marHappy Hour weekdays 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. kets for fish, here are a few things the staff of Bamboo Sushi suggests we look for to Northwest ensure we are getting the best products 836 NW 23rd Ave. available: Portland, OR 97210 1. Overall appearance. Physical charac971-229-1925 teristics of good health include bright colors Hours: Dinner nightly 4 p.m.–10 p.m.; and shiny vibrant scales. Do not go for fish Happy Hour weekdays 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. that look dull or pale. Before you buy a par-
For a listing of amazing food trucks in your neighborhood, visit foodcartsportland.com pqmonthly.com
THE FUN STUFF
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? Alex Huebsch How long have you lived in Portland? About 10 years When was the first time you noticed that gayness existed? Don’t know What would you consider a guilty pleasure? Pizza and a bottle of wine You’re having a dinner party of six; whom would you invite? Depends on the occasion. Mostly those that know me well, and those that aren’t easily offended. Photo by Jeffrey Horvitz
What would you consider a perfect meal? Spanish small plates and lots of wine What would be a perfect day off? On the patio of a villa in the South of France
Least favorite word? Pecan Favorite swear word? Cunt What is your profession? Filmmaker
Favorite book? “Antwerp” (Rober to Bolano), “Lolita” (Nabakov), anything by Cortázar and García Márquez
I f yo u c o u l d c h a n g e yo u r profession with a snap of a finger, what would you like to do? Novelist
Favorite movie? “La Avventura,” “Persona,” “8½,” “In the Mood for Love”
Whom would you like to meet dead or alive? Fellini? Mark Twain? Hemingway?
Favorite word? Bourgeois For more Queer Aperture visit, queeraperture.com
ASTROSCOPES WITH MISS RENEE Miss Renee aka Tarot Chick is an empath, tarot card reader, and spiritual astrologer of 20 years based out of N. Portland’s Kenton neighborhood. She loves love notes so feel free to holla or schedule a tarot/astrology chart session: that_tarot_chick@yahoo.com.
Miss Renee aka Tarot Chick. Email her to make an apointment
that_tarot_chick@yahoo.com
ARIES Finding the middle ground with others gets easier with Sun (Illumination/Will) and Mercury (Communication) shining in your 7th house (Relationships), making peeps more willing to meet you halfway. Diplomacy attempts on your end go a long way. This is a great time to bounce ideas off of partners as they see what your plan’s missing.
GEMINI Gems like to keep it breezy, but Pluto (Death/ Rebirth) moving direct again in your 8th house (Sex/Power/Psychology), coupled with Sun and Mercury illuminating your 5th house (Romance/ Self Expression/Creativity) asks that you dig deep to figure out who/what you want and want to be. Oh, and just “no” to work romances. CANCER Thinking homelife is gonna settle down now? ROFLMBAO!! Honey, your couch’ll probably see more butts than a proctologist with all the friends and family coming your way. Silver lining: this’ll likely be a mentally stimulating time for you, giving you verbal prowess to touch on things that have needed to be said for awhile now.
LEO You might want to add minutes to your cell plan TAURUS this month Leo with heavy phone calls, errands, Prepare for deep seesawing. Sun and Mercury emails, and paperwork headed your way. Some of in your 6th house (Work/Health/Routines) illumiyour tribe will be attending (or teaching) workshops nate areas requiring wheat from chaff separation, and/or giving/getting extra training for work. Pluto organization, and beefing up of skills. Simultanedirect in your health sector may bring previously ously sensual Venus sizzling in “Want It All” Scorsubterranean health issues to light. pio in your 7th house (Relationships) takes existing/ potential romance temperatures to nuclear. Actu- VIRGO ally, relationships of ALL kinds become noticeably Pour on the charm, Virgo, as relationships/friendintense. #Goodluckwiththat ships and financial shift (hopefully gain) are connected now. This is an excellent time to network pqmonthly.com
and call on friends in high places. Full Moon in better?!). Balance this with the deep emotional your 7th house of Relationships highlights areas truths, needs, and desires that start surfacing into of self-sacrifice asking you to strike a balance consciousness after the full moon. between your own needs CAPRICORN and those of another. Pluto (Death/Rebirth) moves direct again in CapriLIBRA corn after retrograding April 12-Sept. 20 in your 1st Oooooh, I hope people are ready for you because house of Identity. Hopefully you clearly saw what showing your true face and speaking your truth is parts of your identity needed to “die.” Now it’s time what you could be serving up these days if you can to begin “rebirthing.” Several favorable aspects to let go of the hesitating, tongue biting and pleas- your ruler Saturn offer stability through this transing tendencies that have held you back in the past. formation. Relax ... you got this! Highly polished self-worth + Makeover x SwagAQUARIUS ger = BOSS. Pluto (Death/Rebirth) moves direct again in your 12th house (Hidden/Subconscious) after a fiveSCORPIO month retrograde. This coupled with planetary Planetary aspects in the 12th house (Subconscious/ action in your 10th house (Career/Reputation) and Endings) plus your ruler Pluto (Death/Rebirth) 9th house (Higher Education/Personal Philosophy) moving direct again in your 3rd house (Mental pro- may stir up issues that have lain unresolved since cessing/Communication) have you doing psycho- spring regarding career/public image/education. If logical surgery on situations in your life that no you’re limping, acknowledge and fix it. longer serve you. Venus in your own sign boosts your already ample charm/magnetism, making all PISCES that work seem effortless. #Props I’m gonna give it to you straight, boo. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is your mantra for now. SAGITTARIUS You may find it’s on you to pick up the slack where New friends! Or at least a social circle facelift. You loved ones aren’t currently able to themselves. adventurous centaurs will likely find new faces fil- Square this now and ground yourself. You’re CAPAtering in and along with them will be new hobbies BLE. Organization, reason, and patience are your to explore, including traveling (is there anything castle’s trebuchets. FIRE! #temporary September-October 2013 • 37
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An auto accident can tear and stretch ligaments and muscles that support the spine; weakening structural integrity of the spinal column. Untreated, it may lead to Osteoarthritis of and/or Degenerative Disc Disease years afterward. My 15 years experience with these injuries will help you.
• September 19, 2013, 5P.M.-7 P.M. VINCENTE’S GOURMET PIZZA ( 1935 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214)
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Dr. Kimberly DeAlto Chiropractic Physician Chirocentric 503-430-7371 12620 SW 3rd St.., Beaverton, OR 97005 info@chirocentric.net www.chirocentric.net
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