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By Joe Paradise
PORTLAND
PQMONTHLY.COM
Vol.3 No.6
June/July 2015
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HAPPY PRIDE, BE SAFE, TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
It’s a privilege to assemble our Pride issue each year; it’s a time to take
stock of our wildly talented queer movement and to assemble as many
voices and perspectives as we can fit in our pages. This year, we had so
many excellent prospects for printing we released supplemental online
Pride content as an addendum to the print copy you’re holding in your
gorgeous hands. It’s a great issue and we’re proud of our work and we
hope you enjoy June’s PQ as much as we do, and as much as we enjoyed
(labored) making it.
I’ve always said Pride is sort of my de facto New Year;
Pride-to-Pride makes a lot more sense to me, and it’s probably the years in publishing talking. In queer media, Pride
is like queer Christmas—it’s typically our biggest issue and
we always have lots of events and people to cover. (Pride
is so big, it usually stretches three months.) This past year
has been phenomenal; Oregon basks in marriage equality;
nonprofits are hard at work striving to create lived equality for everyone; we have a trans person on the cover of
Vanity Fair. It’s pretty incredible. But, we still have work to
do, as anyone fighting for racial, social, or trans justice can
attest to. We must strive for lived equality for everyone; it’s
a moral imperative we’ve written about many times (and
we won’t stop anytime soon).
But there’s a troubling issue that hasn’t gotten a lot of
ink in our pages. On May 29, two members of our community were beaten and punched for being gay. We have an extensive
interview with the victims on p. 6, and although it’s troubling and triggering, we encourage you to read their story. It’s a cautionary tale and, unfortunately, a temperature check of the Entertainment District city officials
champion. I talk about the various responses circulating the Internet and
social media sites in my column on p. 31—and to avoid being repetitive, I
won’t dive too deeply into that here. In short, no one deserves to be beaten
for any reason—yes, sass included—and it’s appalling anyone would imply
a queer person “asked for it” because they called upon wit—that’s saved
their life in the past—to deal with a troubling situation. How many of us
built walls around our true selves in adolescence to survive? How many of
us used wit and humor to cope? Let’s not turn away from that now.
Their attack on the 29th wasn’t the first this year. It wasn’t even the first
in May. And yes, though Rose Festival undoubtedly adds to the dangers
queers face downtown, it is not the sole culprit. Two queers were attacked
at the end of April in the same area. The more we tell those stories, the more
people come forward to tell theirs. How many aren’t reported?
As I type this editorial, activists throughout the city are attempting to
reactivate Q Patrol, which is a great step in helping create a safer Old Town.
We’ll have updates about how you can get involved posted online very
ON THE COVER
A huge thank you to every advertiser who helped make this edition possible; special thanks to the gay bars
who support us month in and month out: Scandals, Crush, Stag, Local Lounge, Vault, Silverado—give them
some of your Pride business.
The State of Queer Nightlife, a Temperature Check.................Page 4
Two Gay Men Gay Bashed in Old Town.....................................Page 6
A Message from Pride NW...........................................................Page 9
Portland’s Trans March, Building Community.............................Page 10
Mark Your Calendars: Peacock in the Park...............................Page 12
The Pride Party Guide You’ve Waited Your Whole Life For.........Page 20
503.228.3139
More Pride Events and Beyond...................................................Page 22
proudqueer.com
Disco Cruelty.................................................................................Page 25
A Cover of Pride: Darren Davis and Bluewater Productions
ABOUT THE COVER: Our Pride 2015 cover comes to you by way of
Bluewater Productions publisher Darren G. Davis and artist Joe Paradise.
Also an award-winning comic book writer, Davis’s original titles have
been featured on everything from CNN to Perez Hilton. His Lost Raven
made headlines for including one of the first HIV-positive protagonists
in a YA graphic novel. Read his full story at PQMonthly.com.
pqmonthly.com
Take care of each other.
--Daniel Borgen
A SMATTERING OF WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE:
TJ Acena, Belinda Carroll, Marco Davis,
Gula Delgatto, Andrew Edwards, Leela
Ginelle, Sossity Chiricuzio ,Shaley
Howard, Konrad Juengling, Richard
Jones, LeAnn Locher, Michael James,
Monika MHz, Miss Renee, Katey Pants,
and, of course, your PQ Editorial Team
THE NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE OF PQ MONTHLY
IS RIVENDELL MEDIA, INC.
BRILLIANT MEDIA LLC, DBA EL HISPANIC NEWS & PQ MONTHLY.
soon. But the onus is not solely on us to keep ourselves safe; the City of
Portland and Mayor Hales must make our community’s safety a priority.
They must hear us. (And we must report every single hate crime.) Enough is
indeed enough and we simply cannot stand for any more violence against
the LGBT community. (And all the trans folk reading this reply, “No shit”).
In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be telling all the victims’ stories—every single one who wants to. We must give voice to the voiceless
and to keep pressure on city officials to act.
In the interim, a few safety tips if you’re caught in a precarious scenario as you’re out and about this Pride season—
and summer (inspired by Andrew Shayde):
1. Travel in pairs or groups. Make sure your cell phone is
charged. Call 911 immediately if you notice anything suspicious or threatening. The only way to make our voices heard
is to use them; report everything.
2. Avoid large groups of men. “Large” means they outnumber you. Are all groups of men bad? No, but better safe
than sorry.
3. Only answer to your name on the street. Your name is
not “Hey, you,” so don’t respond to it.
4. Try to avoid engaging hecklers or angry harassers. Put
on a stone face and walk toward a crowd or safety.
5. If all else fails, scream and run to a crowded place. If
you’re knocked to the ground, try to protect your face and
head.
6. Record any details you can. You never know what might help in a
police investigation.
7. Call 911 if you feel unsafe at any time. Once you’re assured of your
safety or a victim’s safety, report the incident. If you call the police, they
will ensure you get medical treatment ASAP and they will remain with you
until they collect a statement.
8. Do not live in fear. Let your queer flag shine and create safe community around you—of friends and supporters. Do reach out to us to tell
your story. We want to hear it.
Pride is about celebration—we have lots of things to be proud of. So
celebrate! Pride is also, unfortunately, a time to be vigilant and safe. So
do that, too.
Clockwise from bottom left: Rupert Kinnard, Maria Peters Lake (center),
Katey Pants (Roy G Biv), Summer Seasons, Darren Davis and Andrew
Shayde (in the car), Honey Bea Hart, Mary Charming (Mr. Charming),
and Jeremy Abe.
GLAPN’s Queer Heroes NW..........................................................Page 34
Plus: Rupert Kinnard, the Outright Theater Festival, Alexis Campbell Starr, a Lesbian Midlife Crisis, Being Queer in China, ID Check, The Lady Chronicles, This Ends Badly, Pretty,
Witty, & Gay, and much more! Editor’s note: we had so much great content, we’ve
added a special Pride edition online. There you can find a word from Planned Parenthood, and columns from Nick Mattos and Kathryn Martini. Not seeing what you want
to see in our pages? Email Daniel@PQMonthly.com.
JUNE/JULY 2015 • 3
FEATURE
PORTLAND’S EVER-CHANGING QUEER PARTY LANDSCAPE
By Matt Pizzuti, PQ Monthly
ing our only lesbian bar, the E Room. A lot of really good
people from our community have left; two of them I can
There’s a good queer party somewhere in the city almost mention are Splendora (Lee Kyle) and Puppet.
every weekend of the year, but during Pride season dozens
PQ: What’s your favorite thing about the direction that
happen all at once. We caught up with some of Portland’s it’s heading in now?
top event planners to help you make the tough decisions
Heater: Seeing some of the new faces and what some of
about where to go Pride weekend—and gain their insights these queers and queens are doing is exciting! Like DieAna
on how the city’s queer social scene is growing and changing. Dae, Shitney Houston, Staci Styl Lista and Ash St. DarKatey Pants: Control Top, Panty Raid
ling—they’ve given life back to club kids and being more
PQ: What Pride week events are
Troll Drag than just giving face
you involved in this year?
and playing pretty pony. Although
Pants: Queerlandia at Embers
Shitney does give a real pretty
Thursday, June 11 and Free Bleed
face.
at Vendetta Friday, June 12.
PQ: Finally, name one Portland
PQ: In a few words, why should
Pride event that you’re not perthose top everybody’s list of things
sonally involved in but you defito do for Pride?
nitely don’t want to miss (and
Pants: They shouldn’t. I think
why).
there is so much talent and queer
Heater: Queerlandia; I’ve only
culture to absorb here. Pick somebeen once over the years, but it
thing that vibes with you.
was amazing and I have huge
PQ: You put together a monthly
respect for those throwing it. The
Seattle event as well—how does
party has a great concept, great
Seattle’s queer nightlife compare Wesley Walton, of Mrs. and Twerk fame, is among those weighing on on the music, and a beautiful host.
or differ from Portland?
Mary Charming: Gaycation
state of queer nightlife. Photo by Mykl Fstr.
Pants: Oh Lord, so much. SeatPQ: What are you looking fortle vibes on my music way more.
ward to at Gaycation this year?
Portland loves its ‘90s rap and Top 40 and while there is
Charming: We have a few different things on the horinothing wrong with that, there is also nothing wrong with zon for this summer and fall! We’re bringing down guest DJs
that not being my jam.
from Seattle and San Francisco and working on incorpoPQ: Spread the love: What’s one PDX Pride event you’re rating more live music/performers in our event.
not personally involved in but can wholeheartedly endorse?
PQ: Among Portland queer events, Gaycation is one
Pants: Friday, June 12 at Lovecraft for OPEN WIDE, and that attracts many straight or non-LGBTQ people who are
Sunday, June 14, a daytime scenario at Floyd’s Coffee Shop: curious about going to a queer event. Do you agree, and if
For the Win.
so what do you think has made it so universally inviting?
PQ: What’s one former queer destination or party in
Charming: Gaycation is, and always has been, a party
Portland that you would bring back if you could, and why? for us by us; it’s also one of the longest-running monthly
Pants: None. I think nostalgia is ultimately reactionary queer parties at one of the most popular clubs, which most
and has no place in my creative process. I think people other weekends hosts dance parties geared more towards
should end their parties more often than they do. I want straight folks. We welcome fervent allies but also want to
to see the queer parties of the future more than anything. make sure that Gaycation is a fun, safer space for the diverse
Airick Heater: Blow Pony
members of our own community.
PQ: How does this year’s event compare to what you’ve
I feel like this is especially important to stress because
done with Blow Pony last month, or even last year’s Pride? we have been losing so many of our own dedicated spaces.
Heater: Different queer artists, and more of them, local I’m sad there’s no dyke bar left in a town known for its queer
and internationally known. It’s different from last month women’s communities and its long history of queer women
because we put a bit more focus on the meaning of Pride, and music. There aren’t even that many gay bars anymore. So
not the corporations who latch themselves onto our Pride our nights at mainstream clubs are some of the only things
for our money. This is our eighth Queer Mutiny Festival, we have left. We want to make sure our lives, community,
which was created to have an alternative to some of the and culture are celebrated here and most importantly, put
other more high-profile events that don’t usually cater to first. If you’re an ally, make sure you’re keeping that in mind
dirty queers during Pride season.
when you choose to attend queer events. When that doesn’t
PQ: Over the last few years Portland has grown up into happen, I do my best to make sure folks feel comfortable
a national destination for queer people, with a lot of new- approaching myself or security to best address the situation.
comers arriving, and a lot of people leaving too. What’s one
PQ: Gaycation is also one of the longest-running recurthing you miss about Portland’s queer nightlife of seven or ring queer parties in Portland. How do you think Portland’s
eight years ago?
queer nightlife in general has evolved over the years?
Heater: I miss BOOTY, the Dirty Duck, and the Original
Charming: I feel like there’s been a shift in what types
Eagle PDX. Seems we’ve lost a lot of LGBTQI spaces includ- of events folks choose to attend. Gaycation is in its ninth
year and will turn 10 this coming February. Back when we
first started, there was still a pretty active live music scene
in the queer community. Gaycation booked live bands and
musical performers regularly. Over the years, folks seem
to respond more to events centered around dancing and
DJs, or at least with that as a main element. I think this is
partially because of the general shift in popular music to
things that are more dance-centric. I do feel like it’s starting to swing back in the other direction, so to speak. With
festivals like Not Enough that focus on queer music and art,
events like Lez Stand Up and Testify, there’s definitely a lot
more diversity in the type of events that can thrive and be
supported in the Portland queer community.
PQ: Name an old party or club in Portland that you’d
resurrect if you could—and why?
Charming: Dirtbag! It didn’t end that long ago, but I
know I’m not the only who misses it nor the only one who
held it as a favorite. Dirtbag always reminded me of the
queer punk house shows I would go to when I first moved to
Portland 15 years ago. It was always a place for getting wild
on the dance floor, sloppy make-outs and amazing music.
Wesley Walton: Mrs./Queen, Twerk, Maricon
PQ: What events are you helping to put together this
year for Pride?
Walton: This year for Pride I will be doing Queen, of course,
which normally happens on second Saturdays all year-round,
only now we have a million other things happening the same
night. The night before I will be doing an event called Titty Pop
with Summer Russell (DJ II Trill), with whom I collaborate for
my parties Twerk and Slo’ Jamz. Slo’ Jamz is normally second
Fridays, but this year we wanted to do something more high
energy, so Titty Pop will feature booty bass, bounce music,
Miami bass, and club-type jams. I’m also a featured guest at
Shade in Seattle for their Pride, which is an event created by
my friend Alea Mahone (DJ Riff-Raff).
PQ: A lot of people are curious about how Mrs. grew up
and became Queen.
Walton: Mrs. was originally created with a larger cast of
characters. There were originally four DJs and we had the same
photographer every month, my friend Ally Picard (Bloodhound Photography). Eventually, people moved, people broke
up, and we were left with the core creative group of myself,
Ally, and Casey Minatrea (DJ Beyondadoubt).
About a year ago, Ally decided to move to L.A. We brought
on Kaj-Anne Pepper as our host and have been working
with different photographers. Our vision was always to
celebrate “queens” of all shapes and sizes, genders and
non-genders, to celebrate what our audience finds fabulous about themselves and each other.
PQ: There seems to have been a shift in Portland over
the last few years from a city with a more defined “gayborhood,” plus a gay nightlife district in “Vaseline Alley,” to
a city where the events and spaces are more spread out.
Queen is, of course, up north on Mississippi. Do you think
that has any impact on Portland’s queer culture in general?
Walton: For me, I never really felt a part of the Vaseline
Alley crowd. I went to those places (CC’s, Red Cap, Boxxes,
etc.) occasionally, but I grew up a weirdo! I was goth in high
QUEER PARTY LANDSCAPE page 8
pqmonthly.com
pqmonthly.com
FEATURE
“I CAN’T QUITE RELAX”: ANOTHER GAY BASHING IN OLD TOWN
By Daniel Borgen, PQ Monthly
shoved Gary out of his way—and that he cut in front of us.
He swung at me once, missed, puffed up again, swung a
As first reported online by PQ on June 2, two gay men second time, landed a punch, cracked open my forehead.
were assaulted in Old Town on Friday, May 29. They were While I was on the ground he swung at Gary, who had
attacked on NW Fourth and Davis while standing in line gotten in front of me, hitting him on the side of his head.
at the taco truck that routinely sets
Then he ran off. Our friends had
up shop on that corner; the attack
left 30 seconds before, there was
occurred around 11:30pm, close to the
no one else around, just us and the
city’s busy entertainment district, and
taco vendor. When he first looked
there were no witnesses aside from the
at us, it was fear, I saw the fear in
victims and the gentleman taking their
his eyes. Then he probably noticed
order at the food truck. Both victims
my drawn-on eyebrows—I wasn’t
believe they were attacked because
in face [drag makeup] or anythey’re gay.
thing—something triggered in
“My friend Gary and I were out
him, he went from fearful to angry
and about,” says Daniel Pulver, aka
in a split second.”
Madame DuMoore, who works as a
Pulver was taken in by CC’s staff
bartender at the Rainbow Room. “We
and sent to the hospital, where he
had gone to Stag, Embers—where we
stayed overnight; he received sevran into some of our friends. We had
eral stitches, a CT scan, and conour drinks and were on our way back
cussion tests.
to CC Slaughters—but Gary wanted
“I was so shocked,” says Gary
tacos. Because we always use the
LeBlanc, who also works as a barbuddy system, we told our friends to “I feel violated,” says Madame DuMoore of CC Slaughters.
tender at CC’s. LeBlanc suffered
head to CC’s and I’d wait with Gary to get food [at Fourth significant swelling on the left side of his head. “I was
and Davis]. As we were paying for our tacos, a Caucasian shocked and then immediately felt guilt and shame. I wish
man, about 5’8” or so—he was really muscly—pushed his I had done more [to protect Daniel], but it all happened so
way in front of us to order.
fast—I got in the way of the guy’s fist, because it looked like
I leaned over to Gary and said, ‘Oh my, what manners. he was about to go in on Daniel again, and he was already
At least his butt is nice.’ He turned to us and said, ‘Is this on the ground bleeding. I lived in such a bubble before;
some kind of gay shit?’ I replied, ‘We’re just here trying to get nothing like this has ever happened to me. I thought gay
tacos.’ Then he jumped us. I was trying to explain to him, bashings were a thing of the past. I mean, if I were in my
before he got violent, that he was being rude—he literally hometown in Arkansas, maybe I’d understand, but this is
Portland fucking Oregon. This isn’t supposed to happen
here. I sissy my walk everywhere I go, to the gym, to Safeway. I’m just so shocked and it is so jarring.”
“I wasn’t trying to egg the guy on or make him feel
uncomfortable,” says Pulver. “I made a comment to Gary—
it kind of goes into, and I am just going to say it, a double
standard. Guys like him [the assailant] can go into Dirty [a
few blocks away] and say nasty comments about women
all night long, and they have to take it. He had cut in front
of us, so I used my wit and my sass, and I owned it when he
turned around to confront me. I was just trying to convey
how rude he was being. He had literally pushed Gary out
of the way. The push was violent.”
The outpouring of support from the community has
been constant since word of the attack spread on social
media sites. “There have been a lot of people who have
told me their own stories [of being attacked],” says Pulver.
“When something like this happens, we have no choice
but to band together, to come together and rise up. Yeah,
we have our cliques and our groups, but when we realize
we all suffer the same, that suffering like this is indiscriminate—we come together. This year it was me, last year it
was someone else. I mean, it’s sad to say it always happens
this time of year [Rose Festival], but it does.
“Support from the community has been tremendous—
constant and very sweet.
“But the worst thing about the whole experience is that
I felt guilty that I wasn’t going to be able to paint [in drag]
for some time, which seems little and insignificant—for
me it’s a really big and important thing,” adds Pulver. “It’s
something I do for myself, my friends, my fans, for the community; that was the initial guilt, I didn’t even realize until
GAY BASHING IN OLD TOWN page 7
pqmonthly.com
“My bubble has been burst,” adds Gary LeBlanc of CC Slaughters
GAY BASHING IN OLD TOWN
Continued from page 6
I was halfway to Slaughters that I was gushing blood. It’s a
really weird thing to feel guilty about, but it’s the first thing
that crossed my mind; it’s part of my job, and I felt guilty
about not being able to do my job properly. My health was
our first concern. I also felt bad for my companion, Gary;
he didn’t deserve that. I was the one who made the smartass comment, which in my mind was no way aggressive or
anything—but whatever, bad reaction occurs, take it out
on me, don’t take it out on him.”
Both victims—and much of CC’s staff—have called on
law enforcement to be more vigilant in the Entertainment
District, citing multiple reports of similar incidents around
Old Town. “There are always cops on Fourth and Couch
and Third and Couch. As a police officer, you’d think you’d
be trained to be vigilant, to watch for altercations—how no
one saw a guy throwing punches at us, a guy in a bright blue
shirt, and then running away, that’s beyond me,” says Pulver.
As for coping, their approach has been the same. “We
both tried to be funny about it,” says LeBlanc. “We tried to
use humor to diffuse the seriousness of it. Lots of people
have been like, ‘What’s wrong with you [because you
reacted that way]?’ There’s nothing wrong with us, that’s
just the way we chose to process it. Bring it to light, make a
situation known, do something, but try not to wallow in it.”
At the time of the incident, both men focused on the
immediate health and well-being of Pulver, who was bleeding profusely. Pulver has since reported the incident to
Portland Police.
After our interview with Pulver and LeBlanc, PQ chatted with Officer Rashida Saunders at the Old Town Precinct.
She says Portland Police encourages any victim of a hate
crime to immediately report the incident by calling 911.
The Oregon Department of Justice also has a site set up
to investigate potential hate crimes. PQ encourages those
enjoying the city’s Entertainment District to travel with
friends, and to always carry your mobile device.
“It’s not shame I feel now, it’s violation,” says Pulver. “I
feel violated, and I feel like I am waiting for the next time
it’s going to happen. I can’t quite relax.”
“My bubble has been popped,” adds LeBlanc. “I have
never really felt unsafe in this city, but now I feel unsafe,
and I feel like I am feeling that out now, and learning what
that looks like in day-to-day living.”
If you have any information about this incident, please
contact Portland Police. This is first in a new series examining ongoing violence against LGBT folk in Portland’s
Entertainment District. Daniel Borgen, the author of this
piece, offers personal commentary on this incident on p. 31.
pqmonthly.com
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Please contact us for advertising opportunities.
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QUEER PARTY LANDSCAPE
school and I always felt those places were sort of like gays
emulating the mainstream (not to mention I hated most
of the music). I think that popular culture has driven those
types of places into semi-extinction mainly because “the
underground” parts of gay culture are so much more overground these days and everyone is more comfortable with
their weirdness (thank you, Internet).
I always think there is a difference in how venues cater to
crowds on the West- and East- sides. The Westside venues
seem to be geared a bit more toward mainstream people
who might have a little more money. All my favorite venues
on the Eastside have a bit of grit to them; there’s still an
element of punk that, for me, makes them more relevant.
I think it’s nice for the queer community to have choices
that are closer to their own neighborhoods; not having to
venture downtown to possibly be harassed by drunk jerks.
PQ: Aside from Queen (or any other event you’re personally involved in), what’s one Pride season event you
highly recommend that everybody add to their itinerary?
Walton: Bridge2Destiny. It’s being thrown by a group
of folks who are all homies of mine. It’s a warehouse party
and goes till real late, so definitely check it out as an afterparty scenario.
Samuel Thomas — Local Queen, Big Gay Boat Ride,
Branx mastermind
PQ: What Portland Pride week events are you helping
to set up this year?
Thomas: This year I am helping Testify try out a new venue
(Killingsworth Dynasty) on Thursday evening. Then my biggest projects are the Big Gay Boat Ride on the Portland Spirit
and #ProHomo at Branx, both of which take place on Sunday.
PQ: What kind of audience do you find it easiest to
cater to?
Thomas: That’s a tough question! I try hard to make
events that cast a wide net; I like to make parties fun for
everyone (granted, most are 21+); Portland is too diverse
to just pick a single niche.
PQ: You used to be manager at Red Cap, a former gay bar
on Stark that is now closed. How do you think Portland’s
LGBTQ culture is changing now that the former gay district
on Vaseline Alley has mostly disintegrated?
Thomas: Portland has gone on to become much more
disconnected; it seems like most of the LGBTQ community
sticks now to neighborhoods and smaller venues, coming
out only once or twice a month for large parties.
PQ: On the bright side, what’s one thing you like about
the direction that Portland’s LGBTQ nightlife is going in now?
Thomas: I love seeing how many new faces are popping
up and trying new ideas, events and concepts! It’s a tough
time in Portland for artists and innovators, so I look forward
to seeing where we are a year from now.
PQ: Finally, let’s spread the love a little bit. What’s one
Pride event you’re not personally involved in but readers
shouldn’t miss?
Thomas: How could I pick one? Pride weekend is the one
time Portlanders all come together and come out nearly
every day to celebrate and have a good time. It’s amazing
to see and I wish I could see it every weekend. But if I was
going to have to pick just one, I’d say Flare, since the lineup
is spectacular and it’s a brand new concept (full disclosure,
my first thought was Queerlandia, but I am helping host
Carla Rossi behind the scenes... so I’m kinda involved).
Ed. note: For a complete list of Pride events, see our
exhaustive Pride Guide on p. 16. Also, our monthly print
calendar can be found on p. 20.
pqmonthly.com
NEWS
FEATURE
BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
By Debra Porta, Pride NW President
The last year has seen a number of positive
moves forward for the LGBTQ community. More
and more queer couples around the country
can marry. In Oregon, we reached our one-year
anniversary of the right to marry. Members of
the Trans* community are able to worry a bit less
(a bit) about being discriminated against in the
workplace (at least in certain sectors). LGBTQ
visibility is at an all-time high. At the same time,
an undercurrent of “something isn’t quite right”
filters through our community. A community-wide sense of unease and uncertainty seems
to have set in over the last year—truth be told,
longer than that. Reasons for this are, in some
cases, obvious.
From our perspective, winning rights and
gaining equality within the larger society rings
a bit hollow as long as our queer community’s
members of color still have to watch over their
shoulders because of the color of their skin. There
is still much work to do, as long as our alter-abled
family is ignored in their needs and contributions, and our LGBTQ elders are afterthoughts.
Photo by Stephanie Diller
As long as 40 percent of homeless youth are
LGBTQ-identified, we have not arrived. As long as we establish a standard of who is an
“acceptable” queer—and who is not—community will remain difficult to build. And, as long
as we remain unable or unwilling to build real community, we will continue to wake up—as
I did recently—to news of another of our own being attacked, bashed, and harmed.
A lot about Pride Northwest has changed in the eight years I have been involved in the
organization. We’ve made friends and we’ve lost friends. Board members have come and
pqmonthly.com
gone. Finances have followed the ups and downs of our country’s larger economy. Some
years have seen rain while others have shone brightly. (Andy Bell can bring his sunshine
back to Portland any time!) One thing has remained steadfast about Pride Northwest—
our commitment to community. Our guiding vision and unshakable priority has been to
create a home in which everyone under the alphabet soup umbrella can find their place
and be welcome—and to ensure that the visibility, work, and leadership of the LGBTQ
community involves and engages ALL of that community.
Earlier this year, we made the decision to put our money and our time where our vision
is, and engage in the reorganization of Q Center. That was not an easy decision for us.
There had existed a very serious rift between our organizations for a number of years.
We didn’t collaborate, didn’t communicate, and barely acknowledged each other, should
we periodically end up in the same room. But we knew that what was most important to
us as an organization—the health and vitality of our community—was more important
than any slight or offense ever could be. We knew that, if we were going to honor what
Pride means to us, we had to step up. If our vision for what is possible in our community was going to mean anything, or ever come to fruition, it would be because we did
it together. Now, I don’t know exactly what the future holds for Q Center. But I do know
that Pride Northwest will continue to do what we do best—and that’s build community.
Speaking of building community, just a couple of days ago, Pride Northwest was one
among many in a room of organizational representatives from all across Oregon. Most
were LGBTQ, but a great many were organizations working in the Black, Latino, and API
communities who have also begun to actively engage with the LGBTQ-identified members of those communities. It was one of the most diverse and broadly attended LGBTQ
organizational meetings I had ever attended. Even then though, I knew that many in our
community were still not represented at that table. Pride Northwest will work to continue
building more and more inclusiveness into what, by all indications, is a long-haul process.
With another Portland Pride celebration just days away, Pride Northwest is also reflecting upon our own direction. We have come through some tough times and are looking
ahead to growing as an organization, and to being part of building a strong, resilient, and
inclusive (without that, we will never be strong or resilient) LGBTQ community. I’ve said
many times before—Pride will always reflect those who are involved and engaged. We
invite you to engage, to be part of writing Pride Northwest’s next chapter.
NEWS
FEATURE
PORTLAND TRANS MARCH 2015: FINDING
STRENGTH AND LOVE IN COMMUNITY
By Leela Ginelle, PQ Monthly
On Saturday, June 13, for the second consecutive year,
Portland will be home to a Trans Pride March. This year’s
event, which is themed “Trans Visibility is Life and Death,”
and which welcomes allies,
family members, and friends,
begins at 2pm in the north
park blocks, where speakers
and entertainers will perform,
with the march itself commencing at 3:30.
For the event organizers,
the march is about strengthening community, and revealing a unified face to the world.
“It’s for us, as the marchers, to send the message that
whether we’re trans women
or trans men, or genderqueer
or non-binary, we care about
each other, and we’re there for
each other,” says organizer
Trystan Angel Reese. Fellow organizer Emma Lugo concurs:
“The march is important, because it’s an exercise in community building,” Lugo says. “I think the trans community
has become splintered here in Portland. With this march,
though, people have a chance to come together and work
as a community.”
The march’s theme focuses on the epidemic of suicide—particularly youth suicide—in the trans community.
On May 24, Kyler Prescott
of San Diego became the
11th trans youth to kill
themself this year. Bullying and harassment
underlie nearly all these
deaths. The march organizers, who have formed
the group Portland Trans
Unity, believe visibility can
help counter the stigmas
and despair that contribute to such acts. “For me, being trans has
always been lonely,” Reese
says. “All those nights I
spent lying awake when
I was young, wondering
what was wrong with me were very difficult. That feeling
is part of why it’s dangerous to be a trans person. I think
that’s why we’re targeted, because people think no one’s
going to stand up for us. For all the people who see this
march, though, they’ll know we’ll stand up for each other.”
It’s a sentiment Lugo shares.
“We still have so many rights we’re denied,” she says.
“We still commit suicide. We’re still bullied. Our families
still shun us. This is a chance to come together and demand
our rights. When I talk to trans people about the march,
they’re excited. They understand intuitively why we need
to be there.”
The pre-march program at the park blocks will feature a
variety of speakers and performers, including former Basic
Rights Oregon Policy Director, and current Gender Justice
League Executive Director Danni Askini, and Jayce Marcus,
the George Fox University who has sued the school for the
unequal treatment he’s received as a trans man. Also on
hand will be Two Spirit activist and Basic Rights Oregon
Trans Justice fellow Phoenix Singer, trans performer Jesse
Paradox and several others. Reese believes the variety among those who perform and
those who gather and march is a great strength of the event. “There’s something to the huge diversity of the people
who’ll be there,” he says. “I’ll be there with my partner and
kids. I imagine there will be people who look very fabulous with amazing shoes and outfits, and people in business suits. The diversity shows there’s a million ways to be
TRANS MARCH 2015 page 11
pqmonthly.com
FASHION
TRANS MARCH 2015
trans. Nobody’s doing it wrong.” The current iteration of the Trans March
is not the first in Portland. Another was
staged a few years back, which, because of
its planning and organization, has come
to be viewed by some as a cautionary tale.
“There was a march in 2009,” Lugo says.
“It was in a historically black community in Portland, and there was a feeling
that those staging the march were being
insensitive about their surroundings. It
was seen as a bunch of organizers coming
in and being clueless about the community, and things fell apart with the march
after that.”
It’s a lesson from which Lugo and her colleagues have learned. “This year we’re trying
to be cognizant about that. When we’re putting together our speakers we want to represent the entire community to the best of
our ability.”
The Trans March is affiliated with Pride
NW, which has helped it secure permits and
police support, and which Reese praises for
“standing in steadfast support” of the organizers’ efforts. Lugo says she draws great
energy and inspiration from Trans Pride
Unity’s organizing model.
“In our planning we’re trying to be
non-hierarchical,” she explains. “We operate by a consensus model, so everyone
comes along and no one feels bullied. For a
pqmonthly.com
lot of us on the committee, the Trans March
is a refuge where we can practice our values.
It’s so nice to be somewhere where I feel
safe to speak as a trans woman, because—
as a trans woman—I don’t feel safe in a lot
of places.”
To support their efforts, Reese says
Portland Trans Unity initiated a fundraising effort. A success, the campaign
raised $3,000 in only a few weeks, mostly
through $10 and $20 donations. Lugo says
approximately a fifth of the money collected has been put toward accessibility
for people with disabilities, in the form of
disability vehicles for the march and ASL
interpreters. Reese says his personal story helps make
the counter narrative the march important for him. “I’m from a military town in
the middle of the desert,” he says. “I didn’t
grow up knowing anyone trans, or knowing
that trans was a thing. I grew up believing
the myth that no one would ever love me,”
a myth he believes is still prevalent. The
march, to Reese’s mind, offers a chance to
share a different vision.
“With the march we’re celebrating our
resilience,” he says. “No one had an easy
time transitioning. We’ve all survived in
a world that didn’t want us to, and that’s
worth celebrating.”
“We truly don’t see many models of trans
people in healthy, loving relationships,” he
adds. “So when we come to the march with
our parents, partners, family and friends,
we show that we do have love.”
FEATURE
FEATURE
PEACOCK IN THE PARK: A LEGACY
OF INCLUSION AND EDUCATION
By Amanda Schurr, PQ Monthly
PixPatisserie.Com
Find us on Facebook:
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2014 following a decade-long hiatus. “We did very little in
the way of advertising, mostly word of mouth and social
It is a Portland Pride institution, and a true innovator in media blasts, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Peters Lake
a city known for its drag culture. But to speak with Maria explains. “Walking out on the stage and seeing the park full
Peters Lake, the longtime matriarch of Peacock Produc- of folks took my breath away. I will never forget it.”
Crowds can expect the same celebratory atmosphere
tions, Peacock in the Park is also a testament to not only a
remarkable local heritage, but the future of the LGBTQ com- and stellar live and lip-synch performances that have made
Peacock in the Park a perennial
munity in more ways than one.
favorite—Peters Lake says she
The flagship event of Peahas heard it described as an
cock Productions debuted back
“annual family reunion.” It’s also
in June 1987 as Peacock and the
something of a rarity in Pride
Roses, when entrepreneur and
season—a family friendly drag
entertainer Lady Elaine Peashow whose fundamental inclucock’s dreams of a drag show
siveness appeals to all ages and
in Washington Park came to fruwalks of life. “I am always surition. In the fall of that year, her
prised when folks come in and
mother, Audria M. Edwards—a
say, ‘I was here when I was 7 and
staunch gay rights activist—
now I am 27,’ or by the people
passed away. “[She] was warm,
who brought their children and
welcoming, understanding
now their grandchildren. Someand loving,” Peters Lake says Peacock in the Park is one of the city’s most beloved traditions.
times I think… Man, I am old!,”
of Edwards, whose family of six
says Peters Lake, laughing.
children represented the full LGBT spectrum.
“What keeps it fresh is all the talent in Portland,” she
Not only had Edwards been the second president of the
Portland Chapter of Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays continues. “We are constantly being introduced to more
(PFLAG), Peters Lake notes that she is now credited with and more people that want to participate.” Not that the
being the first African American president of any PFLAG deceptively simple premise—a picnic, music, and a show—
chapter in the country. Edwards was a shining example for is without its challenges. Peters Lake stresses that while
Lady Elaine, Rose Empress XXIX of Oregon’s oldest LGBT Peacock in the Park is free to attend, it is critical that the
nonprofit, the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, and the com- thousands who flock to the event donate to the cause. The
munity at large. And in the spring of 1988, Lady Elaine, Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund depends upon it. “For a long time I thought if we just threw a great party,
along with Misty Waters, Rosey Waters and Ray Southwick,
established the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund in the money would come,” she says. “That kind of thinking is
tribute to her mother’s commitment to continued edu- what caused us to stop the party in 2004. In the 10 years we
cation. Peacock and the Roses was rechristened Peacock were off trying to do other things, we never stopped hearing
in the Park and became the main fundraiser for the newly people say how much they missed Peacock in the Park. So
created fund, which awarded its first scholarship in 1989. we decided to bring it back. Only this time we understand
The event—a lavish, joyous presentation of drag, dance, that we have to be more direct and say, ‘Hey, we need your
and live entertainment—grew in scale and popularity over money to continue!’ We also learned how to ask for help.
the years, with crowds numbering in the thousands. Monies The fun [part] has been all the amazing people I’ve met
raised benefited the post-secondary, undergraduate edu- over the past 20+ years and hearing all the stories about
cation of a deserving LGBT student, or a student with an how much Peacock in the Park means to them.” And what does Peters Lake think it would mean to Lady
LGBT parent. But in October 1993, days after Peters Lake
stepped up as Rose Empress XXXVI, Lady Elaine herself Elaine Peacock at this, the start of Pride 2015? Could she
died. In hopes that her legacy, the scholarship fund, and its have imagined how far her namesake event, her mother’s
primary fundraiser would continue, Peters Lake and Kim- namesake scholarship fund, and the LGBTQ community
berlee Van Patten succeeded their friend and have shep- as a whole would have come? “If I had one wish, it would
herded the event ever since. “It is always our intention to be to ask Lady Elaine Peacock this exact question,” Peters
extend that loving, giving, inclusive spirit to our audiences Lake reflects. “At the time of their deaths, we were just the
at Peacock in the Park and beyond in hopes that being who ‘gay’ community and we were fighting to survive the AIDS
we are will someday be enough to unite communities and pandemic and the Oregon Citizens Alliance. But despite all
the fear, oppression and homophobia of that era, Audria
foster equality,” Peters Lake says.
That mission is bigger than just the audiences who and Peacock chose love, leadership, inclusion and educacome back year after year, generation after generation tion. They were pioneers in the fight for gay rights.”
“I’m sure they would be astounded by the progress we’ve
for a summer afternoon in the park. With $250,000 raised
to date, Peters Lake hopes Lady Elaine and Audria would made as a community and doubt they ever dreamed we’d
be proud of what the organization, now a 501(c)(3) non- have gay marriage, whole TV shows built on gay characprofit, has accomplished. “We have people from all over ters and trans folks gracing the covers of Time and Vogue
the state and Southwest Washington that have touched just 30 years after the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. We’ve come
us with stories of strength and perseverance,” she shares. a long way and it is up to us to keep the memories of those
“From single parents going back to school with their chil- we loved, who paved the way, alive.”
dren to those who were the first in their family to go to colPeacock in the Park 2015 is Sunday, June 28, from noon
lege, they have all told us receiving the gift of higher eduto 5 p.m., at the Washington Park Amphitheater, 410 SW
cation was life-changing.”
Peacock Productions’ lineup evolved throughout the Kingston Ave., Portland. Bring a picnic or you may puryears to include a Peacock After Dark event, Soul Food chase food from concession carts onsite. No alcohol will be
& Gospel Show, Medieval Feast, and an All-Ages Show at sold or served; however, you may bring beer or wine (no hard
Darcelle XV Showplace. But the centerpiece of the organi- liquor). Admission is free, but donations are requested. For
zation remained Peacock in the Park, which returned in more information, visit peacockinthepark.org.
pqmonthly.com
FEATURES
pqmonthly.com
FEATURE
OUTWRIGHT: PORTLAND’S
LGBTQ THEATER FESTIVAL
SAVE THE DATE!
PQ PRESS PARTY
July 16th
• July 16, 2015, 5P.M.-7 P.M. Salvage Works
(2024 N Argyle Street, Portland, OR 97217.)
*This will be hosted by Salvage Works and Sponsored by Steve Strode REmax with art show by David Lynch.
Lijoi’s new show, Under The Influence, is a
satire, which examines the vices—coffee, cigBeginning June 14, a queer Portland tradi- arettes, alcohol—that populate our daily lives.
tion continues, as the third annual OUTwright “Every little disgusting thing about people,
Theatre Festival commences at the Funhouse we lay out there,” Tennant says. “But we do
Lounge. A two-week LGBTQ theater festi- it with satire.”
val featuring readings, workshops, and a full
Tennant and Lijoi met through mutual
musical production, OUTwright offers audi- friend J. Julian Christopher, an OUTwright
ences a chance to take in new and developing veteran, who returns this year with the
works from writers in the queer community. musical Oso Fabuloso and the Bearbacks,
“I don’t think any art form has spoken to which concerns the titular Oso, a gay Latino
the LGBTQ experience the way theater has,” bear struggling to recover from a breakup. says festival organizer Rusty Tennant. “I’m
It’s important that OUTwright reprechoosing to do the OUTsent all the voices of the
wright Festival every year,
LGBTQ community, Tenbecause I think it’s importnant says. “I try, but particant to sustain the work our
ularly within the trans and
community does.”
lesbian communities, it’s a
The festival had its genchallenge. It’s challenging
esis five years ago as The
not just to find trans writGay Pride Reading Series, feaers, but trans performers,
turing works like Love,Valour,
as well,” he says, noting
Compassion. The series was
that trans-identified pera hit, Tennant says, selling
formers may not want to
out the old Theater Theatre
be pigeonholed as trans.
venue, a performance that A two week LGBTQ theatre festival, featuring readThis year’s trans offering
demonstrated the audience ings, workshops, and a full musical production,
is the play They Them Their,
for LGBTQ-themed work. Outwright offers audiences a chance to take in
about queer youth who
attend a SMYRC-like
OUTwright evolves each new and developing works from writers in the
youth center (full discloyear, in terms of format and queer community.
sure: They Them Their was
venues. Whereas last year
more than a dozen companies contributed written by me). Tennant specifically reached
works in various spaces, this year the festi- out to trans director Jack StockLynn to help
val is housed solely at the Funhouse Lounge stage the reading. “If there’s one person I
with only two producing companies: Fuse knew who had the connections to the comEnsemble and Original Practice Shakespeare. munity and the sensitivities around the issues
“Every year is an experiment,” Tennant involved, it was Jack,” Tennant says.
Other readings include the lesbian drama
says. “This year is more unified. If people
Almost Home by Meryl Cohn, Reverberation,
latch onto this, I’ll know it works.”
Tennant himself is directing OUT- by Matthew Lopez, and How to Be a Sissy,
wright’s full production, the musical Under written and performed by Brian Haimbach.
the Influence, by lyricist Ernie Lijoi. Lijoi, The festival ends with a “gender-bent” pera recent transplant to Portland from New formance of Taming of the Shrew from OrigYork, is likely the only OUTwright writer inal Practice Shakespeare on June 28.
OUTwright’s scheduling is intuitive, Tenwhose work can currently be enjoyed on
Broadway, where original songs of his can nant says. “Pride is when LGBT-stuff is on
be heard in the musical It Shoulda Been You. people’s minds,” he notes. “But Portland
Lijoi says he worked on those songs sev- Pride happens two weeks before Stonewall,
eral years ago, while part of a prestigious which is when most of the world celebrates
BMI group made up of aspiring compos- it. So we start at the end of Portland Pride
ers and lyricists. Members would collab- weekend and run up until Stonewall. We
orate with each other constantly, he says, occupy that space.”
practicing their craft, and thinking little of
Tennant says he’s committed to making
where the works might lead. OUTwright a queer theater institution in
The day he and his partner moved to Portland, and is seeing little signs that his
Portland, Lijoi recalls, he received an unex- determination is paying off. “This year when
pected phone call from Barbara Anselmi, I talk to people about it, they know what it
the show’s composer. “’Do you remem- is, so that’s an improvement,” he laughs.
ber that project you worked on with me “I don’t have to say it and then explain it.”
eight years ago and that you contributed “I think there’s such an important canon of
two songs to?’” he recalls her saying. “’Yes.’ work our community’s created about our
‘Well, we open on Broadway next week.’”
journey that’s housed in plays,” he says. “As we
The show, which stars Tyne Daly and was make progress, I fear the attention we pay to
directed by David Hyde Pierce, concerns an that’s going away, but I want us to preserve it.”
overweight woman who comes to terms
with her body image issues, as well as gay
The OUTwright Theatre Festival runs
marriage. It’s a financial success and has June 14-28 at Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE
received recognition from the Outer Crit- 11th Ave., Portland. Learn more and purics Circle Awards.
chase tickets at outwrightfest.com.
pqmonthly.com
FEATURE
OUR MIDLIFE ADVENTURE (NOT CRISIS), PT. 2
By Kim Dunn and Laura Waters, PQ Monthly
dren, and seemed to enjoy a slower, more-connected pace.
There were noticeably fewer people with their eyes on
Just a little over a year ago, we set off on our nine-month- devices, and people just being—together or alone. Beauty
long European adventure.
was everywhere. It was, of course, in expected places like
First stop, Paris. And we blew the budget right out of the artwork and architecture and people. But beauty was evigates with our $1600/month Oberkampf Airbnb apartment. dent in storefronts, with gorgeous arrangements of flow(And our 70-Euro cab ride from the airport, too). Oberkampf ers, produce, pastries, cheese and wine. And unexpected
is apparently one of the coolest places to be for nightlife. courtyards, hiding behind huge carved doorways. And the
Since we traveled with our 2-year-old daughter we can’t Parisians themselves. They are seriously beautiful people,
confirm that, but the 11th was
and it appears to be somehow
the perfect arrondissement for
effortless.
us, full of real Parisians doing
I don’t think most people
real Parisian everyday life.
would think to travel to Paris
So what do you do when you
with kids, but in many ways
arrive in Paris for the first time
it was the best place we went.
in your life and you’re kicking
It had far and above the best
off a huge life-changing advenplaygrounds of anywhere we
ture? Well, if you live with Kim
visited. And they were every(our household foodie), you
where. They have amazing,
stock the fridge. And if you
well-designed playgrounds
are going to stock the fridge,
with age-designated equipoooooh-la-la Paris is the place
ment in their big beautiful
to do it.
parks, but also everywhere
There is a mind-blowing,
else. There are tons of them. If
lush-food-filled, eye-popyou’re a parent, you also know
ping, jaw-dropping fresh food
this can be a negative when
market in Paris daily and we
you’re trying to get somewhere
were within walking distance
and you don’t want to stop and
of the Oberkampf, Bastille
play. Good luck avoiding playand Père-Lachaise markets.
grounds in Paris.
Without speaking French and
Paris also has Disneyland,
with no experience dealing in
and we totally did that. It’s
Euros, we didn’t know what
small and generally less magiwe were doing. We felt pretty
cal than its American versions,
intimidated trying to make purbut a pretty amazing experichases. In the end, we relied on
ence for a kiddo who’s Mickey
the international smiling and
obsessed. And food! Everynodding technique, and bought
where there is food. Grabbing
a kilo of this and a kilo of that.
a sandwich or a crepe or a small
A kilo is a lot, by the way—2.2 There is a mind-blowing, lush-food-filled, eye-popping, jaw-dropping fresh food
delicious something is availpounds. We all had fun and had market in Paris daily and we were within walking distance of the Oberkampf, Bastille able on every corner. And the
to kick the kid out of the stroller and Père-Lachaise markets.
boulevards are wide and very
to haul home our delicious treasures (including the best stroller-friendly (which we did not encounter elsewhere in
strawberries I’ve ever had).
Europe.) And the Eiffel Tower is impressive at any age. And
With a fully stocked fridge, we began to explore Paris. museums! Perhaps at 2, Tatum doesn’t understand, but we
With time on our side and a tight budget, we walked. Every- had a good time looking at art together—and bonus, the
where. With Tatum still at an age when she was willing to Pompidou has an awesome outdoor escalator with a killer
ride in a stroller, we covered many miles a day—10 on aver- view at the top.
age. And I’m not sure what I expected to find on these walks,
From beginning to end, Paris remained a favorite. We
but what I found was beautiful and surprising, somehow thought that maybe it was only because we started there,
quaint and easygoing, a place I could live.
but when we returned nine months later to fly “home” to
It was May and pretty warm; people ate their baguettes the States, it was still as beautiful and swoon-worthy as
on park benches, played in the sandbox with their chil- before.
pqmonthly.com
WEDDINGS
STYLE DECONSTRUCTED
“EVERYTHING GOES DOWN THIS
GULLET”: ZACH AUGUSTINE
Photo by Eric Sellers.
By Eric Sellers and Michael Shaw Talley,
PQ Monthly
In a city teeming with fashion, personal
expression and trend setters, we want to get
into the heads of some of Portland’s stylish LGBTQ icons. For us, style is not made
in magazines, malls, or on television; it’s
personal. That is the reason for this style
deconstruction.
Zach Augustine, 46; Fashion, Art,
Design (Nike)
PQ: What age were you when you realized style mattered?
Augustine: I don’t recall ever not putting
style first. I was considerate of not only my
appearance but the environment I inhabited from the moment I had physical control of my personal space. I came up in the
‘70s and ‘80s, so film and pop stars ruled my
vision. Highlights include Edie Sedgwick,
Dale Bozzio, Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray, the
Blitz Kids, The Outsiders, Blade Runner and
Chrissy Snow. I’ll close with Richie Rich, just
because he’s fearless and Heatherette was
the zeitgeist of fashion in its time.
PQ: Who gives you a style boner today?
Augustine: I’m still stuck on Courtney
Love, Kristen McMenamy, Raja Gemini and
Kate Moss. Sting, Trudie Styler and Annie
Lennox deliver consistently. Tonne Goodman is everything, always. Anything Steven
Klein does charts our future. Ashley Olsen,
period. Krylon Frye “Superstar” keeps it
hot. Oh, and of course The Ones, those boys
never fail.
PQ: What is the most valued article of
clothing you have purchased? Why?
Augustine: Tough one. I was just showing Michael a rare, possibly only existing Vivienne Westwood wrap straight off
the runway from the Witches Collection
AW 1983-84; it’s pretty remarkable. I have
hoarded some of the best quality vintage
34” waist 501s with striations worthy of a
collector’s trust fund. Ross Klein gifted me
a collection of ‘80s Gaultier wool blazers I
have under lockdown. Most emotionally
valued has to be my punk rock tour tees
ripped off band member bodies in the heat
of the moment (Fugazi, Minor Threat, The
Dead Kennedys, TSOL, Agent Orange… to
name a few), and yes, I “paid” for them.
PQ: Do you wear jewels?
What accessories are a musthave in your closet?
Augustine: I’m especially
fond of my artisanal “0” collection accessories by Martin
Margiela, 1990s, before he
departed the Maison. I’m a
bag junkie and hoard vintage military. Lots of pins
from my early punk days.
Bandanas collected during
tours in Japan with Richie
Rich. Most importantly, any
Native American-inspired
jewelry made by or collected
by my Grandad Chicken.
PQ: The soundtrack of your closet, list
four songs on your Style EP?
Augustine: Grace Jones, “Breakdown”;
Bronski Beat, “Hit That Perfect Beat”; Guns
N’ Roses, “Paradise City”; The Go-Go’s,
“This Town.”
PQ: EAT, DRINK, SCENE. What do you
nosh?What’s your sip?Where are your haunts?
Augustine: Adventures in eating are
a critical aspect of my Portland experience;
everything goes down this gullet. But, vodka
martinis and heavy California reds. Feeding
at Radar, Interurban, and Yakuza.
PQ: Shoes! What do you have? What do
you need? Brands, color, styles? Let’s talk
shoes!
Augustine: Really obsessed with 201314 Saint Laurent Men’s; whoever was doing
that for Hedi [Slimane, creative director]
slayed. I also worship my Margiela Tabi
boots purchased in unison with Richie Rich
and Chloe Sevigny over 20 years ago. I’m
exclusive to Nike and favor Tennis Court
Classic kicks as well as custom Huarache’s
via NikeiD (shameless plug) when it comes
to casual. Paul May and Rachel Comey
make the ultimate men’s dress styles.
PQ: You have a time machine. Go back in
time and get anything from any era. What
would you get, where, and when?
Augustine: Jim Morrison’s concho belt
and [Henry] Rollins’s first Black Flag tee…
both gifted to me in the back of “the van.”
PQ: You’re going on vacation! Where
would you go? What one item is a mustbring?
Augustine: The Mediterranean. I’d
bring a second-skin black leather jacket
(currently a Levi’s one Michael Leon surrendered). Also a black Sunga, probably by
aussieBum. A vintage Gucci pill case.
PQ: Who’s your favorite artist, fashion
designer, musician, and why?
Augustine: Limiting these complex
answers to the first three I barf out.
Art by Paul Cadmus, Jack Pierson, and
Robert Loughlin. Fashion by Isabel Marant,
Siki Im, and Tomas Maier. Music by LCD
Soundsystem, Magic Mouth, and The 2 Bears.
PQ: What’s your most irritating fashion
faux pas?
Augustine: Shaving my eyebrows off,
hands down.
pqmonthly.com
WEDDINGS
FEATURES
pqmonthly.com
FEATURE
FEATURES
VOICES
pqmonthly.com
PERS{ECTOVES
VOICES
DAYLIGHT SAYS, “COME SEE US IN ASTORIA!”
By Marco Davis, Special for PQ Monthly
shy person—I am serious, I’m shy—I work hard to be open
and loving and vocal; I prefer the serenity of my backyard,
It’s Pride season! That wonderful time of year when we the forest or beach, but being in public is where I choose
step out from our hiding places, homes, offices, cars, or tents, to be to help build community and support those who are
and celebrate as a people, proud to be our true gay selves. in need of advice, a shoulder, a laugh, a meal.
This marks my 25th year celebrating my pride. Mind you,
Have you noticed how many brave people have come
it was all about secret celebration those first 10 years—you out recently? It is incredible! It reinforces my thought that
know, the kind where some of your friends
we all come to our own understanding
know but you don’t quite feel like letting
in our own time. Each of us has a unique
the whole world or your family know. This
path, no matter how similar we are. Some
year, I get to celebrate in Astoria with my
people are brave and daring and solid and
friends and family as we have our first Gay
come out in their teens; others comes out
Skate Night at the Astoria Armory, the very
in college and many more as grown adults,
place I grew up going skating.
lives altered to walk to the truth. Who are
It is an exciting time in Astoria. We are
we to say when the time is right? It just is
working on getting the Lower Columbia Q
when it is, and I celebrate everyone for
Center up on its feet to be a place of serhaving the courage to breathe their truth.
vice to people in our area. This skate night
Astoria really has an incredible comis our first event. Now, I know many of
munity. I’m blown away by the bravery I
you have big plans in the city (wink), but
see with people stepping out and walking
maybe think of coming to Astoria on June There’s a thriving queer scene on the Oregon Coast, and proud. Because of it, I feel that every day
13 to skate with us and share in our pot- Marco Davis is at the center of it.
is Pride for us in this little town, because
luck of tasty treats. The Shanghai Roller
we choose to walk out and be seen and
Dolls have a bout right before we take the floor and spar- acknowledge each other and hold hands with our beloved
kle at 8pm. There will be adult punch, laughter, the glori- as we stroll through town. It makes me utterly happy.
ous sound of skates on wood rolling around as music plays,
I didn’t mean to get sidetracked, I just get so emotional...
and we can hold hands with one another and drink in the Let me have my Whitney moment.
beauty of being present in the moment.
I’m also pleased to announce that I will be doing the
I’m extra excited because one just never knows who will cooking episodes again. The first one is on June 18, chez
show up. There are so many of us on the coast these days— moi. I plan on doing one a month and always invite friends
it will be so nice to gather and get to know each other. Isn’t to come share in the food I prepare, so if you’d like to join
that what it is all about, really? Getting to know our com- me, email me at marcogerarddavis@gmail.com. I will be
munity and know that we are surrounded by support? As a doing some other cooking experiences out on 46 North
pqmonthly.com
Farm; Saturday, June 27 is the first one. During a garden
tour, we will pick the food we will prepare; I will give a cooking demonstration and we will all share the meal—a fabulous E.M. Forster moment in my mind’s eye.
We wrap up the summer with DRAGALUTION on August 7
at the Columbian Theater. It is going to be a sexy, bubblegum
love fest. The doors open at 9:30pm, with a show at 10. If you
have never been, we put on a fun show, have drinks, laughter, a dance party, and we shine, shine, shine. My favorite part
is seeing how every person dresses to express; it is always as
varied as all the fabulous friends who show up to celebrate
DRAGALUTION and our indepenDANCE, celebrating our
power to be free and alive and express as we must.
The next morning is the Astoria Regatta Parade. We have
a float, and I invite all of you to come and scatter flower
petals and dance through the streets of Astoria, showing
the town just how present and wonderful we are.
Community is what I live for. Not walking or breathing in fear is a freedom I wish for every one of us. To not
have that little moment of panic come on as I pass someone uncomfortable with me while holding my boyfriend’s
hand. To not hear “fag” yelled at me as I wait for the light to
change—such name-calling will become a distant memory.
It doesn’t happen as often anymore, but it still happens. It is
my Pride wish this year and every day that we all will be able
to live as equals, without judgment. I believe it can happen.
The more we make eye contact, the more we speak up and
defend our family from anger and ignorance, the more present we can be in our lives, we can break that mold and step
beyond the walls of restraint and breathe in the beauty of
the path before us. Happy Pride! Come see us in Astoria!
With an open heart,
Daylight Cums
NIGHTLIFE
PRIDE 2015: THE PARTY LIST
Pride is here. Here is your exhaustive party list, always
the longest print list in town, regardless of what other publications say; our lists are compiled by folks who actually
sample the queer nightlife our fair city has to offer. You can
also see even more events on our calendar, which you’ll find
on p. 20. Note: HEKLINA is coming to town!
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
PQ’s Pride Press Party: Mix and
mingle with the makers of your favorite queer newspaper. Rub elbows with
activists and leaders of our local queer
movement. It is one of our biggest parties of the year, and hello, that patio.
5pm, Vendetta, 4306 N Williams, Free.
(5-7pm)
Back by popular demand: Testify
returns! Home Theatre System presents: TESTIFY! A MUSICAL STORYTELLING REVIVAL. Gather round
your friends and gaybours and fill
your heart-bellies as HTS kicks off the
summer with the third season of this
irreverent storytelling experiment in
faux churchiness! Hosted by William HEKLINA!
Frederick Steuernagel V and Shitney
Houston. With music by Sister Mercy. Featuring sermons,
testimonials and “soapbox confessions” by a variety of
queers. The family that preys together, stays together. 6pm,
Killingsworth Dynasty, $3 suggested donation, though no
one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Ignited! A celebration of colors. Portland’s newest (and
hottest) fire show and dance party. Instructions: (1) Pick a
color, any color; (2) Wear that color from head to toe; (3)
Add as many same color accessories as you can; (4) Different shades of the same color are allowed; (5) Go enjoy
the show (mostly #5). Featuring Johnny Nuriel and Isaiah
Esquire, and a slew of performers, including Danie Ward
and Melody Kay (and a list too long to print). 8pm, Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside. $15-20.
Queerlandia is queer excellence—don’t miss it (it’s also
our official after-party): Queerlandia is back to kick off
Portland Pride for its fifth year. Honoring our vibrant local
queer community, they bring you the best performers, DJs
and artists in Portland on a backdrop of stunning decorations while raising money for Bradley Angle’s LGBT service.
DJs: David Sylvester (Two Dudes in Love), Roy G Biv (Panty
Raid, Control Top), Huf N Stuf (Destiny at Dynasty), Orographic (Family Home Evening, Bridge Club). Plus: Carla
Rossi’s Postmillennial Pledge Drive, where Portland’s premier drag clown promises to amuse and horrify you with
visions of the new future in this annual tradition. Also:
queer arts market. Hosted by Serendipity Jones. 9pm,
Embers, 110 NW Broadway. $5.
Frisky Whisker at Stag: Dapper bears and cubs dance
for your viewing pleasure and aim to kick off Pride in style.
A body positive and inclusive space, hosted by Kaj-Anne
Pepper, and held at the city’s hottest new club. Get priority tickets early (Portland Stranger Tickets), and avoid the
rush! (PQ staff adores Stag.) 9pm, Stag, 317 NW Broadway.
$10 priority, $12 at the door.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1
See pg. 23 for info. on Scandals’ annual block party,
which PQ encourages you to attend!
Open Wide Pride: Loveshack at Lovecraft. This year
Portland’s goth bar Lovecraft is having its first Portland
Pride event presented by their queer parties NecroNancy
and Ghoulfriend. DJs: Sappho, Hold My Hand, Buckmaster, Prince$$ Dimebag, and Stormy Roxx. Live talent, performance artists, and more. See Menorah, Amoania, Ash
St. Darling, Protégé, and the Mistress of Rollerskating Ivizia
Dakini. Get it, queens. 9pm, Lovecraft, 421 SE Grand. $10.
Free Bleed: Portland Queer Pride. Enjoy the best patio in
the city before the sun goes down, then dance the night away.
Queer life, best life—PDX queer pride PNW talent represent!
Performances by Bomb Ass Pussy, sounds by Riff Raff, Chelsea Starr, Roy G Biv. Hosted by Chanticleer Tru, party vibes by Anton Boeke,
photos by Major Arcana, fortunes by
Coco Paradise. This is a queer and
queer-allies party. We are anti-racist,
body-positive, sex positive, queeras-fuck freaky radicals who strive to
create an environment of respect, celebration, and fun in our parties; Free
Bleed seeks to situate queer authenticity and expression outside of masculine exceptionalism. This is a celebration of femme and a celebration of
the Pacific Northwest’s queer talent,
to showcase a variety of sounds, visuals, and performances that challenge
our ideas of a traditional party and to
move it into an insurrectionary experience. 9pm, Vendetta, 4306 N Williams. $10.
Titty Pop: A Pride Booty Bass Jam. PQ encourages you
to bounce that thing with Ill Camino and II Trill. Expect
lots of NOLA Bounce, Baltimore Club, Miami Bootie Bass,
Bootie House, Chicago Juke, Hip Hop, Party Jamz, Reggae
and Reggaeton. (Slo’ Jamz will return next month.) 10pm,
Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $7.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Fifty Shades of Gay: It’s time again! Get ready to release
your inner goddess (or god) in the fourth installment of our
annual Pride Photo Scavenger Hunt with special hostess
Helvetica Font. You and your team (4-5 people total) will
race across Portland completing tasks, kinky challenges,
and maybe taking a whipping or two (all to be captured on
your cell phone) as you play to win. This year we’ll be providing proceeds from all sponsored drink sales to Cascade
AIDS Project thanks to the generosity of Jägermeister and
our local bars. 21+, teams can be organized ahead of time
or at the venue (arrive early). 12pm, Hobo’s, 120 NW Third.
Inferno’s Pride Edition: In the heart of Portland is where
the women are—dancing the night away and burning up
dance floors with DJ Wildfire the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Welcoming all women, queers, and
their allies. DJ Lauren joins Wildfire, and this night features
dancers from up and down the I-5 corridor. 6-10pm, Crystal
Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside. $12 advance, $15 at the door.
Their biggest hit ever! Portland Gay Men’s Chorus presents ABBAQueen: A Royal Celebration. This time, it’s even
bigger and more dazzling. During Pride Weekend 2015, celebrate with PGMC as they pull out all the stops with singing, dancing, costumes, and lots of sparkle. ABBAQueen
brings all the spectacle and music of two iconic groups
together in one exhilarating show. From “Mamma Mia” and
“Voulez-Vous” to “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock
You,” this is the must-see show of the season. It’s sure to be
a sell-out. Don’t be left out, because the show must go on.
Note: A second show at Revolution Hall has been added to
June 19. Get tickets here: pdxgmc.org.
Club Destiny: Bridge Club + Destiny have joined forces
to curate a special series of queer futurism in art and music,
bringing you all the night warehouse parties and day-
time summer dancing, with national and local artists who
are sure to inspire the city. First up: Pride! Note: Bring
your gay warehouse vibes. Mr. Charming, Gossip Cat (SF!),
Huf N Stuff, Hold My Hand, Trouble Youth. With special
guests Shaun J Wright (Twirl, Chicago) and DJ Gigs (Natasha Kmeto DJ set), it truly is a nationwide affair. Hosted by
Shitney Houston and Stacy Stl Lisa. Visuals, photo booth,
two magical areas of music (inside and outside). 9pm, White
Owl Social Club, 1305 SE Eighth. $10. ($8 before 10pm.)
Blow Pony, of course, hosts their annual queer shindig—
and it’s a family affair. As always, the Pony Kru strives to create
a safe, inclusive space for queers. Bears, dykes, cubs, chubs,
hawks, cocks, kings, queens, fags, hags, witches, pillow biters,
romp rangers, queers, garden keepers, sissies, trade, rough
trade, very rough trade—and you. Get there early, darlings,
this one always sells out. Mykki Blanco, Hi Fashion, Vinsantos, Buckmaster, and more! 9pm, Rotture, 315 SE Third. $10.
Mrs. Presents: Pride Queen! Theme: Pride and Queer
Night Life. Mrs. encourages you to celebrate community
and the queen in all of us (we know it’s in there.) Hosted by
Kaj-Anne Pepper, music by Ill Camino and Beyondadoubt.
Standout looks receive a card for free entry or free drinks!
Dress to impress, fierce ones. Photos by Lauren Baker.
10pm, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi. $10.
Gaylabration: DJ Bret Law (Seattle) will spin to celebration this party’s fifth incarnation. Izohnny will perform;
Izohnny is the dynamic performance duo of Isaiah Esquire
and Johnny Nuriel. This statuesque pair of 6’5’’ ebony and
ivory specimens embody a gender fluidity that audiences
swoon over. Consistently delivering a jaw-dropping performance experience, they exhibit an impressive and unique
array of disciplines. Go fill the Crystal Ballroom and make
some Pride magic! 10pm, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside. Tickets available via etix.
SUNDAY, JUNE 14 (HEKLINA DAY!)
It’s Sunday and your Pride experience is just beginning.
The Big Gay Boat Ride on the Portland Spirit always
sells out early, and is probably sold out this very moment.
Get your life and get a ticket. Coco Peru, Carla Rossi, Poison
Waters, Trixie Mattel, and HEKLINA. Last year was pure
queer joy, truly. Portland Stranger tickets: The Big Gay Boat
Ride 2015. Do it. Plus: HEKLINA. If you’re too late, watch
for #ProHomo.
For the Win: Congrats! You made it. You’re almost there.
You did lose your pants last night, but it’s totally chill, man.
For Pride orphans, disco freaks, and thirsty children of
daytime realness. Your T-Dance has arrived, in the form of
this afternoon’s salvation. DJ Sappho, Pocket Rock-It, performances, all of the things. 12pm, Floyd’s Old Town, 118
NW Couch. $5.
Lumbertwink Patio Pride: Lumbertwinks! They’re
having their first Pride Sunday party and they couldn’t be
more excited. After the parade, come right over and enjoy a
gorgeous day on the patio. Doors at 3pm and we celebrate
Plaid Pride till 10pm, come early or come late. This will be
an indoor/outdoor event and Funhouse is serving great
food all day long. Get in the photo booth and meet some
friends. Guest Matt Consola on the decks, along with Orographic, Hold My Hand, and Jimmy Swear (SF). 3-10pm,
Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th. $6 in plaid, $10 without.
Pride saved the best for last—there, we said it.
#ProHomo. It’s like you’re on the boat again, but you’re
not. You’re on land. Land! Two floors of hot music, hotter dancing, and the hottest go-gos. Plus: Pearl and Trixie Mattel from
RuPaul’s Drag Race. And: HEKLINA. And Coco Peru, Poison
Waters, Carla Rossi, Jackal, Art of Hot, Madame DuMoore,
DJ Mouthfeel, and Jens Irish. Whew! We hope you’re taking
Monday off. (We are.) Best save some cash for VIP, it’ll be worth
it. 8pm, Branx, 320 SE Second. $15 GA, $40 VIP.
pqmonthly.com
CALENDAR
pqmonthly.com
GET OUT
NIGHTLIFE
1
GET
SEE P. 20 FOR OUR
ANNUAL PRIDE GUIDE.
PRIDE NW’S LINEUP CAN
BE FOUND HERE:
PRIDENW.ORG
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Drag Queens, bingo, and a movie!
A great way to kick off Pride Weekend. Join us at the McMenamins Mission Theater for a fabulous evening
hosted by Poison
Waters and Friends
and win great prizes.
Want more? We’ll give you
Poison Waters and
ever ything. Head over to
pqmonthly.com and check bingo, oh my! 6pm,
out our online calendar of Mission Theater,
events , submit your own 1624 NW Glisan.
events, and peruse photos Are you looking for
from your reporters-about- something new to do
town. Also, remember to
this year in support
carefully examine our weekly
of equal rights and
weekend forecast — with the
latest and greatest events — the LGBT commueach Wednesday (sometimes nity? Well, Pride Glow
Thursday), online only.
Run is just what Port--DANIEL BORGEN land has been asking
for! PGR will be kicking off Pride Weekend on June 12 at 9pm under
the Morrison Bridge. Join your community as we
show our true colors on this three-mile LED glowing loop located
on Portland’s own waterfront. To participate in this year’s Pride Glow
Walk or Run event, register at http://prideglowrun.com/ and receive
a pride glow run T-shirt, Glow Bracelets, Glow Necklaces and a LED
OUT!
2
DANCE
IT OUT
SEE P. 20 FOR OUR
ANNUAL PRIDE GUIDE.
FIRST AND THIRD
SUNDAYS
Squeeze: Dance your afternoons
away at Scandals with these delightful
afternoon soirees—guest DJs from near
and far, all your friends,
and sunshine! Who
doesn’t love day drinking? (You can socialize
sober, too.) 3pm, Scandals, 1125 SW Stark.
Every Sunday
Samuel’s Hangover Happy Hour. (Not Pride
Sunday.) Bloody Marys, friends, food, beats by Art of Hot
and guests. It is an excellent recovery scenario. Mingle
with queers in very chill settings. 2-7pm, Killingsworth
Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth. Free.
Superstar Divas. Bolivia Carmichaels, Honey Bea Hart, Topaz Crawford, Isaiah Tillman, and
guest stars perform
your favorite pop, Broadway, R&B,
rock, and country hits.
Dance floor opens after
the show. The Drag Queen
Hunger Games are over, and
the shows must go on! Check out the
newest and freshest Diva hits. Yes, there
Glow Baton. For team and individual pricing please check the website
athttp://prideglowrun.com/.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Going to Astoria? The Lower Columbia Q
Center is hosting their first, of what they hope
will become monthly, gay skate nights. This
is an all-ages, friends, families, allies, new-tothe-area, getting-to-know-you event. It is Pride
season and they are kicking it off with this party.
Do go if you can and come out, skate, laugh,
and visit. 8:15pm, Astoria Armory, 407 17th St.
Their biggest hit ever! Portland Gay Men’s
Chorus presents ABBAQueen: A Royal Celebration. This time, it’s even
bigger and more dazzling. On
Pride Weekend 2015, celebrate with PGMC as they pull
out all the stops with singing,
dancing, costumes, and lots of sparkle. ABBAQueen
brings all the spectacle and music of two iconic groups
together in one exhilarating show. From “Mamma
Mia” and “Voulez-Vous” to “Bohemian Rhapsody”
and “We Will Rock You,” this is the must-see show
of the season. So, put on your cool bell-bottoms
and groovy platform shoes and join all the Dancing
Queens for an unforgettable evening. It’s sure to be a
sell-out. Don’t be left out, because the show must go
on. (Show added June 19, see http://www.pdxgmc.
org/ for details.)
the return of Ginger Lee. Ginger! Plus Bolivia, Honey, Topaz, Isa
and a variety of special guests. Your drag dreams come true. 8p
CC’s, 219 NW Davis. Kiss Bolivia for me.
Monday, June 15
The days are getting longer! And
still an excellent time to get your ac
socializing on. Gay Skate is a joy. M
queers and mingle with them outside
bar setting—maybe your dream lo
will ask you to hold hands during c
ples’ skate. And there are themes n
Themes! (Check online for the lates
this edition will be particularly Pride-c
tric.) Come dressed to impress and
beautiful prizes, and look for our p
lisher, who’s always handing out cop
June 16th of PQ. And, you know, you’ll probably
a date. Every
third Monday. Food drive for Take Action
Inc. 7pm, Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park
Way. $6.
THURSDAY, JUNE 16
The CJ Mickens show hits Portland Pride’s main stage at 2pm.
The main stage also features BIG DIPPER, so
c h e c k o u t h t t p : / / p r i d e n w. o r g / f o r t h e f u l l l i n e u p !
Don’t forget the Superstar Divas Pride Megashow, which will feature
They, Their, Them by Leela Ginelle,
directed by Jack StockLynn. Faeris, a queer
youth, is about to age out of the LGBTQ
youth center they attend. Rebellious, artistically inclined, genderqueer and formerly
houseless, they must face their demons as
they move into adulthood. Through Faeris’s
romantic travails with fellow youth Jordan,
their contentious relationship with the younger
Raven, and their power struggles with center
coordinator James, we see how the center, in its own way, provides
characters the sort of families they never had. There will be a brief t
is a special Pride edition! 8pm, CC Slaughters, 219 NW Davis. Free!
shia to Badu//Lauryn Etc. 10pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $
Family Home Evening. A weekly, post-work lounge party every
Monday night at Vault, featuring DJ Orographic (Bridge Club, Queerlandia)
and occasional special guests (Sappho fills in
now and then). Jens Irish serves you happy
hour all the live long night. 7-11pm, Vault,
226 NW Twelfth.
Hot Flash: Inferno. (Second and Fourth Saturdays
the heart of Portland is where the women are—dancing the n
away and burning up dance floors the second
fourth Saturdays of every month at Trio. Welcom
all women, queers, and their allies. DJ Lauren jo
Wildfire, and this night features dancers from up
down the I-5 corridor. 6-10pm, Trio, 909 E. Burns
Mrs.: The queen of theme welcomes its new host
Kaj-Anne Pepper! OK, she’s not new anymore.
we love her so. And dynamic DJ duo: Beyondado
and Ill Camino. Costumes, photo
booths, all the hits. Lots of ladies,
very queer. 10pm, Mississippi
Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi.
$5.
June 12th
SUNDAY, JUNE 14
EVERY MONDAY
FIRST THURSDAYS
Hip Hop Heaven.
Bolivia Carmichaels hosts
this hip-hop-heavy soiree
night every Thursday night
at CCs. Midnight guest
performers and shows.
Remember those midnight
shows at The City? Bolivia
does! 9pm, CC Slaughters,
219 NW Davis. Free.
FIRST SATURDAYS
Sugar Town. DJ Action Slacks. Keywords: Soul,
polyester. Great place to find the ladies, to mingle, to
get your groove on. 9pm, The Spare Room, 4830
NE 42. $5.
SECOND TUESDAYS
Bi Bar—Every second Tuesday at Crush, and it’s an open, bi-affirming space for music and mingling. Correction: Bi/Pan/Fluid/Queer.
Pride edition on tap. 8pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison.
SECOND FRIDAYS
Slo Jams (postponed until July) is a Queer Modern R&B & Neo
Soul Dance Night at Local Lounge. DJ II TRILL (TWERK) and DJ
MEXXX-TAPE lay down everything from Mary J // Jagged Edge// Key-
SECOND SATURDAYS
THIRD
WEDNESDAYS
Comedy at Crush: Our own Belinda
Carroll and a slew of locals rustle up some
funny. Special guests, and Crush’s signature cocktail and food menus. Donations, sliding scale. (Comics have to eat and drink, too,
so give!) 9pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison.
Queens of the Night: Alexis Campbell Starr. That’s
all you need to know. But there’s more: She always welcomes a s
cial slew of talented queens for a night that takes Hip-Hop from beg
ning to end. 8pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. Free.
THIRD THURSDAYS
Polari. Troll in for buvare. Back-in-the-day language, music,
elegance. An ease-you-into-the-weekend mixer. Bridge Club b
pqmonthly.com
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back following the show.
7pm, Funhouse Lounge,
2432 SE 11th.
FRIDAY, JUNE
19
It’s time for the epic
return of Peep Show’s
annual Star Search Competition, so brace yourselves as an array of new
faces take to the stage
to battle it out for cash
prizes and the chance to become a part of the Peep Show performer
family. This is the show where you have no idea what to expect;
there will be some spectacular talent, and there is sure to be an epic
fail or two as well to make things even more entertaining. And don’t
forget the fantastic after-party SLEAZE with killer beats by the one
and only Jackal PDX. Do you think
YOU have what it takes to get up
on the Peep Show stage? Shoot
Artemis a Facebook message or
email her at artemischase@gmail.
com to sign up. 9pm, Analog Café,
720 SE Hawthorne. $7 GA, $10
reserved, $40 VIP.
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
Drag Brunch: It’s been a while,
but Valerie DeVille and Nikki
Lev are bringing back the Drag
Brunch... now at Local Lounge,
June 19th and now on a Saturday. They’re
going to get this started on June
20, so you can think of it as a PRIDE aftercare afternoon of happy eating
and drinking with two of the wildest drag talents in town as well as some
make the music. Bridge and tunnel patrons have no idea what to do
with us when we pour in. Hint: It’s always the Thursday we go to press.
What serendipitous fortune! 10pm, Vault, 226
NW 12th. Free.
THIRD SATURDAYS
Burlescape! Burlesque and boylesque
wrapped in a taste of tease! Zora Phoenix, Isaiah Esquire, Tod Alan.
(And there’s more than that, kids.) Zora is a treat and a treasure—
and so are her shows. Try one out! 9pm, Crush, 1400 SE Morrison.
$10. We’re featuring all of Zora’s
events online, so get on the net.
Gaycation: DJ Charming always
welcomes special guests—and
here you’ll find everything lesbian, gay, and in between. Be
early so you can actually get a
drink. Sweaty deliciousness, hottest babes. THE party. Yes, boys,
even you can hit on Mr. Charming. We know you want to. 9pm,
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison. $5.
Undergear: Eagle Portl a n d ’ s m o n t h l y u n d e rwear, jock, mankini, etc., fetish party every third Saturday.
Free if you arrive before 9pm or if you use free clothes check upon
entry after. After 9pm arrivals who do not check clothes must pay $5
entry. Clothes check and raffle prize provided by Cub Cleaners.
FOURTH FRIDAYS
Twerk. DJs ILL Camino and II Trill. Keywords: Bring your twerk.
pqmonthly.com
amazing TBA guests.
They’ll start around
1, 1:30ish, depending on the crowd,
but everyone will be
hanging out from
noon on, and playing
hot music, and Valerie herself plans to
dance until she’s too
faded to continue. Central Oregon Pride:
June 20th
Saturday, June 20 at
Drake Park from noon until 6pm. What a beautiful reason for a drive
back east! You can find a full list of events here: http://centraloregonpride.org/2015/03/19/2015-pride/.
FRIDAY,
JUNE 26
Rice, Beans, and
Collard Greens. Rice,
Beans, and Collard
Greens is an allages Pride dance
party for queer and
trans people of color
and their friends and
family. 21+ to drink,
everyone can dance.
One of the best Pride
wrap-ups each and
every year. 7:30pm,
Holocene, 1001 SE
Morrison. $10 cover,
no one turned away for lack of funds.
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Scandals hosts their
annual block party, a beloved
Pride tradition; they celebrate
their TENTH anniversary this
year. Congratulations, Portland’s “Cheers.” This party
stretches through an entire city
block and has all the gay you
can handle, including the city’s
best deejays, performances,
and every feature your gay
little heart could hope for. As
usual, proceeds go to charity:
Cascade AIDS Project, and the
Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund—so give generously,
you do-gooder. Here’s all the
block party info you need:
Friday the party begins at 7pm
and goes until midnight; Saturday Scandals is open 2pm
until midnight; Sunday the
block is buzzing from 12pm until 8pm (neighbors need
to sleep). Be sure to stop by and support the bar that supports our community. Scandals PDX, 1125 SW Stark.
PQ
PICKS
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
June 26th
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. We promise you’ll move all night
long. 9pm, Local Lounge, 3536 NE MLK. $5.
Turnt Up! is a dance party for queers
and queer sentiments. It features a combination of performance, live music and DJs
from near and far. This night is for those who
want: cosmic level dance music, a place to turn
a look and an intimate dance floor to get your
flirt on. What you’ll hear: underground dark disco, house, garage and
techno. Organized by club creatures: DJ Sappho and Dillon Martin.
9:30pm, Lovecraft Bar, 421 SE Grand Ave., $5-7.
FOURTH SATURDAYS
Blow Pony. Two giant floors.
Wide variety of music, plenty of
room for dancing. Rowdy, crowdy,
sweaty betty, the one tried and true,
even after all these years. 9pm,
Rotture/Branx, 315 SE Third. $5.
Judy on Duty. Lesbian hardcore. Judys, Judes, and cool-ass
freaks. Dance it out. DJ Troubled
Youth. Organized by Ana Margarita and Megan Holmes. 10pm,
High Mark Water Lounge, 6800
NE MLK.
LAST SUNDAYS
3
ARTS
& CULTURE
THE
BRILLIANT
CALENDAR
LIST
Sabbathhause Discotheque gay night is back at Aalto
Lounge and it is bigger and more queer than ever before. Featuring some of the best DJs and performers around and hosted by
night hawk Chanticleer Tru. 8pm, Aalto Lounge, 3356 SE Belmont.
Community Unity: a Vancouver Bears fundraiser. The Vancouver Bears invite everyone to another
evening of community fun, supporting those individuals who need
love and support—the clients
and families of Martha’s Pantry,
in Southwest Washington. Great
music, Mr (DJ Hunter) himself, provides a wonderful mix of rock and
more. Food will be provided—
great snacks, in fact, along with
raffles and prizes and lots of drink
specials. Their bear team—Willy,
Dan, Tony, Paul, Reggie, Steve, and the Eagle Staff—look
forward to seeing you there. $3.00 donation for entry,
$1.00 raffle tickets, drawings at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30,
and you must be present to win. All proceeds raised by
the Vancouver Bears, (including entry, raffle, and all donations) goes directly to supporting individuals and families
in Southwest Washington living with HIV and AIDS. Courtesy of our fellow host, video screens with be sporting the
standard PG only. A very special thanks from the bears
to Eagle PDX, Fat Cobra, and everyone in the Vancouver
and Portland metropolitan community for their continued
support of Martha’s Pantry and the services they provide.
21+. Eagle, 835 N Lombard.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18
The most delicious fundraiser of the year! 2015
marks the 16th annual Bites for Rights event. On
June 18, 2015, restaurants, coffee shops, bars and
bakeries around the state will donate a generous percentage of their day’s proceeds to Basic Rights Oregon.
On this one day, you
can feast to promote fairness for all
LGBTQ Oregonians.
Click here for a
list of the 2015 Bites for Rights participating
restaurants: http://www.basicrights.org/news/bfr/
Is your favorite place not on our list? Let BRO know and
they’ll invite them to participate—contact bfr@basicrights.org. And make your feasting plans now!
VOICES
BOOKS
GLAPN
pqmonthly.com
MUSIC
FEATURE
DISCO CRUELTY: MICHAEL ALIG AND THE CLUB KIDS
Prescient in many ways, the Club Kids sought fame for its sake. They promoted themselves as “superstars” in the Warhol mode.
Like most casual observers, I first encountered the Club
Kids in the early ‘90s on a daytime talk show. An explosion of colorfully drugged up, gender-variant extroversion, they routinely appeared on Geraldo, Donahue, and
Joan Rivers’ programs, symbiotically promoting themselves
while boosting their hosts’ ratings through their shock-andawe-driven performances.
I was intoxicated—male-assigned people expressing
femininity while having fun and giving no fucks? I wanted
to know where to sign up, and I wasn’t alone. The Club Kids’
message was a siren song for LGBTQ youth around the
country, who, like their leader Michael Alig, were bullied
and outcast in their repressive schools and communities. pqmonthly.com
The scene was no utopia, however. Increasingly steeped
in drug use and self-destruction, it collapsed completely
when Alig murdered close acquaintance and drug dealer
Angel Menendez.
Prescient in many ways, the Club Kids sought fame for
its sake. They promoted themselves as “superstars” in the
Warhol mode. Their outrageous appearance, which participant James St. James described as “part drag, part clown,
part infantilism,” invited the curious into a world of liberation and hedonistic immaturity. Anything went. Members
of the inner circle included RuPaul and Amanda Lepore.
Alig came to New York in 1984—fleeing Indiana for the
big city. Successful and savvy, he studied briefly at Fordham University and the Fashion Institute of Technology, but
quit both to be part of the nightclub scene. He promoted
parties, partnering in 1988 with club owner Peter Gatien,
who operated several spots, including Limelight, which Alig
helped make the city’s premier destination.
Though a pre-Internet phenomenon, the Club Kid scene
is well preserved online. In addition to their talk show
appearances, YouTube hosts footage of their “Outlaw Parties,” the proto-flash mobs Alig would organize in which
scenesters would descend on locations such as a Burger
King, or an area under a bridge in order to revel anachronistically. These clips convey the weird mixture of disappointment and frenzy common to most post-adolescent
New Year’s Eve outings. Also online are the archives of the Club Kids’ magazine,
Project X. Insular, subversive and decadent, they’re both fascinating and superficial. Issue 14, for instance, from June/
July 1990, concerns itself with the then current and controversial practice of “outing” gay celebrities. It features
playful mock outings of Elizabeth Taylor as a lesbian, and
journalist and outing practitioner Michelangelo Signoriele
as straight, as well as an essay criticizing gay record mogul
David Geffen for promoting homophobia by signing acts
like Guns n’ Roses and comedian Andrew Dice Clay. The issue features less edifying fare as well, such as a darkly
catty social column by Alig, and an ironic, self-lacerating board
game called “Party Success,” in which self-destructive acts
lead to advancement, while self-care results in social failure. Drug use became endemic in the Club Kid scene. Over
time, Alig and the others turned from ecstasy to Special K,
an animal anesthetic that produced an introverted, psychedelic experience, seemingly at odds with the dance club
surroundings. The buying and taking of drugs at Limelight,
as well as Gatien’s other clubs—The Palladium, Tunnel, and
Club USA—took place out in the open.
Alig’s behavior, always outrageous, became crueler and
crueler with time. He would urinate on club employees,
hand people cups of vomit, and steal drugs and money.
“It’s hip to be a mess,” Alig said, while Limelight doorman
Kenny Kenny countered, “There’s not enough fabulousness.
It’s like people are looking for beauty in horror.”
In March of ‘96, Alig and his friend (Freeze) murdered
the former’s roommate Angel. The story of this tragic, pointless act and its gruesome aftermath now dominate the Club
Kids’ story almost completely. It’s the basis for two movies,
Party Monster: The Shockumentary and Party Monster.
The former is by far the superior. Filled with archival
footage of Alig’s parties, it captures both their allure and
darkness. Alig emerges as magnetic and without conscience, a man creating a pleasure dome for all, but whom
no one should be following. It focuses throughout on Alig’s
fascination with schlock horror films, like Blood Feast,
DISCO CRUELTY page 27
VOICES
This Ends Badly
Fight or Flight
By Michael James Schneider, PQ Monthly
It was a long drive back to Portland that
morning; I hit traffic at Tacoma and Spokane, so I was already tired. I had been in
Seattle for a few days, and spent more time
downtown than I had in past visits (when
you’re in love, even the downtown urine
smells sweeter). And I’m sorry, but when
I travel it’s like I don’t even know my own
poops anymore. So yeah, I was in a strange
headspace.
It was a warm day, and I had opened
the windows in my apartment to get some
breeze going. I made a sandwich, settled
down at my desk and got ready to catch up
on emails. That’s when I heard him from the
sidewalk outside, just below my window.
There’s a convalescent facility in my neighborhood, and often one or two of the residents would cross the street to rest under
the big trees surrounding my apartment
building. I’d chatted with a couple of them;
they would almost always be friendly and
chatty. This voice? I recognized his booming baritone; he had been in front of my
building before.
The murmur of his voice outside was
suddenly punctuated with words that rose
out of the background noise of his speech
in sharp relief: “...Yeah, and all the faggots
and child molesters moving into the neighborhood....”
My hand froze, holding the sandwich
halfway to my mouth. My breath caught,
I could suddenly hear my heartbeat in my
ears, and my eyes widened. “...The fuck
did I just hear...?” I thought. I shook my
head, slowly lowered the sandwich. Then
again: “...Yeah and the faggots are all over
the place....” Without thinking, I pushed off
the couch and stood up, startling my cat
off the sofa. Is this what fight or flight feels
like? I wondered.
I was born in the Bay Area and my family
moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when
I was 5. Although no one in my family ever
disparaged gay people, my dad was the
son of a Lutheran minister, and my mom
and grandma came from a Latino Catholic
background: I had good reasons to stay in
the closet. I don’t remember my first-ever
thoughts of being gay, but I do remember
making my same-gendered stuffed animals
kiss each other. A bit later in high school, I
had a best friend, Helen, who was brassy
and outspoken. I eventually came out to
her after my junior year. In my senior year,
I had a massive crush on Mark, a freshman
(some things, it seems, follow a pattern). I
passed many, many notes to Helen detailing my infatuation with him in the form of
poetry and prose.
One day, Helen ran up to me breathless. It was a disaster: Mark and his friend
were riding the bus with Helen, who was
dutifully reading yet
another note of mine.
They decided they
wanted to read the note, and grabbed it out
of her hands. Knowing that she was the only
person in my life I was “out” to, she heroically fought and grabbed the note back.
When they persisted, however, she made a
last-ditch, desperate attempt to safeguard
my secret, and threw the note out of the
window of the moving bus. What she didn’t
count on was Mark and his friend’s curiosity, and they got off at the next stop, ran
back, and found and read the note.
When Helen told me this, my teenage
chest tightened, every pore in my body
closed, and my vision blurred. And now
more than 20 years later I felt this again,
listening to the voice outside my window.
“He’s not worth it,” that other guy had
said so many years ago. After high school
I stayed in town, went to the University of
Near Mom New Mexico and pursued a theater arts degree. It was here that I finally
came out to my friends and family, and even
though being gay in the early ‘90s was easier
than decades before, it was still Albuquerque. I found this out one night as some
friends and I ate our weight in Moons Over
My Hammy at Denny’s, the greasy spoon
near the school. I wore my Freedom Rings
proudly around my neck, coordinating with
my solid cobalt-blue flannel shirt. (Did I
mention it was the ‘90s?)
Our meal was interrupted in much the
same way that my current sandwich was.
Two guys at a table nearby, older and bigger
than us, noticed my rings and started talking
loudly: “What are you looking at, faggot?”
“Stop looking at me, faggot!” My friends and
I stopped eating, looked at each other with
wide eyes, silent and still. Maybe we collectively thought that they would leave us alone
if we played possum. Maybe homophobes’
vision is motion-based, like a T-Rex.
No such luck: They strutted up to the
table, and the main aggressor repeated what
he said before directly to me. His friend got
uncomfortable, though: “He’s not worth it,”
and pushed his angry friend away from the
table, out the door.
It was that, that same feeling, I was feeling now. Sure, I’d heard that word plenty
before, but usually in public, and mostly
in a way that I could walk away from. But
here? In my own home? I couldn’t stand for
this. Could I?
I couldn’t. I’d be damned if I let someone say that word in a place I was supposed
to feel safe. I haven’t been in a lot of fights,
but I know how to get ready for one. I took
my glasses off, took my watch off. I got my
phone ready in case I needed to record anything.
I opened my door and walked toward him.
To be concluded in Part Two.
Michael James Schneider is based in Portland, Ore. He writes for his wildly
unpopular and poorly named blog, BLCKSMTHdesign.com. His first fiction book,
The Tropic of Never, is available on Amazon.
pqmonthly.com
HEALTH CARE
DISCO CRUELTY
and the revolting coincidence between the
events in that movie and those surrounding
his despicable disposal of Menedez’s body. Party Monster, the feature, stars Macaulay Culkin in one of his few adult roles. Miscast, Culkin plays the outsized force-of-nature Alig as a creepily insistent introvert.
This might still have worked, however, if
it hadn’t larded its telling with moralizing
melodrama. Few viewers need slow takes
and somber music to intuit spiraling into
addiction and murdering one’s roommate
are bad choices. A macro view of Alig’s crime and its
punishment can be found in Frank Owen’s
book Clubland. Owen covered nightlife
for the Village Voice and was the first to
report on Menendez’s murder, which for
months remained a rumor. His book paints
vivid portraits of club owner Gatien, who
himself was sliding into crack addiction,
Gatien’s wife Alex, whose identity and backstory appear to have been completely fictitious, and criminals who took over the club
scene’s drug trade. Owen details at length the labyrinthine
double-crosses and evidence tampering by
DEA agents and informants that preceded
the government’s unsuccessful attempt to
prosecute the shady, but seemingly innocent, Gatien on drug trafficking charges. Reading Owen, I considered him a
pqmonthly.com
scold for judging Alig so harshly. Alig, who
emerged from prison last May after serving 17 years for manslaughter, and who’s
preparing a memoir titled Alig-ula, has
put on a penitent face in the numerous
interviews he’s given since his release. He’s
spoken about his struggles with drugs,
which continued well into his incarceration,
and facing the pain that led him to escape.
His interviewers, however, like Owen, have
voiced their skepticism. Upon reflection, I see I’ve wanted to do
what Owen criticized those around Alig at
the time of doing, focus on the world he created rather than the atrocity he committed,
carving his roommate up and throwing his
parts away in the Hudson River. Like Alig, I’ve known what it’s like to be
punished for who I was, and told I had to
hide myself away. The part of me drawn to
the Club Kids’ creation longed for the liberation it conveyed, and the air of dominance its cool suggested—the idea they’d
not just survived; they’d won. I didn’t want
that to be false.
In his coda, Owen expressed his own
sorrow at what he’d once viewed as “democracies of desire,” becoming spoiled. “After
too many nights of seeing club kids’ inhumanity to fellow club kids, I’m more likely to
view discos as institutions constructed on
cruelty,” he wrote. “Club culture is supposed
to be about community, self-expression,
and joyous release through music . . . [It’s]
not supposed to come with a body count.”
True words indeed.
Steve Strode, Realtor®
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Photo by J Tyler Huber.
EMBODY
Family Knots
By Sossity Chiricuzio, PQ Monthly
As in ties that bind, nests that cradle, nets
that trap, connections we weave, places to
untangle.
Mother’s Day was last month and Father’s
Day is approaching fast—those holidays
made up to remind us of obligations and
sell us things to acknowledge them. Or,
less often, an opportunity to have a special
moment of gratitude for a parent we’re on
good terms with. One more way to gauge
the depth of our relations, or the strength of
our disguise. It’s a complicated thing, family.
Most every queer person I know has lost
at least one member of their family of origin
for the simple fact of being who they are.
That truth of them—their intimate relationships and ways of being in the world.
The truth that, were it a heterosexual truth,
would be a source of praise and connection, and proof of belonging, but it’s not,
so instead it is an eviction notice. A judgment day. A long silence. A conversation
made up of the weather, and maybe sports,
or gardening.
Blood is thicker than water. Family
comes first. Respect your elders. Father
knows best. I brought you into this world.
It’s for your own good. How could you do
this to me? Not while you’re living under
my roof. This is going to hurt me more than
it hurts you.
The world is full of mythology about
family. What it means, what is owed, and
whether love or guilt or duty is the currency
in play. I have seen all manner of ugly interactions between people who are in a family
together, seen them fold it into their skins
like scar tissue and keep going. Rubbing it
quietly at holidays and family gatherings
like an ache that lives near the bone. I’ve
also seen great beauty and respect in families, seen honesty and vulnerability and
trust and joy.
Like my own family, which has been a
combination of DNA and circumstance and
choices from the beginning. My mother
and I, her mother and siblings, their circle
of friends, all the partners any of us has
ever taken (unless they opt out, or are abusive), cousins and neighbors and orphans
and outlaws. I count my family as one of
my greatest gifts, try to share it with friends
whenever possible, work hard to keep lines
of communication open, to grow together
as adults.
It’s not like I make it easy for them. I am
a queer loudmouth agitator. I am shameless and strange and a sex educator. I am
happily fat and femme and working class
and bearded and poly. I look folks right in
the eye and talk about hard stuff, point out
places that maybe don’t align with their
highest truth, ask questions they maybe
weren’t ready to
ask themselves.
Gently. It’s who
I am in the world, and it’s at least partly
how my family raised me. Who they are and
how we were and how we are together help
shape me, over and over. Give me examples to live up to, and places to push back
against. Inspire me to find definitions for
words that aren’t as universal as we thought.
Give us all a chance to grow more. Despite this, most of them have opted
in to a genuine connection with me. When
I talk to other queers about my family, I
often see unshed tears, a tensing of the
skin that I know hides a yearning. A disbelief smoothed into courtesy. The concept
of a family that not only accepts, but also
respects and loves me for exactly who I am
and what I do is like a fairy tale. I am unbelievably lucky, and it breaks my heart. That
this should be an exception of such magnitude. That my people have such a depth
of hunger and loneliness and rejection that
leaves us fractured like crystal. Shining and
sharp-edged and fragile to a blow at unexpected angles.
I think this is part of why building family
is so important to so many of us. Why we
bond with friends and even ex-lovers so
tightly. Why we join groups and teams and
boards and churches and weave them into
a net to sieve out the ones who feel familiar
and interesting and safe. We are pack animals, alone in our own heads, in a world
that wants us to be just like them, or invisible, or dead.
If family is the means by which we tie
ourselves together, then knots are inevitable. Our paths cross and diverge and intertwine. We share space and language, memories and resources and names. Debt and
gratitude and sorrow and passion. Loss and
hope. Anger. Laughter. Tears.
If knots are inevitable, then we must
learn which ones weave us stronger, and
which ones bind our roots. Sometimes those
cords, sunk deep into our hearts and navels,
need to be cut so we can grow. Sometimes
they fray and need tending, careful stitches
on intricate patchwork.
I am learning how to recognize family
that is not just a noun, but also a verb. I
have become unwilling to ignore the contradiction between loving me, but supporting politics or religion that would happily
erase me. Diplomacy I will give freely, but
access is earned, just like respect. A family
worth being a part of is worth the time and
work, worth being patient and present and
honest and kind. I don’t want the false safety
of shallow waters, I want to dive deep.
I cannot say what anyone else should do
about family, but I do hope we can all find
one that treasures us.
If you have topics you’d like me to cover, products you’d like me to
review, people you’d like to hear from, or resources to share,
please get in touch! sossity@pqmonthly.com
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THE BRILLIANT LIST
VOICES
BEING QUEER IN CHINA:
A RETROSPECTIVE
By TJ Acena, PQ Monthly
Ed. Note: In September 2014 PQ
writer TJ Acena left for China to teach for
10 months. During this time he has been
sending in personal accounts on what life is
like for LGBTQ people in China, both locals
and foreigners, for our blog. The following
is a compilation of highlights from his correspondence. 1. The two most common questions I
get from female students are: Do you have
a girlfriend? and Do you prefer Chinese girls
or American girls? Most of these kids have
never met an American before, so things
like my impeccable outfits and mannerisms don’t seem to mean anything to them.
The answer to the first
is “no.” The answer to
the second is “I like Chinese girls just as much as
American girls.”
2. It’s legal to be gay in
China, but that’s pretty
much it. And while occasionally people make
re m a rk s a b o u t h ow
homosexuality is “abnormal” or “unacceptable,” for the most part
people just don’t talk about it. And that’s the
strangest part to me—it’s like gays and lesbians don’t exist.
3. “Gay life just opened in these last few
years—the last generation, like my parents,
they almost know nothing about gay life.
They cannot understand what gay life is in
China. So the young people don’t know how
to explain these things to their parents.”
4. I went downtown to meet a guy from
Germany. As I approached him he reached
out to hug me. I was caught off guard; it’s
strange to embrace someone for the first time,
especially if you’ve only had a few seconds to
take in the dimensions of their body. He was
small and lithe, and I felt large and bulky holding him. The last time I had been touched by
someone in an intimate way was almost two
months before, when my best friend hugged
me goodbye at PDX.
5. After a few minutes we left; he didn’t
feel comfortable being seen by someone he
knew, so we went on a walk outside even
though it was quite cold. He told me about
living in Pakistan, how every man uses
Grindr, how gay men marry women and
continue dating other men.
“My father would kill me if he knew,” he
said. He said it like a joke, but a sad joke.
6. Maybe everyone in China shares a level
of intimacy I can’t comprehend. I watched
a boy lean over the shoulder of his friend as
they talked with a girl sitting behind them.
The boy wrapped his arm around his friend’s
waist as if it were the most natural thing in
the world. It would seem a romantic gesture,
intimate, but I see all these interactions all
day long; they are so thoughtless.
7. There are things you just can’t plan for
if you move to another country. For exam30 • JUNE/JULY 2015
ple, the university I teach at is an hour outside the city center and surrounded by
industrial parks, so I don’t meet a lot of new
people very often. Also, the other two American teachers here both left in the first week
of the semester. I had expected my time in
China to be lonely, but not this lonely.
8. “Family is also important in China
because you need connections. Your family
will get you a good job through the people
they know. You have to stay with your family.
In America, people move wherever they
want. People don’t care about your family
as much. We can’t do that here.”
9. I spend every day at work having
simple, stilted conversations with my students, and besides one American friend I
have in the city who
I see on weekends I
don’t actually have a
lot of actual conversations with people in
my native language.
As time passed, I often
found myself spending
more and more time
talking with other western guys online, driven
in large part because I didn’t know how much
I would miss having fluent conversations in
English, even in text.
10. Eddy’s Bar captures my general impression of Shanghai, affluent and modern, but
still China. I’m sure there is a fancy gay bar
somewhere in New York that looks just like it,
with dark lighting, sleek modern Asian furniture, and some ancient Chinese lamps. And
of course there was pounding techno music
that made it nearly impossible to talk. The
bar was packed full of men who all seemed
to fall somewhere between the gym rat-upscale urbanite spectrum, and the Westerners
I saw in there were the same. Needless to say,
drinks were very expensive.
11. Despite the firewall I’m constantly
surprised by the amount of American television and movies that my students take in.
Modern Family is a favorite show of many of
my students and they use an app banned by
the government to watch it on their phones.
12. After I turn off my recorder and we
get up to leave, “James” tells me that I’ll
never really understand gay life in China
since I don’t speak Chinese: “You can only
talk to people like me, who can speak good
English and have gone to school.” He tells
me that his ex-boyfriend, who is not going
to college, will have a much different life. He
probably won’t have the chance to leave if
he wants to; his family is from the country
and much more conservative. He’ll probably have to get married to a woman one
day and start a family. I realize he’s right.
How could I possibly hope to understand?
Living here for a few months, separated
from everyone around me by language.
James’s story is just one among many, but
I hope it gives you just a little better idea of
what life is like in China for LGBTQ people.
pqmonthly.com
VOICES
VOICES
FEATURE
FEATURE
VOICES
THE LADY CHRONICLES
“They Wish We Were Invisible.
We’re Not.”
In high school, I got called faggot a lot. It
didn’t happen every single day, maybe not
even once a week, but it happened enough
that I noticed. Getting called out on your shit
when you’re a terrified church kid trying to
keep all your skeletons sorted and stashed
in the closet is utter horror. Fairly quickly,
I relied on wit and sass to protect me. (Plus
I did the jocks’ math homework for them.
You’re somewhat less apt to be called names
or harassed if you’re the smartest kid in the
room.) As a grown man working and living in
an arguably progressive city, I still hear faggot
occasionally. Today, even though it shouldn’t,
the word, when tossed by a reckless assailant, cuts a little too deep.
Every single time I’ve dated anyone—
or even gone on a date with anyone—and
held his hand, I’ve been called a faggot. My
ex-partner was once attacked for his perceived gayness. I’ve been pushed, punched,
shoved, spit on, and made to feel generally
unsafe on more occasions than I can count,
and I know far too many people who tell similar stories. Several years ago, some friends
and I, reacting to yet another gay bashing
during Rose Festival season in downtown
Portland, called on Q Center to host a town
hall meeting. There, leaders from the city
came, listened, and, eventually, Q Patrol
formed. Q Patrol was not perfect and it was
not the answer to all the problems our community faces, but it was heartening to see
so many from the community get involved.
Late last month, two men I know were
assaulted while standing outside a taco
truck on NW Fourth and Davis. Fortunately,
they’re both healing and on the mend mentally, though the experience has left them
traumatized and in shock. Thankfully, I
work for a queer publication and we can
offer these men, Daniel and Gary, an outlet
to share their stories and give voice to an
alarming problem. I’ve been heartened by
the outpouring of support from many folks
in Portland—and beyond. However, there
have been hecklers and detractors.
First, let’s be clear. No matter what some
queer person says to some gentleman who
shoves them or pushes them aside, no one
deserves violence as a repercussion. After
getting shoved, one friend said to another,
“What manners. At least he has a nice ass.”
The suspect replied, “Is this some gay shit?”
Would the assailant have turned around,
seen Daniel’s drawn-on eyebrows, and
punched him anyway? Who knows. The
bottom line: the man said, “Is this some gay
shit” and went ballistic. That is horrific. Let’s
not wag our fingers at someone for saying
something we may or may not have said were
we in the same scenario. How many times
have you said something sassy about someone while you’ve been in a bar? Care to count
the number of snide drunken comments
you’ve made in your lifetime?
Second, my blood pressure cannot handle
pqmonthly.com
another person implying someone somehow
deserves it because they’re partying in Old
Town, as if there exists some sort of queer
caste system wherein people who frequent
CC’s or Embers or Silverado deserve to suffer
because of their choices in nightlife. Anyone
committing any hate crime should pay a steep
legal price; we should not have to suffer for
our perceived difference; the city should and
must commit all its resources to keeping its
neighborhoods safe. Perhaps that means dismantling the “Entertainment District.” (PS,
any belligerent straights stumbling upon this,
we were there first.) It is reprehensible that
there is a spike in hate crimes during Rose Festival; it is unacceptable that the city can’t seem
to manage a district it created; we should
demand more from our elected officials.
I have been consumed emotionally by
the violence. Since telling last month’s story,
more have been brought to my attention.
Two men were bashed at the end of April;
another man was violently attacked a few
days before this column’s deadline. People
are reaching out, telling their stories. I am
seeing terribly upsetting photos—people
are suffering from horrible injuries. Mental
anguish abounds. The people attacked are
beautiful souls—talented and smart and
witty and beautiful. Decidedly queer.
As I write this, activists are talking about
resurrecting Q Patrol. I am not sure Q Patrol
is the answer, but I wholeheartedly support
people trying. It beats armchair and Internet activism.
I’ve heard lots of people want to bash
back; while I do not condone that, I don’t
judge it. I understand your rage, hurt, and
anger. Some people want to carry mace,
others more potent weapons. There are all
sorts of reactions to a very complicated issue
that hits people right in the soul. Personally,
I’m employing the buddy system, charging
my cell phone, and screaming like a banshee if anyone approaches me or my friends.
I’ll also be dialing 911, because what’s not
reported, the city can do nothing about.
In the interim, try to withhold judgment.
Don’t scold victims for how they process
what happened to them, or for what you feel
they “did wrong” in any given scenario. These
things happen in a split second, in the blink
of an eye, and reactions occur accordingly.
I have a thousand clichés to toss your way,
like: hindsight is 20/20. Don’t be a Monday
morning quarterback. Put yourself in a victim’s shoes.
Be vigilant, but don’t hide who you are
because you’re afraid. I am certainly not suggesting you run around hurling sexual innuendos at every straight man you encounter,
but there’s a happy medium. The fact that
anyone would dim their big gay light because
of a handful of unhinged assholes breaks my
heart nearly as much as the violence does.
“They wish we were invisible. We’re not.
Let’s dance.” –Joe. My. God.
Daniel@PQMonthly.com
FEATURE
RUPERT KINNARD: A SUPERHERO OF HIS OWN MAKING
By Amanda Schurr, PQ Monthly
Rupert Kinnard’s life as a storied one, quite literally. A
pioneering presence in the publishing realm, the Chicago
native first moved to Portland in 1980, making a name for
himself locally as an art
director (Willamette Week,
Just Out), and nationally as
the visionary behind syndicated political comic strip
Cathartic Comics, which
he’d created in 1977 for
his college newspaper at
Cornell. The strip’s cast of
satirizing regulars would
become the oldest continuRUPERT KINNARD AND HIS PARTNER, SCOTT STAPLEY ing black gay and lesbian
characters in United States.
His astonishing breadth of community involvement,
progressive advocacy, and accolades—among them a 2013
Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Arts Foundation—are far too numerous to even scratch the surface of
here. What is equally as inspiring is how Kinnard’s work
spans all facets of his personal identity, from race, gender,
and sexuality to classism, ageism, and disability—the latter
the result of a 1996 automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
A thoughtful and humble man, Kinnard, 60, spoke candidly with PQ Monthly as he reflected upon his groundbreaking career, the intersectionality of diversity and community, and plans to get his 320-page graphic memoir, The
LifeCapsule Project, to the public.
PQ Monthly: You’ve been a cartoonist and an
art director. What is the appeal of each for you?
Rupert Kinnard: The comic strip was really born out of the
passion I had for superhero comic books and a platform in
which to share my views and my thoughts on what was going
on in the world. The art director was really more of a profession
for me than being a cartoonist. … I think one of the main reasons I’m known as a cartoonist is because the characters that I
created, there weren’t that many characters, or any characters,
like them. They were a gay male superhero-slash-fairy [The
Brown Bomber] with a lesbian partner [Diva Touché Flambé].
PQ: What were your expectations in debuting such characters that had never been seen before?
Kinnard: It’s one of those things where you kind of follow
your creativity and do what it is that you enjoy. The thing
that I think is really important to highlight is the development of the Brown Bomber, because when I was a kid and
I was into Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Fantastic Four
so much that I started drawing those characters. And then
at some point I thought, “Well, I can just create my own
characters,” and when I was creating my own characters
at one point I realized there weren’t any black people in
these comic books that I had admired. I went, “Well, wait a
minute, they’re white.” It was like one of those racial awakenings, because it’s interesting to me that I was outraged
when I realized that I wasn’t really being represented in the
comics and then I didn’t think, “Well, what the hell? I created these characters, my own, and I’ve even made them
white.” So that caused an extreme change in direction.
PQ: Do you think the format allowed you to get
away with more, broach hot-button topics easier?
Kinnard: Maybe. All I know is I really created something
that was just a hybrid of so many aspects of cartooning and
editorializing. It’s one thing being a superhero in a comic
book, it’s another thing being a superhero that’s the lead in
a weekly comic strip commenting with the other characters
of the strip on events of the day. The only thing I can say
about the combination of all the elements that went into
making my strip [is] that it just ended up being a whimsical collection of influences.
PQ: As an African American, a gay man, and also a paraplegic, speaking as generally or specifically as you’d like,
what have you observed in terms of visibility and growth?
Kinnard: I think what we all would like is for kind of a natural integration of visibility of diverse people. Not only
people of color but gender-wise, in terms of transsexual
people and bisexuals, but the other cross I have to bear is
I’m disabled or what I consider “less-abled.” So you just
kind of want there to be a true understanding of how diverse
the community is. … I’ve been around long enough that I
definitely remember the frustration of how everywhere you
turn, [with] the gay community at that time, it wasn’t even
considered “lesbian” and “gay”—it was white men [who]
were representing the community, and they had to kind of
be dragged kicking and screaming to even include women.
And even when they did make any kind of effort to include
women they wanted women to identify as “gay women.”
And the women were saying, “No, we have enough difference from you as gay people that we are lesbians,” and
there was that conflict. … I can understand women basically saying, “Why are you questioning us? You’re saying you
want us to be a part of this, you say you’re welcoming, and
the minute we let you know how we want to identify ourselves we get this flak from you.” It was all indicative of a
power play that I think is kind of a root part of straight white
men and then gay men— merely by virtue of being gay, it
doesn’t mean that they don’t have that white male privilege
aspect. Exploring that kind of stuff has always been fascinating to me, and I have to make it fascinating just to kind
of override the frustration that’s in it all.
PQ: As we approach Pride season, can you share your
thoughts on not only the frustration you mention, but our
accomplishments and triumphs?
Kinnard: First of all, I don’t think that you can ever talk
to anyone who would be as strongly in agreement as I am
in terms of how far we’ve come. I’m in awe of how far we’ve
come, the community has come, on so many levels. During
the ‘80s, the least of what we were fighting for was the right
to not be beaten up in the street and not to be discriminated
[against] in housing or on the job. So there was this really
intense thing that we were really passionate about fighting
for and we never in a million years would have added samesex marriage to the mix. It was inconceivable that that was
anything that we would ask for, so the degree to which that
has taken hold in just the American consciousness is absolutely one of the hugest things that has occurred. Connected
to that is how humbling it is to see the sheer power of the
Coming Out movement. This whole idea of refusing to be in
the shadows and in the closet is in every single way responsible for, in retrospect, how quickly change has happened. …
I still think the challenge really does have to do with
the diversity within our ranks, and aligning ourselves with
other social movements. One of my favorite cartoons that I
drew back in the ‘80s had to do with a gay white man [who’s
saying], “We really need to struggle to get all the rights that
we deserve” … and basically what he was saying is, as white
gay men, the only thing stopping them from really being a
part of the power structure was the gay part. … So in answer
to your question, it still really is a diversity issue and really
understanding the true power of intersectionality.
PQ: What have been some of your favorite moments in
seeing how your work, your voice on the page, has impacted
others?
Kinnard: One of the most gratifying things happened
so recently. It had to do with being invited to the Queer &
Comics Conference in New York. One of the panels that
I had been invited to be on that I was really proud of was
the “Pioneers of Queer Men’s Comics” panel. When I was
invited, my first thought is, “I’m not a pioneer,” but … it
gives you this opportunity to reflect back on what you’ve
done, what you’ve created and, even more so, it forces you
to think back to the state of gay cartoons when I started.
All of a sudden I think, “Well, wait a minute, I was drawing
this black gay superhero in this comic strip—who else was
there?” It made me realize that there [hadn’t been] what
it is I was doing. The other panel that I had been invited
on was a panel that I really felt dealt with these different
parts of who I am, “Queer Comics, Health and Dis/Ability,” and I thought that that would be the least-attended
panel but it was packed. Just the reception I got from the
presentation that I did, it was the most recent example of
how people can be moved when you have these various
issues to deal with within the queer community. Anytime
that I feel like I’m in a place to encourage people to draw
parallels between all of our different challenges and you
can put a political slant on it, I do feel very, very gratified
and very rewarded.
pqmonthly.com
PHOTOS
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GLAPN
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By Robin Will, President, Gay & Lesbian
Archives of the Pacific Northwest
(GLAPN)
committee came from community volunteers; in following years, previous Heroes
have mostly done the job. We were happy
with the racial, ethnic and gender balance
among the nominees—our community has
Queer Heroes Northwest was born four consistently given us plenty to work with
years ago, out of a conference at Portland’s in that regard. Narrowing the list down to
Q Center.
30 was the hardest part.
Some Q Center staff
On June 1, we started
and a couple of GLAPN
announcing a Queer
members were looking at
Hero per day on GLAPN.
a multimedia project from
org, and the Thursday
out of state. It was flashy,
before Pride, we had all
it looked expensive—and
30 Queer Heroes postit honored an LGBTQ citers up in the gallery at
izen for every day of their Christine Tanner and Lisa Chickadonz met in 1982 at
Q Center. The Queer
Pride festival.
Oregon Health Sciences University. They started a family in Heroes posters stay up
“Can we do this in Port- the 1990s. (Our online version has their complete story.) all year at Q Center; a
land?” was the question.
separate display of the
Minus the ad-agency glitter and flash, it was Heroes goes to Pride; and we create a travcompletely possible. We came away from eling display to other exhibits and celebrathe table with a project timeline, a little bit tions, all year round. The Queer Hero profiles
of strategy, no budget whatsoever, and the remain on GLAPN’s website forever.
name Queer Heroes Northwest.
By the time this article is in print, at least
It was a good project for a historical soci- some of the 2015 Heroes will have been
ety. GLAPN’s entire reason for existing is announced online. All of this year’s Queer
to collect, preserve and publicize regional Heroes’ posters will be on display at Q Cenqueer history. We knew some of our com- ter’s Aaron Hall Gallery, opening Thursday,
munity’s heroes, and we were certain that June 11, from 5-7pm. It’s quite a gathercrowdsourcing would tell us more.
ing—all present and previous Queer Heroes
It was good to team up with Q Center, are invited, and the event is open to the
which was in a position to reach a far larger public. Folks who can’t catch the opening
audience than GLAPN could claim on our at Q Center can see the entire display at
own.
Pride, or follow along day by day on GLAPN.
And it was good to introduce such a org and Facebook as the rest of the Queer
positive project. All LGBTQ folk have been Heroes are revealed.
beaten down at least a little bit by prejuIt’s impossible to do this work for four
dice and discrimination, in part because years without learning a thing or two.
we don’t get much good news about ourI found it remarkable how much our
selves. It is uplifting to hear stories of cour- movement has depended on drag queens.
age, persistence and accomplishment, told Who rioted at Stonewall? Who started orgaby those who know us.
nizing our community, in Portland’s gay
So the first year of Queer Heroes NW bars? Who stepped up with fundraisers
went remarkably well—and, in fact, four for AIDS victims, when the need was most
years later we’re still doing approximately desperate? Who is still funding and awardthe same things, except that Q Center is now ing scholarships to LGBTQ students to this
in the background, and GLAPN is learning very day? These men and women have my
to run Queer Heroes Northwest on our own. utmost respect.
We opened nominations for Queer
It has been eye-opening to see the influHeroes NW on our web page early in March, ence people of color have had on our moveand a number of friends gave us a boost ment from the beginning. The mainstream
through social media. We were open to press never told us that.
hearing about anybody—living or dead,
We can see connections as time goes by.
LGBTQ or straight ally—who had ever made For instance, there’s a line running from Bill
life better for queer people in the Northwest. and Ann Shepherd (who co-founded PFLAG
We added the criteria of risk, sacrifice, ser- in 1975), through Jeff Rose, (Mr. Portland
vice, example and inspiration, recognizing Leather in 1993, who created a scholarship
that while legislators and bureaucrats make fund in the Shepherds’ honor), directly to
lasting contributions to our community, so the Shepherd Scholar who took the State of
do people who have nothing to give but their Oregon to court in 2014, bringing marriage
volunteer hours, or those who worry about equality to Oregon.
getting beaten up on the way home from
Of course there’s more. Someone with a
school. We intended to recognize everybody. little patience can get a fairly good picture
We compiled the nominations in April. of Oregon’s LGBTQ history, just by browsIt was like inviting folks to a party, and waiting the last three years’ Queer Hero proing to see who showed up. Response was far files on GLAPN.org—small, tolerable, even
bigger than we expected, and even in the interesting doses of history, and it’s about
first year we compiled more than 150 nom- people we know!
inations into the mother of all spreadsheets
We’re sharing one of this year’s Queer
and sat down to figure out what we had.
Heroes profiles online at PQ Monthly’s webWe made selections in early May, and site, chosen particularly to illustrate one
started on production. The first selection couple’s tenacity in pursuit of justice.
pqmonthly.com
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5000 Meadows Suite 150 Portland, OR 97035
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VOICES
Pretty And Witty And Gay
LIFE IS GOOD. ENJOY THE RIDE!
MARRIAGE FOR EVERYONE!
By Belinda Carroll, PQ Monthly
It is a very important Pride season for the
LGBTQ community, kids. Sure, the booze is
flowing, the EDM is on full blast in many of
our various hot clubs, and President Obama
declared June Pride Month, which makes it
super official. It’s also the month that the
Supreme Court of the United States is due
to rule on the rest of DOMA (Defense of
Marriage Act).
When SCOTUS struck down DOMA June
26, 2013, it was only a section. It ruled that
the assertion that “defining marriage only
between a man and a woman lacked constitutional basis” and left the legalization
of same-sex marriage up to the individual
states. It’s basically like your mom deciding
that your bedtime doesn’t necessarily have
to be 9pm but then leaving it up to everyone
in the house to decide. You’re still going to
bed at 9pm if they decide they don’t want
to change it, even if it’s just not fair, mom.
The ruling opened the floodgates all over
the U.S. making same-sex marriage legal in
36 states. Good thing Scalia, one of the only
dissenting judges in the ruling, isn’t the only
justice. That guy is a real buzzkill.
A positive ruling can mean a few things,
depending on how they rule. They can
decide that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, and no state can abridge
the rights outlined in the Constitution. In
other words, states would no longer have
the right to deny marriage; it would be, in
effect, federalized. Or, it can decide that if
a couple gets married in a state that has
legalized gay marriage and then come to
let’s say, Alabama, Alabama would have
to recognize the marriage. (Although, why
anyone would willingly move to Alabama is
beyond me.) Or, it can decide to keep things
exactly the same.
There are a couple of things that point
toward a positive ruling. One is that Ruth
Bader Ginsburg rocks. That’s just true in general, but she recently performed a same-sex
marriage for two men, and at the end of the
ceremony said, “By the power vested in me
by the Constitution of the United States”—
which points to Bader Ginsburg thinking
marriage is constitutional. But before we
send Bader-Ginsburg a note saying, “Do you
like us, yes or no?” there have been other
indications, such as SCOTUS overturning
100 percent of the state same-sex marriage
bans in the last two years.
We kind of know who is going to vote
what. (Scalia
against it, Bader
Ginsburg for it.)
T he r e a l q ue stion mark is Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has said both that he believes
everyone has the right to marry freely and
also said, “I don’t even know how to count
the decimals when we talk about millennia. This definition has been with us for
millennia. And it’s very difficult for the
court to say, ‘Oh, well, we know better.’” He
added that “the social science on this”—
the value and perils of same-sex marriage—is “too new.”
I’m not sure what Kennedy is afraid
of. Maybe he’s afraid of china patterns
that are just too fabulous, or that lesbians
will use our power tools powers against
people. Forced remodels are very scary.
But, since Massachusetts legalized samesex marriage in 2004, divorce rates have
actually gone down for the state. A lot
of that has to do with the fact that the
couples who have gotten married were
together for decades, which really says to
me that we need to do things the opposite way. Let’s have a relationship for years
before we marry. Much higher rate of success. You’re welcome.
I think that the biggest predictor in the
success of same-sex marriage being legalized is... the Internet. I know, the Internet tends to be a vile cesspool of opinions, but the one thing it does is let people
have a clear view into the lives of others
(despite the outright lie that is the selfie).
People who have never come in contact
with LGBTQ people before now talk to them
daily on the Facebooks, the Twitters and the
message boards. That means a lot of people
have more understanding than they ever
have prior.
Which leads to votes. According to current polls, the support for same-sex marriage has never been higher. According to
CNN polls, an overwhelming 63 percent
supermajority has been recorded—incredibly higher than 2004 numbers, which were
26 percent for same-sex marriage according to Rasmussen Reports.
So we’re at a crux in the same-sex marriage battle, and we will win. If not at the
end of June, then soon. But it’s coming, and
I think that people who want to get married
yet have commitment issues should get into
therapy sooner rather than later.
www.paradiseh-d.com • 10770 SW Cascade Avenue, Tigard • 503-924-3700
Belinda can be reached at Belinda@PQMonthly.com
pqmonthly.com
FEATURE
“I NEVER WANT TO GET STALE”:
ALEXIS CAMPBELL STARR
By Shitney Houston and Daniel Borgen, PQ
Monthly
a lot. There were scriptures being said. And
you know, I used to play the organ at church.
They were saying, “You can’t be at church
You know Alexis Campbell Starr from doing this if you’re going to be doing this stuff.
Queens of the Night—her monthly hip- If you’re living this way, you can’t do this anyhop party at Local Lounge—or Darcelle more.” Yeah. It was a lot. I don’t regret anyXV Showplace. Perhaps you’ve glimpsed thing. And you would have thought coming
her at the Superstar Divas
out at school as a gay man would
Megashow, or caught her as
have been hard. It was so easy
emcee at Boyeurism. The list
and so smooth.
goes on. Most recently, Starr
When I first came out, my
placed First Alternate in the
mom’s thing was, “I can’t supMiss Continental Pageant, one
port it as long as you live in my
of the most storied drag paghouse.” That was her thing. But
eants in the world. (Think To
when I moved out, there was
Wong Foo.) PQ had a chance
nothing more that she could
to catch up with the fabulous
say. Nothing more they could
Ms. Starr—about growing up Alexis Campbell Starr is a little piece of do. Now, every once in a while,
in Portland, her art and evo- heaven. Heaven must be missing an angel. she’ll catch feelings. She’ll cry.
lution, and much more.
She might get emotional or
Etc. Photo by Eric Sellers.
PQ Monthly: So you were
something if she sees a picture
born and raised in Portland, right?
of the old me, “I have faith that God can
Alexis Campbell Starr: Yes, I grew up in change you.” So she’s still on that train.
NE, close to the Mississippi area. I came out
PQ: So when you were young and had
when I was 17 years old.
your gay support system, were any of them
PQ: Before that, growing up, what was it drag queens?
like for a young black gay man in Portland?
Starr: Yes. I didn’t know at the time they
Starr: I dated women through high school, were drag queens. But, my friend, Kourtni,
until I was a junior. That’s when I had my first Kourtni Capree Duv, I didn’t really know
experience with a man. It sparked everything that side of him. I wasn’t even a fan of drag
from then on. So when I had that experience queens then. I didn’t like it. They were very
with this guy, I caught some feelings, and intrusive to me. They just kind of scared me.
eventually outed him at school first.
I just didn’t see the need for a man to get up
PQ: Oops.
in women’s clothing.
Starr: Yes. I outed him and myself along
PQ: So how did Alexis get going? What
with it all. So I broke up with my girlfriend. was your first time in drag like?
And his girlfriend wanted to fight me. And
Starr: The first time was Halloween. My
it was just a mess.
boyfriend at the time, his sister and cousin,
PQ: So after all that, how did it go down they were like, “We have clothes you can
with your friends and family?
wear!” And Kourtni was like, “And I can paint
Starr: So I had to come out to my family your face.” So it all kind of came together.
at that point, because there was an orga- And I was a hair stylist. So I could do my
nization that we were a part of that caught own hair, they all brought me all kinds of
wind of what was going on. It was like a clothes, and Kourtni did my makeup. But,
rite-of-passage program for young Afri- girl, I looked terrible. I don’t even know
can-American men. So when this all hap- what my style choice was that night. And
pened, our advisors were called, the school I had these black and blonde tracks. And I
was notified, and our parents were noti- remember I had to get up and go to school
fied. My mother didn’t really understand the next day, so I wasn’t going to glue anywhat was going on. I knew some shit was thing in my hair or anything permanent like
about to happen. It was about to get very that. So I just put my hair in a ponytail. And I
real. I ended up getting pulled out of the wrapped the tracks around, like really super
program. Life got tough. I had to come out tight. There was a little bit of my hair in the
to my family, and I was put out.
front. And I just flipped it all backwards. It
PQ: You were kicked out of your home?
sort of looked like a full wig. I thought I was
Starr: Yes, and I moved in with my bio- something. But it was such a mess.
logical father’s side of the family for a while,
PQ: You’re not just doing pageants now.
until my parents were able to go with the You have been hosting nights, having your
flow as far as what was going on with me. own gigs and jobs.
But they were trying to figure out if they
Starr: Yeah, in 2012, I worked at Silverado.
could change it. They felt they could change I was their host Thursday nights, and I filled
it. They thought church was going to change in too. Then I went to Hamburger Mary’s.
me, all this wrongness. They actually did an That’s when I started doing the show with
intervention on me with bibles and holy Isaiah [Tillman]. I was having a great time.
water, and all kinds of things.
PQ: When did you start Queens of the
PQ: How did that go down?
Night?
Starr: At this point, I had a very nice surStarr: That started in 2010. And that’s
rounding gay support system. So, what hap- always been at Local Lounge.
pened was, I went to my mom’s house. My
PQ: So you’ve had your share of the both
aunts were there, my uncles, my grandparALEXIS CAMBELL STARR page 39
ents. And my grandfather is a preacher. It was
pqmonthly.com
ALEXIS CAMBELL STARR Continued from page 38
the pageant world and the club scene. Compare them.
Starr: So the club thing is me hosting on
the microphone and such. That’s a whole
different side of me. That’s my jokester side,
having fun, getting to tell people about
myself or my experiences in a funny way
that they might be able to relate to. Just
throwing out things that happen in everyday life. About people too, just to see a
whole table laugh and lay out, “Bitch, we
all know she’s talking about you!”
That is where I have my fun. Now pageants are very serious to me. Pageants are
my way to show that I’m not one to be fucked
with. That’s how I look at pageants. I don’t
look at them like, “Oh, I’m just going to have
fun with this and see what happens.” No,
bitch. I’m coming in here and I’m going to
win this. Just for me, at least, it’s like a helpful reminder, “Bitch, you still got it.” It keeps
me in that mind frame. I’m sitting here right
now wondering, “What am I going to run for
next?” That’s the difference to me.
PQ: You’ve lived in Portland for most of
your life, and you’ve been in the scene for a
while now. Is the scene different now?
Starr: I think what’s changed is me. My
view of the scene is different now. I mean
the gay scene is sort of always the same
in some ways. After being on the inside of
things, like working at the clubs, or being
at a place like Darcelle’s, you start to know
all the people that put together the shit and
all the particulars. Just knowing the insides
of things makes me look at it differently. I
don’t necessarily look at clubs as fun anymore. I don’t much go out in drag to clubs
unless I can get paid.
I’d rather go to a place like the Fox and
Hounds and enjoy the company of friends
than go out drinking and dancing and stripper-watching. It just doesn’t amuse me anymore. It’s not some kind of weird stuck-up
thing. I just think I’ve kind of outgrown it.
You know, I hear Poison [Waters] say all
the time, “I don’t do drag for free. I don’t do
drag for free.” And I feel like, for me anyway,
that’s what I’d be doing if I was always out in
drag at this point. That’s why you’ll find me
in sweats just chilling after a show.
PQ: Who are some of your inspirations?
Starr: As far as drag goes, stylistically, I
would say Raquell Lord. She’s always been
my drag idol. She’s just amazing, everything
she does. People can say she is late, or she
is just a glamour queen. But I am fine with
that. The ballads she does are so… they’re
just so good. Her Anita Baker! Everything
she does gives me life.
And Beyoncé is one of my tops as well.
Not because of what she is doing now necessarily, but to see where she’s come from.
How her voice has changed, she’s a mother
now. She’s just a little different. I love to
see that evolution in a person. That’s what
inspires me to constantly change myself,
whether it’s a little bit at a time or a dramatic change. I try to keep it fresh. I never
want to get stale.
Always have supported LGBT rights, Always will.
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ID CHECK
Measuring Progress & Pain
Recently, while I walked past a group of
teenagers, one called out to my back, “Oh
my god—that’s a guy!” Her tone was hysterical, and elicited a similar response from
her friends. I ignored them. While unpleasant, this
was nothing I hadn’t experienced before.
Transphobia, and more specifically, transmisogyny, is a value of our culture, and
something adolescents, I’ve witnessed, can
bond around.
A few days later, I attended a meeting that
included a “pronoun round”: Those present
were invited to introduce themselves by
their names and pronouns. Though trans
people were invited there, this was not a
particularly queer event, and it was evident
that for many this was the first time they’d
been asked to offer such information.
Gender identities in our culture, historically, have belonged to the state and
the community. Individuals are assigned
a binary gender identity, and then policed
and graded on how well they enact that
assignment. To those teenagers, I had failed.
Assigned male, I was not being a man. Likewise, because they “recognized” that, I
wasn’t succeeding as a woman either. As
part of our society, they deemed themselves
entitled to define my gender publicly, and
ridicule the deviation they inferred in my
expression.
As the pronoun round demonstrated,
though, these practices are changing. “You
tell me who you are, and I will listen,” these
ceremonies say. I noticed some anxiety or
bewilderment in a few of those who spoke
that day. Had they failed at gender? Did we
not know what to call them?
About seven or eight years ago I noticed
heterosexual people, when talking about
their significant others, using the word partner, rather than girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife. The gesture seemed egalitarian—a way to erase a privilege they felt
shouldn’t exist. Heterosexuality shouldn’t
be compulsory or “normal,” and non-heterosexual relationships shouldn’t be stigmatized, their choice said. Acts like pronoun rounds communicate
similar ideas regarding gender. Being cisgender is not “correct,” and being trans or
gender non-conforming is not odd or confusing. Asking someone their pronouns or
offering one’s own avoids misgendering,
makes space for non-binary identities, and
chips away at the idea that identities are
something assigned or imposed, rather
than a person’s integral self. As I’m writing this, there have been
8 reported murders of trans women in
the U.S. this year, and 11 reported trans
youth suicides. These
numbers are sadly not
out of keeping with
recent trends. The cissexist idea that cis
people have the right to
bully, harass and assault anyone trans or
gender non-conforming makes life unsafe
for all people who aren’t cisgender. Bullying
and harassment underlies each of the youth
suicides, and the transmisogynist violence
in the murders is self-evident. Observing these ideas evolve, and play
across fields such as television comedy,
public restrooms, women’s colleges, and
murder reports has been alternately odd,
inspiring, and infuriating. Progress is occurring I could never have envisioned when I
was young, and yet the injustice could not
feel more personal. The prejudice affecting young people—those specifically targeted by conservative religious groups—
is the same that made living my identity
when young an impossibility. That same
prejudice is literally killing the most vulnerable among us—those specifically with
intersecting marginalized identities—and
our community seems to pay it little mind.
A recent article about Barnard, a women’s college on the verge of formalizing a
policy to accept trans women applicants,
revealed a campus where those supportive
of such a measure spoke freely, and those
opposed—those “uncomfortable” with
trans women, and who perhaps didn’t see
them as women at all—would not talk to
reporters, and confided their worries only
in private, for fear of seeming prejudiced. Thinking about transphobia is like watching a fire slowly going out. Thinking about
it for a trans person is like observing a fire
that’s devoured one’s house, and killed one’s
family members, being extinguished. One’s
glad to see the danger ebb, but is mindful
one’s house still contains a fire. That meeting organizers would include a
pronoun round and assume goodwill on the
part of those asked to participate, and that
students who wished to act on transphobic
impulses at Barnard felt the need to publicly
censor themselves—actions and attitudes
that likely wouldn’t have been present perhaps even two years ago—demonstrate the
stigma being on the wane. That teens burst
into spontaneous harassment upon seeing
me speaks to its continuing vibrancy. Finding myself drawn to trans topics
during my transition has meant concerning my mind with narratives of progress and
death, narratives that feel like an ongoing
novel—the only one I want to read at times,
because only it reflects my trans identity,
and resonates with the deep wounds of my
past.
Ginelle is a playwright and journalist living in Portland, OR.
You can write her at leela@pqmonthly.com.
pqmonthly.com
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