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A couple weeks I told you about Logo refusing to air a commercial by the United Church of Christ, a church that not only welcomes same congregants, but is in favor of letting us marry as well. And, although Logo won’t air the commercial wherein undesirables are ejected from their church pew seats, it is being shown in the Portland area. Yet, I know PDX summertime queers have better things to do than sit in front of the boob tube, so I found online (in both English and Spanish!). Choose the language and format that is right for you; the UCC treats both Windows and Mac users with equality and respect…
English:
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector.rm (Real)
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector.mov (Quicktime)
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector.wmv (Windows Media)
Spanish:
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector-s.rm (Real)
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector-s.mov (Quicktime)
http://www.stillspeaking.com/resources/ejector-s.wmv (Windows Media)
[…]
The weather seems to indicate that summer is just about upon us and with it comes more events than you could possibly drag your lazy, sunbathing bum to. While laying in the sun this weekend I circled oh so many things in the calendar section of Just Out, yet I am sure I will make it to few of them. Nevertheless, here are the ones I will try to get to, and if you get tired of sipping daiquiris by the pool, so should you.
Tonight
• Movie Night Monday at lesbian-owned Middle Eastern bar Zaytoon. Tonights films are Breakfast at Tiffanys and Get Shorty. (8:30 pm. 2236 NE Alberta St.)
Tomorrow
• Beginning writers as well as more established readers come together for inspirational rants and performances during Dexters Spoken Mic every second and fourth Tuesday at In Other Words. (8 pm. 8 NE Killingsworth St.)
• House of C*** entertainer Amber Martin presents her gayest show ever at Towne Lounge. Stick around to hear her DJ afterward! (11 pm. 714 SW 20th Place. $2-$2,000 sliding scale.)
Wednesday
• Gay writer Matthew Stadler hosts the Back Room, an occasional series of intellectual presentations featuring dinner, drinks and live music at Ripe. Tonights guest is photographer Gregory Crewdson in conversation with Stephanie Snyder of Reed Colleges Cooley Gallery. (7 pm. 2240 N Interstate Ave. $42 from 503-235-2294 or eat@ripepdx.com.)
• The Red Cap Garage presents Vas-o-Line, a monthly dance party featuring DJs Beyonda, Dandylion, Stormy and Sol spinning an eclectic array of progressive beats for a full night of nicotine-free aerobics. (9 pm. 1035 SW Stark St. $3-$5 sliding scale.)
Thursday
• Former Oregon State University football player Esera Tuaolo discusses and signs his book, Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL, at Vitis Enoteca. Proceeds benefit Multnomah County Chair Diane Linns re-election campaign. (5:30-7:30 pm. 535 NW 16th Ave. $35.)
Friday
• The Oregon Bears throw their monthly Double X Dance at C.C. Slaughters. (9 pm-1 am. 219 NW Davis St. $2.)
• Bad Girls presents Dyke Night at the Eagle featuring an auction, a raffle and live performers. Proceeds benefit Bradley-Angle House. (9 pm-midnight. 1300 W Burnside St. $4-$10 donation.)
• The Blow performs with Scout Niblett, Faerie Talk and Everything Is Fine at Berbatis. (9:30 pm. 231 SW Ankeny St. $7.)
Saturday
• Discover high-paying, high-skilled careers in the construction-related trades during the 14th annual Women in Trades Career Fair at the National Electrical Contractors Association/International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Training Center. (9 am-4 pm. 16021 NE Airport Way.)
• The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire presents Damsels, Divas and Dudes, a family-friendly evening of music, dance and impersonation, at Hult Centers Soreng Theater in Eugene. Proceeds benefit HIV Alliance. (7 pm. 1 Eugene Center. $25 from box office, 541-682-5000 or www.hultcenter.org.)
• The Embers presents Deaf Comedy Night, a popular annual showcase of deaf actors using American Sign Language with a voice interpreter. (7:30-9:30 pm. 110 NW Broadway. $5.)
• Find out what all of Europe has been talking about: Berlin cabaret diva Dahlia revisits Dietrichif Dietrich had done post-punk electro discowith 3asic and DJs Boy and Puppet at Porkys Pub. (9 pm. 835 N Lombard St. $5.)
[…]
 Ah, my little chickadees, alas, though I may boast as of late that the impending summer months will be bringing me back into the queer nightlife of this throbbing town, I must disappoint again. (Although I did manage to make it back to Booty for the 2 year anniversary last week. COngratulate these old bones if you see me) Due to emotional and physical exhaustion I think I have to miss tonight’s Dolly vs. Bjork at Holocene (1001 SE Morrison) though it promises to be quite the diva throwdown. I mean who wouldn’t love to see the buxom country blonde entangled with the moody Icelandic artwife?
But wait! The bizarre place that is Queer Portland resumes only 2 days later with one of the most original of queer events — Wild Card. This variety show is not new, although it has had to move from its digs at Bossanova to Acme (1305 SE 8th at Main) but its been one of our best kept secrets. I love to dance, and I love to watch drag shows but either one faces the danger of becoming tedious and overdone. But Wild Card is as unpredictable as its name suggests. Always themed (oh how I adore a good theme) performers take the stage will all kinds of strange talents that go way beyond the lip sync. But there’s plenty of room for drinking, dancing and other merriment. This Friday will see sailors, pirates, and plenty of love-boat-making with a fabulous Fantasy Island theme. How lucky that I just unearthed my sailor hat. I will most definitely be dragging my lazy bum out of the house for this one. And if you don’t believe me, listen to what drag twin extraordinaire Max Voltage has to say:
all aboard! for sexy burlesque, intriguing film shorts, crazy performance art, unpredictable audience participation and prizes, a raffle to benefit Cascade AIDS Project and the world premiere of the steaming hot gender bending local band BASIC, all hosted by comedic drag duo Max Voltage and Splendora, follwed by a dance party with DJ Puppet.
[…]
 What a wonderful way to participate in American tradition and culture, I thought, when I heard about the hundreds of gay parents planning on participating in the annual Whitehouse Easter egg hunt. And while all the little families were adorable, leave it to the politicians to find a way to still take a happy day and a very small gesture and darken it will scandal and just plain meanness. I especially like this tongue-in-cheek take from Wonkette.
[…]
I’ve recently shared my minor obsession with the still fairly new MTV-owned gay cable channel Logo. Though, to be fair to myself, I have voiced my numerous reservations about a gay channel, a channel called Logo, and even TV in general. Still, when I heard the station would not air a commercial for the all-inclusive United Church of Christ, I was a bit disappointed. And yet, though I’m sure it is only clever PR speak, Logo’s response, if infallibly wimpy, does have a point.
When pressed by the church for an official reason, MTV Networks responded, “Our guidelines state we will not accept religious advertisements that may be deemed as disparaging to another religion.” “I guess the idea of gay TV doesn’t really mean it’s your community’s network,” Ron Buford, director of the UCC’s Stillspeaking Initiative, told United Church News. “It’s just something that’s targeted at you to sell product.”
And indeed, while Logo does give various opinions by way of those in their prgramming, I suppose advertising is a whole other matter. Does the station have any religious advertising at all? If not, perhaps it’s not such a bad thing to refuse. I have actually seen this commercial recently, and in the Portland market, so it is not totally squelched, and perhaps this extra little nudge of controversy even helps. Even if no thanks to MTV. Viacom I know you are not looking out for me but I will probably continue to catch a program or two on your channel, if only slightly more often than I give into the tempation of a fast food hamburger.
Sidenote: The Logo site seems to have a video clip from yesterday about networks who won’t air the ad. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get it to play. Interesting…
[…]
 As a press conference within the hour will relate, Basic Rights Oregon, is filing suit against the state of Oregon beginning today. This case involved the parental rights of two women, Jeana Frazzini and K.D. Parman, and their son Emmett Rocco. Bryan Boyd, formerly of GayRightsWatch and now of BRO says: “This case, and the following cases that will be filed are, for the most part, based on the Tanner decision in 1998.” A court decision that said the state is contitutionally prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation as it relates to state benefits, priviledges, services, and immunities. The argument here, then, being that Frazzini should not have to file for second parent-adoption because she and Parman were not married but that, as they would have gotten married if they could have she should both automatically be considered the child’s other parent. This, simulataneously, makes the case for the marriage as well as the parentage. A bit roundabout but a positive step nonetheless. Below are three PDFs of the formal complaint, the press release, and a fact sheet. Check these out, and for continuing coverage be sure to check the BRO blog.
• Press release
• Fact sheet
• Formal complaint
Willy Week also lays out some news.
[…]
 So I’ve been sitting on this news for a couple months now. It was told to me in two parts by bandmember Dr. Dresch amidst nights of drinking and loud surroundings. This may explain why I was not sure whether or not this information could go public yet. As of this week, I know it certainly can, and I am now playing catch-up with at least 5 days of general knowledge. So forget the drumroll, but I’m still immensely excited that the most infamous dyke punk band of all time, Team Dresch, will be reuniting with its original cast.
Close to home shows will be on May 26th and 27th in Seattle and Portland respectively. Now, the last time I saw the team was at Homo-a-Gogo in Olympia 2 summers ago. And though I’ve been a fan since their original shows in the mid-90s, this one-time-only (or so it seemed) reunion sent this crowd into a frenzy I have not witnessed since. An though I returned home smelling of all kinds of punk lady sweat I was exhilarated and enchanted.
Can we be given this gift again? No one can be sure. But we may be given an even greater one. You see, there are a few shows scheduled, and over the course of several months. And when I did speak (shout, strain to listen, whatever) to Miss D, I got the impression that this may not just be another reunion show, but a complete revival of the band. Could this mean new songs, a new album, a complete rebirth of Portland’s once-thriving dyke music scene? One can only hope. And, of course, I would also love to see what the ladies do a decade later in this new music landscape, new sounds, and a very different layout of PDX clubs and neighborhoods.
 Kaia’s more recent band, The Butchies, was quite successful. And Donna’s newest venture, Davies vs. Dresch, though short lived, also had much potential. But a regrouping such as this has the power to truly transform a scene. Team Dresch played a pivotal role in the young ladies of my generation. Personal Best seldom left my walkman in high school. I spent my very first hours on the internet in the Chainsaw chatroom in in their message boards. I think they have the power to do it again.
And for just a little nostalgia’s sake, and because everyone loves to see embarrassing moments in a blogger’s past, I’ll show you my Chainsaw chat profile from those times. (I really don’t look much older now). This site is a very slightly updated version of the original Geocities hosted site, but all of the text and images were copied directly and have not been altered. I’m sure these profiles bring up memories for more folks than me. Donna’s record label was a forum to speak the dyke punk language globally. Chainsaw records, and the message boards, still exist, if not with the same fervor. Nevertheless, Chainsaw continues to put out great music and gives helpful news updates as well. And so will I, as I follow the saga but the BEST. BAND. EVER…
 […]
 The wackiness of any Ringling Bros. show seems queer enough already but the sight of sequin-laden, heavily makeup-ed and muscled acrobats twisting their bodies into highly irregular poses as they flip through rings in the air is enough to make anyone’s gay pheremones flair. And this weekend I got to experience queer circus extravaganza under the big blue and yellow tent on the Willamette, watching Cirque du Soleil’s traveling show Varekai.
The Cirque never fails to amaze as you crane you neck to try to figure out where, exactly, that body part is coming from. And Varekai did not disappoint as it sparkled with its mystical story, lavish costuming and live music. And plenty of homoeroticism accompanied the vaguely heterosexual main plot. Namely, with an act performed by two bulging gentleman who tumbled around each other’s bodies as they flew through the air supported only by a single strap and each others strength. My housemate kept saying, “Oh that one was so powerful…It was my favorite.” And I can scarcely blame her.
 And yet, while I cannot deny the magic of Varekai, I would also recommend making a weekend trip to Vegas in order to experience a range of Cirque choices, including underwater, Egyptian themed, and a special risqu version. Only the last of which, called Zumanity, have I seen. And while some might snicker at what they see as a low-brow, naughty version of Cirque du Soleil, I have to say I might have liked it a touch better than Varekai, in part, perhaps, because it lacks pretension. And it may be even gayer still than the rest of the shows…if that is possible. Besides the drag queen emcee there are two scenes that are explicitly for us. The first is a watery dance between two women sharing the pool of an over-sized goblet. The second begins as a lady tries in vain to get the attention of several men watching football on television. After her failure and subsequent departure the men proceed to battle in a Thunderdome-like cage that descends from the ceiling until the culminating action, which is not a TKO, but instead a passionate embrace…No, Zumanity is brash and blatant, and for that I appreciate it.
Still, if you can’t get to Vegas, Varekai is certainly work braving the crowds for, even if the outdoor bathrooms are 2 urinals to every 3 unisex facilities. (There’s just no excuse for that). The show will be here in Portland through April 23rd before it moves on to Seattle and Vancouver, BC.
[…]
Despite the disturbing parallels between the married life of HBO’s Mormon family in Big Love and gay families, living in secrecy, wishing for legal recognition, I’m starting to get a bit annoyed by the show. Queerty considers it to be giving “shoutouts” to gays. But the ridiculousness of getting business help from religious loan sharks and then complaining about the cost of supporting 3 suburban mansions and 7 children just does not apply to most gay couples I know. Of course, most gay shows aren’t particularly reflective of those I know, but I don’t give them props for accuracy so I refuse to give any to Big Love either. Worse, though, for Love is the complete lack of likeability of the wives, especially 2nd wife Nikki (even though she’s played by Chlow Sevigny, whom I adore), and continual stupidity of the main character, both of which make it scarcely entertaining.
 I could certainly admit to a certain amount if distaste with the attitudes and content within the show but I know that bias is not completely responsible for my boredom. Big Love has an incredible timeslot after morally corrupt The Sopranos (though this doesn’t seem to be helping its ratings). And though the characters of that 6 season show are also often not easy to like, the content is so compelling I was sucked in from the moment I visited that ugly suburban home. So too, could my interest be piqued in 3 ugly suburban homes in Utah, if the writing was decent. Instead, my interest continues to wane.
[…]
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And I thought those atrociously garish 