Blow Pony has become one of the most popular queer nights in town
Last night saw the first Blow Pony since the Pride weekend violence (of which Blow Pony was, sadly, the epicentre) and the muddle of police-ness that followed, so of course QPDX.com went down to Casey’s/The Eagle to check out what was going down. This Blow Pony went down without a hitch – but questions are being raised as to what can and will happen next, and despite the fact that on the surface, all is well, a lot of questions are being raised and right now, everything feels iffy.
I turned up a little on the early side to Blo Po and immediately noticed the four security staff outside the venue and a newly erected “smoking” area cordoned off by a yellow rope. At first, I wondered if there was already trouble due to the fact that the yellow rope looked a bit like “police line” tape, but it was not so. The security staff were polite, so much so that I was “ma’am”‘d twice on the way in, and for some reason this really made me think about where we are at and in which direction our community space is going. As someone who IDs as genderqueer and mostly prefers no pronouns and/or switches them up, I strongly feel that BlowPony is one of the places where my gender ID is respected and valued. I can handle being called “Ma’am” and I appreciate the sentiment, but if you are someone who is mid-transition or simply does not pass well, being labelled your birth sex as opposed to your gender by someone at the door to a queer/trans event could possibly put a damper on your night, many of us present differently than our ID’s show. I would like to think that queer staff would make different decisions. As soon as security staff imposed the “ma’am” on me at the door, I realized that our space is being policed by people who are not queer and not even aware of queer and trans identities.
Inside, I also got to chat with my friend Grr, who told me more about the security staff outside. “They are being provided by the venue,” Grr said, “but why they are policing people who are going in and out of here instead of the people on the street who started the shit last month, I don’t know.” I also got to talk with Airick, one of the principal organizers of the event, and I asked him to fill me in on the details regarding this change. “It’s the OLCC,” he said. “the OLCC is making us have the security staff and the roped off area. They are charging us a grand for this which we are splitting with the venue,” he told me, clearly agitated about the situation. “I asked Mr. Charming (who DJs at Gaycation) if they need to have security staff and a roped off area at Holocene, and she said no, so I don’t know if they expected us to start a fucking riot or what. I don’t know why we are being treated differently.”
Casey's Venue From the Outside
As we stood on the corner of 6th and Couch opposite the venue, a police car crawled by, eyeing the venue and us almost suspiciously. Airick commented:” It’s not about us vs. the police and it never has been. It’s about that one police officer who came to the scene and was laughing at people, who stood next to a girl getting a cup of pee dumped on her head and said “If you don’t like it, move.” It’s about that. It’s about being treated equally. I don’t believe the police should need specific training to deal with black people, queer people, other people. It’s about resolving the issue and treating everyone the same. ”
I spoke to dancer Heatherette, who has come forward since the first blog post I wrote, and detailed the fact that she was punched in the face and had her nose broken in retaliation for her assault on an individual who was threatening her and her friends verbally and advancing towards her in a threatening way. She maintains that she hit her attacker as an act of self defence. I would like to point out that I was never trying to “slant” her case or make her look like more of a victim, as I feel was implied in some coverage of the violence. I simply didn’t know Heatherette’s story and didn’t have a chance to speak to her before last night. (I was also happy to hear that Heatherette’s nose is fine, and that she’s back to dancing on the blow pony stage).
The night itself was your usual Blow Pony debauchery we love and hold dear…maybe a little more subdued, maybe just a tad less packed, but mostly the same. I frequently saw police cars cruise the area, was it just me or were there more than normal? There wasn’t a peep to be heard from the upstairs neighbours, and our zookeepers wardens bodyguards security staff mostly kept the (small) outdoor crowds in check.
What remained at 2 am, after we stumbled out of the doors and began making our way home, are more questions than answers. What does our safety mean to the OLCC? Are different standards being applied to Blow Pony / the venue than a place like Holocene? Why are we being eyed with suspicion by police officers cruising the area? Do we really want (assumedly)straight, privately employed rent-a-cops security staff policing our nights? Why are they controlling us, not the beer bottle hurling, pee cup throwing, aggressively insulting, homophobic neighbours? I am not attacking the security staff. They were polite and unproblematic, and everyone needs to eat. I respect them as individuals doing a job. But I am saddened by the need to have them there, I am annoyed about feeling like I’m being treated like a child, I am cynical of the OLCC’s decision to force the organizers to pay $1000 to have private security staff when the police should be protecting us! We are not the ones starting trouble.
As Airick said to me in closing, “I’m debating my options at this point.” Maybe that’s what we need to do – go home, get some rest, and dream it all up again? None of us wants to see Blow Pony change, we love it the way it is, grit and all. But something will probably have to change. what, exactly, remains yet to be seen – the next step is the Police SMRT (Sexual Minorities Round Table) that will be held on Tuesday – I will be there.
It is good to hear that there is some order to Blow Pony with the security outside the event. Such nice gents too!
The police mentality is about controlling situations (not making a judgment-it is just reality). That means that whatever steps they take will be based on that and if the club crowd is easier (or at least the more visible to them) to control then that is where their efforts are going to be directed. The neighbors and unseen's are unknown commodities to them, which means they can't control them. Therefore they start with what they know, which is the Pony attendees. Is it right or the best long-term solution? No, but that isn't their goal. The police goal is to control what is now, what they see in front of them. Long term strategic planning is not a well-developed part of police thinking. That has to come from us.
Great writing btw.:)
Debra
Good point. Thank you for your insight (and the compliment).
I've been involved in nightlife in PDX for 7 years…..
There is drama at this event quite often. Most of the time it is internal. Often times the organizers get right up in the middle of it. None of these things that have happened are very surprising to a lot of people I know who have quit attending this event. If everyone acts like adults, these things do not become necessary. At Gaycation, etc. the crowds are calm with no problems. That is why they are not required to have security. The OLCC does not care whose fault it is when there are problems. They only recognize problem venues.
The dumping of liquids on Blow Pony patrons was ridiculous and the VENUE should have taken care of the problem before Blow Pony guests felt agitated and attacked by it. No one was looking out for these people who were essentially being assaulted. I've dealt with the owners of Holocene quite a bit. They do not allow the situations like these to get out of control. They recognize their responsibilities to control explosive situations so that they do not get out of control. That is why this has happened with the security at Blow Pony. There was no de-escalation whatsoever attempted during the unfortunate Pride events.
It seems like you are trying to find victims in this story, or maybe people are trying to portray themselves as victims. Some people definitely were. But I do not think the OLCC, which overreacts quite often, is off base here. The crowd needs to feel safe or vigilante justice and fighting rule. That does not equal discrimination. If this stuff happened at Gaycation or any other night, the OLCC would be all over that venue also.
Ok, i finally get a chance to leave some responses to your comments, yay! it's exciting. PDXclubguy – I have to admit your comments made very feel very thoughtful, and I'm going to try and address them one by one.
You said:
"There is drama at this event quite often. Most of the time it is internal. Often times the organizers get right up in the middle of it. None of these things that have happened are very surprising to a lot of people I know who have quit attending this event. If everyone acts like adults, these things do not become necessary. At Gaycation, etc. the crowds are calm with no problems. That is why they are not required to have security. The OLCC does not care whose fault it is when there are problems. They only recognize problem venues."
I have to disagree. I attend BP every month and have done so for over a year, and this is the first time that I have seen anything go down that vaguely resembles "trouble". It gets packed, yes, people are drinking, yes, but I haven't seen any trouble. I have seen hissy fits, push-comes-to-shove, tempers flaring up, and almost fights breaking out and almost every other regular event I attend (I can be found at Lube Job, Crush, Holocene, and other places on a regular basis). If, what you say is true, and Casey's/BP is a problem venue or problem night, then it was the case long before the pride events this year, in which case the OLCC should have done something about it sooner. but they didn't. Nobody seems to have seen the venue or the night as a "problem" before the events unfolded that did. And I agree with Airick when he says that Holocene is in a very different location with a very different surroundings – there isn't much nearby apart from a strip club, there are no upstairs neighbours, it's on the east side, it wasn't next to the world naked bike ride. All these facts contribute to why it became the powder keg that it was, in my opinion.
You wrote:
The dumping of liquids on Blow Pony patrons was ridiculous and the VENUE should have taken care of the problem before Blow Pony guests felt agitated and attacked by it. No one was looking out for these people who were essentially being assaulted. I've dealt with the owners of Holocene quite a bit. They do not allow the situations like these to get out of control. They recognize their responsibilities to control explosive situations so that they do not get out of control. That is why this has happened with the security at Blow Pony. There was no de-escalation whatsoever attempted during the unfortunate Pride events.
Yes the dumping of liquids, bottles, etc was ridiculous. It was a lot more than that, IMHO, but yes, it was ridiculous. I agree with you here. But where I don't agree is the part where you say that it's Blo po's responsibility ALONE to deal with this situation. Put yourself in the position of the organizers – what are you going to do, what can you do, apart from trying to stop the upstairs tenants by speaking to them and asking them to stop? They are breaking the law by hurling stuff at people (it's assault), and when the law is broken, the police becomes principally responsible for dealing with the issue, which didn't happen to the satisfaction of the organizers and the attendees. I was standing outside the venue at the time, and I *did* witness Blo Po staff try and talk to the people outside and get the situation calmed down (-> de-escalation).
You wrote:
It seems like you are trying to find victims in this story, or maybe people are trying to portray themselves as victims. Some people definitely were. But I do not think the OLCC, which overreacts quite often, is off base here. The crowd needs to feel safe or vigilante justice and fighting rule. That does not equal discrimination. If this stuff happened at Gaycation or any other night, the OLCC would be all over that venue also.
I'm not trying to find victims in this story – the victims are here. A girl got her nose broken. An organizer got punched in the face. Many of us were insulted in homophobic terms. A girl had a cup of pee dumped on her head. And this is just some of the more major stuff. I don't feel like I'm digging for anything here – I'm just skimming off the surface. I don't know if the OLCC is off base or not. All I do is observe what I see and draw my conclusions to start this discussion that is happening right here – and we can agree or disagree. I don't know if the same rules would apply to a venue like crush, or smaller club/bar. What I do strongly feel is that the OLCC heard about the trouble and decided to impose this rule, hoping that by shifting the responsibility (and cost) to the event organizers the trouble would stop (which it did, last time) and we would all go away and this situation would fizzle out. Blaming the attendees for a situation that has been exacerbated wholly by the neighbours and not the attendees (how do you provoke being pelted by bottles and called homophobic slurs from neighbours above you? What kind of behaviour deserves that as a response? You don't, and none) sounds like victim blaming to me, sadly.
Wow! This is quite a discussion. Perry, I have to compliment you on your insightful and erudite commentary and responses.
This discussion has made me think about pronouns. (Can't help myself – English teacher.) We need new gender neutral pronouns. Granted, it's easier said than done, but something to think about nonetheless. I'm still waiting for "Ms." to fully catch on, Still some progress has been made over the last almost 40 years. For the most part, language changes very slowly, but words do carry powerful connotations, so how we use our words inpacts our culture.
(cont. from above, would't let me post all at once.)
Personally, I prefer "Ms." to "Mrs." or "Miss," but I don't make a big deal about it and will answer to all three while continuing to espouse the use of "Ms." Of course, something like "citizen" would be even better, but that sounds too much like "comrade," which has its own set of negative connotations in our culture. It's not an easy choice or transition to change words in a language, but something to think about.
I also think, at the very least, Officer Robinson should be required to attend some sort of gender sensitivity class.
pdxclubguy, by chance is this Jimme Jam (you moved here 7 years ago and the writing is extremely familiar)? strange that you would choose such a place to attack Airick and his event Blowpony, hmmm wasn't it you who verbally attacked him (while drunk) outside Blowpony, wanting to hash out old news? isn't it fact you and your BF Caedmon who continue to bring up old boring stories? isn't it fact that it's you that have caused "internal drama" with Blowpony and it's organizers? lets all get over it and dance.
just some thought from a Sissy
sissy – keep it fair, please, we don't know if this is Jimme Jamma or not, k?
thank you <3
I find this post from "Sissy" to be very inappropriate. You are pointing fingers at someone who may not even be involved in this thread. All the while, you are remaining anonymous by using an internet handle. This is considered libel. As unnecessary as "pdxclubguy"'s comment may be, there are no actual names being used as to which coordinators of Blow Pony he is referring to.
The names mentioned in "Sissy"s post are not the only ones who have tension with Blow Pony coordinators. Tension like this is quite common with club night/event promoters, performers, artists, etc.–whether they are in competition with each other or not. It's the nature of the business.
Perry, I agree with you to keep this discussion fair. But I find it essential that "Sissy"s post be edited to remove names, or be deleted all together. Even though you mentioned that the named individuals may not be involved, having their names still existing in the thread is still potentially harmful to their character.
In both the comments above I agree in some of the expressed writings, however I did not read the Story posted by Perry as "trying to find victims in the story, or that some people are portraying themselves as victims" as PDXCLUBGUY would post… were you there on the 14th of June? have you ever been gay bashed in your 7 years of being a night lifer, or in your life? the feeling of being alone, scared and a victim to someone else's hatred is not a pleasant place to be and myself and the owner of Caseys both tried on more then one occasion to have the Police get control of the situation regarding the upstairs tenants on several different times and yet nothing was ever done. the Holocene is tucked into a nice place without several straight bars in the area and tenants who are anti gay living above, so yes they of course would be a problem free venue, I could rant and rave about a few things written in your post that stand incorrect, I have been doing queer club nights world wide since the late 80's this is not the first time I have seen this happen and the ending result of the police not taking the time to step in. I always see the club nights ending due to the Police and other departments putting a heavy hand on the clubs instead of the "Situation"… I created BLOWPONY as a place where all people in our community could feel welcome and free, several people here in Portland (people of size, gender and appearance) have expressed gratitude for such a place, where in other gay clubs they were made to feel un welcome for whatever reasons? I seen us the promoters and the venue owner making an effort to comply with the OLCC and the PPB, but what I'd like to know is what is being done about the first responding officer to the June 14th events (officer Robinson) and to the upstairs tenants? I see all the people from our end coming forth and making the information stand true but I also see the PPB as hiding and sweeping officer Robinson actions under the Carpet so to speak, I would like to know why a Peace officer stood less then 10ft away and watch as a queer women had a full glass of urine dumped on her only to be followed by laughing and anti gay remarks from the tenants upstairs and he DID NOTHING? ….after last night The entire BLOWPONY Kru has decided to leave Caseys/ the Eagle underground and seek out a different Venue. In these situations I always welcome all comments but really think before you just start to wag your tongue, dividing our community on false info or just pulling from the air as mentioned above in PDXCLUBGUY's posting"The dumping of liquids on Blow Pony patrons was ridiculous and the VENUE should have taken care of the problem before Blow Pony guests felt agitated and attacked by it. No one was looking out for these people who were essentially being assaulted", come on I think if you were there on any of the nights this happened you would have seen what I tried to do each time directly involving the Police, I believe our community is tired of being attacked, and now with the 2nd passing of Prop 8 and other series of anti queer events our community is starting to make a stand…. to you all that have made this event what it is , I have to say it has been so nice meeting you all, having a laugh, sharing ideas and frustrations, your all what made this night what it is, I always hear thanks for making such an event happen but honestly speaking it was ALL OF YOU that made BLOWPONY not me…. Love, Liberation, Respect and Unity
-Airick
I just don't understand why a polite greeting like "ma'am" can seriously be construed as rude. As a gay man (and many other things), I am loving, accepting & supportive of my trans brothersisters. I've noticed a LOT of pronoun hyper-sensitivity in the pdx queer community and am starting to seriously question where it is coming from and whether or not it is a good thing. I love you queers! Sometimes it is really challenging to talk to you without "stepping on your toes" even when there is no harm intended! Acknowledge that…and lighten up!
Respectfully,
Kevin
hi kevin,
I never said that the security staff saying "ma'am" was rude. Let's look really closely at what I wrote:
"The security staff were polite, so much so that I was “ma’am”‘d twice on the way in, and for some reason this really made me think about where we are at and in which direction our community space is going."
I specifically stated that the security staff were polite. I also stated that the usage of the word "ma'am" made me thoughtful, not angry.
Later on, I write:
"I can handle being called “Ma’am” and I appreciate the sentiment, but if you are someone who is mid-transition or simply does not pass well, being labelled your birth sex as opposed to your gender by someone at the door to a queer/trans event could possibly put a damper on your night, many of us present differently than our ID’s show."
Here I'm specifically saying that being called "Ma'am" doesn't bother me too much, and that I *appreciate" the sentiment, meaning: I'm grateful for their politeness.
What I'm pointing out is something that goes along with the following scenario:
FTM club patron who identifies as a man shows up at door. Security guard says "Can I see your ID, Ma'am?" and therefore puts the clubgoer in a box they don't want to be in. Immediately, you're in a situation where you're being mis-labelled.
All I'm saying is that this could be hurtful to someone who is trans-identified. If you're name is Kevin and you're a gay man, and I keep calling you Jim and telling everyone you're straight, at some point you might get hurt or annoyed. It's the same principle.
The "ma'am"ing made me realize that straight people were doing security at queer events, that's all. I never said they were rude. Later on, I wrote:
"They were polite and unproblematic, and everyone needs to eat. "
I don't think people will start "lightening up" until people acknowledge that things that seem totally normal to you may be hurtful when coming from a different person or situation, that's all. I don't think the security staff were trying to be insulting at all. I merely made me thoughtful that we are being "secured" by people who don't know much about how to deal with queer and trans identities, that's all.
Kevin-
I took peri's comments not as the security guards were being rude, per se, but just ignorant to the fact that you can't assume someone's gender identity based on their outward appearance. Being that Blowpony is a queer night where many trans people feel safe and comfortable coming, it is a little disconcerting to be greeted by someone who is ignorant to these identities.
You say in one sentence that you are "loving, accepting and supportive" yet you question why someone is asking for their identity to be respected. That doesn't sound loving, accepting or supportive at all. If we can't at least try to show respect for others in our community, how can we ever expect those outside of our community to show us decency and respect? If you're not sure what someone's pronoun is, all you have to do is ask. It's not that hard to be respectful. Well, for most of us anyway.
Acknowledge that….and listen up!
listen up – my question is not about respecting someone's identity, but about taking offense when none is intended.
if we keep channeling our frustrations around gender identity back INTO the queer community, how does that engender respect FROM the queer community?
Hi kevin,
As I stated above, I didn't take offense. I merely stated that it may be hurtful to someone who is trans-identified to be labelled their birth sex when they ID differently, and that there is a reason why many queer/trans people and clubs and nights and whatever create gender-free spaces and use gender-free language so everyone feels comfortable.
I hear a lot of frustration in what you're saying and I'm not sure where it's coming from – if you can maybe explain what upsets you so then maybe we can have a conversation on how to resolve this issue.
you totally got what I was trying to say. thank you.
to the original commenteryou totally got what i was trying to say. thank you.
Thanks for the coverage and the continuation of the conversation Qpdx! Gosh well here it goes.
Well, its pretty obvious that you were agitated by the presence of security staff at Bpony, considering your bating use of labels like Wardens, bodyguards, rent-a-cops and zookeepers. Which to me contradicts your statement of "I respect them as individuals doing a job…But I am saddened by the need to have them there, I am annoyed about feeling like I’m being treated like a child"
Have you thought you and others in the community might be reacting to them like one?
Sure it would feel great to have service working employees WE know and TRUST use pronouns in a way we accept them, instead of trying their best to be respectful in the way they knew how? And yes it is a gross shame that abusive and aggressive assaultive behavior was inflicted upon some of us in the last few months, and isn't it a shame we ourselves have exhibited similar divisive behavior? And YES it is F*CKED up that the officer trying to deal with the upstairs/vs/downstairs scene was rude, offensive and dismissive. and YES it really is a representation of the aggressive, agitated and mixed space we party in…
So…wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to deal with straight-mainstream identified individuals working near or with us at all? (cough sarcasm cough) I think not.
I think one thing that the "queer" party scene could due with recognizing is by labeling ourselves as inclusive and expressive, open and queer we are becoming increasingly agitated/threatened by folks NOT LIKE US.
And, as an open, inclusive QUEER scene…who is exactly NOT us? Straight people? The Cops. Gays from the bigger mainstream clubs? Gays that don't have sub-culture signifiers? What do we plan to accomplish by such disintegration? It is appalling and distasteful how our upstairs neighbors treated us. It was terrible to watch Heather and Jose get clocked in the face. It is gross how every time I get dressed up and go out to old town SOMEONE has got to yell out something negative.
It is also aggravating to see queers reacting to violent harassment in a way which promotes more harassment and violence, receiving violence, calling out for help from the police, then lambasting the police for not doing it good enough. IT WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH! Even if their response was, to the majority of what I saw, efficient and even kind, the negative effects of the officers asserting their force and authority in a negative way is MORE than enough to trigger us to act like victims.
Until we as individuals and a group take accountability for ourselves first, how are we going to negotiate conflict? Conflict with the police, conflict with drunken people on the street or even other queers? I don't trust folks in yellow holding guard at a club will ease tension or promote a better party atmosphere, but it will send a message to drunkards stumbling past Casey's that they're being watched. It also gives US the notice that WE'RE being watched. WE'RE under scrutiny for what happened to US. and with that being said…
The ratio of Straight to Queer Violence is very imbalanced. Is cooperation with big-brother giving away our power? Is fighting back the way for us to feel safe? I believe our queer presence is vital. Our queer presence is necessary for our survival and cultural evolution. Places like Blow Pony remind us that to come together is a CELEBRATION of one another, a celebration of our "otherness".
I believe we can occupy that space with a fierce love, wave our freak flag and kick up our heels…but how do we do that when our accountability comes into question and conflict with 'authority'?
cheers
*K Pepper
hi K,
I want to clarify my use of language in regards to the security staff. Seriously, they were nice, and I am glad that they were there in case there had been more trouble. I was more referring to the small pig-pen/zoo area that we were in with the rope when I said "zookeeper". I do respect them and I do respect what they do. I'm sure that designating the area had more to do with the OLCC than it had with the security people working the event. I'm saddened by the need to have them there, yes. I'm saddened for any need for security at an otherwise freespirited event. I'm sad the world is that way. That had nothing to do with them as individuals. I feel like we are being treated like children…but more so I feel like we are being treated as the ones who started this mess, when it never was. Yeah. No, I don't feel like I'm reacting like a child. I'm not kicking and screaming, I'm trying to have a discussion, I'm trying to have a public thought process.
Regarding your statements re: working next to/with straight people: No, of course I don't feel like I want to live in that kind of bubble. Of course not. I'm not even saying "You should have had queer safety people". I'm just saying it made me wake up and realize that things had changed when I got "ma'am'd at the door. It felt different and it felt off and weird and not queer and it caught me off guard and it made me worry about trans-identified people being mis-labelled at the door. That's all.
Regarding your comments about the police: Of course I am glad there is a police. Of course I am glad they came to the scene. I am, truly. I was a victim of a severe gay bashing several years ago where me and two females and a very fey gayboy were beaten to a pulp by five enormous guys. This is not the first time I have been in this kind of situation and had these kinds of conversations.
But I was also there, K, I was there and I saw the officer shout through his megaphone at people standing five feet away, and I saw him laugh when he finally decided to go upstairs.
I think it's OK to be grateful for good policework while critical of policework that didn't meet my expectations (and seemingly, many other people's expectations).
And I have to say I didn't see "queers reacting to violent harassment in a way which promotes more harassment and violence, receiving violence". I saw a bunch of gaymos celebrating pride and being in a situation they didn't expect to be in after a long day of partying, I saw police that was frazzled and acted in way that was not as good as it could have been, I saw people who were drunk and became victims and now their reliability/memory is being questioned, I see security staff outside that are trying to be helpful but that have missing information, I see events that I loved just the way they were being forced to change, I see a SMRT that wants to do something but not too much, I see lip service every where, I see my own statements being mis-represented, I see victim blaming, I see people who want to cooperate, people who want to break away, I see possibly different standards being applied by the OLCC, I see people standing up for what they believe in, and I see me and my own imperfections and my inabilties to communicate.
In the end, K, I agree with you and your almost last statement…"I believe our queer presence is vital. Our queer presence is necessary for our survival and cultural evolution. Places like Blow Pony remind us that to come together is a CELEBRATION of one another, a celebration of our "otherness"."
That otherness, that vitality, that celebration is WHY I go to Blo Po, WHY i write this blog, WHY i sit here and think and think and type and type when I could be sitting in the sun, because this shit is worth debating for, getting in trouble for, even beaten up for. I wouldn't change a thing I've done or said…I hope that through this process we come into greater power and unity and get to a better place than we were before.
Thanks Perry,
I sure do appreciate your work here even if your language ruffles my feathers! But, hey I think we're on a similar team here and this dialog is important.
I guess the biggest point we disagree on, and the point in which I think is crucial in the dialog about that specific night, is how certain queers provoked violence through their confrontational actions which I was present and sober for. It doesn't justify violence, but it does demand attention to claims of victimization and the nuance of the scene.
regardless, see you around
thank you
*K
since Gaycation came up a few times, just thought id clarify a few things. Gaycation does have security, but they work for and are provided by Holocene. Once the night gets going, there are at least two people posted at the door all night. They are great at immediately taking care of any problem that arises, or any that are brought to their attention. that being said, i wanted to address what pdxclubguy said about the venue taking care of things. The harassment that initially set everything off was coming from a *private residence* above Casey's, there is no way you can expect the venue to control what is coming from a residence that they are NOT allowed to enter, to expect otherwise is unrealistic. What is realistic however, is to expect the police to properly address harassment when it occurs, that, from my experience, is not what happened that night in reference to the violence & harassment coming from upstairs that night.
thank you for your input, mr charming!
Why so much fuss over one *stinking* nightclub? The promoters billed this event as a "Gay Bash." Seriously. Did they expect anything less? Maybe now that they've done themselves in the attendees will finally have time to take a shower.
that's not very nice, matt…
qpdxclub guy,
how fucking dare you! do you know how lucky you are to live in a city that offers these nights to you? you say you have been here in the nightlife/club scene for 7 years.. whats the name of your night? is it as successful as blow pony? I mean…you have had 7 years to critique every queer night around you. Why don't you try moving to small town kansas, Just then you might appreciate what you have here in portland. If you have a problem with blow pony, fine don't attend. But for you to go and trash talk the night and the promoters is bullshit and you know it. Why would you ever say the things that you said about an environment that has embraced you with open arms to be whatever beautiful creature you choose to be for that night. Queers are hated on enough in the outside world, why hate on each other..when we are just trying to create our own space and networks. get over yourself.
bodybyfag –
I appreciate your heartfelt sentiments regarding this issue, but…we do want to give everyone room for their opinion, even though i feel similarly as you do.
thank you <3
If we continue to bicker and give negative feedback to one another, then the haters have won and we all look a fool. I moved to Portland 5 years ago from London England (I was not born there) and I have to honestly say that Portland out of all the major cities (including NY) have more of a progressive queer movement in the whole (including it's nightlife), we have such a eclectic community and several nice nights to choose from Gaycation, Studio 50 queer, Jack, Pleasure Boys, Big Trouble, Portland is Burning, Gloss, Tube, Sick, Crave, Tribe, Delicious, Pop tart, Blowpony and I'm sure there's more I have not mentioned, it's nice to have a selection, it's also nice to live in such a place. Many of my friends and Strangers from SF, NY, CH, LA, TX and AZ have all been blown away by what we ALL have built here and by how friendly our queer community is, please lets not let the events that took place on June 14th destroy what we have taken the time to make so amazing. Honestly we should all be looking out for one another.
UNITY & LIBERATION
Airick