Let the best of list continue! Moving on from entertainment to news lets begin with what went down in our own fair state. Stay tuned tomorrow for the numerous national scandals.
5. Stark Street drama
Most parts of Portland are pretty gay-friendly and there are several pockets that are pretty packed with various kinds of queers. But our traditional Gayborhood has always been the Stark Street triangle. So what happens when more upscale establishments move in?
4. The loss of both Sissyboy and Booty
At the last BootyTwo of our favorite nights of uber-queer frivolity both hung up their hats this year. The most popular and longest running Queer Party for the Piratecore had its last night this September. After a tumultuous 2006, leaving its longtime home of Porky’s, sailing the high seas and settling at a continually evolving Acme/Plan B, 2007 kept calm only briefly before founders Puppet and Stormy decided they needed to move on.
Trash drag queens, Sissyboy, were lost to us mere weeks later. Still reeling, I tried to attend the final performance, only be to inundated with upstanding, artsy, dare I say, yuppie, crowd that scarcely resembled a typical Sissyboy audience. A strange send off to be sure.
3. Kissing teenagers thrown off TriMet
Back in June a small media frenzy surrounded an incident on a TriMet bus wherein 2 14 year old girls were kicked off for kissing. There was a noncommittal apology and all kinds of backlash in all kinds of directions. But what was most distressing was how many adults seemed to come out of the wordwork to call children awful names…
2. That hunky gay mayoral candidate Sam Adams
Our own political bike guru had a couple scandals rock his socks this year. Firstly, in September, amidst the world of man-on-man Republican scandal fellow gay mayoral candidate Bob Ball accused Adams of getting friendly with an underage intern. Instead it pretty much ruined his own chances for election.
Then, earlier this month, it was revealed that creepy Fat Cobra owner Pat Lanagan got around Adams’ $500 dollar donation cap by donating once under his own name, and another time under that of his business. As soon as Adams found out, however, he gave it all back.
Crisis number 2 averted. Sammy you’ve got 9 lives.
1. Domestic partnerships, Non-discrimination and the Rogue
Byron Beck…tongue-in-cheekThe back and forth about Oregon’s 2 major bills concerning gay rights have produced continuous fighting this year. But it hasn’t been limited to arguments between the right and the left. Instead we managed to fight amongst ourselves plenty, to our own detriment.
Firstly, Willamette Week’s Byron Beck wasted space in his paper naming Congresswoman Tina Kotek “Rogue of the Week” for changing language in the bill from “Civil Unions” to “Domestic Partnerships.” Of course, always the loudmouths, local queers lashed back and Beck got all drama queen on us. I suppose it was worth it to see a picture of him with black duct tape over his lips.
Here’s to hoping that 2008 will see our own house in order. I’m not holding my breath.
