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The lovely weather is here, and to take advantage of the summer’s travel opportunities I offer you PlanetOut’s 2006 Travel Awards. However take these recommendations with a grain of salt. One of their event runners-up included Philly Pride which I found to be one of the most un-fun pay-to-be-gay festivals with an ultra short parade, which is sad considering how much bigger than li’l ol’ PDX Philly is. Another really great resource for the queer who knows where he/she wants to go is PurpleRoofs.com. This website allows to to stay gay where ever you go and I appreciate the freedom.
 Here’s a quick glance of the awards:
— Gay resort town: Provincetown
— Domestic destination: New York City
— International destination: Buenos Aires
— Destination of the year: Spain
— Airline: American Airlines
— Cruise company: Crystal Cruises
— Hotel collection: Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
— Gay resort: Royal Palms
— Tour operator: OutWest Global Adventures
— Gay events: Sydney Mardi Gras
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Though you may have seen the hordes of rainbow glad Kaiser Permanente marchers at the Pride Parade and seen the booths of docs, therapists, and naturopaths at the festival the truth is that it can still be difficult to find healthcare professionals that are not only sensitive to the needs of queer patients but knowledgeable about our differing medical needs. Resources PDX, a project of Outside In, is the first local website I’ve seen that lists healthcare providers that recognize, respect, and want to work with our community. While there may be specific needs, such as finding psychiatrists willing to work with trans individuals to get them the hormones they need, sometimes it is also just nice to know your massage therapist isn’t freaked out to work on a naked queer body. Either way, I’m quite glad this resource is out there and will be expanded upon, even if the interface isn’t quite up to the “Queer Eye” design standards yet.
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As if you needed and excuse to look outside your sad little kitchen for nosh, use tomorrow to dine for gay rights. A slew of Portland area restaurants will donate 15% of the day’s proceeds to Basic Rights Oregon. Now being gay doesn’t have to mean being hungry…
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Last month a gave you a run-down of my personal top 10 queer books list to get you started on your summer reading. Seems I’m woefully uninformed on whats out there at the moment. Princeton Prof Edmund White has a whole set of great gay fiction laid out for the summer, claiming we are currently in a gay fiction renaissance. None of my horribly mainstream selections even made the list. So whether you prefer the popular or the literary, we’ve got you covered.
(Ok, so I know you may not all be bookworms like me either. I’m working on a movie top 10 but I’m so picky its tough. Recommendations?)
One more thing. This article is part of the Village Voices’s Queer Issue, which is probably not terribly helpful if you don’t plan to be in NYC this weekend, nevertheless, worth checking out, especially the featured story, which rings so true to me…
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 Hey, who wouldn’t want to get their dauber out for Poison Waters? It’s for the Q Center, there’s fun prizes and food, and ten bucks includes your card. So bring the chain smoking grandma from New Jersey (hey I was born there so I’m allowed to to rag on it just a little bit) and head on down for BINGO at 7pm. Pride week still ain’t quite over yet!
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As usual, todays Pride was a lovely mixed weather day full of sequins, bikes and gender bending. We all ran into our buddies from high school we didn’t know were gay and our exes we were really hoping to avoid. The parade itself seemed a rather perfect length this year with the intermixing of church groups with bdsm groups a fabulous juxtaposition.  There did seem to be a lack of two key, if totally unrelated elements: boom boxes and revolutionaries. While all the huge floats had sound systems of course, a lot fo the medium sized marchers could have really done with some sound, even if the appearance is really enough sometimes. The latter example is a bit more troubling. There were several political groups, of course, and union organizers but the truly freaky politicos, like the coffin wielding, clown bike riding Queer Revolution were nowhere to be seen…Not that I made it happen this year, but who else will balance out Nike and Starbucks?
Let me just name another of my shortcomings this year as well. I neglected to bring a camera. And while I attempted some shots with the cell, they were truly horrid. (Is that a boy in a skirt or just a big blob of brightly colored paint?) I guess technology isn’t quite there yet. But The O, bless their hearts, did get some decent shots this year so here’s their gallery (as well as their own recap). And please, send in your own Pride photos and we’ll get them right here in this blog and up on the site. Here’s our handy little form for submission.
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Yesterday a reader emailed a response to language used in this blog and called out for an apology. While I am always excited to hear feedback of any kind, and I welcome challenges to the opinions voiced here I must respectfully decline.
The offending line the reader refers to is: “Portland’s queer community isn’t all about skinny white boys on Stark Street.” He goes on to say: “Substitute ‘black’ for ‘white’ and see if this passes your smell test. To the degree that you can be racially disrespectful, in this case, of whites [and in an off-handed way, of blacks too], you have found a way.”
Firstly, while I realize that he did not specifically use the term racist I just want to clarify that, while one can have prejudices against any individual, one cannot be racist toward Caucasians. Racism relies upon oppression, and whites, as a social category, are not oppressed. However, as far as “racially disrespectful” this is a much more subtle criticism and, though I need more time to think it over, might be willing to concede that this is a possibility. Finding a distinct example, however, is difficult. The reader admits so himself by saying “…to the degree that you can be racially disrespectful…” I don’t believe my words qualify because the switcheroo argument just doesn’t work for me.
What I think is important here is that you cannot apply the same rules to the words “black” and “white,” nor can you interchange them and have the meaning of the sentence in which they live stay the same. There is a difference, a distinct one. No, I wouldn’t say: “Portland’s queer community isn’t all about skinny black boys on Stark Street,” and I didn’t. Not least of all because it doesn’t make sense. The ruling group in the gay community is white and male and GWMs have plenty of space in the gay culture of American cities, in Portland, and in the historically gay area of Portland known as Stark Street.
Slender, Caucasian males are not an oppressed group in this country. Are gay people of any kind oppressed? Yes. But many GWMs, despite their own oppression, are in a place where it becomes easy to oppress or ignore others members of the queer population who may not possess the great privilege that they do…even in this great liberal town. Who hasn’t seen women turned away from or treated poorly at Silverado’s for example? White males, in general, are trained to take up space in their world and Stark Street is no different. My aim was in stressing that other queer people are entitled to space in this city’s gay culture and we are claiming it. Was it colloquial? Yes. Offensive? I don’t think so.
As for the latter part of the sentence, that it is off-handedly offensive to blacks as well, I am completely mystified and am open to hearing the reasoning behind this. Even the idea that there are only 2 dichotomous races in the queer community seems a much more offensive implication to me.
So, despite my disagreement, I am quite pleased to hear what you have to say. Besides, what’s a blog without a little controversy?
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My but aren’t our social calendars filling up quickly? Lots to do this week beginning with the Q Center’s welcome wagon today at 5:30. Yesterday saw my girlfriend and I rifling through flyers, papers, and websites planning out our tour of pride (well and Pedalpalooza too…). Really, it’s quite overwhelming. So since I cannot presume to know what you, dear readers, might enjoy, I think it most important to tell you where you can find the events you most desire. And yet, while I do presume all the time, I’m going to let you in on some of my planned schedule…
Resources:
Pride NW
A general list of Pride events, resources, including Sunday the 18th’s main parade line-up, route etc. They also have a page on Latino Pride events.
PDX Black Pride
Portland’s queer community isn’t all about skinny white boys on Stark Street. African-American Portlanders have a whole slew of films, discussions, and even garage sales…
Just Out
Our bi-weekly queer rag is always worth checking for their full coverage of events. Now that their calendar is online it it fully worth checking out.
Queer Portland Livejournal
For all your last minute and more underground needs this LJ community is the way to go.
My recommendations:
• Tonight I’m out unfortunately. I would say the Tupperware party for the queer contingent (see below) but I can’t resist the lure of a late night coffee and donute ride with Pedalpalooza…
• Throughout the week there will be karaoke contests at various queer bars around town. Tonight is Silverado, tomorrow CC Slaughters, Wednesday Boxxes and Thursday E Room (sorry I missed yesterday’s striaght gay bar, Embers) Each winner will represent their digs at the final sing off at the Stark Raving Mad Block party from 4-5:30.
• Thursday is a toss up between film night and Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For comic) at Powell’s at 7:30. So you just have to decide fi you’re a queer film nerd or book snob for yourself…
• Friday is the night things really start revving up. I am wetting my pants with excitement for Total Drag 2006. This National drag talent contest mani will feature celebrity judges, DJ Beyond, 3asic and tons of high heeled fun. Host Wonder Ballroom is spacious enough to accommodate both the heavy drinkers and all ages crowd so it should be an interesting mix. Doors at 8, show at 9.
 • Saturday is, of course, the infamous Dyke March beginning at the North Park Blocks at 7. I am working myself, but might give up some dinner hour to catch some of the bare breasted shouting. Later in the evening, however, Wildcard hosts Let’s get Physical at the outdoor stage lovelieness of Acme (SE 8th and Main). Show at 10, dance party at 11:30. These 3 are always a party in and of themselves so I’m sure an injection of Pride week will make it a mad mad night.
• Sunday is the parade of course. Supposedly it starts at, I dunno, 11 or something but I’m betting queers will be slow movers on Sunday post-party so just get downtown by lunchtime ok?
• Monday the 19th will wind down with some gay skating at Oaks Park. If the idea of bringing this middle school pastime into the realm of your now grown-up and real gay life is terrifying just coem find me and I’ll save a couple skate for you.
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The joy begins this month folks. I believe queers can claim all summer but June is certainly Pride month in the states.  Portland’s own weekend of debauchery will be Sat/Sun June 17th/18th with my birthday following in a mere 4 days! That is cause for celebration. But while all that may be a coupke weeks away, the days leading up to Pride also have a few things going on. Our own queer community center, the Q Center, has some particularly interesting mixes of family fun and lascivious Tupperware parties.
This Sunday, June 11th, from 3-5p is family fun day at the center, promising to turn the whole place into a playground. (How they’re going to squeeze in the monkey bars I just don’t know). What might be even more fun for naughty housewives and husbands may be the Dixie Longate Tupperware party and show later that evening at the next day.
Besides new, highly inventive uses for Tupperware, you’ll learn all about Dixie’s life, from her tragic descent into drugs, sex and prison to finding her calling selling “plastic crap” to her star turn at Jubilee, Tupperware’s annual gala awards.
Shows are Sunday the 11th at the Q Center 7:30-9 and at the Jupiter Hotel the Monday the 12th from 8:30-10, will a DJ hosted afterparty. Best yet, 100% of the proceeds for both shows go directly to Q Center. Selling Tupperware really can pay the bills.
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