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  I had this foggy notion i went BENT at faggy nation! It hasn’t been long since the Blue Parrot first fluttered it’s way into many a Portland gay’s party calendar. A little off the beaten track and tucked away pretty far up north, no one could predict that this local neighbourhood bar would turn into the party location motivating deepest SE bound queers (me) to hoof on up north. (Which is kinda the same thing we all said when gay pizza started happening.)
But: The Blue Parrot’s basic charms of queers, gritty music, tons o’dancing, cheap drinks and a little backyard, along with two of the most promising recent gay, lesbian and trans party upstarts, DIRTBAG! and BENT, made this diamond in the rough shine on hard, bright and crazy.
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  Portland Weather...it's getting better! Do I dare post this? Hard to believe, but the weather forecast for tomorrow is up to a staggering 94 degrees! Considering I was having drinks with a friend at the Bye and Bye last week and could see my breath, this is unbelievable.
Time for a quick-and-dirty summer guide to queer Portland.
- Ah, beach life. A great place to go and be amongst your fellow queers is to hit up gay (clothing optional) beaches on Rooster Rock or Sauvie Island. Check out our handy-dandy little guide to Sauvie Island. Sauvie’s is totes trans/girl/queer/clothed/all-sizes positive, so you have no reason to stay at home! You can also go berry picking or check out the wildlife on the island. Rooster Rock is also another option, but is generally cruisier and more gay-guy orientated than Sauvie Island. Plus we went there yesterday and its all kinds of flooded, so bring yer raft or prepare to hike. A trip to the Oregon coast is also the perfect way to spend a summer day.
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  Gay Cat Wow – what a weekend. I don’t know about you, but I’m still recovering, and finding glitter in unexpected places. This year’s Pride was an amazing experience for me. Five nights, ten parties, two marches, and zero gay bashings or homophobic incidents (as far as we know). A vibrant, powerful and peaceful pride despite a lot of changes this year – to the Pride route, to step-off times…and weather that wasn’t quite what we’ve been hoping for. This also marked a change for us here @ QPDX.com as we slowly grow from a little website that could into the bigger, badder, and more powerful queer community media hub that we want to become.
We do what we do for you, our community, and we want to thank everyone who has supported us over the past year and a half in so many ways: Holding banners, running errands, making connections, t-shirts, costumes, stealing copies, blogging/photographing…all of it. Thank you for inspiring us to do more and do better, every day. Thank you for giving us hella gay stuff to write about.
Alright, enuff wishywashing. Let’s get down to the dirt!
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  Cazwell and Amanda Lepore will be at the Stark Street Block Party So yeah, the 11:30 step off time for the Portland Pride Parade is pretty much a guesstimate, and we’ve all just been partying for 4 days, so Gay Standard Time is general operating procedure. But it’s the 40th anniversary of the first Gay Pride (Lordy lordy look who’s 40…) so you better be there with your fairy-ass bells on, even if there is a little sprinkling. If there is any rain I’m sure it’s just “God” telling us to wake up and parade already.
And yes, qPDX will be there, tweeting (twatting), parading, handing out stickers, buttons and flyers, in our best supergay outfits including newly fashioned qPDX “beater” tank tops courtesy Mike Burt. There’s a couple extra so if you march with us and/or are real lucky, you might get one too.
And of course once we reach the Waterfront I usually tool around for awhile and giggle at baby dykes purchasing their first set of Freedom Rings, fully expecting to head home. But oh no, it ain’t over yet folks…
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  It's Kaj-Anne Peppar vs Blow Pony...who's gonna win? I know yer tired…so am I…but we persevere…cuz it’s Saturday night y’all
The Dyke(ish?) March – Despite all the confusion and disorganization the Dyke March will trudge on in 2010. But be careful because it’s an hour earlier this year! Gathering at 5pm with a 6pm step off this parade of “dykes” is really more about celebrating Portland’s appreciation for and power of otherly gendered peoples, women, dykes, transpeople and other non-conformers. So what if it’s run into your ex-girlfriend march. You live in Portland. Get over it.
SMYRC’s Gayest Day of the Year Bike Ride – We get so wrapped up in our alcohol-fueled debauchery that we sometimes forget that wholesome activities that include youngsters can be just as amazing and Prideful. Not that I’m always so innocent when astride my trust lavender Bridgestone roadie Lola, but at least I can pretend.
Pride Pet parade – I’ve never been a good lesbian, as I have never owned by own dog or cat, (I mean, I’ve walked a dog so that cute girls will talk to me) but a queer lubba puppy and a cuddly kitteh so you know the folks will be out. Even if my favorite happen to be the Prideful goats, one of whom won the Just Out Pet’s category that I helped judge (oops! Is the cat out of the bag?)
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  Bearracuda at Branx/Rotture Yeah, what’s up with Friday night this Pride? It is a doozy. I mean, I’ve had to work really hard to pare down my nightlife route and even so I’m still attempting 4 parties. Here’s to hoping someone has a special on Red Bull…
One Night Stand with Robo/Bogo – This one is going to be epic folks. Two promoters doing two kick ass parties for one tiny 5 dolla bill. Basically this one will have everything. It’ll have boys, girls and everything in between. It’ll have 4×4 DJ decks featuring DJ Automaton back in town from LA and DJ Equestrian in town from Pittsburgh in a Robo Pony reunion. Also the Gottesdiener “twins” Girlfriends plus Goddessfinger aka Bogo as Kaki Marshall’s final Portland party. Not to be outdone, Freddie Fagula brings (aside from himself) the soul queen of hipster PDX DJ Beyonda, femme fatale Chelsea Starr and Party Martyr. It’s going to be pure madness. Oh and did I mention it’s a benefit for Trans-Active and Gender (Free) For All? I’ll drink(special) to that!
Bearracuda – Found in both the forest and the club those fuzzy beasts so at home in the Pacific Northwest know how to bring the party. A roving bear and cub party Bearracuda has been tempted back to Portland more than they expected. And it’s the first night of outdoor partying at Branx/Rotture so all that hairy-ness might stand a chance of cooling down.
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  Rai Villanueva will help kick off Pride with Thursday's gay ass Diesel party Recently added events starred like so*
Truthfully, I think I’ve been putting off the Pride 2010 calendar because there’s do damn much to do that I’m overwhelmed. So let’s take this piece by piece. First, there’s plenty to do before we even get to the weekend. Workin’ stiffs, of which I now be one, gird your loins and take one for the team. It’s gonna be a busy week.
Tonight
Pride Pub quiz – Did you know that it’s the 40th anniversary of the first Pride parade commemorating the June 1969 Stonewall riots? That’s why June is Pride month kids. Do you know about Harvey Milk day and Anita Bryant, Lon Mabon and the OCA? Have you ever been to the Lesbian Herstory Archives? Well, gear up your uber gay trivia because this pub quiz is gonna be both fun and educational. I’m putting on my hot librarian glasses cuz the competition is gonna be stiff…
*Gay Pride Kickoff Gay Skate!
Strap on some rollerskates and go kick it with the gays at Oak’s Park. A great way to roll into pride.$6. all ages, bring food donations for Esther’s Pantry. More
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 I’m not the worst furniture and stuff who but I do like nice things for cheap. Scouring garage and estate sales can be fun when you find that treasure but can also be a nightmare of broken children’s toys and crap you can’t pay to give away. Wading through the drek to find one tiny gem can be an all day affair. Not so at last year’s Gay-rage sale, […]
  Last year's Beartown 14. Photo by Stephen Cassell Can you believe that Portland has been celebrating fuzzy, round, gay men for more than half my life now? That’s right, 2010 ushers in the 15th Annual Beartown from this Thursday the 10th through Sunday the 13th at the Jupiter Hotel (800 E Burnside).
Once again, the schedule is ridiculously exhausting. Whether you’re hot tubbing, cigar smoking, or dancing in your underwear, you’ll be doing it with other friendly beasts. And boy howdy, how exciting will be be to see a bunch if hairy dudes descend on Hawthorne’s shopping district?
Of course one of the biggest events will be the Release the Beast Dance Party with tag-team DJ’s Sam Storicks (of Bearracuda Portland) and DJ BradPDX (Crush Bar, “Tilt-A-Whirl” 2009) as well as returning host(ess) Foxxy Bernadette. And if you’ve still got growl in your soul left for Pride weekend, absolutely head over to Branx for Bearracuda.
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  Vote Karol Collymore for County Commissioner County Commissioner candidate Karol Collymore may not be gay, but she gets an honorary badge…so says fellow queer journalists and shakers Stephen Marc Beaudoin, Byron Beck, Caryn Brooks, Jim Radosta, Bryan Boyd and others. She’s received the endorsements of The Oregonian, Willamette Week, NARAL, and several elected officials. Her policy and personality make it a no-brainer for qPDX to add itself to this list of supporters.
Running in District 2, encompassing North and Northeast Collymore has a solid record of LGBT support and community activism including work with Basic Rights Oregon, Hands on Greater Portland, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon and a year-long experiment hosting progressive dinner parties for small non-profits like Schoolhouse Supplies and P:ear. She was also a longtime staffer for Jeff Cogen, current commish and in the running for Multnomah County Chairman.
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