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 Parade route controversy…at least we’re not in a kerfuffle over taping the streets right? (Oh damn, that big Rose Fest parade is this weekend isn’t it? I won’t be anywhere near downtown…)
 An Open Letter to the LGBTQ community from the President of Pride Northwest:
Questions continue to be raised about the intentions, responsiveness and decision-making process of the Board of Pride Northwest. Since we are responsible to the entire community for our actions, we feel a need to answer these questions in a public forum, directly and, we hope, definitively.
One of the greatest misperceptions about Pride Northwest is that we make closed-door decisions that ignore the community will. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your feedback is key to our development as a community-based organization. We have listened for four years to a community that has felt abandoned by Pride, to other community organizations who felt no connection to Pride; to the marginalized communities within the larger LGBTQ community who have been searching for a voice with which to make their presence and needs known; all while still respecting and celebrating our diversity. Yes, we have been listening, and we are proud of the decisions we have made as a result.
Two years ago, for example, a few members of the community complained about our decision to restrict smoking on the festival grounds at the waterfront. In making that decision, we were responding to the serious concerns of our youth and non-smokers, including families, who objected to the health risks of exposure to second-hand smoke. That risk has been well documented and we believe it was the right thing to do for our community even in an outdoor venue.
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 Queer Prom masquerade
School is almost out for summer, but the university gays and lesbians wanted to send off their lavendar grads in style with last Friday’s Portland State University Queer Prom. qPDX photographer and PSU student, CROD, was there to catch all the action in pictures.
  QDoc is happening! June 3rd-6th Everybody knows I’m a huge film fan. The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls In Love gave me my first pseudo-butch role model, while the Celluloid Closet taught me to see film and culture differently. There was no way I would have ever become the fabulous queer you see showboating around nightclubs, street corners and dark alleyways without the profoundly formative films I consumed in my youth. I even came out to my mother after spending the day watching Jeffrey and The Birdcage back in 1996. (She didn’t take it so well. I wish she were a bit more like Nathan Lane!) Things also really changed when I discovered Bruce LaBruce, Fatih Akin, Todd Haynes, John Waters…
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  I join Jen K. aka Party Martyr at Random Order Coffeehouse. Jen joins me after a long morning in a Chinook trailer van parked at the Portsmouth Pizza parkinglot. It’s a balmy afternoon on Alberta street right before the bustling last thursday event begins. Over the squealing of espresso machines and roar of hungry pie goers we sat at the bar and I got to ask Jen K. a couple of questions.
HOW ARE YA?
Fantastic
SO I GUESS THE MAJOR REASON I WANTED TO INTERVIEW YOU WAS TO BRANCH OUT TO EVERY FACET OF THE PORTLAND QUEER SOCIAL SCENE. THE DJ’S I’VE INTERVIEWED HAVE BEEN PRONE TO PLAY MORE ISLAND, DUB AND HIP HOP AT DANCE NIGHTS AND I WANTED TO SPOTLIGHT AN ELECTRO FRIENDLY DJ.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOUR MUSICAL FORTE IS/ WHAT DO YOU JUST LOVE TO PLAY?
Electronic, specifically swedish electro pop.
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  2007 "People" category winner Lee Kyle's “Kajanne Pepper in Stripes” Even though it is still may and the rain continues to dampen our spirits as we head into the official beginning of summer, Memorial Day, and Pride Season, I’m starting not to be able to control my upcoming seasonal excitement.
qPDX has plans to march, of course, cover the hell out of our local festivities, and tweet all the cool stuff the whole time (my apologies if the tweets start to get messy by the end of each evening). But even better? We’re going to be doing it all again the next weekend from San Francisco!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. QDoc will kick off the season shortly, and we’ll have some stellar review coverage this year. But you can get just ask excited as me RIGHT NOW by entering Just Out’s 2010 Amateur Pride Photo Contest. It’s bound to be an interesting competition this year with all kinds of new staff at the JO as well as…drumroll…celebrity guest judging from yours truly. (You’re calling me a local celebrity? Well of course I’ll [fill in the blank]. Flattery will get you everywhere…) Here’s some of my judgemental comrades:
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 Gay men are still banned from donating blood by the red cross Taking the front page of CNN.com today is an article about the possible change regarding laws on allowing gay men to donate blood.
As a former blood donor with a reasonably rare blood type who who is banned from donating blood (spending more than three months in Britain between 1980 and 1996 will get you banned) I think that the issue is worth debating.
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Westboro Baptist Church gay protest
The Q Center and the Blow Pony Crew are organizing a strategy meeting in order to come up with some plans for civil obedience action against the Westboro Baptist Church. The strategy meeting will be held at the Q Center from 7 to 9 pm on the 26th. (you may want to consider coming early to get a seat) . The Q […]
  From the baby dykes to the BDOCs Portland State University is celebrating their Queer Pride week starting today. Here’s a schedule of all the college fun!
All week long:
Mask Making Party in QRC- Make your masks for prom!
Graffiti Wall in QRC- Write about your pride!
Love Makes Family- Art display at the Millar Library!
Monday May 24, 2010
6:00pm: Hip Hop Dancing<
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 Click for larger version In collaboration with PSU’s Queer Resource Center, the conference for self-identified “Butches, studs, aggressives, Machas, etc” is coming to Portland! (October 2nd) Next to hoping for strong attendance, the conference organizers are seeking workshop leaders and conference facilitators. Basically, if you have something to say, wantt to lead session, or have an art project you want to show, they want to hear about it!
Full text of their call for submissions under the cut. We will be posting more information closer to the conference.
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  Lucas Silveira, Canada's sexiest man Pride NW has officially announced their headlining lineup and the Canadians have got it goin’ on this year. I am especially excited about Ivan E Coyote, a dreamy and extremely heartfelt butch Canadian writer. Another big Canuck draw will be The Cliks, whose FTM frontman, Lucas Silveira, was recently named the sexiest man in Canada.
However, I’m sure they won’t be outdone by hop hop favorites God-des and She or the Idol produced pop of Blake Lewis.
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