Those nice folks over at the Bathroom Liberation Front have started a new site, called Safe 2 Pee, dedicated to letting us all know where we can find accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms that are safe for anyone within the queer community.
It may sound silly to most folks, gay or straight, who are non-gender-variant, but finding a safe place to relieve oneself is a right many trans folks are denied. It’s stressful to exist in this world as a queer and/or trans person in general but when it comes down to basic bodily functions you don’t want to have to deal with discrimination or safety. In that strange neither pub nor private space that public bathrooms inhabit it is easy to see how a trans person’s safety can be in jeopardy. This was, perhaps, part of the reason bathrooms were first separated by gender, safety for women, but has, instead made it much harder for many individuals who are never safe in certain bathrooms no matter what their birth gender, or even perceived gender is/was.
Anyhow, the site itself, which perhaps not a wildly exciting design, has the same appealing ease of use, and, coincidentally, accessibility as something like Craigslist. Utilizing mainly text means that users with any kind of connection, even *gasp* dial-up, can still reach the site without waiting forever as their bladders burst. It also appears easily accessed on mobile devices, although I can’t check it myself as I am still waiting to make that leap (I’m itching, but the introduction of the iPhone has me twiddling my thumbs until at least June so I can see what happens there).
The site is available in 85 cities so far and Portland ranks second, behind only San Francisco, as the leader in the pee battle and any user can add a bathroom. There’s even a blog, changelog (so you can see what’s new and updated), and FAQ. It’s a somewhat techie site (although not in a difficult to use way) and so it warms my heart just a little bit more to see other queers fiddling around with computers. The best way to find out more about it is to visit the site, but I’ve also included a short press release below to give a quick overview:
Fed up violence and harassment faced by gender variant people in public bathrooms, a group in the San Francisco Bay Area has launched a web directory known as safe2pee. Having been online for only two weeks, the site has received over 300 bathroom submissions in over 70 cities. “We’ve chosen to incorporate new web technologies,” says Bailey X, a project organizer, “and the response we’ve received from visitors has been overwhelming.” The site features map plots of bathrooms, a tag cloud, information about accessibility and community features including the ability to comment and add pictures. At a time when other projects have disappeared, safe2pee hopes to maintain a legacy by mirroring bathroom data elsewhere. Bailey says that data is licensed under creative commons, and that the group encourages incorporation into research and other projects. Ze says the project has had some unanticipated consequences, “putting a visual representation up has been really interesting. You see posts in forums where cities are starting to compete with one another for the most bathrooms. Everyone wants the biggest tag on the home page.” They add that their web site is not only a valuable resource for those in the gender variant spectrum, but for those seeking bathrooms that are accessible or that meet the needs of families.
Just a quick note from Wonder Boy over at Livejournal’s QueerPortland group:
Gender Odyssey (Trans conference in Seattle, held over Labor Day weekend…) is looking this year to increase programming related to trans youth. Rej at SMYRC in Portland is looking for people 23 & under who are interested in getting involved with the youth programming at Gender Odyssey 2007. E-mail Rej at rejj[at]cascadiabhc[dot]org if you are interested in giving your input on youth related workshops.
…especially when it’s a tech company that seems to have a lot of helpful software and basically dominates the internet. But there’s been a lot of uproar lately about Google pulling ads from gay sites. Something like this can be tricky. I haven’t ever heard anything before about Google being any kind of discriminator, or even particularly conservative, but I’m certainly inclined to agree that it appears they’re being at the very least hypocritical here. I was once warned severely from Paypal because a local product I was selling on my now defunct I heart PDX website said that it could be used in bondage. Some people have foot fetishes, doesn’t mean they ban shoes. But that’s beside the point. At least Paypal didn’t seem to be promoting, or allowing adult content elsewhere (well, I guess I never really looked). Google doesn’t censor in general, so why should its AdSense program? Other examples seemed disturbing to me as well. One comment pointed out that many many ex-gay videos appear on Google Video when you search for "gay" but drag show performances are routinely pulled from Google owned YouTube quite readily. I personally think it’s a bit ironic for Google not to allow any sort of mature content in the sites which feature AdSense (there’s a lot that’s mature in the news and other places that may or may not have to do with sex) but if that does need to be their policy I would expect them to treat everyone the same. Until I hear a response from them on this it sounds to me like Google is discriminating against gay blogs. […]
I don’t know much about The Eagle’s current owner or the situation of the club’s loss of its lease in downtown’s gay (male) triangle. That’s why I read WW’s Byron Beck. What I do know, however, is that Pat Lanagan, the one mentioned in the article as snapping up the "Eagle" name seems shady in so many ways. And, no, I don’t consider it wrong to judge him partially by his turning a mongrel queer club into a circuit party in the heart of my own hood. Shame on you Pat for antagonizing all kinds of members of your queer community. I can’t be too torn up over the vandalism at your establishment… […]
I was watching a program on Logo the other day with my partner about queer history in America since Stonewall. And while visions of Anita Bryant loomed in the section from the 70s, for the most part post-riot seemed hopeful and celebratory. But when the program hit the 80s the spirit was decidedly more sober. Of course the Reagan years were fretful for many reasons but what the thing that loomed large and frightful at it jumped onto the queer stage was the devastating emergence of AIDS. As we watched the segment where they laid out the quilt, we were both brought close to tears remembering our own experiences of seeing that compelling and visceral symbol of the toll AIDS has had on our community. We, of course, also remembered all the people we knew who that quilt represents, good friends and family who were consumed by the disease. It affected my partner so much that she had nightmares that night and I told her she couldn’t watch any more history shows. But it is crucial that we remember the epidemic and the pain it has caused and continues to cause. It is our history and our present as we look to erase it from our future. That’s why Friday’s World AIDS Day is so important.
Cascade AIDS Project is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in the area. They’ve been around since 1983 and have many resources for those in need of services as well as opportunities for those who want to donate their time or money to the cause. They also offer hotlines in both English (800.777.AIDS) and Spanish (800.499.6940). Their biggest fundraiser of the year, the Red Ribbon Party, is tonight from 5-8p at 5th Ave Suites downtown (596 SW Washington).
But the most important thing to remember every December 1st is that HIV still exists. It has hit our community hard and continues to ravage it and other communities globally. Watching footage of the quilt being laid out on the Washington DC mall was a stark reminder to me that I haven’t had to think about AIDS as much as I once did, but that it is every bit as imperative that we never stop our vigilance.
Though I’m guessing most of you will be frantically bubbling in your ballots because you waited until the last minute to make your electoral voice heard, when you calm your political fervor you will be rewarding with the uplifting sounds of Scream Club, Show Me the Pink, and Joey Casio.
Until then, make use of Basic Right’s endorsements, although I personally found The Merc’s better and more comprehensive. This is an important one folks so get out there, even if it’s flooding and drop off your ballot.
Once you have, however, take your empowered citizen self down to the Paragon to start you election night (hopefully) celebration. While this trio of hot genre-crossing bands may not be directly tied to elections all 3 have their own brand of queer, off beat politics. I’m sure the political discussion will ride the dace wave throughout the night. Better still, two of the artist have shiny new albums available in all their shrink-wrapped glory. Fantastic and brightly colored electro-hip-hopster-punks Scream Club have just released Life of Heartbreaker featuring guest appearances from Peaches, Tender Forever, Nicky Click, Electrosexual and others. Joey Casio, our favorite child-instrument-toting Oly hipster nice boy, has dropped his own new tunes, an album called attack decay. Both albums will be available at the show.
It may not be directly queer related but it’s local, political, interesting and will ultimately affect the local GBLT individual, as the electing of any Governor would. Therefore, I just wanted to pass on this little bit of information provided by the Democratic Party of Oregon and fabulous bow tie wearing Congressman Earl Blumenauer:
Today, in a post on BlueOregon.com, Congressman Earl Blumenauer challenged Ron Saxton’s claim that he was a leader of the effort to pass a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age when he was in college. During the September 28th Statesman Journal Debate at Chemeketa Community College, Saxton said, "When I was in high school in Albany and ultimately at Willamette [University], I was one of the leaders of the state effort in Oregon to lower the voting age to 18." [Statesman Journal Debate, 9/28/06, at 51:00]
Turns out, that’s not quite true. Congressman Blumenauer, who led the state campaign for a 1969 ballot measure that reduced Oregon’s voting age and later was a leading organizer of the campaign to pass the 26th Amendment—told BlueOregon.com today that Saxton wasn’t a player in the effort. In fact, as Congressman Blumenauer points out, Saxton didn’t even enter Willamette University until the Fall of 1972—15 months after the 26 Amendment had been ratified.
"Today’s news is the latest example of Ron Saxton’s stunning identity crisis in the closing weeks of this campaign," said Democratic Party of Oregon Executive Director Neel Pender. "From his vane attempts to recast himself as a moderate after running as Right Wing Ron, to his desperate ploy to pretend he’s a farmer not a $400 an hour corporate lawyer, Ron Saxton refuses to be honest with the people of Oregon. But the voters know better, which is why they’re going to reelect a strong, honest leader like Governor Kulongoski."
I’ve never been a proponent of smear campaign tactics, but if they’re being used against us, and they’re as effective as they appear to be, I suppose one must fight fire with fire. Not only that, but the complaints could be quite valid. I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out. Speaker of the house, and homophobe, Karen Minnis has been smearing opponent Rob Brading for weeks now in television ads. Now he’s fighting back by exposing the possible cover up of of her husband’s alleged attempted sexual assault.
And, while elections are quite a serious matter, you have to embrace the humor that does exist. It gets us through the pain. While watching Hardball with Chris Tucker my partner and I were introduced to this ridiculously funny smear campaign ad that has since been pulled from TV. And it has nothing to do with Oregon, but it is hilarious in its horribleness and even mocks the idea that anyone would understand who a transgendered person or an native Aleutian is. And perhaps most Americans don’t understand either of these words, but a politician should be familiar with them. Lucky for us, though the commercial is no longer airing, we can mock it from the comfort of our own computer screens. It is included below.
Just got this note from Todd at the Simmons Equality Network And though I don’t have time to do much research I have heard this before and thought it was important that you be informed of the homophob… […]
It may sound silly to most folks, gay or straight, who are non-gender-variant, but finding a safe place to relieve oneself is a right many trans folks are denied. It’s stressful to exist in this world as a queer and/or trans person in general but when it comes down to basic bodily functions you don’t want to have to deal with discrimination or safety. In that strange neither pub nor private space that public bathrooms inhabit it is easy to see how a trans person’s safety can be in jeopardy. This was, perhaps, part of the reason bathrooms were first separated by gender, safety for women, but has, instead made it much harder for many individuals who are never safe in certain bathrooms no matter what their birth gender, or even perceived gender is/was.
I was watching a program on Logo the other day with my partner about queer history in America since Stonewall. And while visions of Anita Bryant loomed in the section from the 70s, for the most part post-riot seemed hopeful and celebratory. But when the program hit the 80s the spirit was decidedly more sober. Of course the Reagan years were fretful for many reasons but what the thing that loomed large and frightful at it jumped onto the queer stage was the devastating emergence of AIDS. As we watched the segment where they laid out the quilt, we were both brought close to tears remembering our own experiences of seeing that compelling and visceral symbol of the toll AIDS has had on our community. We, of course, also remembered all the people we knew who that quilt represents, good friends and family who were consumed by the disease. It affected my partner so much that she had nightmares that night and I told her she couldn’t watch any more history shows. But it is crucial that we remember the epidemic and the pain it has caused and continues to cause. It is our history and our present as we look to erase it from our future. That’s why Friday’s 
Until then, make use of 