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PPCW’s fashion show Dress/Undress tonight! Interview with Equal Access Fund’s Nicole Boyer

Bryce Blak's Studio SKB will be one of the featured designers

Planned Parenthood‘s Equal Access Fund aims to provide helps gynecological exams for women and transmen who aren’t covered by state pregnancy-prevention funding but meet the same economic requirements. Dress/Undress is a fashion show to raise money for the fund. The show takes place tonight at the Fez, emceed by Sossity Chiricuzio, fashion re-designer, sex radical activist and producer/host of Dirty Queer.

We took a minute to sit down with EAF volunteer Nicole Boyer to talk about tonight’s event.

What’s your name and what’s your involvement with the PPCW Equal Access Fund?

My name is Nicole Boyer, and I am PPCW’s Volunteer Programs Coordinator as well as a member of our LGBTQI Committee. I’ve been involved with PPCW for 4 years now, and am passionate about spreading the word about our diverse services and patient population. I and many other PPCW staff contribute $ to the Equal Access Fund from each and every paycheck because we feel so strongly about increasing services for our local LGBTQI community.

What made you think of a fashion show as a fundraiser? Do you think a fashion show is even more likely to be interesting to an LGBT crowd?

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DJ of the Week — Bruce laBruiser

Jenny Bruso, DJ Bruce laBruiser

qPDX is starting a new feature! Every week we will introduce you to a local LGBTQ party DJ and ask them about their experiences in the scene and feature an audio mix they’ve made. If you’re interested in being featured contact alley@qpdx.com.

This week features DJ Bruce laBruiser, formerly known as Gutter Glamour, Jenny Bruso. You can catch her party Dirtbag! this Thursday (tomorrow) September 1st and again at Saturday September 10th at a great outdoor end of summer party called Some are Sparkles with Beyondadoubt and Chelsea Starr.

When and how did you get started DJing?

It’s kinda funny because I never actually planned on djing. It came to me. My partner and a good friend of our’s wanted to throw a benefit and for some reason they had this idea that I should dj it. Without even thinking about it I told them, “no.” I hate a lot of attention and being on the spot, but over the following next few days I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I found myself thinking about what kind of dj I would want to be and I was hearing all of my music in this new way. Suddenly, I was dying to do it! And after that first time, I was hooked, though I shudder to think about those early days. Eek. It’s actually the perfect gig for me, because I get to be this big part of the party, but i’m tucked away from the crowd and it’s totally weird, but I often find that folks really aren’t even paying that much attention to the dj. Depends on the party.

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Lady Gaga in drag at the 2011 VMAs

Gaga at Jo Calderone at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards

This Sunday Lady Gaga took to full drag character Jo Calderone for the MTV Video Music Awards. She won “Best Female Performer” dressed as a man and queered the VMAs further by staying in character for questions.

Most of what I’ve seen on Facebook so far has been pretty positive, except for comment condemning the smoking and drinking. Here are some samples:

“…the most conservative she’s ever looked…”

“I like that she’s in drag but she’s not doing some really gross misogynist thing to a female dancer…”

“…it didn’t piss me off, points for Gaga!…I was worried she would do that ‘don’t worry I’m still a hot girl underneath it all’ switch at the end, but she didn’t, she held to it, and nailed the body language…”

“Anyone who can be so creepy that they make Britney Spears feel uncomfortable… you have to love them…”

“The crowd reactions are so varied! Beiber at 4:33 is a personal favorite.”

What to you think? You can watch the whole video beneath the break.

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Orphan Girls: Will the Real Orphan Annie Please Stand up?

Did she ever hook up with Pepper?

I was rolling around in a pile of puppies yesterday, and had an epic realization. Queers love orphans. Many of us are, or can relate to being abandoned. It isn’t surprising that we identify. Isolation, persecution, lack of power, and desperation (word to the Oxford comma) are common in queerdom. As a kid, most of my favorite movies involved she-orphans, and when I started to click around the web, I realized how many movies carry the theme. I thought about doing a top ten, but it’s so subjective… I did decide to choose one ultimate movie. It’s okay if you don’t concur.

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CAUSA & Basic Rights Oregon team up for Spanish radio campaign promoting freedom to marry

(Mira pagina 2 para español)

New radio ads designed to reach out to Latino communities about the freedom to marry hit Oregon airwaves this week. The ad campaign also highlights the strong relationship between two statewide, grassroots organizations: Basic Rights Oregon, which advocates for gay and transgender rights, and CAUSA, which advocates for immigrant rights.

The ads, which will run on Spanish-language radio in the Portland region for four weeks, tell the stories of Latino families coming to terms with having a gay child, and underscore the importance of family supporting each other. You can listen to the ad (in Spanish) here: [display_podcast]

Excerpt from one ad (translated to English):

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This weekend it’s time to be a Hot Mess as you say goodbye to Doll House and indulge in (Del Shores) Sordid Confessions

Del Shores shares all his 'Sordid Confessions' Sunday at Red Cap

Thursday

Hot mess talent contest – The first week of the up-and-coming local talent competition. Can we beat Tyra in snarkiness or Simon Cowell in cruelty? Well it’s time to find out.

Streateaters, Mishaps, Fucking Lesbian Bitches – Goddamn dyke punk ok?

The Cafeteria – Summer school’s in session so it’ll be all the bad girls and boys in class this week…

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DJ of the Week – Alicious

DJ Alicious

qPDX is starting a new feature! Every week we will introduce you to a local LGBTQ party DJ and ask them about their experiences in the scene and feature an audio mix they’ve made. If you’re interested in being featured contact alley@qpdx.com.

First on the docket is DJ Alicious, most known for Crave, Doll House and other Mirage Entertainment productions. You can catch her this Saturday at their Doll House farewell at Hamburger Mary’s.

When and how did you get started DJing?

Music has always been a huge passion of mine.  I used to sit in my bedroom for hours on end as a little kid and craft what I would consider to be the perfect mix tapes!  As I got older, I would be the go to person for music.  In college I hosted many parties and always provided the music.  As for getting started professionally, I officially started deejaying back in February, 2010 for Crave’s “Gold Masquerade Party”.  I have continued to spin for every Crave since then.  It’s so exciting to be a contributing factor in making people dance, smile, and have a good time =)

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Ok Cupid names Portland the most promiscuous city

Portlandia: sexy, geeky, gay. Promiscuity was a dream of the 90s wasn't it?

Ok Cupid is a dating site that has love for not only the gays, lesbians and tragically hip but also for the stats and geekery (see: tragically hip) and they have just named Portland, a lover of all those things as well, the most promiscuous city in the USA. So I guess we “love” each other a lot as well with Time magazine calling us “Oversexed Oregon.” In general the “liberal media” was more congratulatory than chastising and the Huffington Post has some great cityscapes of the winners as well as sex-related infographics (talk about hipster geekdom), and the Village Voice was just jealous.

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Photos from this week’s Drag Out PDX

Alternative drag takes to the streets of Portland. Photo by Samuel Thomas.

Drag Out PDX brings gender non-conformity to the streets of Portland every other Wednesday this summer. It’s a great way to get outdoors and celebrate keeping Portland qWeird. These shots are from this Wednesday August 17, 2011 and are courtesy Samuel Thomas. To learn more about DO-PDX and to participate check out their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragoutpdx/ and thank you for supporting the alternative drag community!

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Head on down to SugarTown tonight, PDX’s sweetest new queer soul dance party

Welcome new contributor Heather Hooks!

Carnita, Action Slacks, Brown Amy – Photo by Shot In the City

Sugar Town, the latest Queer soul dance night brought to you by DJ Action Slacks, is certainly the sweet spot to be this Thursday night. For its second installment, DJ Action Slacks has combined forces with Portland’s own soul superhero, DJ Beyonda, and San Francisco’s consistently sold out Hard French […]