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  Self Portrait  by Brian Patrick from the 2010 contestEvery year Just Out has an amateur photo contest; I was even a judge last year. Now it’s time to gear up for 2011. Here are the deets below: Entries are limited to 10 per person. Any means of snapping that  award-worthy original shot is fine: iPhone, digital camera or that old  fashioned standard picture-taker, but we must receive a printed/hard  copy — no digital submissions accepted. (We’d prefer you didn’t mat the image.) On that note, no print size is too small or large — however, as we caution every year, your masterpieces will not be returned. To repeat, you won’t get ‘em back. What you will get is recognition, one way or another. A winner will be selected for each of the six categories listed below, and all submissions will be displayed throughout the month of July at Q Center. Details on a forthcoming artists’ reception to come.   Continue reading »  
  I was going to use the still showing James Van Der Dead's head (yeah, from Dawson's creek -- I was always more of a Pacey man myself) as a trophy on the wall, but I thought that sexy Ke$ha canoodling with a unicorn would sell better...The other day I posted this recent Ke$ha video for “Blow” to my personal Facebook page (a re-post even, how social media web 2.0), and I was rather surprised at the discussion that ensued. It seems Ke$ha, as inconsequential as she may seem to me, affects our queer community in controversial ways. So post serves two purposes:   Continue reading »  
  "Gay caveman"‘Transgender’ skeleton discovered– A 5000 year old skeleton identified as male by preliminary examination was buried in a manner usually reserved for females. The skeleton, which dates back to about 2,500 to 2,800 B.C.,[was part of a culture that] was very finicky about grave rituals, reported Iranian news network Press TV, which visited the excavation site….Corded Ware males were usually buried on their right sides with their  heads facing east [accompanied by weapons] This man, however, was buried on his left with his  head facing west [accompanied by household items] — a traditionally female position.
 Discussion still continues about news outlets calling it a ‘gay caveman.’   Continue reading »  
  Bell HooksToday I have had this “Less Hate More Love” crap shoved down my throat. Now that I have your attention- let me tell you- I think the world does need a lot of love. Our society causes many of us to be broken, traumatized, fragmented, and isolated. Good politics and good practices should help us heal, bring us closer, and should inspire us to love openly. However; the idea that we should approach all of our interactions and root our analysis only in love is not only simplistic- it is anti-feminist, silencing, and counters much of what we value throughout history. Most of my feminist upbringing and socialization is directly related to the works of bell hooks. I love bell hooks and her contributions to race, class, and gender politics are invaluable. However; in the past couple of years she has turned her attention away from political struggle to more of an individual and spiritual look of oppression. She has also not pushed herself to engage with queer/gender/sex positive theories and practices. I recall some of her analysis of BDSM and feminism to be downright sex negative. However; for a long while as a youth I took nearly everything she said as gospel and still hold her near and dear in my heart. Even some of the spiritual woo-ness that she espouses has sort of a place in revolutionary political struggle. However; that place is not in the foreground. Her most recent article Building a Community of Love upsets me for many reasons. Her revisions radical history, her conclusions of radical work, and the simplistic nature that she posits valid political struggle get to my point of why it is positing our world in a love vs. hate is damaging and ineffective.   Continue reading »  
 A burger from Over the Top Put It in Your Mouth with Wyatt Riot debuts their 4th episide featuring Over the Top PDX, a food cart specializing in burgers. Prefer the lamb or the wild boar? Or how about bacon wrapped Snickers wrapped in tempura batter and fried. Wyatt tells you what to order…with or without a heart attack. Over the Top PDX. from wolf and […] 
  Big Freedia plays Friday at Buck & Bounce 5 and his DJ and backup dancer join fellow DJ Beyonda at Mrs. Seattle '94 on SaturdayThursday DirtBag! – Thursday night fav with a penchant for late night Smiths jams. A promise and a warning. Special guest DJ Freddie Fagula this week is sure to make it a class act. Friday Big Freedia at Buck & Bounce 5 – We ain’t got nothin’ on New Orleans when it comes to boo-tays, but luckily Queen of the Nola sissy bounce scene Big Freedia loves li’l old white and nerdy PDX. She can get our asses on the dancefloor. Awkward hipsterdom be damned! Feelin’ Alright pre-tour jam sesh – Miss classic rock and folk but not the douchey-ness that can sometimes go along with it? Instead listen to the greats, including Dylan,  Marley, Seger, Janis, Grace, Joni in this all night goodbye fest featuring Kaia Wilson (Team Dresch, The Butchies), Jenny Hoyston (Erase Eratta) and Katy Davidson (Dear Nora). Bent! – One of my all time favs (really, I named it number #1 of 2010). How could I forget ye?   Continue reading »  
Yours truly was too lazy to make it out into the rain on a school night but luckily Melody Awesomazing and Myriah J. Day were there to not only catch all the action on “film” (um, SD card?) but took up room on the stage and in brilliant flashy costumery. I’m sad I missed the show, but happy I get to see evidence in the photo gallery below. And […] 
 
 Short video detailing the process behind Gossip-frontwoman Beth Ditto‘s new solo release video “I Wrote the Book.” My favorite part are the directors talking about making Beth over elegantly in a style they call early 90s supermodel vibe.  Continue reading »  
  "Fitting In, Standing Out: Navigating the Social Challenges of High School to Get an Education" A new study out of the University of Texas at Austin has just released a study announcing that teens who “don’t fit in” are less likely to attend college. That made me somewhat of a “duh” conclusion, but what might be even more interesting that that two groups who are at particular risk are gay and overweight females. They found that girls who are obese are 78% less likely to attend college  than non-obese girls, and those who are gay, are 50% less  likely to attend. “Kids who have social problems — often because they are overweight or  gay are at greater risk of missing out on going to college simply  because of the social problems they have and how it affects them  emotionally,” says Robert Crosnoe, a Sociology Department professor and  Population Research Center affiliate. “Not because of anything to do  with intelligence or academic progress.”  Continue reading »  
  “Cooking for Charity and Fame”
 Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grille Portland is proud to introduce to you our premiere annual competition called “Iron Mary” where competitors get the opportunity to cook for charity and fame.  Hamburger Mary’s Portland has teamed up with the Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) to create this competition with various challenges meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic which affects us all. This competition has several weekly challenges that are meant to test one’s capacity to turn ordinary food into something legendary while reaching out to the community.  “Iron Mary” is set to begin on Tuesday, May 3rd and its winner will be selected on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011.   Continue reading »  |  | 
Love and Rage: A guest editorial from Katey Pants
Bell Hooks
Today I have had this “Less Hate More Love” crap shoved down my throat. Now that I have your attention- let me tell you- I think the world does need a lot of love. Our society causes many of us to be broken, traumatized, fragmented, and isolated. Good politics and good practices should help us heal, bring us closer, and should inspire us to love openly. However; the idea that we should approach all of our interactions and root our analysis only in love is not only simplistic- it is anti-feminist, silencing, and counters much of what we value throughout history.
Most of my feminist upbringing and socialization is directly related to the works of bell hooks. I love bell hooks and her contributions to race, class, and gender politics are invaluable. However; in the past couple of years she has turned her attention away from political struggle to more of an individual and spiritual look of oppression. She has also not pushed herself to engage with queer/gender/sex positive theories and practices. I recall some of her analysis of BDSM and feminism to be downright sex negative. However; for a long while as a youth I took nearly everything she said as gospel and still hold her near and dear in my heart. Even some of the spiritual woo-ness that she espouses has sort of a place in revolutionary political struggle. However; that place is not in the foreground. Her most recent article Building a Community of Love upsets me for many reasons. Her revisions radical history, her conclusions of radical work, and the simplistic nature that she posits valid political struggle get to my point of why it is positing our world in a love vs. hate is damaging and ineffective.
Continue reading »