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  Seth Stambaugh. Photo by Leo Qin / Pioneer Log In many places in the United States it is all to common to be fired for being gay. But here in Oregon we are used to non-discrimination policies and laws on the books. So it’s particularly shocking and disappointing to see student teacher fired from his position at Sexton Mountain Elementary in nearby Beaverton.
Lewis and Clark college graduate student in teaching Seth Stambaugh was placed in Beaverton as a student teacher for a 4th and 5th grade class. Soon after his appointment he was called aside for dressing inappropriately when a parent complained, even though the outfit consisted of pressed slacks, a button-up oxford shirt, and a cardigan, according to Lake Perriguey, a lawyer who is now working pro-bono of Stambaugh. Later in the week that same parent threatened to remove his child following a conversation about marriage.
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  Stop hate crime While none of the qPDX.com staff were able to attend last night’s community forum due to conflicts in our schedules, we’re excited to see that the event, organized by JustOut columnist Daniel Borgen and Stephen Cassell, was well attended, and that Portland Mayor Sam Adams was there to hear concerns from the community first hand. According to coverage by JustOut, one of the main concerns of the forum is the difference between actual homo/transphobic incidents that we all experience, and the rate at which they are reported to the police. At this juncture, I want to share a little story with you about gay bashing, about violence, about police reporting, and about why it matters.
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  Jennifer Cohen of the Circus Project The Circus Project seems like a great organization. A non-profit which utilizes the unique power of art to transcend social barriers and inspire personal transformation, they put on world-class aerial performances and provide expert training, all the while funding outreach to homeless and at-risk youth in the Portland metro area.
But it seems, despite prior approval (which I don’t personally think is necessary) The Rose Festival coordinators threatened to cancel “Duende,” after audiences complained about a kiss between two women. While the show does go on the times have been changed in order not to ruffle the feathers of “family friendly” audiences.
So please take a moment to read this letter and show your support in any way you see fit, be it attending a show, writing to the Rose Fest or otherwise taking up space as a big ol’ gaymo in this town.
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  Homophobia Sucks Breaking news: LGBTQ Community Forum to be held TOMORROW (June 2nd) in wake of recent Memorial Weekend violence @ The Q Center, 7pm.
The press release reads:
“Because of the attacks over Memorial Day weekend that targeted LGBTQ members, our friends and loved ones, we have come together to host a forum that focuses on gay bashing in our community and how we can prevent and respond to it.
PLEASE do not take this issue lightly – we encourage you to come out, participate and get involved. Tell your friends, loved ones, family members – get the word out and we will see you tomorrow!”
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Ronnie Magro – homophobe or simply a hothead?
TMZ.com has leaked a clip from the ‘Jersey Shore’ where muscle boy and temperamental hothead Ronnie Magro was seen spouting homophobic slurs including “fucking faggot” and “fucking queer” at the guy he ended up getting into a punch-up with on the boardwalk. Reclaimed terms and it being ‘Jersey Shore’ aside, I think it’s noteworthy that Ronnie seemed (to me) […]
 Racist, biphobic, inflammatory stickers found on TriMet. Thank you to Keller Henry for this photo. Just in: Keller Henry, a Portland resident and TriMet user, took a quick snapshot of a sticker found on TriMet.
My thoughts are all in a jumble about this, but I will try and make sense of it the best I can. I am a white, queer European who has been an anti-facist and anti-racist activist since I was a teen. And I love Portland. I love this city. I care about this city, and I care about the things I see on bus stops.
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Like many of you, i’m a facebook addict. I never really got into myspace as much as many did, but I really love facebook. It’s less cluttered than myspace. It’s easy to use. It’s easy to find people. All my friends are on it. Squabbles over changes in the user agreement aside, and no, I don’t like the new format either, Facebook is still a great marketing/networking tool (and a bit of a timesuck). But this here issue is something that made me pay attention. Apparently, it seems, Facebook has a rejected an ad deemed “too racy” despite the fact that the creators claim many other ads on FB are a lot racier. Is the ad being targetted for being “too gay”? Is FB turning homophobic? Will this be the next AmazonFail?
From the switched.com:
 Facebook Rejects Lesbian Film Ad We’re not gonna deny that the advertisement to the right would certainly be described as “sexy,” but it’s hardly lewd or inappropriate. So why exactly did Facebook reject this ad for ‘And Then Came Lola,’ a film targeted at a lesbian audience?
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