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  Q Doc is coming up quickly. The only queer documentary film fest in the US and only the second in the world, Portland has played host to Q Doc for 5 years now. There will be a whopping 16 films shown in only 3 days this June 2-5…quite a kickoff to Pride Season. And you can get a taste of what’s to come with the official 2011 trailer below.
There’s lots of exciting tidbits to look forward to in the complete list of films, including a look into the work of art porn auteur Bruce La Bruce, another into legendary Hole drummer Patty Schemel, a set of 5 shorts by, for and about youth, and the biggest celebrity trans documentary of our time, Becoming Chaz. The crowning glory, however, will be the opening night’s Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy, with director Joey Arias in attendance as well as performing at the after party with Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale.
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  Topp Twins characters Ken & Ken Why does it take really cool things forever to be on US radars? We’ve certainly been missing the boat by not recognizing the amazing comedic and musical genius of lesbian New Zealanders the Topp Twins. Hopefully the release of their new documentary, Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, screening this Sunday at 7pm as part of QDoc, will remedy that. Because this is my favorite film of the fest.
The dynamic duo of Jools and Lynda are also taking their act on the open US road with shows here in Portland on Tuesday at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan). A mix of sketch comedy, yodeling and folk music the Topp Twins have been beloved in their home country for decades as well as outspoken leaders in gay rights. Even though they have never shied away from their stances nor their personal sexualities, a diverse country of farmers both more and less gay-friendly have embraced the folksters unlike any other act.
Untouchable Girls chronicles their lives as ranchers, musicians and activists and blends hilarious interviews with their alter egos with serious topics such as Jools’ battle with cancer, coming out to their parents and a nation, and the real love both have for their respective partners.
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  William S Burroughs William S. Burroughs, The Man Within. Directed by Yony Leyser screening Sat June 5th, 6pm
People must of thought I was a weird kid. I carried around a torn, stained copy of Naked Lunch in my backpack for months during high school in Utah. It was a difficult book to understand but the reading was made easier because I recognized the science fiction tropes he used and I forgave him the graphic, homosexual imagery. William S. Burroughs wasn’t someone just any young student could idolize. His prose was abstract and difficult. He was a junkie, and had been for forty years. He wrote about strange creatures that fed off the ejaculations of the human race. He developed avant garde methods of prose construction such as the cut-up technique. His influence reverberates through the generations. He inspired queers all over the world to rebel against a society that controlled and punished them. He was celebrated in his later years as the Godfather of Punk. How did this strange, queer junkie worm himself into mainstream American culture and become that dark renaissance man?
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  Le Tigre live at a filled stadium Originally titled with the much preferred Le Tigre: Who Took the Bomp, the video diary for the last Le Tigre tour is a bit of self-indulgent nostalgic fluff. But it’s good nostalgic fluff. And you should all know how much I adore both of those things.
Beginning with a random home rocket kit test flight Le Tigre: On Tour takes an irreverent look at the comraderie and adventures of the team, and spends a lot of time fawning over the most masculine of the trio JD Samson. Dykes will appreciate the attention paid to this mustachioed butch dreamboat who comes across as genuine, humble and sexy, even when she’s accepting champagne from adoring fans.
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  Film still 8: The Mormon Proposition. Directed by Reed Cowen. Screening 7pm tomorrow as part of QDOC.
I consider the passage of Proposition 8 in California to be the biggest setback to the gay marriage movement. Activists, allies, and the hundreds of couples that were newly married were all taken completely by surprise. Everything had seemed to be going our way. The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage, City Hall began issuing licenses to thousands of people, and polling showed that the majority of Californians were in favor of letting the progress towards equal marriage rights stand. When a last ditch effort initiative, Proposition 8, appeared on the ballot in 2008, it seemed destined for defeat.
But no one counted on the Mormons rolling into town.
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Portand’s QDoc is the only queer documentary film festival in the US (and one of two in the world) held annually at the intimate Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton). That’s pretty special. But not surprising for our hometown.
It’s also a great kick-off to Pride season to reflect on our LGBT roots before we start the party. Several qPDXers got the chance to screen some of these films and will be providing reviews in the next couple days. But the folks organizing the fest have put together a pretty fabulous preview on their own:
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  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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 'City of Borders' Relative newby to Portland’s extensive film festival scene, QDoc has, nevertheless, gotten the city in a tizzy. It was the first queer documentary film festival of its kind, and remains the only one in the USA. Now in its third season, QDoc has passed its terrible twos and sports a truly exceptional lineup, and a slew of directors in attendance, this weekend at the Clinton Street Theater.
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