Don't make the mistake of thinking that Portland only celebrates Pride in July. That's when the parade is, but we all know Pride is in June, and Pride is already here with all her loud-ass bike rides, cute meet-ups, and shocking developments. Portland Pride 2025's top shocker may have already dropped: longstanding nightclub CC Slaughters announced on June 1 that they will cease business on August 3. Can this town buy enough jello shots to change their minds? We're certainly going to TRY.

Pride plans came in hot this year, and we're putting together a mega-list for our upcoming print issue. But here's what we've got on deck for the week—and this list will grow as we do! Send us your party plans!

Wednesday, June 4

Women and Nonbinary Electronic Music Meet Up

Community & Activism 

Every first Wednesday of the month sees this very cool gathering converge upon Synth Library Portland, located inside the Lloyd Center Mall. As you would expect from the title, this is a summit of femme and gender nonconforming electronic musicians of all skill levels. Come hang and talk shop, jam with other artists, and build community within the electronic music scenes of Portland. This is a free event! (Synth Library Portland, 5:30 pm, RSVP here, all ages) Nolan Parker

Friday, June 6

Legends of Drag: A Celebration of Drag Artistry

Drag & Performance

There's so much history, living, and life in Portland's venerated queen scene—something Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus sought to capture in their 2022 photo book Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age, which prominently features local matriarchs Darcelle XV and Poison Waters. For Pride, Art Gallery at the Reser is hosting an exhibition inspired by the book of photos, wigs, gowns, and other memory-laden accouterments. You can check the exhibit as soon as its First Friday opening on June 6, but the show will be on view for the rest of the the month at any Reser event, including oral history nights Wisdom of the Queen on June 11 and the Queens Court on June 21, a Friends of Dorothy cabaret fundraiser on June 18, and Powder Cake on June 25—where Kenzie B. Valentine, Kimberly Michelle Westwood, and Inanna Miss reveal their makeup and wig secrets! All the associated events are FREE except for the fundraiser. (The Reser, more info here) Suzette Smith

Queer & Trans Sewing Club

Community & Activism

So many of us went hard on the homesteading skills during the pandemic: breadmaking, gardening, and candlemaking among the more popular choices while binging King of the Hill and Broad City during lockdown. I personally tapped my mom to teach me how to sew for the first time in my life—finding it to be meditative, scratching a very satisfying creative itch. If you’re queer and/or trans and have been looking for a safer space to learn how to sew and connect with like-minded textile lovers, this club’s for you! Different weeks focus on different sewing topics, head to the link below to check out Sincere’s club and class offerings for more info. (Sincere Studio, 6 pm, RSVP here, all ages) NP

Mojo Drag Show

Drag & Performance, Music & Nightlife

A drag show with live band accompaniment—did we want that? Let’s find out at this cute collab, featuring queens Jay Colby and Yvette Stone, and jazzy-ass funk bands Yak Attack and Bodhi Mojo. Katya hosts, and she is our bias. (The Get Down, 8 pm, tickets here, 21+) SS

 

 

 

Saturday, June 7

Gays Eating the Rich in the Park

Community & Activism 

This is a real-deal community and activism gathering that has so much going on, there will be something for everyone! First of all, the Revolutionary Bicycle Club’s Rise Up & Ride ride ends at Gays Eating the Rich in the Park. There will be a piñata in the shape of our least favorite president to bash, along with a potluck, cornhole, free queer art to take home, and more! You’re encouraged to wear a mask to the FREE event, bring food for the potluck, as well as mutual aid donations, e.g. clean clothes and shelf-stable food. This is gonna be a big one—wrangle your pals into coming, and meet new friends who are into community-centered activism! (Laurelhurst Park, 3 pm, more info here, all ages) NP

New Wave

Drag & Performance, Arts & Culture

Debuting to buzzy acclaim last year at Tribeca Film Festival, Elizabeth Ai’s New Wave documentary brings to light underground culture in 1980s post-war Vietnam to exceptional results. The attitude is big, but the hair is bigger. New wave music, a freshly flamboyant sense of fashion, and queer culture collide in the film giving those of us too young to have experienced new wave in real time a peek into a fabulous subculture, while injecting Gen-Xers with pure sentimental bliss. Blossom Drearie hosts the Clinton Street screening that includes an AAPI drag show, and Ai in attendance for a Q&A and book signing. Heads up, masks are required at this screening. There will also be an after party popping off at Dots across the street so we can carry the hi-NRG into the night! If you can’t make this event, Tomorrow Theater will be screening the documentary on June 14 as well. (Clinton Street Theater, 5 pm, tickets here, all ages) NP

Desire Lines

Arts & Culture

Winner of the 2024 Sundance NEXT Special Jury Award, Desire Lines is a hybrid documentary drama with an almost softcore porn framing. Iranian-American trans man Ahmad (Aden Hakimi) shuffles through an archive of interviews with gay trans men—collected by director Jules Rosskam—as a device to showcase their stories and memories. The interviews are real. The vibe is sensual. Critics are split on whether this is a cornerstone gem or kind of boilerplate. You can be the tiebreaker (only trans man opinions sought). (Tomorrow Theater, 7 pm, tickets here) SS

The One True Rave: A Middle-Earth Rager

Drag & Performance, Music & Nightlife

If cosplayers are not, in fact, just daytime queens, this rave presents a chance for them to sneak into CC Slaughters like a certain Miss Frodo snuck into Mordor. It’s also a Klip Klop party, so it’s going to be FUN. While the promo info promises half off the door to creatures, “elves, hobbits, dwarves, or “even a steamy Smeagol,” we wouldn’t wait to buy tickets. Stand in the presence of mythical drag figures like Chrome, Zepheur, and Macaroni N. Cheese, then “let the bass drop like a Balrog.” (CC Slaughters, 8 pm, tickets here, 21+) SS

Sunday, June 8

Diva Drag Brunch

Drag & Performance

Breakfast and
 what a show!—the performers at Diva Drag Brunch aren’t just about the lip synch and the gorgeous sequined stride. You’ll find backflips, vocals, pasties, and more at the brunches produced by Justin Buckles. She's a super showy brunch—don't forget to bring your $1s and $5s—where the hosts always know how to work a crowd, so you’ll spend the whole two hours screaming, clapping, and laughing before you collapse into your post-brunch nap. Since it’s Pride, expect the Portland dates to sell out quickly, but Dive Drag is proselytising her good lewks out to Hood River, Olympia, Bend, and even a winery close to
 Ashland?! The reach of the acrylic nail is long and points towards payday. (Swan Dive, 11 am, tickets here, 21+) SS

Orlando: My Political Biography

Arts & Culture 

It blows me away that so many queer and trans people love Virgina Woolf and her fictionalized biography Orlando. Woolf was wildly racist as is the text. Orlando—both the text and the character—aren’t a little racist, they’re a lot racist. Heedlessly stanning Woolf and Orlando smacks of racism and ableism akin to the omission of Philip DeVine from Boys Don’t Cry. What Orlando: My Political Biography (one of my favorite films of 2023) does is recontextualize what Orlando means in the 21st Century, giving the antiquated text the breath of relevancy needed to keep it in the conversation. The documentary, which is largely in French, is a lush diary-style film addressing trans- and queerness in the here and now, often leaning towards whimsey as various trans and gender nonconforming people tell their stories. Read the book with not a grain but a spoonful of salt, and absolutely see Orlando: My Political Biography. (Clinton Street Theater, 7 pm, tickets here, all ages) NP