Kimber K. Shade (left) and Isaiah Esquire (right) ASHLI BRAZELL This year’s Juneteenth, June 19, 2022, will be a day of celebration, remembrance, and hopefully change. It is the day our fair city of Portland will simultaneously commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall riots (arguably the birth of the modern gay rights movement) and […]
Mx. Dahlia Belle
Mx. Dahlia Belle is a stand-up comedian and incidental sexual liberation activist.
Posted inQueer Guide 2022
Kimber K. Shade and Isaiah Esquire Created Blackout as a Place to Be Queer and Unapologetically Black
This year’s Juneteenth, June 19, 2022, will be a day of celebration, remembrance, and hopefully change. It is the day our fair city of Portland will simultaneously commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall riots (arguably the birth of the modern gay rights movement) and the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth: the day Black Americans celebrate […]
Posted inPride 2021: Queer Beginnings
The Language of Pride: Reassessing the Labels We’re Given
miakievy / Getty Images Happy Pride, Portland! This week, the Mercury is running a series of opinion pieces and personal essays from LGBTQ+ Portlanders on the theme Pride 2021: Queer Beginnings. As we emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all re-evaluating and re-imagining things, and that includes queer life and how we observe Pride. […]
Posted inLGBTQIA+
Personal Essay: I’m Proud of You
This article is part of the Mercury’s 2020 all-digital Queer Week coverage. Dahlia Belle Image courtesy of author. Traditionally, any decent article written about PRIDE (capitalized for a maximum of fabulous ferocity) must begin with the words “In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood […]
Posted inFeature
Gender? Fuck. (Or, The Future’s On Its Way… Are You Ready?)
Gender is what suits you
Posted inLGBTQIA+
Black & Brown Stripes: Catching Up with Some of Portland’s Most Interesting Queer People of Color
For members of the LGBTQ+ community, there are numerous reasons to be proud. What follows are a series of discussions with five very different, but equally dynamic members of our complex community. Stephanie Duncker PRONOUNS: she/her and they/them ETHNICITY: Black AGE: 35 INSTAGRAM: @myalmedicinals I meet with activist Stephanie Duncker—a Black, vegan witch—at Townshend’s Tea […]
Posted inComedy
The Party Review
Pagan Cats and Feasts
I attend an unidentified pagan celebration and bond with cats.
Posted inComedy
The Party Review: Lizard Birthday
Someone’s birthday is celebrated every day of the year, and it seems I’m determined to celebrate them all. Having been raised a Jehovah’s Witness, birthday celebrations don’t hold the same weight for me as for others. Of course you were born. How else would I know you? And obviously you survived another year. Otherwise, how […]
Posted inComedy
The Party Review: The Year in Review
Over the past 12 months, I have attended more than 20 parties and written charming reviews of the very best and most memorable. Now, before we sing “Auld Lang Syne,” one question looms large: What have we learned about throwing the perfect 10-point party? Well, let us listicle… 1. The Mercury’s holiday party demonstrated the […]
Posted inComedy
Silent Socialite Party
After two years of writing a column about being an introvert who attends random people’s parties, I finally receive it: an invitation to a “Silent Socialite Party” where talking is highly discouraged. The invitation states light snacks and beverages will be available. Attendees may also bring their own, but it isn’t expected or required. “Got […]
Posted inComedy
The Party Review: A Comical Housewarming
It should come as little surprise that I frequent gatherings inundated with my fellow social misfits (i.e., comedians). What should come as a surprise is when I attend parties thrown and attended by comedians that are stocked with actual food. Generally speaking, when I enter a colleague’s kitchen, I expect incongruent condiments and more mixers […]
