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LGBTQIA+
Posted inLGBTQIA+

Author Q&A: Intersex Activist Alicia Roth Weigel on Her New Memoir Inverse Cowgirl

A visit to Powell’s City of Books uncovered no books about intersex experience, so she vowed to write one.
Avatar photo Kye Grant

A crushing visit to Portland’s very own Powell’s City of Books inspired Alicia Roth Weigel to write a memoir about her experience as an intersex activist. We spoke with her about the book and a new documentary she’s featured in, ahead of a book signing at PSU’s 5th Ave Cinema.

Posted inLGBTQIA+

Protests and Threats Cast a Pall Over Oregon Pride Celebrations

Some see Oregon as a haven for queer rights, but emboldened anti-LGBTQ+ harassment ruined quite a few Pride events in 2023.
Avatar photo Abe Asher

As cities across Oregon continue to celebrate Pride this year—Salem and Eugene in August, Newport and Seaside in September—they find themselves doing so at an ominous time for many in the LGBTQ+ community.  States have advanced and passed bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community in record numbers, limiting access to gender-affirming care, discussions of gender and […]

Posted inLGBTQIA+

Portland Pride Is in July? An Explainer.

Why did the parade and festival move, and why do we love June so much anyway?
Avatar photo Andrew Jankowski

It’s June, and your friends, coworkers, and roommates are all asking you about Portland’s Pride Festival. The short answer: It’s in July; the parade is Sunday July 16.  The long answer is as follows:  Pride Northwest announced in December that this year’s Portland Pride Parade and Festival would move from June to mid-July, citing schedule […]

Posted inLGBTQIA+

A Mother’s Fight for Her Gay Son’s Military Honors

The Navy discharged Martin Cerezo for being gay. His mother is now fighting for LGBTQ vets across the nation.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

In 2022, Martin Cerezo received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy. It was the one year anniversary of his death and more than three decades after his service. Cerezo’s mother, Cheryle Cerezo-Gardner, had fought for the decision—carrying on a long protracted petition process with the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, which Cerezo himself started […]

Posted inFood and Drink

Just in Time for Pride, a Popular Portland Gay Bar Reopens

Iconic queer nightlife spot Local Lounge is reborn as Back 2 Earth—a much needed win for Portland’s gay bar scene.
Avatar photo Sam Pape

In 2021, Local Lounge—the iconic (if nondescript) gay bar at Northeast Martin Luther King and Fremont known for regular karaoke, drag shows, and dance parties—shut its doors, joining the growing list of beloved queer spaces in Portland that have closed in recent years (Embers, Rebel Rebel, and the Roxy, to name a few). However, just […]

Posted inLGBTQIA+

Basic Rights Oregon Wants You to Think About Fostering LGBTQ+ Youth

A virtual event, put on with the help of Unicorn Solutions and ODHS, offers a no-pressure introduction to affirming care.
Avatar photo Sam Pape

In May 2023, national suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Trevor Project released a study of mental health among LGBTQ+ youth. The picture it painted was bleak. Among the findings, 41 percent of LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide in the past year, over half reported being unable to get the mental health care they wanted, […]

Posted inNews

Walter Cole, Mastermind of Darcelle XV, Has Died at 92

As Darcelle XV, Cole reigned as the world’s oldest drag queen and laid the groundwork for Portland’s queer culture scene.
Avatar photo Andrew Jankowski

Walter Cole, the man behind iconic Portland drag queen Darcelle XV and owner of the landmark namesake drag club Darcelle XV Showplace, has died at the age of 92 from natural causes. Kevin Cook, Cole’s longtime friend and colleague best known as Poison Waters, announced Cole’s passing via his and the club’s social media accounts. […]

Posted inNews

The Curriculum Culture Wars Come to Portland-Area Schools

Schools in the Portland metro area have been put on defense as conservative groups push against LGBTQ and race-related lessons required by state law
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

“You can’t talk to children like this!” yelled a woman in the audience at a North Clackamas School District (NCSD) board meeting on an evening in late May. “These babies do not deserve this!” The woman was interrupting the board’s proclamation of June as LGBTQ pride month at NCSD, arguing that the topic is inappropriate […]

Posted inNews

Following Anti-Trans Bills, Oregon Healthcare Providers Anticipate Surge in Patients

Avatar photo Abe Asher

Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty Images When a bill criminalizing the provision of gender-affirming care for transgender children advanced out of the Idaho House of Representatives in early March, Dr. Kara Connelly braced herself for the worst. Connelly is a pediatric endocrinologist and professor at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), where she specializes in providing […]

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