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Queer Guide 2025
Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Battle of the Hexes

Post-punk weirdos Casual Hex hold a black mirror to society on Zig Zag Lady Illusion II.
Avatar photo Nolan Parker

Now split between Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma, Casual Hex return with new album Zig Zag Lady Illusion II—the politically charged sonic continuation of their first full-length. The new LP dropped June 13 via Seattle’s Youth Riot Records. The band has been quiet since the release of their weirdo post-punk monolith Zig Zag Lady Illusion in 2018, and—despite being […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Be Gay, Make a Mixtape!

Put any of these queer Portland artists on a mix and your boo will swoon!
Avatar photo Nolan Parker

Portland is full to her hilt with incredibly talented queer musicians and artists! This here mixtape is a love letter to all the queer creators of Portland past, present, and future. This obviously non-exhaustive playlist is a living testament to the expansive nature of queer existence: we’ve got trans vaporwave inventors, come-fuck-with-the-crew hardcore, a Black […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

How to Find a Rainbow of Rocks in Oregon and Washington

Geology enthusiast Alison Jean Cole on where to find the geological equivalent of a hot trans man.
Avatar photo Alison Jean Cole

As simple pleasures are gay and hiking is gay, it feels easy to declare that the sport of rockhounding is also a gay activity. And the Pacific Northwest is home to the pros. For this guide, I have collected some recommendations for where you might find beautiful rocks, and eventually build your own rainbow. Let […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Always Here Bookshop Finally Comes Home

After two years operating as a pop-up, this queer bookstore has a new, permanent North Portland space. 
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

John and Rafael Hart, the couple behind North Portland’s worker-owned, queer-focused Always Here bookstore, are planning to stick around for the long haul. After about a year and a half operating their store as a pop-up, Always Here recently reopened in the old Craft Factory storefront on the corner of N Williams at Going Street. […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Rediscover Portland Cartoonist Rupert Kinnard and 50 Years of Black, Gay Comic History

A new collection of his work explores his artistry and activism.
Avatar photo Kjerstin Johnson

You’ve probably seen Rupert Kinnard’s smile if you’ve passed the downtown Portland mural on NW Couch at Broadway. A wheelchair user since a car accident in 1996, Kinnard sits between Kathleen Saadat and Lynn Nakamoto, two other icons of Portland’s queer history. Look closer, to the bottom of the mural, and you’ll see two smaller […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Undercurrents: Astrological Insight and Horoscopes

Explore planetary motion as a mirror for inner and outer reflection. 
Avatar photo Kenzie Ballew

Planetary Overview: Happy Summer Solstice and welcome to Cancer season! As the Sun sidesteps through the crab’s domain, it moves with caution and care. Cancer season offers a moment to pause, reflect, and take inventory of our internal landscapes—bonus points if this is done with a furrowed brow at water’s edge. We all know the […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Do This, Do That: Queer Events Until Pride and Beyond

The gayest-looking queer bike rides, dance parties, and community events on our calendar this Pride season.
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo Lindsay Costello, Nolan Parker, and Suzette Smith

Portland’s Pride season is loooooong. And this new list of parties, art shows, bike rides, history exhibits—and more—is similarly shaped 😉. The parade may be in July, but we’re queer all year round. Ongoing: Outliers and OutlawsCommunity & Activism  Did you know Eugene was once dubbed a “lesbian mecca”? Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2025

Color Your Own Nonbinary Girlfriend!

An incredible coloraing page illustration by Samuel Fancy.
Avatar photo Samuel Farrell

Ever wanted to color your very own nonbinary girlfriend? What about your very own Nonbinary Girlfriend?? Well you’re in luck! Portland artist and musician Samuel Fancy is here to make all your dreams come true!  Check a thumbnail of the illustration below and head here to print out a PDF to color at home! Maybe […]

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