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LGBTQIA+
Posted inNews

Seattle Area Trans Women Are Being Attacked by Groups of Men

Portland bias crime data shows similar trends, with LGBTQ+ people at higher risk of assault by men.
Avatar photo Vivian McCall

This story was first published in The Stranger. Warning: This story contains descriptions of violence. “Go to Pony, go to Pony, go to Pony—there’s more people there,” said a frantic woman as she approached Madison Carstens and her friends next to the Maserati dealership on 12th and Union Street in Seattle. Six or seven young […]

Posted inQueer

Portland Pride 2025 Events: Gays Eating the Rich

Plus, drag history, elf parties, synths, sewing club, and more!
Avatar photoAvatar photo Nolan Parker and Suzette Smith

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 […]

Posted inNews

New Marie Equi Day Center Offers Unhoused LGBTQ+ Portlanders Respite, Resources, and Hope

With new digs and the help of Supportive Housing Services funding, a local nonprofit is helping queer and trans residents find safety, and a path off the streets.
Avatar photo Anna Del Savio

Portland’s first day center for unhoused queer and trans people is opening this month in Southeast. The Marie Equi Center’s new Brooklyn neighborhood day shelter will welcome visitors “just coming in to regulate their nervous systems in the space and hang out, or to get connected to our peer services,” center director Katie Cox said. […]

Posted inNews

Attorneys Claim Plasma Donation Centers Illegally Discriminate Against Gay and Bisexual Men

Grifols USA, which operates two centers in Portland, faces a class-action lawsuit after an Oregon man was denied donation.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

A chain of Oregon-based plasma donation centers faces a class-action lawsuit for its policies prohibiting donations from gay men. A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon on behalf of John Cavanaugh claims Cavanaugh tried to donate plasma at a Grifols USA donation center in Eugene, but was turned away because […]

Posted inHistory

Tracing the History of Queer Spaces in Portland

Silverado was once Flossie’s; Lowensdale Park was once a place to cruise—take a brief dive into a history of our city’s queer spaces.
Avatar photo Joe Streckert

[Find the Mercury‘s Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.] The Silverado is obviously and stridently a gay bar. Rainbow tassels line the kitchen, attractive men in snug underwear sling drinks, and posters of shirtless guys adorn the walls. Also, after nine at night male strippers perform in the Silverado’s basement. The […]

Posted inTheater & Performance

Portland Drag Clown Carla Rossi Climbed Jeffery Gibson’s Installation at the 2024 Venice Biennale

Artist Jeffery Gibson invited Carla Rossi to climb his installation on the US pavilion.
Avatar photo Suzette Smith

The Venice Biennale is one of the most prestigious art exhibitions in the world. So we were pleased as punch to see Portland drag clown Carla Rossi climbing the US pavilion.

https://www.portlandmercury.com/queer-guide-2024/2024/06/13/47253765/a-portland-drag-clown-in-residence-at-the-venice-biennale

Posted inEverOut

EverOut’s 2024 Pride Event Calendar

Don’t miss a minute of fun during this year’s Queer Summer!
Avatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photoAvatar photo Julianne Bell, Lindsay Costello, Shannon Lubetich, Janey Wong, and Audrey Vann

[Find the Mercury‘s Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.] Community Oaks Park Pride Oaks Park celebrates the Portland queer community with a day of discounted rides, limited-edition treats, pride-themed carnival game prizes, special performances, and more. Did I mention free cake and balloons? You can stop by a vendor fair, play […]

Posted inBikes

Portland Pride Rides All Summer Long—Here Are Some 2024 Pedalpalooza Picks!

A few ways our city leads the way in welcoming riders of all genders and sexualities.
Avatar photo Taylor Griggs

[Find the Mercury‘s Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.] Despite the campy spandex uniform worn by those truly dedicated to the sport, cycling still has a reputation for having a certain straight guy “bro” quality that can make it intimidating for non-men and queer folks to get involved. But in Portland, […]

Posted inNews

Oregon’s Legislative Landscape Supports LGBTQ+ Rights, But Is That Enough?

As the American legal landscape for LGBTQ+ residents 
grows hostile, Oregon works to enshrine rights for all.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

[Find the Mercury‘s Queer Guide in print—available in more than 500 spots citywide!—eds.] In 2023 Oregon House Bill 2002 was hailed as transformative, crucial legislation for protecting the rights of women and LGBTQ+ residents. The reproductive health care bill protects doctors from prosecution, ensures a patient’s right to abortion at any age without requiring parental […]

Posted inNews

Portlanders Gather for Community Vigil After Death of Nex Benedict

Non-binary teen’s death in Oklahoma sparked questions about school bullying, while shining a light on the needs of LGBTQ+ youth
Avatar photo Kevin Foster

Over 150 Portlanders gathered for a vigil Tuesday evening at Pioneer Courthouse Square to mourn the death of Nex Benedict, a non-binary youth from Owasso, Oklahoma who died the day after being assaulted by classmates at their high school.  Police originally said a preliminary autopsy indicated Benedict “did not die as a result of trauma,” […]

Posted inNews

New Report Highlights Major Gaps in Portland Region’s Shelter, Housing, and Services for LGBTQ+ Residents

Despite Portland’s reputation as a queer-friendly city, barriers to housing and shelter leave vulnerable people displaced.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

A new houselessness policy paper reveals gaps in services and support for Multnomah County’s housing-insecure LGBTQ+ residents. Portland has few resources for transgender, nonbinary, and other queer people facing homelessness, despite it being a city many people flee to from states with transphobic and homophobic policies.  A paper commissioned by the Joint Office of Homeless […]

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