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Queer Guide 2023
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 inQueer Guide 2023

The Portland Mercury’s 2023 Queer Guide: Pride Is Forever Now

When is Portland Pride? July. But also just always.
Avatar photo Suzette Smith

When is Portland Pride? Is it in June, the globally-recognized Pride month inspired by the Stonewall riots? Or is it in July, on the newly marked Portland Pride Parade day (July 16) that caps a week of Darcelle XV Showplace and Wildfang working it to break the world record for longest drag artist performance? Respect […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2023

You Don’t Have to Be Drunk to Love Drunk Herstory

Creator and host Shandi Evans says the comedy drag night’s first sober storyteller told “hands down the most insane story we’ve ever done.”
Avatar photo Sam Pape

What do you get when you cross drag queens, queer history, and lots of alcohol? No, not a drama-filled post-Rusical episode of Untucked. In Portland, you get Drunk Herstory. Drunk Herstory is the brainchild of Shandi Evans, who created the event with fellow drag queen Average Lavigne just before COVID hit. Since making their post-pandemic […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2023

Candid Ramblings Rhymes with Refreshing Directness

Being in Portland helped rapper Lakeeyscia Griffin find the confidence to write a song about her partner.
Avatar photo Robert Ham

Lakeeyscia Griffin, the 30-year-old Portland rapper who performs and records as Candid Ramblings, chooses her words very carefully. Both onstage and on her sparkling new LP Sublime Timing, phrases and metaphors burst forth from her 5’1” body like tiny torrents. But speaking over Zoom as she sought to recharge her creative batteries with a trip […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2023

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 inQueer Guide 2023

15 Queer-Owned Restaurants in Portland

Meals 4 Heels, Speed-O Cappuccino, and More
Avatar photo EverOut Staff

Happy Pride! It’s a great time to think about how you can put some of your hard-earned dollars toward supporting local LGBTQ-owned businesses, both while you’re out and about this summer and all year long. From Meals 4 Heels to Speed-O Cappuccino, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite queer-owned bars, restaurants, and cafes in […]

Posted inQueer Guide 2023

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 inQueer Guide 2023

Hi Honey, I’m Homo Is History That Won’t Depress You During Pride

Culture critic Matt Baume not only recounts Sitcom TV’s tea—he reads the leaves.
Avatar photo Suzette Smith

Queer history has had some terrific chroniclers. Open a copy of the Mayor of Castro Street in a bookshop and read the first few pages—now, I dare you to put it down. (Take the Mayor of Castro Street Challenge!) It’s the same with Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution; it’s the same with Let […]

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