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Posted inSavage Love

SAVAGE LOVE: Quickies

Sexy gardeners, bend-over boyfriends, poly jealousy, and more in this quick ‘n’ nasty edition of Quickies!

1. I’m an 81-year-old heterosexual woman whose husband died last May. I have found that my 56-year-old gardener of fifteen years can make me sexually happy. But now after four months he says he’s not respecting his wife by having sex with me. He relates this to going to a Catholic priest for confession. He […]

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Info on ICE in Oregon, Bovino Backlash (and Other Chaos), and TikTok is Even Worse Now

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland. The rain returns this week. Maybe not today, though. […]

Posted inSavage Love

SAVAGE LOVE: Parent Trap

Should I Open Pandora’s Box with My Elderly Parents?

I’m a gay man in my fifties, comfortable in my skin, but I suffered severe bullying throughout school, which was often abetted by teachers. A recent class reunion prompted me to write a tell-all letter to the current school director regarding that trauma. His gracious response was incredibly healing. My family has accepted me since I came […]

Posted inFood and Drink

Happening NOW: It’s the Portland Mercury’s Wiener Week!

From January 26 to February 1, you can chow down at 46 locations for just $8 a pop.

The Portland Mercury proudly welcomes back its newest, most mouthwatering member of the Food Week Family: Wiener Week! Happening RIGHT NOW and until February 1, the city’s boldest chefs will craft their most creative, flavor-packed wieners for just $8 a pop. Whether you like ‘em spicy, saucy, or piled high with unexpected toppings, we promise […]

Posted inSavage Love

SAVAGE LOVE: Cissies

How to decode the behavior of cis het men. 

I am a 45-year-old femme-presenting genderqueer AFAB person. When I have romantic relationships with cis het men, I’ve noticed two general types: They either enjoy sex and prioritize pleasure and making things fun for their partners and themselves, but make no special big deal about it, and we usually have frequent enough sex and that’s […]

Posted inSavage Love

SAVAGE LOVE: Quickies!

Trauma turn-ons, sweet chastity, a life without kink, and lots more quickie Qs!

1. What if I’m turned on by my own trauma? What do I do with this?  You do therapy with it. And then after you’ve worked through your trauma with the help of your therapist (which includes unpacking your feelings about being turned on by your trauma), you can — taking the tiniest of baby […]

Posted inMercury 2025 Recap

A Moment in a Coffee Shop

Remembering the year that was, and the Portland that’s actually Portland.

This time last year I was sitting in a quiet cafe trying to decide if Portland was any different from anywhere else.  This was one of those eclectic, slightly hippie-ish coffee shops that used to be more common: colorful walls, mismatched armchairs, a big chalkboard advertising a local chess night and a knitting club. It […]

Posted inMercury 2025 Recap

Mercury 2025 Recap: The Top 10 Most Read Stories of the Year!

A failed National Guard takeover, Portland protesters in high gear, and City Hall shenanigans marked a very busy year.

It’s been a huge, busy 2025 for Portland, with a brand new 12-person City Council settling (and occasionally stumbling) into their new roles, important elections, Trump’s failed efforts to embed the National Guard in the city, and—as usual—Portland making headlines across the nation. And perhaps there’s no better way to remember 2025 than to check […]

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