june 7. 2002
D onnie de V almont
hen 19-year-old Donnie de Valmont
moved to Portland from Roseburg last
November, he knew what he wanted to do:
become a member of the Rosebud and Thom
court, the longest-running youth drag pageant
in the United States, if not the world. In March
his dream came true when he was voted to rep
resent the gay youth of Oregon and southwest
Washington as Thom XXVI.
When de Valmont first entered Klub Z,
which sponsors the pageant, he was ostensibly
straight. When he left, he had danced with one
young man and been given another’s phone
number. His life would never he the same; he
wants to help other young people experience
the same sense of liberation.
“I want the gay youth to feel accepted and
like they don’t have to hide what they are. Espe
cially in a small town like I came from, I hated
not being able to he who I really was and being
afraid of how people would react.”
To accomplish these goals, he hopes to help
improve the performance quality of Klub Z acts
and spearhead fund-raising efforts for organiza
tions such as the Greenhouse and Outside In.
Both nonprofits provide vital services to queer
street youth and often provide one another with
important peer support.
Along with his desire to assist worthy social
causes, de Valmont plans to refine his dance
skills. “I got started dancing in fourth grade,” he
explains, tracing the roots of his lifelong passion.
“Ever since then I’ve loved to perform."
W
Dick Burdon
D ick B urdon
A
green thumb and love for gardening have
remained steady for Dick Burdon through
out his life of many adventures and changes. He
grew up in Willamina and went to Oregon State
University to study horticulture.
Introduced by his roommate to the
Methodist religion, he was drawn to the church
and the possibility of international travel. He
applied to he part of a seminarian program in
Brazil, where he met his wife and taught stu
dents between 14 and 30 years old.
After two years in South America, and
equipped with the Portuguese language, Burdon
returned to Oregon for another year at OSU. Nev
ertheless, his wanderlust took him away again, to
Pennsylvania this time to continue his education.
He was there for four years and received a ministry
position before returning to Oregon.
Burdon, his wife and their two children
stxin packed up to visit the Congo for more
missionary work. After two years there, and
several hack in the Pacific Northwest, he set
tled down in Wilsonville, where he returned to
agricultural work, building up a blueberry farm
while working at Fred Meyer and later the U.S.
Postal Service.
After much soul searching, Burdon came
out late in life. He now stays busy square danc
ing with the Rosetown Ramblers and Heads
to the Center and participating in an invite-
only group called Cook Boys and the Portland
chapter o f Prime Time International. He also
is active at University Park United Methodist
Church.
When asked about the significance of Pride,
Burdon answers simply: It is about a life free of
shame, one where we mark our advancement
and move forward with the support of friends
and allies.
— Nadia Cannon
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Donnie de Valmont
His dance skills led him
to win county and state fair
talent titles and, ultimately,
the Heaven or Hell Rose
bud and T h om com peti
tion. This month, de Val
mont will perform in his
official court capacity at
Pride events in Portland
and Eugene as well as Pea
cock in the Park.
He sums up his desire for
involvement in the commu
nity simply. “I don’t really
know what I would like to do
when I grow up, but I do
know that I feel like I was put
on this earth to make people
happy.”
— Darklady
D ane F ujimoto
A
nyone who attended
Pride 2001 or, in fact,
anyone who follows the
Rose City’s robust perfor
mance scene is familiar with
Portland Taiko. Founded in
1993 by a small band of
devotees, the company has
grown steadily— and none
too quietly— to its present
status as one of the premier
groups of its kind in the
country.
Taiko is a form of tradi
tional Japanese drumming Dane Fujimoto
used to celebrate communi
ty. According to 32-year-old Dane Fujimoto,
who joined the group a year and a half ago, it
also has some very practical applications. At
last year’s Pride (his first public appearance
with the group), a homophobe with a mega
phone was screaming the usual epithets, trying
to drown out the fun.
“I remember two guys standing in front of
him in a liplock for five minutes, and that did
n’t stop him. Nothing would. Then we started
to play, and he stopped, and he left. That was
very interesting because in Japan taiko drum
ming is also used to chase away pests from the
field. And, 1 thought, to this day, it still works!”
When they’re not chasing away pests,
Portland Taiko presents multimedia events
that use drumming, dance and storytelling to
promote diversity at schools and community
venues around the Northwest. Fujimoto,
whose day job is working with special-needs
kids in Hillsboro, estimates the group has
been as high as 40 percent queer but has set
tled recently at a respectable 20 percent. It’s
also been a crucial part of his own ongoing
coming-out process.
Coming from a traditional Japanese family in
Hawaii, where he says gay Asian Americans com
monly lead a double life, has made it particularly
difficult. But taiko is helping. Last year, Fujimoto
helped organize a gay and lesbian drumming
workshop in Los Angeles, and he’s looking for
ward to playing again at this year’s Pride.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity just to
push yourself past your comfort level. You have
to play with passion, free and open.”
Drumming, he says, is “part of every culture,
its self-expression, the heartbeat, letting it
out.” Which Dane Fujimoto is doing, beat by
beautiful beat.
— G ary Morris
Continued on Page 28