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t’s no secret Portland is jam-packed with
queer people. Its warm social climate off
sets the rain and the occasional political
storm that blows through every few
Campaign promotes Portland to queer tourists
Novembers. T he 2000 census ranked the
Rose City with the 13th-highest number by
of G in a D aggett
same-sex couples in the nation, and Girlfriends
magazine celebrated it as the fourth-best place
for lesbians to live in 2002.
All of these things combined inspired the
Portland Oregon Visitors Association to launch
a Gay Portland campaign in March to attract
more queer visitors. “We really see Portland as a
welcoming place for G L B T travelers, and we
think it’s a perfect match," cultural tourism
director Barbara Steinfeld says.
The campaign, whose brochure and Web site
bend into bait and resource guide, is packed full
of information for queer visitors. The sections
highlight nearly every aspect of Portland’s glori
ous sexual minorities community: shopping, eat
ing, drinking, the arts, festivals and events.
“W hen 1 came up with the idea,” Steinfeld
says, “1 thought 1 was groundbreaking.” But as
her staff began their research, they realized Port
land wasn’t the first city to toot its rainbow horn.
And even though a small handful of others
have taken a swing before POVA, Steinfeld
believes it’s a novel idea. “The demographic of
the cultural tourist fits in very nicely with what
we believe the demographic of the G L B T
traveler is: high income, high education, inter
ested in the arts, participating in many activities
and staying in hotels,” she says, explaining why
G ay Portland landed on her plate.
In addition to attracting more queers to
Travel agent Joan Sher is excited about the Portland
Portland for a shits ’n ’ giggles weekend,
Oregon Visitors Association’s strategy for drawing
POVA has joined forces with its advertising
queer tourists to the Rose City
and conventions departments in hopes of rop
ing in larger groups. Last year Portland played
theater and music, art galleries and Portland’s or a sticker for the left wing of their bumper.
host to the National Gay and Lesbian Task
edgy, quirky character,” Steinfeld says.
Queer businessman Charles Boucher, owner of
G ay Portland snapshots all of these local hall
Force’s Creating Change conference as well as
the erotica emporium CounterMedia, believes
the Gay Softball World Series. Groups similar
that even though Portland doesn’t have specific
marks. One branch of the campaign highlights
to these will be targeted, and Steinfeld says
the various neighborhoods where the rainbow
“gay attractions” like other major cities— San
flags outnumber the American flags— where folks
Francisco, Provincetown, Amsterdam or New
she’s “excited to be the one who gets to go
don’t take second look at two men snuggling in a
York City— it instead pulls on different strings.
after this new market.”
booth and smile at a lesbian couple walking arm
Hotels are the driving force behind this cam
"Maybe Portland’s real attraction is that it
in arm with their dog. These parts of town might
paign because they buy into the program. Consid
doesn’t need them,” he says. “Its natural beauty
seem obvious to locals: Southeast Hawthorne,
ering POVA’s budget is based on lodging taxes,
and its progressive solutions to urban living
Steinfeld was thrilled when 15 hotels wanted to
transcend orientation.”
Northeast Broadway, Northwest Trendy-Third,
the Pearl and the newly coined Burnside Triangle.
come on board for G ay Portland, offering special
Boucher thinks POVA deserves all the praise
deals and rates for the queer visitor. “It was so
Portland’s night life is broken into accurate,
in the world for tackling this. “I’m impressed
encouraging for me to see that they all support this
user-friendly categories for men and women or
that they would embark on this campaign and
those looking for a mixed bar. The arts commu
think that it can only do good” for the sexual
campaign and see this as a viable market,” she says.
minorities community, he says. “There can be
These hotels aren’t Motel 6s, either. Most of nity is also well represented and used to entice
no negatives to it, and whether it actually brings
visitors. From the galleries to the museum to the
Portland’s landmark hotels have jumped on
people to the city or not, it shows that POVA’s
performing arts center to the east vs. west art
board— the Benson, the Hilton, the Paramount,
heart is in the right place.”
battles on the first and last Thursdays of each
5th Avenue Suites and the Westin.
The Web site also offers useful information
month,
POVA’s
got
it
covered.
And it’s no wonder. Portland has much to
for queer visitors once they’ve arrived in Port
Also not left out are queer-friendly stores
offer the queer visitor. “Tax-free shopping,
land. Its sections range from congregations and
where tourists can pick up a book, a new sex toy
boutique hotels, excellent dining, wonderful
I
G ay M ecca
recreation to publications and transportation;
even a calendar of upcoming events is included,
noting more than just Portland Pride and Pea
cock in the Park.
POVA seems to have it all for our queer trav
elers unless you’re a gay man looking for a little
action. T he campaign does fail to mention Port
land’s bathhouses— and it wasn’t an oversight
that these steamy locations were omitted. Stein
feld says that in addition to space constraints,
bathhouses were left out because they “didn’t
seem to fit the image of Portland we were por
traying with our cultural tour brochure series.”
POVA met with leaders in the queer com
munity for advice and direction every step of the
way. “W e’d say: ‘How are we doing? Are we
doing the right thing?’ ” Steinfeld says. “We
wanted to bounce our ideas off groups that were
in the know [including Just Out and Basic
Rights Oregon) so that we wouldn’t be writing
anything offensive or insensitive.”
Even heterosexual business owners are
excited about the campaign and think it will he
effective. Joan Sher, a travel consultant at GK
Travel, believes G ay Portland could serve the
community even better if POVA partnered
with the Portland Area Business Association,
the queer chamber of commerce.
“They could work together to promote gay
tourism...and reach more business in the area,”
she says. Sher, who’s been a member of PA BA
for the past eight years and POVA for nine
years, hopes to help queer visitors with travel
arrangements.
Steinfeld wants to build a foundation for G ay
Portland through this archetypal campaign. “I
hope the results will be enough to get this start
ed on an annual basis,” she says.
POVA is eager to get the brochures— which
can be picked up at the Pioneer Courthouse
Square visitors center, the mayor’s office and
many queer businesses— in people’s hands.
Although the organization’s budget doesn’t
allow it to ship large quantities of the pamphlets
out to other markets, people can pick them up
at its office downtown.
Even though it will be difficult to measure
the campaign’s success, Steinfeld hopes POVA
will continue to go after the queer market.
W ith edgy campaign slogans like “Indulge Your
Need for Art (or Bob, or Jim or Roger),” it not
only is blazing the way for queer tourism but no
doubt will set the mark for other cities to fol
low suit and draw droves to Portland’s little
Gay Mecca. JTH
For more information about G a y PORTLAND visit
www. travelportland. com /gibt.
G ina D aggett is a Portland free-lance writer
who can be reached at gdaggett@ aol.com .
Dignity in Drag
EQUITY
Investing in Dignity
Community philanthropist Gary Maffei saw the stage production of Hedwig and the
Angry Inch last summer and fell head over heels in love! He knew many of his friends
at Equity Foundation would too. Leveraging their Equity Foundation donor-advised
funds, they joined together to sponsor the return of Hedwig this June at Theater!
Theatre!
We agree with Hedwig: "To be free, one must give up a little part of one’s self." Donor
advised funds are easy to set up and make it possible for individuals, couples and
families to develop their own personal plans for making charitable contributions
triangle productions! presents Hedwig starting June 12th at Theater! Theatre!
For tickets call 503-239-5919
F o u n d e d in 1 9 8 9 b y O r e g o n 's G a y a n d L e sb ia n c o m m u n it y W W W . 6 Q U i t y f 0 U n d 3 t i 0 n . 0 r Q
A d sp o n so re d b y M arvin Salles. Realtor and Su sa n Nestor. C P A
PO Box S696
Portland. OR
9 7 2 2 8 -5 6 9 6
SOÎ-2J1-S759