» novamber 21,2003
50
DIVERSIONS
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Oh, the irony
S
ometimes when you’re all snug in your
safe, little inner-Portland gay bubble of
happiness, you hear a story that snaps
you hack into homophobe reality like a
slingshot.
Recently that friendly little gay theater
group triangle prtxluctions! ended its run of
Beautiful Thing, the work by British play
wright Jonathan Harvey about two teen-age
boys living in the same housing development
who fall in love. (N o doubt you saw the very
cute movie that won a hunch of film festival
awards and the 1997 G L A A D Media Award
for Outstanding Film in Limited Release.)
Well, it turns out the two young men
who starred in triangle’s production— though
quite commendable performances did they
provide— were not director Don Horn’s first
choice. His first choice were two teen-age
hoys who auditioned for the parts in
response to several calls he put out based on
acting references.
Lots of Portland-area teens who aspire to
act answer calls for auditions— look how
great that turned out in G us Van S an t’s new
film Elephant. Lucky for two of those kids,
their parents weren’t bigoted.
Because, as it turns out, the two boys cast
in Beautiful Thing both had to drop out.
Their parents wouldn’t let them he in the
play.
Yes, it seems that when the moms and
dads found out what the play was about and
that their sons would he— gasp!— kissing
another boy, they hauled their (no doubt
delightfully cute) butts out of there tout suite.
These are two teen-age boys who won
roles in a play that was seen by several hun
dred people, who earned the parts, who
knew full well what they were doing and
who would have gained invaluable experi
ence— and maybe learned a little something
about the queer community surrounded by
all those gays who are in and out of triangle.
And their parents canned the whole thing
because they would have been [rretending to
he gay. (W hether either hoy was gay or not
is anybody's guess, hut it would make it even
more heartbreaking if one or Huh were,
huh?)
Horn tried to talk to the parents, but, he
says, “They weren’t tix> pleased.”
Beautiful Thing is aKnit two Hiys who are
attracted to each other and have to deal
with their friends’ and families’ reactions to
that, as well as their own internal conflicts.
How ironic that two teen-agers are drug
away from even playing these parts based on
their parents’ reactions.
This, again, emphasizes to me the need to
he out, the need to encourage Gay Straight
Alliances and the need to force people—
young and old— tix> hxik beyond their insu
lar realities when they spout homophobia as
gospel.
It also emphasizes the need for triangle
prcxluctions! to reach a wider audience.
Clearly, the people who need Beautiful Thing
the most are the ones not coming through
the d<xu. n
You go, GoGirls!
Y
ou don’t get much better causes for the youth
of this city than the Rock ’n’ Roll Camp tor
Girls and the Sexual Minority Youth
Resource Center, which is why the fourth annual
GoGirlsMusicFest on Dec. 4 benefits Kith.
Dyke alt-country rixzker Patricia Ju pulled
together the benefit— one of several sponsored
by GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest
online community of indie women in music.
On the marquee for Portland’s pitstop is a
mostly homegrown set of queer crixiners. You’ll
recognize Ashleigh Flynn, for instance, as
SMYRC community relations director by day,
but by night her crystal-clear voice leads an
Americana pop-rtxk style. And Portland Shock-
wave fxithall player Kate White brings out her
strong, sultry and sensual acoustic R &. B.
The combo of Ju and singer/songwriter Annie
Vergnetti, on the other hand, meshes two distinct
styles that range from stirring, sometimes s h a k
ing electronic dub rap to well-crafted folk rock.
But that’s not all.
You’ll hear what Tuesday night Ohm rcx:k-
ers love aKnit the primordial, erotic sound-
scapes of Dahlia. You’ll embrace the “husky yet
smooth” country-iazz of Portland’s new hot
handful Amelia. And you’ll experience the
somber to lively, ethnic to orchestral life of
Seattle-based Two Loons for Tea.
So go, girls (and guys), go!
GoGirlsMusicFest K*gins 8 p.m. at Aladdin
Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave. Tickets are
$12 for the all-ages show.
Feel the love
Y
ou say drag queens are
bitchy vamps who
don’t feel the love? Well,
swallow those words, baby, because
Imperial Princess 33 Miss Ariel
View and Empress 44 Poison
Marie Waters are working up
some serious holiday charity.
Ariel View calls hers Blan
kets of Love. (Isn’t that sweet?)
You buy or make a baby blanket
(or larger size), and she distrib
utes them by Dec. 11 to termi
nally ill or abused children
thnxighout Oregon, as well as a
few cities in Washington, Utah,
Idaho, Denver and Nevada.
Last year she collected 62 blan
kets, which is a number that can
surely be dixibled. To donate a Blan
ket of Live, e-mail arielview®
roseaxjrT.org or visit a drop-i>ff site:
Boxxes, 1035 S.W. Stark S t.;C .C . Slaughters,
219 N.W. Davis St.; or Just Out, 123 N.E.
Third Ave. Suite 465.
Poison Waters calls her effort “Bring Some
Fcxxl and Toys to Silverado or I’ll Kick Your
Ass.” (Not really, we made that
up, but you get the idea.)
During her weekly
Church of the Poison
Mind from 3 to 8 p.m.
Sundays, the madcap
mistress will collect non-
perishable fcxxl items and unwrapped toys
(that’s children's toys) at the bar,
1217 S.W. Stark St. Your deadline is the
Sunday before Christmas— Dec. 21.
Fcxxl will be donated to Esther’s
Pantry, and toys are going to the kids of
Women’s Intercommunity' A ID S
Resource. Poison would like to remind
shoppers that the newly remcxleled
Safeway store on Southwest 10th
Avenue and Jefferson Street is just a
few blcx:ks from Silverado; Just Out
would like to remind shoppers that so is
Finnegan’s Toys <Sc Gifts, 922 S.W. Yamhill St.
New commish goes to bat
for the community
t was only last month when the kids over at
the Rose City^Softball Association named
Drew Canulette to a two-season stint as
commissioner for its open division, but already
the big guy’s got big ideas for this gay league.
“I have formed an ad hex; committee to
review the open division and come up with sug
gestions for change,” reports Canulette, who
along with Dale Clinton of the Portland Gay
Men’s Chorus and Sean Canavan of Portland
Bears Softball Club have been scouting ideas
from among open division players, managers,
coaches and sponsors.
“Paramount for me is to give something
hack to our community,” says Canulette. “The
Rose City Softball league is the largest gay
sports organization in the state, and the 2004
season will be our 10-year anniversary! As our
membership grows— in size as well as maturi
ty— it seems a natural progression for the
membership to become more involved in the
community.”
How this plays out in addition to the
league’s existing fund-raisers and Cascade Cup
tournament will be up to members, says C an
ulette, hut he wants to coach a little charity
out of the league’s instinctive teamwork.
The 2004 season opens April 25 and plays
through July 25 at HillsKiro’s Gordon Faber
Recreational Complex. RCSA ’s annual C as
I
cade Cup tournament is schedule for Fourth of
July weekend, and the 2004 North American
Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Gay Softball
World Series follows in August in Dallas.
Team up with R C SA by visiting
www.portlandgaysttfthall.com.
Pam and Maggie come out of hiding Nov. 23
at Touchstone Coffee House
Sing along with
Pam and Maggie
T
ouchstone Coffee House, 7631 N.E.
Glisan St., is offering the opportunity to
see and maybe even sing along with
Portland duo Pam and Maggie, who haven’t
performed in more than a year, from 3 to
5 p.m. Nov. 23.
It seems Maggie’s mom is visiting from Cali
fornia, and the coffeehouse wants to offer her a
warm welcome. “She is a great supporter of our
relationship as well as our music,” says Maggie.
“I used to harmonize with her while doing the
dishes after dinner.”
Maggie Beck and Pam Briggs have three
C D of their country-ish adult contemporary
tunes, which they will no doubt have available
at the show. The pair have been domesticating
together for more than 18 years. “We are plan
ning to get hitched in Europe for our 20th
anniversary,” shares Maggie.
Right now the couple Kith have full-time
jobs, hut hack in the day they made their living
off recording and touring. In 1994, Maggie was
nominated by the California Country Music
Association for Album of the Year, Song of the
Year and Songwriter of the Year. j D
Compiled by LlSA B radshaw
and T imothy K rause