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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2004)
june 18*2004' DIVERSIONS Loving what is A bout a month ago I attended a City Club forum in which three of Portland’s heavy hitters in the arts— directors of the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre— spoke of the city’s place in the larger arts community. All three are relatively new to Portland, and all emphasized wanting to take their respective organizations to the next level of excellence, putting them on par with the nation’s premier companies. Nothing wrong with that. Now let me tell you about my month. (It all comes together profoundly in the end, I promise.) On June 8 I went to see Lily Tomlin at the Schnitz. Lily certainly isn’t the most out enter tainer, but she did take some potshots at President Bush’s proposed constitutional amendment to the uproarious delight of the Portland crowd, who she recognized as being particularly appreciative of certain, uh, more liberal aspects of her show. Then on June 10, I went to see the world’s most famous out musician, k.d. lang, again at the Schnitz. The number of older straight couples in attendance surprised me. But it didn’t stop k.d. from cracking a U-Haul joke (which are only still funny when she makes them) and noting she thinks chicks look hot in Audis. Consummate queer pianist Thomas Laud erdale opened for k.d. and took the opportunity to introduce a trio of musicians called Sneakin’ Out. He announced that he met the group at “G ail’s Dirty Duck, which is,” he paused, “a leather bar.” I don’t know if the straight, over-50 crowd from the West Hills knew exactly what he meant, but they seemed to like this idea a lot, and I wanted to kiss his little face. The pianist then indulged in a costume change to play with the all-queer band— and came out wearing a sophisticated little pink dress, complete with matching boa and kicky little heels. The crowd ate this stuff upi Two nights later I attended Artist Repertory Theatre’s world premiere of The New House by Portland playwright Joseph Fisher (not queer, but off pens queer culture). A sharp ensemble produc tion— two of the characters are lesbians who are not only way more functional than the play’s other characters, but not afraid to swap tongues onstage. The very next day found me at Panorama to assist in judging the Mr., Miss and Ms. Gay Pride Pageant, hosted by two of Portland’s fave counter culture celebrities (not just in the queer communi ty, but in the community period), Misha R<x:k- afeller and Poison Waters. Down the street on the very same night Dar- celle XV was bursting with enthusiasts for the Miss Gay Latina Pageant, a celebration of Latino drag and gay culture. June 19 and 20 you can find me at one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the country for a mid size city. Which of the four special Saturday night Pride parties will I attend? Oh, and there’s one Sun day, too, after the city’s third-largest parade. At the City Club meeting Christopher Stowell of Oregon Ballet Theatre said he thinks Portland is suffering from an “inferiority complex,” unfavorably comparing its arts and culture scene to other West Coast cities. 1 don’t know about greater Portland, but in queer Portland, we’ve got one world-class outfit. |H"1 Miss Sweetheart Dementia Contagious and Mr. Sweetheart Joshua Davida invite you to the Drag Queen Dunk during Pride weekend Crown me a winner! T in celebration of Pride Month. The hilariously fun event is the brainchild of Barfly magazine publisher Jen Lane, who pairs up two teams every month: Stoners vs. Lushes, Irish vs. English, etc. “We had Jews vs. Christians for our holiday show,” she chirps. Barfly conducts surveys with normal Feud-type questions in bars around Portland. So the answers, she notes, “skew towards what drunken Portlanders think is funny. Like a typical question would he, ‘Name something you eat on Sunday morning,’ and the TV answers would be, like, ‘An om elet!’ ‘Pancakes!’ ‘Eggs Benedict!’ And on our Feud it would be like, ‘P BR !’ ‘Pussy!’ ‘Eggs Benedict!’ ” Last year the Bears juuuust edged out the Queens, which captain Poison Waters (natu rally) attributes to their being “older and sober.” “It’s the best Feud we’ve ever had,” exclaims Lane of last year’s match. “And we’ve had some great Feuds.” Cinemax presents Paternal Instinct in celebration of Father’s Day old contending with his parents’ divorce and his dad’s announcement that he is gay. It’s 1982, which may account for the dorky dia logue and retro lighting, but Jack is an after- ncxm special gone prime time, nothing more. Meanwhile, Cinemax presents the docu mentary Paternal Instinct, which follows New York City couple Mark and Erik in their quest to become fathers. They choose the route of surrogacy and set about finding a woman to help their dreams come true. Instinct at least promises the poignancy of being a true story— a story that might not be new to queers but possibly will be for your straight grandparents flipping around the dial. Meanwhile, over on PBS, the Betty DeGeneres-narrated documentary I C an ’t Marry You finally makes its debut, but with out having been updated to include recent same-sex marriage rights won in Massachu setts, nor the abundance of civil actions taken by leaders in other states. Sadly, production values are low, and way ttxi many couples were interviewed for the one-hour runtime, j creating a complicated mishmash g of experience, rather than deeply ? felt and focused profiles. | So, try to stomach this drama lite I for now and keep the faith that queer | TV will get past its growing pains. ? Jack and Paternal Instinct Kith premiere at 8 p.m. June 20. Jack repeats at 1:45 p.m. June 26, and Instinct repeats at 6:30 a.m. July 31. I C an’t M any You airs on Oregon Public Broadcasting at 11 p.m. June 23. wo queer pageants graced Portland venues June 13. Panorama hosted the Mr., Miss and Ms. Gay Pride pageant, a completely giddy Dunk a drag queen event, in which Mr. Gay Pride 2003 Bennie and he Sweethearts of Portland have found a Ms. Gay Pride 2003 Savannah Jackson (Pnde’s unique way to raise some money (bucket first transsexual titleholder) waved goodbye to loads, I’d wager) for the Pride of the Rose the crowd (Miss Gay Pride 2003 Viridia was Scholarship Fund during Portland Pride week notably absent) before the 2004 contest began. end June 19 and 20: sponsor a drag queen dunk A panel of seven judges gave points in formal tank. wear, swim wear and creative club attire to two “One dollar a ball, and people can come contestants for Mr. and Miss (a drag title) and and dunk whichever drag queen they want,” one for Ms. The winners are: Mr. Gay Pride proclaims Sweetheart X V Tamra Marx, who 2004 Kahala, Miss Gay Pride 2004 Slylyka will herself sit in the tank Sunday along with Foxx and Ms. Pride Alexandra Paris (who Rose Empress XXV Champagne. Saturday, gained notoriety in Portland with her cool cable dance show Galactic Groove). Kahala, who is the 6-year-old pageant’s first Asian American winner, ran “as a dare,” he laughs. His friend said if she ran for Miss Gay Pride, he’d have to run for Mr. “I didn’t think they would run, so I said sure.” His overall performance cer tainly didn’t come across as forced. “1 determined if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it,” he says. Kahala did well in all three categories but especially made a splash with his brightly colored, tight-knit swim trunks, complete Lambda announces with snorkel and a mobile of fish wmners dangling in front of him. The he Lambda Literary Founda crowd went crazy as he swam tion held its 16th annual around on his stomach. “Being awards ceremony for authors of bom and raised in Hawaii, it was queer literature June 3 in Chicago. just one of those things.. .1 want Top prizes went to Nina ed to make it more interactive, Revoyr in Lesbian Fiction for her live kind of swim wear.” Kxik Southland and to Christo All three new titleholders will pher Bram in Gay M en’s Fiction open Portland’s Pride weekend From left: Mr. Gay Pride Kahala, Miss Gay Pride Slylyka Foxx and Ms. for Lives of the Circus Animals. and host a few events and fund Gay Pride Alexandra Paris will officially open Portland Pride weekend One award winner, She’s Not raisers this summer. There by Jennifer Finney Boylan in the too, should make for an eventful time with While Gay Prides were being sashed on Transgender/Genderqueer category, drew Kith the reigning Rose Empress Lotta Marie Stark Street, Pebbles Campbell Starr was some heat from trans activists for its decided Liquor and Poison Waters each taking a turn. being crowned Miss Gay Latina VII down at ly lighthearted (some would say trivializing) The Sweethearts, led hy Mr. Sw eet Darcelle XV. The competition was a little manner of describing the author’s male-to- heart X V I Jo sh u a Dadiva and M iss stiffer at this one, with Pebbles Ideating out female transition. Sw eetheart X V I Dem entia C ontagious, is three other “beautiful candidates,” says the Other notable winners include Minnie a nonprofit that raises money fot A ID S original Miss Gay Latina Meesha Peru. The Bruce Pratt’s The Dirt She Ate for Lesbian organizations. pageant is “important to all the Latinos,” notes Poetry; Henri Cole’s Middle Earth and Mark Peru. “We just want to let everybody know we Bibbins’ Sky Lounge, which tied for Gay Men’s are here, too!” The best in bubble gum Poetry; Lillian Faderman’s Naked in the viewing Promised Land for Memoir/Autohiography; and Alison Bechdel’s Dykes and Sundry Other on ’t count on two new June cable spe Name a night Carbon-based Life-forms to Watch Out For for cials or the long-awaited documentary you don’t want to miss Humor. See a hill list of nominations and I C an ’t Marry You to serve up hearty winners at www.lambdalit.org | H Pride Month fare. he claws should certainly come out at Showtime’s Jack is based on A.M. Home’s Dante’s monthly Dysfunctional Family Compiled by L isa B r a d sh a w , M ec . D aly and 1989 novel and stars Anton Yelchin (Along Feud from 6 to 8 p.m. June 30. It’s the G ra h a m T urner Came a Spider) in the title role as a 15-year- return of the Oregon Bears vs. Drag Queens T T T D 59
