OREGON S LESBIAN/GAY/BI/TRANS/QUEER NEWSMAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 4,2011
Good Lookin’ Out
A new year, a new look fo r o u r w e b site and m ore
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INSIDE
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I
S
REFLECTION
• Watch Maria’s Show, featuring the only
lesbian empress in the United States, at
City Nightclub.
• The East Vancouver United M ethodist
Church exhibits a portion o f the Names
Project Quilt through Feb. 18. Special
benefit concert tonight by the Vancouver
Men’s Chorus and a dramatic presentation
by the REAL Kids.
• Drag queens and kings wearing sequined
gowns, wigs, tiaras and boas besieged the
gates o f Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19,
demanding entry to the Queen’s annual
Royal Household Christmas Staff Ball.
18 THOSE WHO WALK
WITH INTEGRITY
Andy McQuery’s mission to usher welcoming
ways to Oregon’s LGBTQcommunity
20 A DIFFERENT KIND OF SILVER
ANNIVERSARY
Silverado celebrates 30 “dirty” years in Portland
21 CRYSTAL VISIONS
Bathhouse turns McMenamins hotel
» ARTS & CULTURE
27 OUT & ABOUT
34 THE HAZARDS OF LOVE
Profile Theatre continues season of Blessing
with Thief River
36 ONE WORLD, TWO-SPIRITS
An ongoing look at gender, identity
and community
37 FROM HALF A LIFE
TO WHOLE
One person’s journey, from living en femme to
writing it
40 GAY SPRINGS ENTERNAL
Get your sun on—and your suit off—
in Palm Springs
42 GETTIN’ DESI WITH IT
Safety in Numbers goes Bollywood for benefit
The members o f the London street-activist
group OutRage! said they were protesting
against Her Majesty’s decree banning em
ployees’same-sex partners from the party.
'
just out
journalistic integrity can find themselves. To
paraphrase, papers find themselves caught
between journalism— which often requires
the conveying o f uncomfortable news— ver
sus boosterism, which makes everyone feel
good about the community served.
And there you have it. W ithin the wording
ofJust Out's job description comes the obliga
tion that we, when deemed necessary, convey
uncomfortable news. Like it or not the gay
community does not live within a lavender
balloon o f loveliness. There are, gasp, gay-
’d like to remind all our community groups,
owned restaurants that serve really bad food.
organizations and nonprofits that tabling
There’s a lot o f bad entertainm ent, bad drag, opportunities are available at Just Out's
bad movies, bad plays and cranky event hosts monthly Gay Skate night at Oaks Park. Gay
who should be called out for their boorish Skate is the third Monday o f each month,
and rude behavior. Everyone has, or should Feb. 21 being the next. We generally draw a
have, accountability for their actions. Just Out diverse and lively crowd o f about 200+ skat
is a venue and tool for accurate and respon ers. The evening is all-ages, family-friendly
sible community accountability. Be glad that and a good value at $6 per person. This
you have us.
monthly event is also our main collection
time for non-perishable food and sundries for
ometime today, tomorrow or maybe yes Esther’s Pantry. If you’d like to know more
terday, depending on when you read this, about space at Gay Skate, please contact me
Just Out will have launched our new website. at marty@justout.com.
I’m not going to give an exact day, hour and
Just Out will also be collecting food for
minute because I do not understand these Esther’s Pantry at the Feb. 26 H ot Flash
things. I do understand very well, however, dance in Portland. I’ll have further details on
how complicated and complex the redesign that in our Feb. 18 issue, but for those who
and launch process is. I can tell you with great like to plan ahead, start shopping.
enthusiasm that the new site is amazing. It’s
Now, in closing, for the women among
neat, clean, simple and user-friendly. It also us looking at the cover and the feature and
won’t be in its completely finished format shouting, “Hey, what about the hot ladies?”
when it first appears. Websites are like chil — simmer down, my dears. Simmer down.
dren; the work is never done. Please visit us
W e’re simply saving the best for last.»X0]
volume 13 number 7. februory 2. 1996
U
soon at justout.com. It’s seriously good. Ku
dos to Aimee Genter for her hard work and
dedication to this project.
vOL 28. NÖ. 5
FEBRUAR'' - - _.
You’ll also notice here and there small
changes in our print design. There are many
more to come. As we shake off the burdens j
of the last years o f the wretched “financial
doldrums,” my staff has many exciting plans |
for the future, in design and in content. Not
» FEATURE
the least o f these will be the hoped-for-soon
22 PUTTING THE Q IN CUPID
addition of a seasoned news reporter to join
Just Out celebrates Valentine’s Day with a
our existing writing staff. My plan is, as
tribute to Portland’s prime guys
budgeting allows, returning Just Out to full
staffing by April. This means the addition o f
» NEWS /EVENTS
one three-quarter to full-time writer/copy
5 LETTERS & TRANSITIONS
editor, jack-of-all-trades newsperson. I’m not
11 NORTHWEST NEWS IN BRIEF
yet officially posting the job, we’ve got to get
through February and March first— but I’m
certainly open to coffee and conversation with
» COMMUNITY
interested parties who’d like to know more.
11 M o w many times do we have to go
I 1 down this road?” read the email from
a clearly frustrated and annoyed Karl Wilgus,
owner of the Portland gay bar Casey’s. Wilgus
was writing in response to additional ques
tions presented to him by Just Out staff writer
Ryan J. Prado in reference to repeated com
plaints regarding unpaid wages to employees.
My response to W ilgus was simple: “As many
times as it takes for you to answer and ad
dress all the complaints against you— and the
phone calls, letters and concerns stop being
sent to us.”
Just Out does not take any particular
pleasure or delight in presenting the more
difficult moments o f our G L B T community;
nor, though, do we shy away from our re
sponsibility to present in an objective manner
assorted situations that arise around us. I am
well aware that any time we write about an
individual or business in this community in
a manner that can be construed by anyone as
less than cheerleading and back-patting there
will be ramifications of various degrees and
natures. Facing threatened lost revenues from
advertisers is a constant. I would guess that
the first paper ever published in the world
faced this problem, as likely will the last. Now
o f course, in 2011, the greatest “how-dare-
you” from those unhappy with our reporting
is to delete me from your Facebook profile.
An article in the Jan. 24 issue o f The New
Yorker profiling A O L C E O T im Armstrong
provides a simple yet cozy summary o f the
position in which local papers striving for
15 Years Ago in Just Out
3
called “Valentines from Hell:Tough Drags
Do Disco...Again.” Proceeds will benefit
the Pride o f the Rose Scholarship Fund,
which provides financial assistance to sex
ual minorities furthering their education.
• Digital Queers Northwest meets in
Portland. This organization of gay, les
bian, bisexual and transgender high-tech
professionals and aficionados focuses on
computer support for queer community
organizations.
» COLUMNISTS
33 LIVING OUT LOUD
38 PANDA SAY WHAT?!
44 ASK A GAY
45 PETLANDIA
47 LADY ABOUT TOWN
» BACKPAGES
54 Q CENTER WINTER GALA
55 SQUARE DANCING & MORE
• The Clinton administration was back in
court Jan. 16 defending “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell,” the policy that bans gay men and les
bians from serving openly in the military.
• Volunteers are needed to help organize the
1997 Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition
International Conference to be held in
Portland. If you have skills in organiza
tion, accounting, fund raising, outreach,
program planning, housing, conference
registration, or childcare please call.
• The Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, along
with Rose Emperor V Frank and Rose Em
press VI Marne, will hold a Feb. 11 benefit
• Rainbow is a positive peer-support group,
primarily for sexual minority youth of color,
sponsored by the Urban League of Portland.
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Aaron Bong is a photographer and native of Port
land. He works with clients to create one-of-a-kind
portraits that represent who and what they are.
Bong also creates limited edition folios and cus
tomized photography items for events in the com
munity. He can be contacted through Facebook or
aaron.bong@gmail.com.