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OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
JUNE 3. 2011
3 L J0
Bubbles and Homos and Bears! Oh My!.
For various reasons, June has become my fa
vorite month o f the year since moving to the
United States. While summer doesn’t start in
Portland until after July 4 (if we’re lucky), the
sun is out a little more. Everywhere you look
there are signs o f new life and people walk
with an extra bounce in their step. Above all
else, two o f my favorite events take place in
June— Pride and BearTown.
I love Portland’s Pride. Despite any differ
ences we may have, for a few days every year
we manage to come together in celebration o f
the one thing that unites us— the fact we’re
all queer. In all my years as a raging homo
sexual, I’ve never missed Portland’s Pride fes
tivities— not even the year I was unceremoni
ously dumped on Pride Saturday by an ex
who then proceeded to profess his interest for
one o f my best friends. I got up the next
morning, put my gay face on and made it ¿o
the parade.
My first Pride was in 1997.1 had just come
out and made some fast friends at The Embers.
Our group was a motley crew made up o f gays,
lesbians, trannies, drag queens, queers and
straights. We were young and carefree— all we
looked forward to was the weekend and danc
ing at The Embers.
My new friends took me under their fairy
wings and introduced me to queer Portland. In
me realize I could easily fit into this commu
nity, because BearTown didn’t just bring out
Bears proper and Cubs; Otters, Wolves, Polar
IY BENNIE TAN
Bears and even a few Goldilocks would all
rade itself but stood on the sidelines, bless converge to celebrate life and community. I
ing marchers with bubbles and cheering even saw a few Pandas, so I knew I was wel
them on. It was our way o f spreading joy come. Once I discovered it was a party with a
and giving back to the community.
purpose— a local charity selected each year to
Bubbles are loved by all. It doesn’t matter if benefit from the proceeds o f this weekend-
you’re young, old, gay, bi or straight— people long event— I was sold.
simply smile more when they are surrounded
BearTown 14 was the first Oregon Bears
by bubbles. Except the religious zealots—we event I helped organize, and 2011 marks my
tried and they are beyond salvation, even with third year on the committee. Personally, Bear
bubble power. Bubbles start conversations and Town and being involved with the Bears gives
forge connections. I still recall a PFLA G me the opportunity to do something good and
mom who came up to me and gave me a big give back to my queer kinfolk. It really reminds1
hug, thanking me for the bubbles. She didn’t me o f the philosophy behind Bubblequeens—
realize they were our way o f thanking her for however small the gesture, it’s important to
being an accepting and loving parent to a gay spread happiness and do something positive
for your community.
child.
Even though the Bubblequeens are no more,
Bubblequeens eventually drifted apart and
disbanded. Around that time, I started to no every year when I march in the Pride Parade
tice that Portland became a town overrun by with the Oregon Bears, I somehow incorporate
bears on the second weekend o f June. Little bubbles into the mix. This way, the group’s
did I know that every June, Portland becomes spirit lives on. JW
BearTown.
BearTown is a bear run— a cross between a Join B e n n i e T an in this, his favorite month.
convention and a circuit party—put on by the Where fun and fu r go, the Panda will follow.
Oregon Bears. It was my first real introduction Em ail him at pdxpandacub@gmail.com. Turn to
to this fun and furry bunch. The event made p. 9 in the insertfor more on BearTown 16.
panda say what?!
June, they persuaded me to attend my very first
Portland Pride Parade. As a lark, I decided to
bring a few bottles o f bubbles with me. There’s
something very gay about bubbles— if you look
closely, you can see all the colors o f the rain
bow in each one. For the duration o f the pa
rade, we blew bubbles all over the marchers— it
#
was a veritable bubble bukkake!
This was how the Bubblequeens— the name
we gave our ragtag group— came into being,
and for a number o f years we continued to
shower parade marchers with bubbles. The next
year, we decided to save our mouths for blow
ing other things and bought a few bubble ma
chines, and Bubblequeens really took off. One
o f my fondest memories o f Pride is former
Mayor Vera Katz surrounded by bubbles— a
gigantic smile on her face— giving us big hugs.
The whole time she exclaimed, with much de
light, “Bubbles! Oh my, bubbles!”
Yep, bubbles make people gay (as in happy).
Bubblequeens grew in size and popularity.
We were on television one year and, in 2000,
I had special T-shirts made. We even had a
website, the motto proclaiming, “Love All,
Blow A ll.” We never participated in the pa
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