I’m JONATHON STARTIN. I was born in Misawa, Japan, which is where my father was
stationed when my mother and father had me.
YOUR FAMILY IS NATIVE TO PORTLAND, RIGHT?
When I was two, my mother and my father flew home to Portland and bought my great
grandmother’s house in Southeast on Belmont and 33rd. I was raised in the same house
my mother was raised in. So, I’m a true native.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST ROMANCE?
I have to admit that I was quasi sexually active at the age of 7, but it wasn’t a case
of molestation. It was somebody that was a peer. I remember the neighborhood kids
around our four-block radius all got together in the summer time, and one of them
was this kid that loved cars, bikes, and video games. He had this hot black Huffy.
I remember the first time he was riding in front of me with his shirt off, and his
hair was blowing in the wind, and I’m like, “that’s it, he’s hot.” So, we became great
friends. He lived around the corner from me, and we would play Nintendo
games, but after that we would also play… what do you call it?
DOCTOR?
Well, we would practice what we were going to do on girls in the future with
each other.
THAT’S REALLY SWEET, ACTUALLY. I’M STILL PRACTICING.
Aren’t we all? For us it was an excuse to be affectionate, and we were.
ARE YOU CURRENTLY SINGLE?
No, I’ve been with someone for about 8 months.
THAT CAN BE A LIFETIME.
With him, every day is like the first day. It’s really wonderful. I’ve finally found someone
who will put up with all of my shit.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m GM of Eagle Portland, for now. I plan to return to emergency medicine via EMT
training this year.
IS THAT GOING TO BE A FUN PLACE ON VALENTINE’S DAY?
Okay, so Feb 14th is a Thursday, and Thursday means free pool… clothing optional…
OH, AS IN BILLIARDS?
Yes, as in billiards, not swimming. Every second and fourth Thursday we have a DJ, and
he plays some music while the guys play pool with or without clothing. Now THAT’S
romantic.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OUR QUEER COMMUNITY IS THE MOST IMPOR-
TANT THING ABOUT VALENTINE’S DAY?
I would say that what we all want is love, and we should feel proud and fortunate to be in
a city that is so forgiving of our differences in how we embrace its definition. Valentine’s
Day is that yearly reminder to love yourself and those around you, and that, I believe, is
the most important thing about this holiday. §
February 2013
JustOut.com
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