Eugene weekly., November 26, 2014, Page 13, Image 13

don't identify with “he” or “she”). “A LGBT bar means
that’s the dominant paradigm. We’ll be straight-friendly,
and straight people can come here if they want, but that’s
sort of the difference.” They add, a queer venue means,
“We’re going to be safe in knowing that I can hit on anyone
who’s here because by walking in the door, they’ve agreed
to participate in the event.”
A Defining Moment
On a rainy afternoon later in November, O’Malley,
Hinton and Clark are back at The Barn Light. This time
they’ve brought company: Cass Averill, founder of
Trans*Ponder, and Marshall Collins, vice president of
LCC’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA).
Averill says he started Trans*Ponder, a monthly meet-
up for trans-identified and questioning people, three years
ago, and it’s been growing exponentially since.
“The queer space — I’m super excited for that,” Averill
P H OTO BY AT H E N A D E L E N E
often then they are in most places,” Hebb says. “There’s
a concentration in Cowfish of trans* people, of the gay
community — however you’d like to define that —
mingling with the rest of society.”
But rumors have swirled that Cowfish staff are
transphobic. “I don’t even know where to begin with that,”
Hebb says. “All I can say is: We’re not.”
Hebb describes how when the club first opened, he
consulted with the Human Rights Campaign to create
an inclusive bathroom policy, a frequent obstacle for
trans* people. Others have complained that LGBT night
is “Freek-Nite.”
“I have heard this before too,” Hebb says, shaking his
head. “Freek-Nite predates Cowfish.” He says Freek-Nite
is just a costume dance party and that co-owner Shawn
Mediaclast “is a firm believer in letting your freak flag fly.”
Anecdotally, it seems the Eugene community at large
considers Cowfish the gay club, while many in the LGBT
community say it’s only “gay-friendly,” like many other
bars downtown.
“Cowfish is the spot where a lot of gay people go to, but a
lot of people keep saying it’s like the gay bar and it’s actually
not,” Hardiman says. “I go there every weekend, and you
hear, even inside and in line, people are like, ‘I don’t want to
go in there, I hear that’s a gay bar.’ It’s not really venomous
but then there’s people there who are apprehensive, whether
they’re gay or straight — should I go in or not go in?”
But a gay-friendly space is not the same as a gay or
LGBT-designated space, no matter how fluid identities
have become.
“Gay-friendly is nice,” Chicora Martin says from the
LGBT office in Oregon Hall. “But not everybody who
shows up at a bar knows it’s gay-friendly night.” Martin
is the director of the UO’s LGBT Education Support
Services Program.
“Gay-friendly just means: ‘we want you to come here
and spend your money,” they say (Many in the LGBT
community choose alternative pronouns because they
BROGAN WILKINSON
OUTSIDE COWFISH AS
HIS DRAG PERSONA
MISERY MUNDANE
says. “With the trans community, it’s always a little
interesting because it’s hard to get them to come out and be
out with being out.” But, he adds, “We don’t have any sort
of regular space and people certainly would love it. There’s
a lot of trans people worried about safety and being out.”
Collins says events like “Made in the U.S.A.”
are important. “I hear this talked about amongst my
membership a lot: People are tired of just going to their
friends’ houses,” he says. “That’s kind of where, in mid-
sized towns like this, the LGBT community get regulated
to — house parties, dinners, things like that because there
is a lack of space in the community. People don’t feel
welcome out in the community.”
When posed with the idea that Eugene could be reaching
a post-queer moment, and perhaps the community does
not need a dedicated space, the group laughs.
“I don’t want to be assimilated,” Hinton says. “That
sounds like the worst possible thing.”
“How did Eugene surpass like every major city? Did I
miss this?” O’Malley asks.
But spelling out what queer space is and how it will
function remains half the challenge, one reason Hinton
and Clark will be holding town hall meetings for Avalon
Eugene in the coming months.
“There’s a need for a lot of queer spaces in town,”
Martin says, looking out their office window at the
students passing by. “But as a community, we have a
really hard time defining that, defining what a queer space
is. …We need a queer space for youth, particularly youth
under 18, where they can go and have community and be
safe. We need a space where our trans* community can go
and meet in safety. We need a space where queer survivors
of domestic violence and sexual assault can go.”
She adds, “I don’t know what that looks like.” ■
The first “Made in the U.S.A” runs 6 pm to midnight Wednesday, Dec. 3, at
The Barn Light; sliding scale donation. For more information, visit wkly.
ws/1um. To find out more about Avalon Eugene, visit avaloneugene.com.
The GSA will be hosting its first-ever Queer Sex Symposium in January
at LCC.
Protect your world
Auto • Home • Life • Retirement
Call me today to discuss your options.
Some people think Allstate only protects your car.
Truth is, Allstate can also protect your home or
apartment, your boat, motorcycle - even your
retirement and your life. And the more of your world
you put in Good Hands®, the more you can save.
Bart Swanson, ChFC, CLU
541-484-1397
360 E 40th Ave.
Eugene#FI0.+',
bartswanson@allstate.com
Insurance subject to terms, qualifications and availability. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance
Co., Allstate Insurance Co., Allstate Indemnity Co., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co. Life insurance and annuities issued by Lincoln
Benefit Life Company, Lincoln, NE, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL. In New York, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New
York, Hauppauge, NY. Northbrook, IL. © 2010 Allstate Insurance Co.
112744
Call or stop by to see how much you can save.
eugeneweekly.com • November 26, 2014
13