Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current, June 30, 2016, Page 35, Image 35

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    SAVAGE
LOVE
DANCERS AUDITION
Call 541-517-7196
www.sweetillusions.biz
Nude Hours 12pm-2:15am Daily
LOTTERY • CHAMPAGNE ROOM
OUTSIDE SMOKING • DRINKING PATIO
1836 South ‘A’ St., Spfl d • 541-762-1503
Only 5 minutes from campus • (Franklin Blvd turns into South A St.)
25% OFF
25%
OFF
NEW SELECTION
OF PIPES &
ACCESSORIES
CURVE
PRODUCTS E-JUICE MARKDOWN
EVI BY ANEROS
Adult Shop
290 River Rd | 86784 Franklin Blvd | 720 Garfield
e-adultshop.com - 541.636.3203
3970 W. 1st Ave
541-844-1777
www.green-hill.org
If you’re looking for the next
Instagram sensation, then look
no further than Arrow. This
handsome boy is sure to turn
heads, both digitally and in real
life. We’d recommend the hashtags
#handsome-mutt and #sultry-
sharpei-mix to get you started,
but once you’ve adopted Arrow,
there will be no end of funny ways
to tag this independent spirit.
Arrow would prefer an adult-only
home where he is the only pet, but
that’s probably for the best. You wouldn’t want to overwhelm your
followers – Arrow’s striking features will be enough to keep them
(and you) coming back for more. Arrow has been at the 1st Avenue
Shelter for over 200 days.
Tue -Fri, 10am-6pm and Sat 10am-5:30pm
KRATOM
57 W. BROADWAY 541-687-0139
LOCAL
LIVE CALL-IN
TV SHOWS!
WEDNESDAYS
6-8PM
ON COMMUNITY TV
COMCAST CH. 29
EUGENE -SPRINGFIELD
WIGGLY TAILS DOG RESCUE
Helping abandoned and surrendered dogs fi nd their forever homes
Jake is
ready for
his forever
home. He is
a tri Colored
Chi Mix, 1.5
yr old, 7 lb
bundle of
love. He is
very friendly,
good with
other playful
dogs his size and although he is untested with cats or
kids he is very friendly. Jake will do great in just about
any setting. Message us now if you would like meet him.
Foster homes & volunteers are always needed!
Please contact us through our Facebook page.
www.facebook.com/WigglyTailsDogRescue
Come to
S.A.R.A.’s
Treasures and
adopt Joy, the
young calico cat
with a whole
lotta love.
Although new
to the front
shop, her peppy
attitude would leave you thinking she has had a whole lifetime to
settle in here. Even around so many cuddlers and socialites, this
cat stills shines as the most aff ectionate, stalking the register and
running laps around clothing racks seeking prospective customers
to pet her head. Joy to the world!
871 River Road • 607-8892 • Open Everyday 10-6
www.sarastreasures.org
LOST THERAPY CAT
541-525-1471
PUPS
503-780-1548
LEO - 4 YEAR OLD NEUTERED MALE - GRAY/BLACK/BROWN TABBY
LAST SEEN: E. 14TH AVE & HIGH STREET
www.facebook.com/FindLeoTheCat
BY DAN SAVAGE
Is it a super douchey move to pretend to be a lesbian to avoid unwanted male attention? I’m a straight
single woman in my mid-thirties and a very plausible lesbian in terms of sartorial stereotypes. Occa-
sionally a guy will hit on me in an awkward or creepy way and I’ll trot out a line about “not being into
men.” Most recently I used this pose when a courier broke down in my driveway and I invited him in for
a glass of water while he waited for the tow truck. It was really uncomfortable and a little threatening
when—after establishing that I lived alone—he asked me out. I guess I use this as an excuse so as not
to hurt their feelings, but also to shut the conversation down as quickly as possible if I’m feeling vul-
nerable.
Is this a harmless white lie, or a major cop-out that would offend actual lesbians? Can you suggest some
better strategies for when you’re feeling cornered by a dude you’re not interested in?
Lady’s Entirely Zany Identity Enquiry
“I’m not offended by this,” said someone I thought was an actual lesbian.
I shared your question with this person—a woman I thought was an actual lesbian—because I wasn’t offend-
ed by it either, but wanted to check with an actual lesbian just to be safe. Turns out my friend doesn’t identify
as a lesbian, but as a woman-who-loves-women-but-does-not-identify-as-a-lesbian-because-she-some-
times-finds-the-odd-dude-hot. So for the record: my friend is speaking for the WWLWBDNIAALBSSFTODH com-
munity here—which often intersects/sexts with the lesbian community—and not the lesbian community.
“But even though I’m not offended by it, I have to say I’ve found the ‘I’m into women’ line to be totally ineffec-
tive,” said my not-a-lesbian friend. “The creeps I’ve used it on get even more riled up after hearing that line.
Sometimes I check out and start ignoring these creeps as if they’re wallpaper, but that can rile them up too.
Same with a polite ‘I’m not interested.’ The only success I’ve had with warding off creeps is by actually yelling
at them, asking them if they’d like to be treated the way they’re treating me, and if their mothers, sisters, et
cetera, would appreciate that treatment.”
My not-a-lesbian friend—who, as it turns out, identifies more strongly with the term “bisexual” than she does
WWLWBDNIAALBSSFTODH—has also had some luck with the lose-your-shit strategy (e.g., screaming, yelling,
and waving your arms around like a crazy person).
“You kind of have to treat these people like bears at a campsite,” said my not-a-lesbian friend. “You have to
make yourself big and loud and scary so they don’t get closer. Because they will get closer.”
I have a difficult question. A dear young friend has recently started being a stripper for work. I won’t lie: it
tears me up. All I feel is sadness and worry—such a nice soul for what I feel is a not-so-nice environment.
I really hope I’m wrong. Is there any way in which this can be okay?
My thoughts are that no matter how strong a woman is, no one can forget what they see or have to deal
with. I worry for the sake of a nice person getting her ass handed to her too often and potentially break-
ing beyond repair. My gut emotion is that it doesn’t matter how well you handle these situations—what
matters is the fact that you see too much ugliness, too often, and get to a point where you forget that
there are actually nice humans out there.
I guess my question is: How well can anyone handle this?
My Endangered Lady
I suspect she’s handling it better than you are, MEL. And I would recommend minding your own business,
backing the fuck off, and Googling “white knight syndrome.” But if your conscience requires you to say some-
thing, say something that opens up a conversation, rather than something so larded with shame, fear, and
judgment that it shuts the conversation down. Instead of saying something like “Oh my God! What were you
thinking?! You’ll be shredded emotionally and sexually! You could break beyond repair!”, try something like,
“Stripping isn’t something I would feel comfortable doing myself. But I’m your friend, and if you need to talk
with someone about your new job—if you need to decompress or vent—I’m here for you.”
I’ve been lying to myself. I told myself that stability and friendship were more important to me than
sex. I’ve been with my husband for twelve years, and we’ve been married for five of those. We were best
friends, and I was already in love before we started dating and before we ever had sex. I should have
known in the beginning that we weren’t sexually compatible, but I chose to ignore it (or I chose stability
and friendship). I chose my best friend, and have been suffering ever since.
Luckily, I listen to your advice on a regular basis, and I’ve started having more open conversations
about my feelings and my wants and needs. About a year ago, my husband and I decided to open our
relationship. This was all my idea, and I’m not sure he’s fully into it. We agreed to a “don’t ask, don’t tell”
policy, and a month ago we finally acted on it. I met someone in an open relationship and had sex with
them. It was amazing—everything about it. In the end, I didn’t feel guilty, but I did want to tell my hus-
band. I still feel the need to get his approval, but I also know that he doesn’t want to hear it. If he gave me
the go-ahead, even though everything was my idea, should I feel guilty, or just happy for finally getting
what I needed from someone? Are there baby steps I can take to tell my husband these things, or do I
just keep them to myself? I feel like this is saving our marriage, but society probably just looks at me
like a cheating whore.
Feelings Are Insanely, Terribly Hard For Unsure Lovers
You have your husband’s approval to do what you did, but his approval was contingent upon you not telling
him what you did. Honor the commitment you made to your husband, FAITHFUL, by keeping your mouth shut.
You’ll doubtless have conversations in the future about your relationship, and about monogamy, and you
can ask him if he wants to stick with “don’t ask, don’t tell.” If he says yes, continue to keep your mouth shut.
I’m a (mostly) straight guy in his mid-twenties. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved wearing wom-
en’s lingerie. It turns me on, but it also makes me feel comfortable. I’ve never worn women’s clothing in
public, but I’ve recently been wearing it more and more around my house. It just feels right! Side note:
I’ve also recently been obsessed with being pegged by my female partner, and I love the reversal of
roles. Would I be considered genderqueer, genderfluid, or what? And would I be considered part of the
LGBT community?
Frequently Excited Miss
Genderqueer and genderfluid aren’t kinks, FEM, they’re identities. And I don’t know what you mean by that
parenthetical “mostly” you dropped in there before “straight.” If it means you’re attracted to dudes—regard-
less of whether you’ve ever acted on that attraction—you would indeed be considered part of the LGBT com-
munity, under the “B” designation. But if all you meant was, “My cock gets hard when I wear panties and think
about getting my ass pegged by my girlfriend,” then you’re just another kinky straight guy.
the Lovecast, dating historian Moira Weigel. savagelovecast.com.
MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET • @FAKEDANSAVAGE • THE SAVAGE LOVECAST AT SAVAGELOVECAST.COM
eugeneweekly.com • June 30, 2016
35