Eugene weekly., August 10, 2017, Page 11, Image 11

You feel like you’re an intruder because you’re fulfilling
a part of your identity that fits in with hetero-normativity.
— HANNAH STEINKOPF-FRANK
from other, needier people. When I came out to my family,
reactions varied from “What? I don’t understand” to
“You’re doing this for attention” to “Your boyfriend can
never trust you not to cheat.”
My parents probably still think I just went through a
phase in college. I’m in a happy relationship with a man
right now, so clearly my “gay phase” has come to an end. I
can assure you that I remain bisexual despite my loyalty to
my male partner. I certainly feel like an outsider in LGBTQ
communities — too straight to fit in, not queer enough to
be considered.
Straight partners can be quite jealous, too — or can
fetishize the idea of two women making out in front of
them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve searched Tinder
for potential dates with women and found couples seeking
a third for a ménage à trois. From an actual Tinder bio:
“Cute boy in the first picture and I trying 2 find one more
[tongue sticking out emoji].”
Osborne says being bi can feel like you’re not quite
queer enough. “I worry about taking the conversation away
from people who are more in danger and more in need of
support than I am,” he says. “But at the same time it does
bug me that the queer community in general can be really
exclusive towards bi people even now, and dismiss them
as either closeted men or promiscuous women who are just
going through a phase and trying it out.”
So what does this mean for bi people? They tend to
have mental health issues and feel isolated, as it turns out.
According to the Bisexual Invisibility report, “Previous
studies may have overemphasized the risk of mental health
DANCING IN THE STREET
N
ormally, Pride festivals take place in the downtown sector of
big cities, or at least nearby — take Portland Pride along the
waterfront or Seattle Pride along Fourth Avenue, for example.
They’re also traditionally held during June, National LGBT
Pride Month. But we all know Eugene isn’t normal.
As a part of what seems to be Eugene’s tradition for operating
outside the norm, the Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival has been held
in various spots around town throughout the years, but most recently
its home has been in Alton Baker Park. It also traditionally takes place
in August (see the story this issue).
Colin Graham, owner of downtown queer pub The Wayward
Lamb, says there are some advantages to Eugene’s Pride Celebration
taking place outside of National Pride month, such as the lack of
competition from other Pacific Northwest Pride celebrations. But for
him, having Pride activities downtown is essential.
Last year, Graham went to one of the Pride Committee’s public
meetings and proposed the idea of moving the festival downtown.
“They considered the idea, but based on where they were in the
planning stages they had said that it’s probably logistically not
possible to accomplish it for that year,” Graham says.
Graham agreed that moving Pride downtown on short notice
would be potentially challenging and expensive for the committee, so
he made his own plans.
“What I decided to do was put on a block party as another event for
the Pride Festival weekend. It gave me proof of concept and enabled
me to discuss the idea from a more practical perspective,” he says.
Graham, this year’s site/city liaison for the Pride Committee,
proposed Pride’s downtown relocation again. “The proposal was to
have the daytime element of the festival in Monroe Park [and] have
a parade up West Broadway ending in an evening event downtown,”
he says.
The committee accepted, but the new plan didn’t work for the city.
“We hadn’t worked out too many details before the city confirmed
that they couldn’t grant a permit for an event expecting that large a
crowd,” Graham says. “So, we may consider it again next year, but it
would require an event layout where crowds would naturally disperse
over a larger area rather than convene in one small one.”
Instead of giving in to defeat, Graham decided to host another
Pride block party out in front of The Lamb on Broadway Street. The
Lamb’s block party will take place Aug. 11, a day before the Pride
Festival in Alton Baker.
problems for homosexuals by grouping them together with
bisexuals.” The report says that 45.4 percent of bisexual
women report suicidality, compared to 29.5 percent of
lesbians. There’s a similar disparity between bisexual and
gay men.
Being invisible means bisexuals don’t have clear role
models in the media. Bisexuals don’t have precedents
for their sexuality, and neither queer communities nor
the straight population understands them. Even Oregon’s
bisexual governor, Kate Brown, occasionally faces
ignorant questions because she is married to a man.
But with high-profile people like Brown out about their
bi status, as well as celebrities such as Drew Barrymore
and Carrie Brownstein, bisexuals are finally becoming
more visible. ■
The Wayward Lamb puts on
its second Downtown Pride
Block Party BY MEERAH POWELL
Like last year, The Wayward Lamb’s block party is chock-full of
entertainment, says the pub’s marketing manager Tony Tam Sing.
The party will be hosted by Angelica D’Vil, a drag performer who
used to be a permanent part of Glamazons, a cast of drag artists who
perform at the Lamb every Friday night.
Along with food trucks, vendors and beverage options, there
will be a stage set up on the sidewalk for live entertainment from
musicians like Betty and the Boy and Austin Chevalier as well as
two dance troupes. “The rest are the other drag queens who are
performing,” Sing says.
Along with Glamazons, there will also be two drag queens from
Portland, Miss Innana and Cody Wojahn, as well as a drag queen all
the way from L.A., Nebuer Styles.
Graham says another exciting point of the Block Party is that Star
102.3 FM will be broadcasting live for the first two hours of the event
from a booth set up right in the center of the action.
And although all of Pride’s activities couldn’t all be
condensed into a single day downtown, Graham says the
spread-out nature of the events could actually be a good
thing.
“For the time being, we intend to hold a block party
on Pride weekend every year. With this and other events
held at other venues, it’s nice to be able to refer to Pride
weekend as something that grows each year,” Graham
says. “I think with each passing year there will be more
and more things at various venues around town ... and
perhaps we will eventually be referring to it as Pride
week.”
For Graham, Eugene is only improving, and
with it he thinks the Pride Festival will, too.
Eugene “is positioned beautifully between
Seattle and the Bay Area,” he says. “I think
that’s just one of the factors that will cause
Eugene to continue to grow in importance in the
tech industry. As this happens, my hope is that
our Pride festival grows with it.” ■
The Downtown Pride Block Party will be 5-11 pm on Friday, Aug.
11, in front of The Wayward Lamb on Broadway between Olive and
Charnelton. The event is 21 and older and costs $5. It’s followed by an
afterparty at The Wayward Lamb which starts at 11 pm. It’s $5, or $3 if
you attended the Block Party.
COLIN GRAHAM
PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA
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