New organizations began to formĪfter Portland saw its first death from AIDS in 1982, the PALS (Personal Active Listeners) and Cascade AIDS Project were established. The events were sponsored by The Second Foundation, a gay rights organization. In 1975, Portland celebrated its first Gay Pride with indoor events like dances, and an outdoor public festival. Subsequently, in 1974, a law was passed by Portland City Council to bar employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Two years after the formation of the PGLF, Oregon repealed its laws on sodomy, being the fourth state to do so.
Henceforth, Portland has been active in pursuing LGBTQ rights for the last five decades. In his reply, which was entitled “Dear Gay, Young, and Lonely”, Wilkinson described the secret lives that gay men and women were forced to lead and called for them to come forward to organize what became the PGLF – the Portland Gay Liberation Front. Shortly after the Stonewall riots, John Wilkinson, an openly gay staff writer of the underground newspaper Willamette Bridge, responded to an anonymous classified ad that had been posted to the paper but not included in its publication. The gay communities in Portland started to become visible through local media. Portland even has a Two-Spirit Society that is gaining in popularity. Although this specific term is relatively new, the concept of having two spirits (a person embodying two genders) in indigenous populations has been around for generations that predate LGBTQ. In fact, Native Americans/First Nations have celebrated Two Spirit people for millennia. Portland has been active in pushing for inclusiveness for the LGBTQ community for over 50 years. The history of Portland’s LGBTQ community In 2008, Portland became the first large city to have an openly-gay mayor after Sam Adams was elected. There are also lots of gay sports leagues and dance clubs, a large amount of LGBTQ owned businesses, and many community organizations. The city is home to drag queen Walter “Darcelle XV” Cole who has held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest drag queen performer in the world since August 15, 2016. The LGBTQ community in Portland is quite extensive. No cover.From Queer Film Festivals, Drag Performances, Pride Parades, Dance parties, relaxed bars and more, members of the LGBTQ community who live, work or visit Portland will find the Rose City to be a fantastic gay-friendly city, here is a LGBTQ Guide to Portland, Oregon… The LGBTQ community in Portland Open Tuesday through Sunday. 9004 NE Sandy Boulevard.
Try Escape Bar and Grill ! The closest thing Portland has to a full-out lesbian bar, Escape is the casual hole-in-the-wall to unwind in after a long day. The bar used to host a recurring night just for our beloved lesbian elders, making it just the right spot for the 40+ crowd. Other events include Wednesday and Saturday karaoke, plus DJs every second and fourth Friday. Sometimes you want to curl up and get up close and personal with the latest in groundbreaking queer literature. This curated monthly reading series, put on by Literary Arts, fosters in-depth discussion with some of the brightest minds in Portland’s literary community. Try Incite: Queer Writers Read ! Sometimes you want to shake your hips all night long. Try the Siren Theater ! This women-owned comedy theater has cabaret-style seating, making it the perfect place to cozy up with a date. At time of writing, the theater’s up-coming acts include two nights with Liz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show (heard of it?) and That’s What She Said, a queer feminist comedy collective, with many more shows planned for the future. Shannon Funches from Light Asylum, Princess Dimebag, Father Fannie, DJ Sappho, Emoji Heap, and Sham Sisqo are always sure to turn out a n unstoppable party that lasts into the wee hours of morning.įor the Tig Notaro/Wanda Sykes/Kate McKinnon fangirl. When in doubt, keep an eye out for the city’s most exciting queer DJs. Fans of hyperpop, cosmic disco, and '90s house rejoice! Catch their latest party at VMAC Portland on October 29, $20 presale, $30 for the spontaneous s ocial butterflies. Opal UndergroundĪ relatively new addition to the scene from the creators of Circuit Breaker, Opal Underground shows a lot of promise for femme-forward, psychedelic dance nights.
Expect to get very sweaty to a mix of queer hip hop and pop favorites.
One of the city’s premier queer dance parties, Blow Pony exploded back onto the scene on October 23 at Bossanova Ballroom with a performance from NYC’s Dai Burger and DJ sets from Portland’s own Zepheur, Sugarpill, Diane Rott, and Sue From Corporate.