65. Get Your Tickets NOW for Red Dress Party 2013: Red Handed

You know it is gonna sell out. You know it is for a good cause.  And, you know you are gonna have a hell of a good time.  So get your tickets NOW before they sell out for the 2013 Red Dress Party–Red Handed.

What started as a small social gathering over ten years ago is now the event of the spring season here in Queer PDX, with over 2000 attendees.  All in red dresses.  And, all for a good cause.  This year’s event on May 4th will be headlined by DJ Nina Flowers of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Tickets will sell out, that is why we are getting this to you so soon.  Get your tickets now and don’t miss out.  Then, you will have almost two months to find the perfect little red dress.

64. See the Legendary Janis Ian at the Alberta Rose

Wow, the Alberta Rose has been booking some queertastic events lately.  Joey Arias brought down the house a couple weeks ago, and, on April 5th, society child Janis Ian will perform.

Singer-songwriter rocked the nation with her subversive hit Society’s Child, which was banned across the nation before becoming a #1 hit.  She returned a few years later with the hit song At Seventeen, a searing ballad about bullying.  And, she just won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, beating out  Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Rachel Maddow and Ellen Degeneres (WOW).  Out and proud for, oh decades now, Janis Ian is a true original and an absolute must-see.

Fun fact: Janis Ian was the musical guest on the first episode of Saturday Night Live.

63. Hang Out at Starky’s

Time change days like today are always so odd feeling.  I’m always drawn to the comfort of familiar faces and places.  Today is the perfect day to hang out at Starky’s.

Starky’s (on…you guessed it…SE Stark) is my go-to neighborhood gay bar in Portland.  Well, it isn’t so much a bar as it is a tavern.  Part restaurant, part bar and all fun.  I always know I’m going to run into someone I know at Starky’s or make a new friend.  It is yet another example of one of Portland’s great neighborhood bars, this one close-in SE near the Restaurant Row on 28^th.

The food at Starky’s is hearty and affordable, from the Monday burger specials to the Sunday brunch.  Oh, and the drinks are big and strong!  I’m pretty sure they have the best onion rings in all of PDX. Love the parking lot events in the summertime, like the Oregon Bears carwash and dunktank.  And, happy hour is always a busy scene that spills out on to the patio.

Hmmm….might just have to drop in tonight!

62. Bump and Grind Like Nomi and Cristal at BMP/GRND

Just yesterday, we were posting about the queer gayborhood that is North Portland.  Tonight, you can find out for yourself at the first anniversary of BMP/GRND at The Foggy Notion.  And, oh yeah, the theme is Showgirls.  Yes, that Showgirls.  Squeeee!

BMP/GRND is Portland’s only queer dance night devoted entirely to the 90s. You better dress appropriately and bring some good request, so dig out your best/worst 90s-inspired fashion for a discounted cover.  This is the closest you can come to time travel!

Tonight, Showgirls starts promptly at 8pm and the music starts at 10. And, the 90s will go on forever.

61. Explore the Gayborhood: North Portland

Here at the 365PDXq blog, we’ll occasionally look at one Portland gayborhood in particular.  This time, let’s traipse through North Portland.  Ready to take on the Fifth Quadrant?

North Portland is best known for St. Johns, a little town square in the farthest reaches of NoPo. St. Johns has a lively history, as it was one of the first main burgs along the Willamette, each one competing to be the main hub of the growing region. The city of Portland won out and annexed St. Johns in 1915, but the separatist mood still survives in this far-flung outpost of PDX. You can get to St. Johns by going as far west on Lombard Avenue as possible, or by crossing the beautiful St. Johns Bridge from NW Portland. Even though it is remote, St. Johns has its own movie theatres, a McMenamins outpost, a food cart pod, and farmer’s market. Once you get there, you may never need to leave.

North Portland has long been popular with the LGBT population of Portland. Its alternative flavor has welcomed and provided safe harbor for those not interested in the downtown scene. While there are no strictly queer nightspots or watering holes, both the Mock Crest Tavern and the Foggy Notion are uber-queer-friendly. And, The Fixin’ To hosts the queer mixer Sweet Tea on a semi-regular basis. Plus, the Q Center and The Eagle are not too far away.

Read the whole article, with information on Paul Bunyan up there, plus parks and architecture, over at the Portland Gayborhood website.

60. See UNFIT at POW: Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival

The impressive POW Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival is an energetic and inspiring cultural event here in PDX.  Love love love that they are honoring Penelope Spheeris this year!  And, of course, there is a little something for lesbians: the searing documentary UNFIT: Ward Vs. Ward.

UNFIT takes us back to Florida in 1995, so you already know it isn’t a happy story.  Mary Ward, a divorced mom, is trying to get an increase in child support from her deadbeat ex-husband, but the judge not only denies the request, but gives cutody of the kids to the father because Mary is a lesbian.  And, oh yeah, Mr. Ward murdered his first wife and had allegations of child molestation.  But, y’know, at least he wasn’t a lesbian?!?!

Prepare to be outraged with a group of your peers when you see UNFIT at this year’s POW Fest.

59. Nominate a PDX Queer Hero

More pride prep…guess we’re already thinking about June and maybe some sunny weather.

Last year, The Q Center and the Gay Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest sponsored Queer Heroes, naming 30 heroes from Portland LGBT community.  The inaugural list included such luminaries as Darcelle and Kathleen Saadat.  Each day during Pride, the Queer Heroes project will announce one more hero.  Their name and picture will also be displayed at the Q Center and the special Queer Hero exhibit at Pride. And, throughout the year, the Queer Hero exhibit tours the community.

So, who deserves to be honored as a Queer Hero in 2013?  Share your thoughts and ideas with The Q Center and GLAPN at the Queer Heroes website. Nominations are due by March 15th!

58. Reserve Your Booth for Portland and Vancouver Pride

Strut your stuff to locals and tourists alike with a booth at Portland Pride and Vancouver Pride (aka Saturday in the Park).  Whether you are a business, solo entrepreneur, non-profit, sports league, a food vendor, whatever…show it off to the queer masses at pride this summer.  But, get your booth early because they sell out quick.

In 2013, Portland Pride is June 15-16th and will once again be at the waterfront.  This is the huge grandaddy PDX pride event and tens of thousands of folks will be coming through that weekend.  Saturday is the fun laid back day, and Sunday gets a little crazy after that parade.  If you want mass exposure to the queer community, this is the place to be. For more info on reserving a booth, visit the Pride Northwest website.

Saturday in the Park on July 13th is a family-friendly celebration in Portland’s marriage-equality loving neighbor across the river.  With the recent passage of marriage equality, this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever.  Like a big ol’ wonderful family picnic, Vancouver’s Saturday in the Park is a loose and lively afternoon of pride and non-prejudice.  And, the booths are a steal at just $85 when reserved by June 1st.

We’ll be covering both pride event more in depth as we get closer to the dates.  But, if you are thinking about getting a booth….NOW is the time to do it.

Be Back Soon

Got a little sidelined by the flu this past week….be back soon.  March is jam packed with queer things to do in Portland, and we’ll be counting them down for you.  As soon as this damn flu evacuates.

57. Read PQ Monthly

We often link to PQ Monthly here at the 365 PDXq blog, but we have yet to simply list it as one of the great queer things to do in PDX.  And, in light of this week’s news of the folding (yet again) of Just Out, it is time to declare that you should read PQ Monthly.

December 2011 delivered some shocking news.  Marty Davis was ending her legendary run at Just Out, Portland’s longest-running queer news source, and shutting down the newspaper.  But, Portland wouldn’t be without a queer news outlet for long.

Melanie Davis, the lesbian publisher of Portland’s El Hispanic News, stepped up to fill the void.  She announced the launch of PQ Monthly, a newspaper that hits the streets of Portland in middle of each month to share community news, columnist perspective and sharp dash of fun and frivolity.  For a sense of continuity, many of Marty’s staff at Just Out came aboard to help the new venture get started with a splash.

PQ Monthly also hosts several fun events each month, but none more Portland-y than the monthly Press Party.  Each month, the staff and advertisers and community members gather at a different location to celebrate the release of the new issue.  This is a key see-and-be-seen event of the community and all are welcome.  Hope to see you there next month!