LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon


LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.

Events

Portland's annual pride parade is primarily organized by Pride Northwest. Peacock in the Park is another annual event, running from 1987 to 2005, and, again, from 2014 to the present. The La Femme Magnifique International Pageant is an annual drag pageant.
In 2011, Hands Across Hawthorne was organized in response to an attack on two men who were holding hands on the Hawthorne Bridge, with over 4,000 attendees.

Gay bathhouses

operating in Portland include Hawks PDX and Steam Portland. Club Portland closed in 2007.

History

Notable LGBT individuals include:
Currently operating LGBT drinking establishments and nightclubs include: CC Slaughters, Crush Bar, Eagle Portland, Hobo's, Scandals, Silverado, and Stag PDX Silverado and Stag are also strip clubs. Sullivan's Gulch Bar & Grill has also been described as an LGBT establishment. The drag venue Darcelle XV Showplace was established by Darcelle XV in 1967 and continues to host shows regularly.
Monthly Blow Pony dances were established in Portland by Airick Redwolf in 2007. Inferno monthly dance parties hosted by Hot Flash Productions owner/operators DJ Wildfire and Armida Hanlon that first began in Portland in 2004 and are now held regularly in Portland and Seattle.
Defunct establishments include Egyptian Club, Gail's Dirty Duck Tavern, Red Cap Garage, Starky's, and Three Sisters Tavern, which also operated as a strip club. Embers Avenue, established during the 1970s, and Escape Nightclub both closed in 2017.

Film

Queer Horror is an ongoing bi-monthly film festival that is shown at the Hollywood Theatre. The Portland Queer Film Festival, formerly known as the Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, has been running for more than twenty years and takes place at Cinema 21. The Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival screens LGBTQ documentaries.

Organizations

organization Basic Rights Oregon is based in Portland. Local LGBT-oriented organizations include Cascade AIDS Project, Q Center, and Bradley Angle which offers LGBTQ domestic violence services. Others include:
LGBT publications have included Cascade Voice, Just Out, PQ Monthly, and The Eagle.