Portland Queer: Stories of LGBTQ+ Life in Portland, Oregon

Portland Queer: Stories of LGBTQ+ Life in Portland, Oregon

by Ariel Gore Editor

Keep Portland Queer!

Portland, Oregon, is a queer city in the queerest state in the US. It's also a place where, like anywhere in this country, you can experience bigotry, violence, and discrimination. Out of these contradictions bursts this sparkling collection of first-person stories—a heady mix of fiction and fact—written by contributors from across the queer spectrum and beyond, serving vulnerability, humor, and realness.  

Immerse yourself in familiar scenes and landmarks like Washington Park, Caffe Mingo, the Silverado, Powell's City of Books, Umbra Penumbra, St. Mary's Academy, the Lloyd Center Mall, Hawthorne Boulevard, Food Front Co-op, Darcelle XV, a ghost bike installation, a backyard barbecue, a call center during third shift, and the many bridges over the Willamette River. Read Gabby Rivera's original story that became the hit novel Juliet Takes a Breath. Revel in David Ciminello's tale of a waiter who falls in love with a straight guy from the café next door. Learn Marc Acito's answer to the question "Where do you find hot men in Portland?" Elevate your vocabulary with Stevie Anntonym's "Lesbian Lexicon." Whatever your orientation, these accounts of queer and trans life in the Rose City will make you see the world and your place in it from a different angle.

This new edition of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology includes a poem by Nastashia Minto and stories by Christa Orth and Kalimah Abioto. 

 

Table of Contents:

Introduction Ariel Gore

PDXOX David Ciminello

Diary Kalimah Abioto

I Wear the Pants Rhiannon Flowers

The Strange and Highly Selective Mating Patterns of the Human Male Animal Michael Sage Ricci

Ave Maria Colleen Siviter

The Empty House Shanna Doolittle

Ghost Bikes Kathleen Bryson

Juliet Takes a Breath Gabrielle Rivera

Waves Nastashia Minto

Chinook Jacob Anderson-Minshall

Will the Circle Be Unbroken Donal Mosher

Unlocking the Hips David Oates

Masturbate Theater Marc Acito

Welcome to the Club Christa Orth

Lesbian Landscaping Sarah Dougher

Not Following the Rules Christa Orth

Directory Assistance Nicole Vaicunas

Gay Apparel Lois Leveen

Bridges Wayne Gregory

The Trailer Megan Kruse

Field Day Lynn Barkley

Stage Zero  Jacqueline Raphael

The Furnace Guy Tom Spanbauer

The Lesbian Lexicon Presented by Stevie Anntonym

Contributors