News Readers of Willamette Week might know that my partner Juan Martinez and I are lead plaintiffs in Martinez v. Kulongoski, the court case aiming to overturn voter-approved Ballot Measure 36 that excludes same-sex marriage in Oregon. In 2005 we lost before Circuit Judge Joseph Guimond in Marion County. Today we lost again. This time it was a three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals that ...   More

News Basic Rights Oregon—the non-profit group that aims to end gender and sexual orientation discrimination across our state—couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to host their 3rd Annual STRUT fashion show. Clear skies, summery hot weather and California's freshly passed amendment allowing gay marriage, all contributed harmoniously to the fashionable event at the Wonder Ballroom on ...   More

News "Oh, fuck, why did I agree to do THIS?" There I was. In front of 1,ooo-plus fans of AM-azing radio icon Rick Emerson. A local radio talk show host, Emerson asked me a few weeks ago if I would be a "roaster" at his 11th annual "listener party" which happened last night at the Crystal Ballroom. Listener party, my ass. It was more like a masturbatory pack of thick-necked gorillas out ...   More

News Think the decision by the California's Supreme Court to treat same-sex marriages the same as opposite sex-sex marriages will have effects limited to California? Think again. The basics of the decision means that in about 30 days any same-sex couple—from anywhere in the U.S.—can go anywhere in California and get legally hitched.When they return to their own state it may not mean much, ...   More

News The California Supreme Court has determined that the state's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. With the ruling, California becomes the second state to allow same-sex couples to legally wed. Will be piping on this later today. Just received this email from Thalia Zepatos at 3:30 pm. An ardent advocate for the glbt community Zepatos recently moved back to Oregon. For the ...   More

News Last night's preview screening of Garden Party at the Whitsell Auditorium included a guest appearance by director Jason Freeland. I didn't stay for the Q&A session. Garden Party Everybody has to suck a little cock when they first get to L.A., goes the outlook of writer/director Jason Freeland's vacant sophomore feature, which features an impotent gay Nebraska pothead (Alexander Cendese), ...   More

News Byron Beck phones it in from Pioneer Courthouse: A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments today in Lemons v. Bradbury, the lawsuit seeking to revive 2007's failed referendum against Oregon's domestic-partnership law. The hearing was just held in a packed courthouse, and lasted about one hour. It got out at around 12:15, and both sides were able to present ...   More

News Bend, Oregon is fast becoming a hot bed for weird news. Last week we had Thomas Beatie, who declared himself as the "first man" to have a baby, finally having "his" baby. Today brings news of a guy who is attempting to fly from Bend to Idaho. And how is Kent Couch doing it? By lawn chair and party balloons. And, oh yeah, he's using 15-gallon barrels of Kool-Aid for ballast. According to Internet ...   More

News Betwixt talking about dark chocolate and "one eye up the chimney" I was "interviewed" by Nick Wallis on the BBC's LiveFive show. Well, "interviewed" isn't exactly the right word. The 10 minute segment started with Wallis saying "Here is the FREAK story of the day." Rather than query me about Beatie he basically asked me to rehash "his" story, which allowed them to be equally appalled and intrigued. ...   More

News According to Q Portland our fair city has just been crowned (alongside Atlanta, Georgia) the "Best Gay Ghetto" in the U.S. by the Gay and Lesbian International News Network. Trouble is, nobody I know around here considers Portland home to a particular part of the city that could be described as a "gay ghetto." Sure we once had Southwest Stark Street, but that's now in the hand of developers ...   More