This Week in the Mercury

Workhorse Wines

Food and Drink

Workhorse Wines

For Under $15!


Time Capsule

Film

Time Capsule

Hit So Hard and the Grunge Gods of Yesteryear



  |  

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Homo Oregon is Getting Gayer.

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 4:20 PM

Now gayer.
The Portland Tribune has done an interesting analysis of 2008 census data that shows the number of same-sex couples in Oregon has grown 20 percent since just 2000.

According to their number crunching, Portland now has an estimated 3,604 gay and lesbian couples living together; Oregon has 10,705 couples. It's frustrating that the census doesn't ask about sexual orientation, so single queers go uncounted. My question: how can there be at least 7,200 LGBT people in Portland and only two good gay dance nights?

Seriously now, the revelation that Oregon is getting gayer by the day makes me wonder whether the state will be queer-friendly enough by 2012 to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing gay marriage, as Basic Rights Oregon hopes. Though only 45 percent of Oregonians support same sex marriage right now, having more gay neighbors can push the needle in the right direction.

 

Comments (2) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
I haven't read the report, but I'd be willing to guess that OR isn't getting gayer. Just more couples are willing to say that they're couples.
Posted by Graham on January 7, 2010 at 4:27 PM · Report
2
As a lesbian that moved here almost 16 years ago I will answer why Portland does not have a better gay dance scene.

Where I come from there is a strong network of gay and lesbian dance clubs and bars - they are really for gay men and lesbians. You have the fag hags that hang out there but for the most part everyone is queer.

When I arrived in Portland I went to a gay bar. The first thought I had was "What are all these straight people doing in here?" There are no gay and lesbian bars, restaurants, etc. in Portland. There are just bars, restaurants, etc that happen to be owned by gay men and lesbians. On the flip side, I cannot remember the last time I felt uncomfortable with my partner and family in Portland. Even the cashier at Costco made a joke about us buying sheets.

While in many ways this integration is wonderful (friends elsewhere are jealous) it does lead to a not so great gay scene. I think it can be hard to be gay or lesbian and single in this city. Where do you meet people to date? I am asked this question by new arrivals and I don't have a clue.

I also agree with Graham - more people feel comfortable being out all the time. That accounts for some of the jump. I also do think that Portland has a reputation as an accepting place so that does encourage some migration.
Posted by pdxmom on January 7, 2010 at 4:41 PM · Report

Add a comment

Our Friends

Our Enemies

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use