Legendary drag pioneer Darcelle XV was honored June 10 by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in collaboration with the International Court System, as one of the “Stonewall 40 Trans Heroes” — a list of 40 impersonators, drag queens, transsexuals, drag kings and transgender individuals who have helped to shape the community. The iconic local personality is among a formidable group that includes progressive luminaries RuPaul and author Leslie Feinberg.

Darcelle was obviously overjoyed at the announcement.

“Wow! I guess if you live long enough, you get involved in everything. It’s really lovely, I’m really proud,” she said.

Darcelle’s activism in the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community spans the better part of four decades. Her namesake revue is noted as the longest running drag show in the country.

On June 25 a plaque, engraved with the names of all “40 Trans Heroes,” will be placed at New York City’s Stonewall Inn – the site of the infamous, groundbreaking riots.

“When I read what [the honor] was really, then it really hit home,” said Darcelle. “It’s marvelous to be recognized among 40 people in the United States of America, in our community all over! It’s pretty prestigious to me. We’ve been to Stonewall many times, so it’s kind of fun.”

The United States Supreme Court announced on Monday, June 8 that it would
not listen to appeals in the case of Pietrangelo v. Gates. The decision marks a Supreme Court siding with the Obama administration regarding the Clinton-era gays in the military implementation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Since the announcement, a nationwide cry from the sexual minorities community has been palpable, including outrage from local organizations.

“Basic Rights Oregon is disappointed that the Supreme Court refused to take up the case regarding the military’s discriminatory ban on lesbian and gay service members,” stated Frank Dixon, BRO board member and former military service member.

The appeal came from former Army Captain James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Supreme Court had earlier thrown out a lawsuit by Pietrangelo and 11 other veterans, but he was the only one in the group to request the high court rule the policy as unconstitutional.

President Obama has indicated that he supports the eventual repeal of the policy, which prohibits homosexual conduct within the ranks of the United States Armed Forces, but has taken no specific action since taking office in January.

“The Supreme Court’s decision underscores the urgent need for Congress to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” continued Dixon. “I hope this will spur more Oregonians to pick up the phone today and call their Representatives and Senators to ask them to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283).

“’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is the only law in America that requires people to be dishonest about their personal lives or risk being fired or even put in prison. This kind of discrimination puts American soldiers and our national security at risk.”

On Friday, June 12, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the vital Oregon Safe Schools Act (HB 2599) into law at the capitol in Salem.

House Bill 2599 has been the vehicle for a number of local advocacy campaigns, bringing anti-bullying legislature and awareness to the limelight. The measure will ensure a wider adoption of anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, as well as create clear notice-and-complaint procedures, and establish a comprehensive approach to addressing bullying in schools.

The Safe Schools Act is designed to assist in curbing rampant school bullying toward students of color, gay and transgender students, rural students and students with disabilities.

“This latest victory makes us even more confident that we can win the freedom to marry in Oregon,” stated Juan Martinez, Basic Rights Oregon’s development director.

Homeless Youth Pride Walk 2009, an interactive endeavor created to raise awareness of the nation’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans homeless youth epidemic, stopped in Portland May 30-June 8 as part of its planned journey across the United States.

Beginning in Seattle in May, Jill Hardman, Nicole Tomlin and Chloe Noble set out to document the disproportionate statistics of homeless youth across the country – particularly queer homeless youth. It is their collective intention to “Shine A Light” on the epidemic of queer youth homelessness, and to spotlight how gay, lesbian, bi and trans homelessness is a direct reflection of the homophobia and transphobia prevalent in society.

“One thing we’ve noticed is that the national average for homeless youth is between 20-40 percent, and 35 percent of homeless youth is queer. I don’t know where [that statistic came] from, but every single state that we are visiting is saying that their percentage is higher than 40 percent,” Noble stated from a cell phone in Eugene, en route to San Francisco. The Pride Walk won’t reach San Francisco until around July 9.

While in Portland, a rally of support from the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC), Janus — the organization dedicated to residential treatment programs for runaway and homeless youths — and KBOO radio helped spark a major component of the Homeless Youth Pride Walk agenda with a Portland edition of Operation Shine.

Operation Shine 2009 was created so that citizens could participate in HYPW, without having to leave their city. The trio of activists is living out of backpacks and staying largely in homeless camps and squats, so attempting their large-scale media ambitions has been difficult.

“We weren’t even able to get any media in Portland until around [June] 5th,” said Noble. “All of a sudden someone from SMYRC [and KBOO] called and said, ‘We need you to come in today, do a spot on the radio and we’re going to put together a Shine in basically 30 hours.’ They put together the entire Shine, which was amazing. It was all youth-run, all youth-promoted. I’m really proud of them.”

The HYPW 2009 trek hasn’t all been as promising as that, however.

“We’ve been exposed to a lot of things that we’d heard about, and constantly seeing the state that [the homeless youth are] in is horrifying,” admitted Noble. “Sometimes you think, ‘What am I doing here? It’s really hard.’ It’s important for people to know that them sending e-mails really helps us to keep going and keep us motivated.”

Hardman, Tomlin and Noble have also received tremendous encouragement from local activists, who’ve taught them to use different methods to process the traumas they’re experiencing from the mission.

“I didn’t think it would affect me, but it’s hard to see children as young as 12 involved in survival sex, drugs, a lot of violence,” said Noble.

Operation Shine will receive a grant next year, she added. There are high hopes to set out in 2010 “in a slightly different way; it’s gonna grow,” said Noble.

Advocates can follow HYPW 2009 at pridewalk2009.org, on Twitter, Facebook, YouthNoise and on YouTube.

The last two years have seen the Trans March occurring in conjunction with the Dyke March during the cavalcade of Pride NW events. However, citing “a need to create a space for trans folks in the community,” Nik Wilhelm and a dedicated, community-based discussion group have organized the 2009 Trans March “Gender (Free) For All.” The autonomous event will be held on Saturday, August 1.

In past years, the two marches happening in concert with each other posed an uncomfortable scenario for participants, said Wilhelm – a situation in which people felt they were not properly represented.

“[Participants felt] that to be in the Trans March, one must also either identify or have a previous identification as a dyke,” explained Wilhelm. “For those who identified as both a dyke and trans, they were forced to choose where in the march they would walk [and] which identifier was more important for them.”

The Trans March will address specific points regarding trans/genderqueer visibility, inclusion and gender versus sexual orientation. Each issue acknowledges a distinct need for awareness in this year’s march.

“Gender (Free) For All is about the right of every individual to identify however they desire, visibly and proudly, whether it’s male, female, other, somewhere in between, none at all, whether a person varies in their gender identity from moment to moment, or if they’ve known how they identified since birth,” continued Wilhelm. “The march is about the inclusion of more options than male and female, but not to the exclusion of any identity.”

The event will also help raise awareness for the promotion of local sustainability over corporate sponsorship.

“For the members of the committee, championing sustainability means supporting our local businesses and helping grow and enrich our community through conscious, compassionate activism,” said Wilhelm. “A small business owner donating funds, goods, or time to their community is often more vested in the impact of the donation than a large corporation. As such a contribution will generally make a correspondingly larger impression on their bottom line and the way in which they are viewed by the community at large.”

There is a benefit event for the Gender (Free) For All at In Other Words (8 NE Killingsworth St.) on Friday, June 26, 7–10 p.m. Admission runs on a $5–$20 sliding scale. The fundraiser will feature local bands, performers and raffle prizes from Adorn Body Art, Babeland, Presents of Mind and much more. Wilhelm and crew encourage people to show up in costume (drag) and join them and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in chipping in for a worthwhile cause. Confirmed entertainment includes drag king Johnny O, the music of Slim and the Competitive Eater and Jim Strange with the Proud and the Damned; more acts will be announced as the event date nears.

Pending a permit, the pre-march rally, to feature local speakers and performers, will be held 5-7 p.m. Saturday, August 1 at Unthank Park (510 N Shaver Ave.). The march will then head east on Failing, south on Vancouver, west on Fremont and north on Mississippi Ave. to end at the Q Center (4115 N Mississippi Ave.), where a free-luck is planned.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has announced its Inaugural Women’s 3x3 Basketball Tournament for Saturday, July 25 at Irving Park (3535 NE Seventh).

HRC is the largest gay, lesbian, bi and trans political and civil rights organization in the United States. The tournament’s objective is to raise community awareness, understanding and visibility about the need for basic rights and equality – with an emphasis on support for women in sports. The organization hopes the tourney will become an annual one.

The event has secured Nike as the presenting sponsor, with additional contributions from Sweet Lesbian Travel, Attorney Jane Paulson, Jamie Orr/ReMax, and Scratch N’ Sniff Dog Walking as of press time. Sweet Lesbian Travel has donated a Caribbean cruise for two (an over $4,500 value) as part of a raffle. Only 250 tickets will be sold for the drawing, at $20 a piece.

The tournament is an opportunity for all women, regardless of “baller” status, to compete and help bolster an important resource.

“When I joined HRC, I recognized a huge need within [the organization] for a women’s event,” said Shaley Howard, tournament organizer and HRC board member. “One of the issues I had was that there was not a huge female presence.”

Howard had been a lifelong basketball fan and player. To her, promoting an awareness event through the hoops angle presented a two-fold strategy: One, that to organize an event she was passionate about would inevitably take it to a more effective level; and two, to host it in a location where it would be most high-profile. Enter Irving Park.

“Irving Park was chosen because it attracts the Average Joe neighborhood person,” said Howard. “What a great time to have an LGBT event, so it’ll bleed into [the focus of] our straight allies.“

There will be separate brackets for those who mean business (competitive) and those just looking for a day of fun (recreational). A registration fee of $80 per team is required, with all proceeds going to HRC; 32 team spots are available.

The preliminary rules for the HRC Women’s 3x3 Tournament are fairly cut and dry. Four half-court games will be played simultaneously, with each game headed to a final tally of either 20 points or 20 minutes. Also:

• Teams may consist of 3-4 players.

• Teams will have four games, guaranteed.

• There is no qualifying game.

Remember, spots are limited, so organize your squad today and register online at hrc.org/pdxbasketball, or you can register July 25 at 8:30 a.m. Sneakers hit the court at 9 a.m.

• The Ninth Annual Red Dress Party, held May 2 at Bodyvox Dance Center, was more than just a spectacle of fashion, dance and fun; it was also a major benefit. Enjoying the spoils of the $30,000 tally are local organizations Esther’s Pantry, Outside In, and Senior Housing and Retirement Enterprises (SHARE). Red Dress board members and beneficiary representatives attended the June 2 check presentation at Café Nell, with each charity receiving an oversized check for $10,000…
  
   
• The date for the next gay rights march on Washington D.C. has been set for Sunday, October 11. Organizers opted for the event to coincide with National Coming Out Day, and it’s hoped that the strong symbolism of this date will serve to rally the next wave of grassroots activism within the gay rights movement. Local organizing for the march was, as of press time, in the preliminary planning stages. Just Out will provide updates as information becomes available…
  
   
• Portland Pride 2009 will bestow a trio of honors to three equally deserving and diverse local activists during this year’s festivities. Grand Marshal is Kendall Clawson, executive director of the Q Center. Clawson’s efforts this year have yielded a brand new Q Center location (4115 Mississippi Ave.) and a continued vibrant presence in the sexual minorities community. The recipient of the 2009 Spirit of Pride award is Frank Roa of Umatilla Morrow Alternatives for his service in Eastern Oregon’s gay, lesbian, bi and trans community. Last year, Roa organized the first-ever Pride festival in Hermiston/La Grande. Finally, the recipient of Pride Northwest’s new Student/Youth award is Josué Peña Juárez. The University of Oregon senior worked with local school districts to construct a survey to evaluate and assess resources for gay, lesbian, bi and trans high school students...
  
   
• Portland Gay Volleyball hosts its Second Annual Pride Blind Draw Tournament on Saturday, June 13, at Brentwood Park (SE 60th Ave. and Duke St.). The event will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by an “after-tournament” party in NW Portland at an as-of-yet undisclosed location. Players from across the country will be featured in the tournament…
  
  Visit www.portlandgayvolleyball.org for information.