Washington:
A downtown street painting recognizing Spokane’s LGBTQ community was damaged mere hours after it was repainted due to previous vandalism. The Spokesman reported. Spokane police arrested three suspects Wednesday night they say skidded Lime scooters over the newly painted pride crosswalk and hurled homophobic slurs at those who witnessed it. Among the suspects arrested on suspicion of first-degree malicious mischief are two unnamed minors and 19-year-old Ruslan Turko. According to court documents, witnesses at an Irish bar across the street watched the three ride over the rainbow-painted crosswalk and intentionally skid their tires while they confronted a man nearby and called him a slur.
In a significant reversal propelled by a strong public backlash, the Newcastle City Council has voted to hoist the LGBTQ+ Pride flag at City Hall, a decision that initially garnered a negative response. The initial 4-3 vote against the flag was overturned amid heated debate and public outcry with Deputy Mayor Pratima Lakhotia switching her previous stance and joining the voices in favor, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle . “As such, I will be in favor of raising the Pride flag,” Lakhotia stated.
The Seattle-area cupcake chain announced it is taking over the small E Pike space formerly home to
Big Little News. Pike/Pine LGBTQ nightlife entrepreneur Joey Burgess and Tracy Taylor, the
general manager of nearby Elliott Bay Book Company, ran the unique magazine and champagne shop
for three years but even the guidance of one of the most experienced booksellers in the city and the
head of a neighborhood family of bars and restaurants couldn’t make the concept stick. Reports the CH
Blog. The magazine and news shop closed in May. For Cupcake Royale, the new opening will be a
homecoming. Cupcake Royale head Jody Hall built the company into a citywide phenomenon after
opening the E Pike location, the company’s largest, in the summer of 2009. In 2021, Hall changed
gears, transitioning the E Pike Cupcake Royale into a new flagship location for her adaptogenic
mushroom coffee startup. For now, the E Pike Wunderground Cafe remains one of a kind.
If you missed May is Cabaret month at Egan’s in Ballard, you also missed Mark ‘Mom’ Finley’s final
performance. According to Dr. Bill’s column on Edge Media, “Due to health challenges that affected
his voice, he was performing for the last time. Mark was at Egan’s Ballard Jam House as part of the
Seattle Cabaret Festival, hosted by Arnaldo Inocentes, Founder & Executive Producer of the Pacific
Northwest Cabaret Association. His show, “Cockroaches, Cher, & Me,” was the pièce de résistance of a
decades-long career. The title, inspired by a phrase his friends always say, reflects Mark’s resilience – at
the end of the world, there will only be cockroaches, Cher, and Mark.” We send Best Wishes to ‘Mom’.
Congrats to Versace Doll for winning the title of Miss Gay Washington USA at Large and Renee
Raketty for becoming the 5 th owner of SGN: Seattle Gay News in its 50 year history. We know it will
be in great hands.
Oregon:
Shots were fired at the Newberg Public Library, targeting a Pride flag in the window. Library officials
believe BB gun pellets were fired, breaking a window; the flag itself was not damaged. Newschannel 8
reports. Police are not yet sure if the shooter was driving by the library or walking past it when they
targeted the flag. However, they are investigating the shooting as a possible bias crime, police said.
Authorities are also collecting surveillance footage from the library and surrounding businesses as well.
Neil Goldschmidt, the Oregon governor and Portland mayor credited with turning a frumpish city into a
thriving metropolis only to see his record forever stained by revelations that he had sexually abused a
young teen girl, died at home in Portland on June 12th, according to the Oregonian. His family was by
his side, they said. His crash into political purgatory, after he was exposed and confessed to statutory
rape of a 14-year-old girl, left him largely shunned and unforgiven in the state he loved. The reported
cause was heart failure. He was 83.
Badlands Portland is finally open. Shuttered since 2017, former nightclub Embers, a once popular
gay night club of 50 years. According to KATU. TJ Bruce bought the former Embers nightclub in 2017.
He runs nine clubs between Seattle’s Neighbours and several spots in California, but Portland is where
he’s putting his energy and investment right now. Bruce’s family lives in the Pacific Northwest. When
he was younger, he traveled to Portland a lot and was in the scene here.
Portland’s Pride community has just gained three new royal members after Sunday’s pageant. A total of
six contestants took to the stage under the Pride Northwest umbrella. Contestants shared their passion,
talent and pride while displaying multiple looks. The night’s winners included Kherry O’Kay, Cruz
Daniels, and Nicole Onoscopi. KOIN 6 Reports. “I just want to say I love this Portland community so
much. I can’t wait to represent you along with the other incredible artists behind me this year. There’s
such a beautiful legacy in this city and I can’t wait to carry it on,” said Nicole Onoscopi.
Montana:
Great Falls Mayor Corey Reeves’ decision not to issue a pride proclamation for the month of June
caused tears and protest according to the Daily Montanan. Reeves, who took the nonpartisan office in
January, said on social media the government should not “condemn nor celebrate who should love
who.”“While I firmly believe in equality for all individuals, I also believe that the government should
not be involved in matters concerning personal and private relationships, whether they involve straight
individuals or members of the LGBTQ+ community,” “I want government out of who we love,”
Reeves said in an emailed response. Great Falls resident Stacy Kony’s voice quivered as she spoke
through tears to city commissioners. “I don’t wear rainbow items to tell you who’s in my bed,” she
said. “I wear rainbow and trans colors so the family across the street will feel a little safer in my
neighborhood. So the couple in the restaurant knows they aren’t alone. So the boy who sees me notice
him looking at dresses knows I won’t judge. President of the local LGBTQ+ Center Matt Pipinich said
Reeves’ post was harmful, but he knew the mayor didn’t intend to be hurtful.
A judge on June 25th struck down a Montana law that defined “sex” in state law as only male or
female, finding that it was unconstitutional. AP Reports.
Idaho:
A rural public library in Idaho will no longer allow minors to enter its premises as reported by Metro
Weekly. The rule is designed to comply with the state’s “library porn law,” signed by Republican Gov.
Brad Little earlier this year. Under the harsh new law, Idaho libraries ca n be sued if they do not prevent
minors from accessing “obscene” or sexually explicit material. If a complaint is filed regarding a book,
libraries must relocate it to the adult section. If they fail to do so within 30 days, they can be sued for noncompliance.
A saloon in Idaho is drawing both jeers and cheers for its cheeky counter-programming to Pride Month,
declaring June “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month,” billing it as a celebration of all things straight.
The NY Post reports. “Come join us all month to celebrate heterosexuals, for without them, none of us
would be here!” Old State Saloon in the city of Eagle wrote in a Facebook post announcing a month of
festivities and drink specials. Every Monday in June will be “Hetero Male Monday,” with a free draft
beer given to “any heterosexual male dressed like a heterosexual male,” the bar said
California:
San Francisco Pride got a little controversial this year. According to KRON, The Bay Area Jewish
Community Relations Council criticized San Francisco Pride in a tweet on Wednesday. JCRC said it
was “disheartened” by a post on SF Pride’s Instagram story. The tweet included three screenshots from
SF Pride’s Instagram story. One screenshot claimed that there would be no Israeli float during the Pride
parade on June 30 but clarified that SF Pride “values the contributions of Jewish queer individuals in
advocating for their peace.” SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford is partnering with the JCRC to
ensure Jewish people can march safely, however he had problems with the Instagram post. “This
statement was published with a lot of critical missing context, and LGBTQ+ Jewish readers are
rightfully viewing it as biased, especially Israelis, who no longer feel welcome at Pride. I asked
Suzanne to revise or delete this statement, and/or issue a new one. All that is needed here is a single
sentence update: ‘SF Pride welcomes LGBTQ+ Jews, Israelis, Muslims, Palestinians, and allies,
marching as their full authentic selves.’ I sincerely hope this is not too much to ask for,” Gregory said.
A series of Pride flags were torn down in the South Bay this month. The most recent incident happened
in an Almaden Valley home. According to NBC Bay Area, Huy Le, a counselor at the Pride Center at
De Anza College, said he put up the flag at his home to let people know they are welcome. When the
flag was torn down and ripped apart Sunday, June 23 rd , he said he was shocked but not surprised. “It
felt violating and dehumanizing,” Le said. “I have students who tell me about the micro aggressions
that they face that are similar. This is still an ongoing issue of hate toward our community. “ According
to community members, it’s not the only incident.
The Mayor of Vacaville refused to sign the Pride Month proclamation, according to the Mercury. The
Vice Mayor ended up signing it instead.
The annual Sacramento Pride March and Festival happened early in the month, but not everyone is
feeling festive. Some members of the LGBTQIA+ community are boycotting the Sacramento Pride
events and are instead offering an alternative space to grieve violence happening around the world.
ABC 10 Reports, a coalition called Sacramento Queers 4 Palestine is bringing attention to the ongoing
atrocities in Palestine, Sudan, Congo and Haiti with a vigil. For Rowen Rayneharte, a member of
Sacramento Queers 4 Palestine, the bottom line is it feels wrong to celebrate Pride Month when
violence is happening.
An Atascadero City Council meeting was bombarded with people spewing anti-LGBTQ+ and racist
remarks, just days before the city’s first-ever scheduled Pride event. Reports the Sacramento Bee .After
the City Council opted not to declare June as Pride Month as part of a change in its overall policy on
proclamations, several members of the LGBTQ+ community members and activists gave public
comment urging the council to revisit the decision. They also invited members to the Pride event on
Sunday at the Charles Paddock Zoo.
UC Davis published a statement on June 24th about “offensive comments” made by employee Beth
Bourne while she was on a family vacation in Hawaii. Reports the Sacramento Bee. Bourne, the local
chapter president for parents rights group Moms for Liberty, posted a video of herself confronting a
group of drag queens who were filming a video at the hotel Bourne was staying in, the Alohilani Resort
in Waikiki, “We reject all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on gender and gender
expression,” the university’s statement said. The video shows Bourne verbally accosting the people
dressed in drag, including drag queen Marina Del Rey.
Moving towards the future, California Governor Gavin Newsom joined other political leaders and
LGBTQ+ advocates in San Francisco Friday to promote the “Freedom to Marry” ballot initiative. CBS
News reports. While same-sex marriages have been happening in California for the last two decades,
the state constitution still says that gay couples are not allowed to marry. The ballot initiative would
enshrine in the state constitution that all couples have the right to marry, regardless of gender or
ethnicity in addition to repealing 2008’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between one
man and one woman.
Grrr.. June 17 th at San Francisco’s mayoral debates, Mayor London Breed took aim at her top Democrat
rival, former supervisor and interim mayor Mark Farrell, for being unable to name three drag queens in
the city. She attempted to weaponize her support for the LGBTQ community to appeal to voters after
she had spent the last debate playing defense and countering blows about her performance as mayor in
a city that has been defiled by crime. Post Millennial also reported, Farrell, who is the most moderate
of the Democrat candidates and is trouncing London Breed in internal polls, responded by speaking
about his support for the LGBTQ community and touting his track record. But he could not name a
local drag queen, which angered the LGBTQ community. That should settle that.
Alaska:
A Drag Story Hour event in Alaska was delayed following a bomb threat, but local community
members were able to spin straw into gold and, with the help of local businesses, raised over $13,000
to support the LGBTQ group that organized the event. Reports Metro Weekly. The Seward Pride
Alliance of Seward, Alaska, had planned a Drag Story Hour event for Saturday, June 8, at the Seward
Community Library and Museum as part of its Pride Month festivities. While waiting for the event to
start, families with children worked on arts and crafts at the library. But library officials received a call
from an unknown person threatening to bomb the story hour, necessitating the evacuation of the library,
reports the Homer News . The Seward Police Department responded, searching the library. They
determined there was no incendiary device present.
