Portland Sexuality Resources
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Introduction
This guide provides brief descriptions and contact information for some
of the sex-positive cultural resources of Portland, Oregon.
Before beginning, we should pause to mention that:
- This guide is only intended for (and frankly only of use to)
consenting adults, since the overwhelming majority of the organizations it
describes are restricted to participants over the age of 18 or 21.
- This guide comes with no accuracy guarantees, may eventually go out of
date, in some points is (by practical necessity) based on recommendations
rather than first-hand experience, and in using it you release its
creators from any liability concerning it. In other words, it is at best
a starting point and never a substitute for using good judgment.
- Common courtesy, and asking whenever you're unsure whether something
is OK, never go out of style.
- Three national non-profit organizations actively defending the
freedoms which sex-positive culture depends on are the ACLU (see http://www.aclu.org), the National
Coalition for Sexual Freedom (see http://www.ncsfreedom.org), and the
work the Planned Parenthood Foundation does to maintain access to
birth control and STD prevention measures (see http://www.plannedparenthood.org).
Consider supporting their work if you can.
- If you sometimes travel to other cities on the West Coast, then you
may also wish to check out our separate guides to Seattle, Vancouver
BC, and San Francisco.
Sexuality and Sensuality
It's My Pleasure and She Bop each offer workshops on
sex-related topics every few weeks.
We were impressed with the LoveTribe "Rapture" event we attended
while researching this guide: if it's ever offered in Portland again it
might be a great place to start.
Darklady sponsors a variety of
events throughout the year, including Portland's annual Masturbate-a-thon for
charity.
Polyamory
The best place to start is probably the polyamorypdx mailing
list: this discussion list is currently the best source of information
on Portland poly happenings, including informal social gatherings which
aren't announced anywhere else.
A list of poly-friendly counselors and therapists near Portland is
available on the Polychromatic site,
and of those listed Gwenn Cody LCSW
is frequently recommended.
Swinging
Angels Social Club is Portland's
oldest on-premise club, and enjoys a 16 year history (previously as Ace of
Hearts).
Club Sesso is a new on-premise club
in downtown Portland: it has events scheduled most nights of the week, and
also offers an art gallery.
Salem Swingtime Dance is an
off-premise club in Salem which offers monthly dances.
BDSM/Leather/Fetish
Getting Started in the Community
A good place to start is the Rose City
Discussion Club; serving as a sort of "Welcome Wagon" to the Portland
scene, RCDC offers monthly classes and socials, and publishes an
informative newsletter.
Another easy way to get started is to attend a community "munch" (i.e. an
informal lunch or dinner gathering at a local restaurant): details and
directions are available on the PDX Leather Alliance site.
You can also subscribe to the PDX-ASB mailing
list for information and announcements concerning the Portland BDSM
community, and check out both of the following two online calendars (each
includes events which the other does not): the Oregon Leather History
calendar and the Portland Leather
Alliance calendar.
Annual Events
The Portland area's biggest "can't miss" event is the March KinkFest conference hosted by Portland Leather Alliance.
Oregon Leather Pride Week
is hosted in Portland every August.
Blackout Leather Productions
hosts the annual Mr. and Ms. Oregon Leather competitions (see also the Northwest Sash Bash).
Mixed-Gender Events
As it stands the Portland BDSM community has at least two spaces for
workshops and social events: Valhalla Dungeon and The Conservatory.
Same-Gender Events
Women who prefer women-only space should check out PDX Bad Girls.
The Eagle is Portland's men's
leather bar (their main fetish event is called "L.U.R.E."). Also, look
for the Portland Leathermen Potluck in one of the above community
calendars.
Special Interest Events
Noble Rope Arts offers events for rope
bondage enthusiasts, while MAsT
offers events for D/s enthusiasts.
Dancing
The Portland Industrial Gothic
page offers a well-maintained calendar of local dance nights in either
gothic or industrial styles.
Classes in exotic dancing are offered through Brassy Butterfly Dance
Studio.
Bathhouses for Gay or Bi Men
Portland has at least one: Steam
Portland.
A cautionary reminder may be in order here, as it should be everywhere
else: you cannot tell whether somebody is HIV-positive or HIV-negative
based on how they look or what they say.
Spiritual Sexuality Workshops and Counseling
The Body Electric School offers
its basic workshop in Portland, and Seattle isn't far away if you're
interested in some of their other workshops.
A variety of workshops on sex and intimacy are offered at the annual Network for a New Culture Summer
Camp.
Two people currently offering counseling in intimacy skills and/or Tantra
in the Portland area are Anna Marti
and Kelly.
If after taking a workshop or two you find you'd like to learn more, or
would like to socialize with others who share your interest in this
subject, then you might consider joining Portland's Sacred Tantra Club.
Shopping
Sex Toys
It's My Pleasure and She Bop are both comfortable
women-owned stores which offer an excellent selection of quality sex toys
and books.
Fetish Clothing
Spartacus carries a wide
range of sex toys and fetish clothing for both men and women, and is
conveniently located one block away from Powell's Books.
Books
Powell's City of Books, located at
1005 W Burnside and open 9am-11pm every day, is the largest new and used
bookstore in the world. Relevant sections for the purposes of this guide
include "Erotica", "Romance", "Sexuality", "Feminist Studies", and "Gender
Studies." At the time this guide was written books on sex work were
shelved with Feminist Studies, books on transgender were shelved with
Gender Studies, and how-to guides were distributed between the Erotica and
Sexuality sections.
Counter Media, located at 927 SW Oak, offers "smut, comics, and
weirdness." They have a more diverse selection of erotica than Powell's
Books, and are located just one block away. At the time this guide was
written their hours were Mon-Sat 11am-7pm and Sun noon-6pm.
GLBT Resources
General
The most comprehensive guide to GLBT resources and events in the Portland
area is maintained by the bi-weekly newspaper Just Out.
Other ways to learn about GLBT resources in the Portland area include Q Center, the Out Loud weekly radio show on KBOO 90.7
FM, and the June Pride Parade and
Festival.
Bisexual
As starting points, we recommend checking out both Getting Bi Portland and the current
Just Out listings.
Gay
Pivot is Portland's new gay men's
community space.
Other resources include Oregon
Bears, a Radical Faeries circle,
and a gay men's nudist organization called OMEN.
Lesbian
As starting points, we recommend visiting the (wonderful) bookstore In Other Words, and going through the
current Just Out listings.
Transgender
The Northwest Gender
Alliance offers support, social, and educational opportunities in the
Portland area for individuals who desire to explore and express another
gender, and Resources PDX offers
a well-organized health directory.
Drag Mansion ("Queer. Drag.
Performance. Art") currently hosts drag king performances.
Health
HIV/STD testing is available through the Multnomah County Health
Department.
Portland has two Planned
Parenthood clinics: one in the northeast, and one in the southeast.
Two therapists with professional training in sex therapy currently working
in the Portland area are Julie Jeske
MS and Nancy Campbell
Hanks MFT: see the Kink Aware
Professionals site for others.
The Common Ground Wellness Center currently
reserves use of their (very reasonably-priced) spa on 33rd for their GLBT
clientele one evening a week.
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