LGBT culture LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture" o ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

predates the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

in New York in 1969, but that event coincided with organized efforts in

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Orego ...

, to support and celebrate

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

people. Even though Eugene has been rated on lists of cities friendly to LGBT populations, there are very few venues specifically for the LGBT community in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.

LGBT pride festival

Since 1993, committee volunteers have organized the Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival each year in August, rather than in June, "which is Pride Month, but you know that unique Eugene thing: We're different," according to the town's alternative newspaper. "Plus, we're too busy at the pride celebrations of the city to the north in June. So: We're later, we're smaller, but we're still proud." The Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival is supported by sponsorships and volunteer help.

History highlights

* 1969 - UO's Gay Peoples Alliance forms * 1974 - UO's Pride Week organized * 1975 - Lane County hotspots: Mother Kali's * 1978 - Ordinance banning discrimination against LGBT repealed in Eugene * 1983 - Lane County hotspots: Club Arena * 1992 - Springfield anti-gay Ballot Measure 20-08 passes * 1994 - Statewide anti-gay Measure 9 fails * 1993 - Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival location: Amazon Park, Eugene * 1994 - Citizens United Against Discrimination forms in Lane County, * 1994 - Statewide Anti-gay Measure 13 fails * 1994 through 2000 Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival location: Maurie Jacobs Park, Eugene * 2001 though 2013 - Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival location: Alton Baker Park, Eugene * 2010 - ''Gay in the Park'' location: Washington Jefferson Park, Eugene Source: EugenePride.org

Recreation and social activities

A dedicated LGBTQ space, "The Wayward Lamb" opened in August 2015. Calling itself "Eugene's Official Queer Pub", the venue also offered a private event space and "unique dedicated queer programming". Citing the expectation that it was "a de facto LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community center as well as a bar", the owner closed the bar in February 2018. The space re-opened as Spectrum in the summer of 2018 as a re-branded queer bar under new management offering a quiet reading room and southern-inspired dining in addition to the usual drag shows, lip-synch battles, and debauchery. A variety of other LGBTQ social, political, and support groups meet in Eugene: * ''Eugene Interweave'' is a church-supported group "dedicated to the spiritual, political, and social well being of gay Unitarian Universalists, allies, friends, and community". The group sponsors a potluck and film on the second Friday each month. * ''Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire'' is a non-profit social and community service organization hosting performances and activities to raise funds for local community charities and services. * ''The Broadway Revue Burlesque Show'' performs every Sunday evening at Luckeys Club Cigar Store, one of the oldest businesses in downtown Eugene. * ''Rain BoWomen'' meet twice monthly for dinner at restaurants in the Eugene/Springfield area. * ''Soromundi Lesbian Chorus of Eugene'' ("sisters of the world") is a non-audition choir open to all women, celebrating themselves and community as "a visible expression of lesbian pride". Additional local resources are listed by the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

on the UOUT site.

References

Sources

Eugene makes list of America's most gay friendly cities
KVAL News, Jan 11, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Eugene ranked seventh gayest city in America
Daily Emerald, Jan 11, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Eugene-Springfield LGBT Pride Festival
Eugene Weekly, Retrieved June 12, 2014. Aug 8, 2013.
Gay Friendly?
Eugene Weekly, Feb 14, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Gayest Cities in America
The Advocate, January 9, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
It's time to celebrate The Gay!
Eugene Weekly: News, Aug 09, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
LGBT Travel
Eugene, Cascades & Coast - Travel Lane County. Retrieved June 12, 2014.

External links