| Never Look Away | |
|---|---|
 The mural on July 30, 2021 | |
 | |
| Year | 2021 |
| Subject |
|
| Dimensions | 37 m(120 ft) |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| 45°31′27″N122°40′40″W / 45.5241°N 122.6778°W | |
Never Look Away is a mural in Portland, Oregon.
| Never Look Away | |
|---|---|
| The mural on July 30, 2021 | |
| | |
| Year | 2021 |
| Subject |
|
| Dimensions | 37 m(120 ft) |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| 45°31′27″N122°40′40″W / 45.5241°N 122.6778°W | |
Never Look Away is a mural in Portland, Oregon.
Never Look Away is a mural of eight LGBTQ activists, installed at the intersection of Northwest Broadway and Couch Street near the North Park Blocks in northwest Portland's Pearl District. Depicted Oregonians include Rupert Kinnard, an openly gay African-American cartoonist who created the first African-American LGBT comic strip characters; David Martinez, a founding board member of the Q Center and a co-founder of Portland Latino Gay Pride (now called PDX Latinx Pride); and activist and musician Kathleen Saadat. Other national figures include gay liberation activist Marsha P. Johnson and transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross. [1]
According to Claudia Meza of Oregon Public Broadcasting, the mural is the "first public art project in the state dedicated to LGBTQ+ community achievements and progress". [1] KOIN's Emily Burris said the mural is the city's first "dedicated to queer heroes". She wrote, "The mural is made up of colorful abstracts representing the struggle, growth and progress in a city known for its progressive policy, while acknowledging the work still to be done." [2] The mural is approximately three stories tall and 120 feet (37 m) wide, according to lead artist and producer Cassandra Swan. [1]
Zoe Piliafas met Oregon LGBT rights activist Kathleen Saadat at a bar six years before the mural's installation. Piliafas has recalled:
I said, I know who you are. I'm going to be putting a mural up that's going to have you on it along with some other significant community members from the LGBTQ community. And [Saadat] said, "That sounds great. I'd like to see you do that. I'll wait." [1]
Several people and groups helped the project come to fruition since 2019. [3] In addition to Swan, Ruban Lawrence helped produce the painting. The organization Pride Northwest sponsored the artwork and offered recommendations for subjects to depict. The city funded maintenance and graffiti removal services and the Portland Street Art Alliance offered artist recommendations and production assistance. Additionally, Really Big Video's owners PJ and Maria Harvey provided use of a high-powered projector. Participating artists include Tommy Mack-Davis (known as Nafsi) and Kyra Watkins. The mural was painted in 2021. [1]
LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.
Pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBTQ rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBTQ-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.
Pride Northwest, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States founded in 1994 which organizes the annual Portland Pride Festival.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
LGBTQ culture in Eugene, Oregon predates the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969, but that event coincided with organized efforts in Lane County, Oregon, to support and celebrate LGBTQ people. Even though Eugene has been rated on lists of cities friendly to LGBT populations, there are very few venues specifically for the LGBTQ community in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.
LGBTQ culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
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Gloria Casarez was an American civil rights leader and LGBT activist in Philadelphia. Casarez served as Philadelphia's first director of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) affairs. During her tenure as director, Philadelphia ranked as the number one city nationwide for LGBT equality. Casarez served as the executive director of Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative (GALAEI) from 1999 to 2008.
Rupert Kinnard also credited as Prof. I.B. Gittendowne, is an American cartoonist who created the first ongoing gay/lesbian-identified African-American comic-strip characters: the Brown Bomber and Diva Touché Flambé. Kinnard is gay and African American.
The Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN) is an Oregon-based nonprofit dedicated to uncovering the history of sexual minorities in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1994, GLAPN works to collect, document, preserve and share historical data, artifacts and materials as and when they become available.
Eugene Pride Festival is an annual event held in August at Alton Baker Park and Promotes Respect In Diverse Expression (P.R.I.D.E.) for the LGBTQ community.
Belinda Carroll is an American standup comedian, writer, activist, actress, and singer. She is the founder of the Portland Queer Comedy Festival, organizer of the Portland Dyke March, and is a co-organizer as well as date auction host and fundraiser emcee of the Butch Voices Portland Regional Conference.
Sarah Hegazi, also spelled Hegazy or Higazy, was an Egyptian socialist, writer, and lesbian activist. She was arrested, imprisoned and tortured in Egypt for three months after flying a rainbow flag at a Mashrou' Leila concert in 2017 in Cairo. Hegazi, who lived with PTSD resulting from the prison torture she had experienced in Egypt, was granted asylum in Canada, residing there until her suicide.
The Roxy was a diner serving American cuisine in Portland, Oregon. Located on downtown Portland's Southwest Harvey Milk Street, the restaurant was established in 1994. The Roxy was popular as a late-night food destination and had a diverse clientele. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the diner operated 24 hours a day, except on Mondays. The Roxy has been described as "iconic" and a "landmark", and was known for being an LGBTQ-friendly establishment because of its employees' community involvement and its location within the historic hub of LGBT culture and nightlife. Following a forced six-month closure due to the pandemic, the diner opened under new public health and safety guidelines in November 2020. The diner closed in March 2022.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
Kevin Cook, known by the stage name Poison Waters, is an American drag performer. Since the 1980s, Poison Waters has been an emcee, entertainer, and community activist. She is a longtime hostess at Darcelle XV Showplace and has participated in fundraisers, LGBTQ events, public service announcements, and other community activities throughout the Pacific Northwest. Cook has also taught at Portland Community College.
Flawless Shade is the stage name of Tajh Jordan, an American drag performer and make-up artist based in Portland, Oregon. A former Miss Gay Oregon, Flawless Shade has been featured in campaigns by Adidas, GLAAD, and Top Level Design.
Nicole Onoscopi is the stage name of Cole Cozart, an American drag performer based in Portland, Oregon. Nicole Onoscopi was first runner-up and the first Miss'd Popularity in the annual drag pageant Miss'd America in 2019, and was named Miss Gay Oregon in 2021 and Miss Portland Gay Pride in 2024. She has performed throughout Oregon, including at pride events in her native Albany as well as McMinnville, Portland, and Salem.
Summer Lynne Seasons is the stage name of Brent Blackwell, an American drag performer based in the Portland metropolitan area, in Oregon. Summer Lynne Seasons is part of the cast of Darcelle XV Showplace.
