Shortly after coming out, I joined PABA (Portland Area Business Association,) Portland’s gay and lesbian Chamber of Commerce. I was excitedly telling my mom all about it when she (practically) interrupted me and asked “if gay and lesbian people want to be accepted by all of society then why have a business group that accents your differences?” Hmmmm.

Well…I had a pretty good answer. Several good answers, actually.

All of us humans like to be around people like us. I like doing business with gay people because they make great clients and they provide fabulous service.

How someone stands on social and politcal issues makes a big difference to me. I would rather do business with someone who is likely to agree with me on issues like discrimination and equal rights. Where we spend our money does make a difference - it is our strongest vote.

Joining together as a group allows us to make a difference where we can’t as individuals. In the short time I have been a member of PABA, Oregon approved domestic partnerships and outlawed employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation. I was at the forefront of those issues because of the connections I made in PABA.

It’s also a good place to meet quality people!

This year, PABA is celebrating its 15th Anniversary. That is incredible in its own right. The big party (we love parties, ya know) is on December 5 at Aura. You can get more information about the party by visiting the PABA website. There will be a Silent Auction for fun and to raise funds for the organization.

My website marketing business has done well over the past couple of years. I owe that success to my involvement in business networking groups, including PABA.

Consider supporting a business organization that supports our community in Portland. Membership is inexpensive and the services provided are top-notch.

Mah oh Mah. Ta’s been so busy spreading FABULOSITY ’round the world that when Ah finally had a moment to relax with mah mint julep and catch up on some movie watchin’ Ah didn’t realize Ah’d be in for such a hilarious treat!

Todd (played by Jonathan Bray), who is straight, ends up on a blind date with a gay man, Kelly (the stunningly handsome and oh-so-cute, Wilson Cruz) — the result of a practical joke played by his brother, Barry (Jonathan Silverman).

To Todd’s surprise, he and Kelly strike up a friendship. They decide to take revenge on Barry by reversing the joke. After their “date,” the pair saunter past Barry holding hands. The joke works too well. Freaking out and convinced that Todd is gay, Barry calls their mother (Super-Ally Sally Kirkland)to break the news.

Concerned, she arrives on the next plane. Despite his vehement denials, Mom now sees Todd’s love of movies and theater, as well as his lack of interest in sports, as clear signs she’d previously missed. She is determined to prove to her son that she loves him no matter what. She joins PFLAG, and invites the local chapter president (Joanne Baron) into Todd’s home. Nothing Todd says or does can convince her that he’s actually straight!

Their mutual love of movies brings Todd and Kelly face-to-face with one of Todd’s homo co-workers, the devilish, rumor-mongering Clayton (the hilarious Jason Stuart) who also jumps to the conclusion that Todd is gay and wastes no time in letting everyone in the office know. Soon, everyone in his life believes he is gay despite his increasingly vehement denials.

After a limpy attempt to prove his heterosexuality with a sexy younger woman ends in disaster, Todd starts to wonder, could his feelings for Kelly be more than he’d ever suspected? Kelly is more than happy to introduce Todd to the ecstacy of homo sex because he’s now developed a crush on poor confused Todd despite warnings from his roommate and fag-hag, Bonnie (adorable Elaine Hendrix).

Now, Coffee Date could have devolved into a conversion tale and Ah’m glad writer/director/co-producer Stewart Wade not only didn’t fall into that morass but deftly contrived a conclusion that actually says more about the character and speaks to our dream to have a world as equally understanding.

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Tallulah Givehead is a Fabulous drag queen living in Portland, Oregon (Lord only knows why!) writing reviews of gay film by day and tearing up the stage by night. You can read her reviews here as well as at her blog, QUEER VUE MIRROR.

Y’all know Ta loves any excuse to participate in some drama an’ ball her eyes out. A wedding is one of the perfect excuses … AND Ah get to bring out all mah favorite wigs an’ dresses. Many of Ta’s friends have tied the knot in commitment ceremonies – some of which top Princess Diana’s wedding to Prick Charles – but, unfortunately, such ceremonies mean nothing in the greater context of Life in the United States. Committed or not, a gay or lesbian couple’s life can be torn asunder with the slightest of efforts.

Stephanie Higgins’ “The Gay Marriage Thing” makes this sad state of affairs more intimate and personal than anything Ta has seen. Her documentary (which doesn’t feel like one) presents the politics, the piety, and the people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage in history-making Massachusetts. Amidst the chaos of legislators, church leaders, and protesters, one couple’s quiet story puts a human face on the social struggle of our time.

We get a little peek into the lives of Lorre and Gayle and their two great-aunts (sisters who’d lived together their entire 80+ years) whom they live with and are caregivers for. With that, the first few moments of “The Gay Marriage Thing” paint a picture of what it means to be a family. Gayle and Lorre, thirtysomething college sweethearts who marked their 15th anniversary a year after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, form the heart of this documentary scrapbook.

“The Gay Marriage Thing” captures all of the voices that swirl in the air around Gayle and Lorre as they approach May 17, 2004, the first date same-sex couples could file for marriage licenses in Massachusetts; from the protests outside the Massachusetts State House, to the churches of the Reverends Rich Wiesenbach and Carlton Smith, to the historic chambers echoing State Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein’s perspective.

The emotional and spiritual toll this issue puts upon all parties is apparent in the everyday angst and anticipation of Lorre and Gayle’s own wedding.

“The Gay Marriage Thing” is not some historical commentary on gay rights in the United States. It is instead a small story with big implications. By focusing on one suburban couple and the multitude of events that directly affect that couple’s otherwise average life, “The Gay Marriage Thing” strives to show a different side of this issue than documentaries or television newscasts have thus far.

With protesters and their colorful signs serving as a Greek chorus, and an array of opinions from church, state, and everyone in between, this is the film that family members can finally watch together. “The Gay Marriage Thing” is the documentary that opens the dialogue, fully expecting the audience to continue it.

“My hope is that this film will artistically promote discussion over shouting, communication over violence. If THE GAY MARRIAGE THING does nothing more than open a dialogue between two family members, co-workers or friends on opposite sides of this debate, then I have done my job.” ~ Stephanie Higgins, Director

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Tallulah Givehead is a Fabulous drag queen living in Portland, Oregon (Lord only knows why!) writing reviews of gay film by day and tearing up the stage by night. You can read her reviews here as well as at her blog, QUEER VUE MIRROR.