KGW’s Straight Talk

Threats against the LGBTQ+ community have been increasing in recent years, both in the northwest and across the country. Law enforcement agencies are tracking a sharp increase in hate crimes, and meanwhile the Department of Homeland Security has issued warnings about the potential for attacks on LGBTQ-friendly events. And the recent Supreme Court decision has many worried about the potential for discrimination.

The effects have been seen locally as well, with everything from hate speech to homicides. But LGBTQ+ people and their allies in Portland say they're not giving up on the fight for their rights.

Basic Rights Oregon is an organization that works to ensure all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two spirit, intersex and asexual Oregonians experience equality. Basic Rights Oregon statewide engagement manager Gabby Gardiner and communications manager Blair Stenvick were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss how the organization is pushing back against the wave of anti-gay laws and attacks that have been targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Drivers crossing the Broadway Bridge have surely noticed it in the past few months: Nearly all of the former central post office area next to the bridge ramps has been demolished, wiping the 14-acre site clean and setting the stage for a massive redevelopment project right between downtown Portland's Pearl District and Old Town neighborhoods.

The post office site is the centerpiece of the 34-acre Broadway Corridor, which primarily owned by the Portland Housing Bureau and the economic and urban development organization Prosper Portland. The long-imagined redevelopment aims to transform the site to provide high-density employment, mixed-income housing, new park space and signature city attractions and amenities. 

Prosper Portland Executive Director Kimberly Branam, Portland Housing Bureau Interim Director Molly Rogers and Twauna Hennessee, leader of outreach for the Carpenters Union, were all guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the vision the future of the Broadway Corridor and what the project will mean for Portland.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has represented Oregon's Third Congressional District since 1996, and he's become a fixture in Portland over the years, known both for his signature bowtie and for his passion for bikes and public transit in the Rose City. There's even a local bike and pedestrian bridge named after him.

Rep. Blumenauer was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the current challenges Portland faces with crime and homelessness, his vision for the future of the city and how his work in Congress will impact things back in Oregon.

Asked about the current state of Portland, Blumenauer described the city's outlook as very mixed, with serious problems and community struggles contrasting with good moments.

"If you go through the neighborhoods, as I do every week, you see people who take pride in their community, who haven't given up," he said. "They're fighting to move forward, to take advantage of opportunities, and to make sure that we're not going to be defeated by these circumstances."

Earlier this year, Mayor Ted Wheeler shook up the bureau assignments for city commissioners. Commissioner Carmen Rubio, then in charge of city parks, was placed across two of the city's most critical issues: building more affordable housing and helping Portland businesses to thrive.

Rubio heads the city Housing Bureau, the Bureau of Development Services and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. She also heads up Prosper Portland, the city's economic development agency.

Gov. Tina Kotek has made it abundantly clear that the state needs more affordable housing, and she's looking for ways to speed up housing production.

With that in mind, what is Commissioner Rubio's plan and does it, as some critics claim, come at an environmental cost? Straight Talk's Laurel Porter sat down with Rubio to talk about that and reflect on her nearly 2.5 years as city commissioner.

After Portland superstar Darcelle XV, also known as Walter Cole, passed away at the age of 92, Poison Waters and other fellow drag queens at Darcelle XV Showplace hosted a show in her honor, fulfilling Darcelle's wish that the show would go on after her death.

Poison Waters, also known as Kevin Cook, is a local legend in her own right, having performed drag for 35 years, and she's set to serve as the Grand Marshal in Portland's Starlight Parade this year, following in the footsteps of Darcelle, who led the parade in 2010.

Poison Waters stuck around for a bonus episode after the show, which can be viewed at the bottom of this story.

After Portland superstar Darcelle XV, also known as Walter Cole, passed away at the age of 92, Poison Waters and other fellow drag queens at Darcelle XV Showplace hosted a show in her honor, fulfilling Darcelle's wish that the show would go on after her death.

Poison Waters, also known as Kevin Cook, is a local legend in her own right, having performed drag for 35 years, and she's set to serve as the Grand Marshal in Portland's Starlight Parade this year, following in the footsteps of Darcelle, who led the parade in 2010.

Poison Waters was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to talk about Darcelle, the Starlight Parade and the importance of celebrating Pride Month, especially in an era when drag queens have come under increasing attack in many parts of the country through drag bans and bad faith protests.

Pride is celebrated in June to honor the Stonewall Riots, an uprising in New York City that began on June 28, 1969, when police raided The Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village. Protests against the raid lasted for 6 days and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement around the world.

The murders of Vancouver mother Meshay Melendez her 7-year-old daughter Layla Stewart in March led to an outpouring of grief in the Vancouver community, along with anger and questions about whether more could have been done to protect them. This week's episode of Straight Talk discusses the Tiffany Hill law, why it might not have been used in the case of Meshay and Layla, and what actions can help prevent future domestic violence.

All four of this week's guests have previously appeared separately on Straight Talk: Michelle Bart, president and founder of the National Women's Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation; Vancouver police Sergeant Tanya Wollstein, who investigated the Tiffany Hill case; Washington Republican State Sen. Lynda Wilson, who helped write the Tiffany Hill legislation; and Democratic State Rep. Sharon Wylie.

The guests stuck around for a bonus episode to discuss the role of bail and other legal tools in preventing domestic violence and protecting victims.

The murders of Vancouver mother Meshay Melendez her 7-year-old daughter Layla Stewart in March led to an outpouring of grief in the Vancouver community, along with anger and questions about whether more could have been done to protect them. This week's episode of Straight Talk discusses the Tiffany Hill law, why it might not have been used in the case of Meshay and Layla, and what actions can help prevent future domestic violence.

All four of this week's guests have previously appeared separately on Straight Talk: Michelle Bart, president and founder of the National Women's Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation; Vancouver police Sergeant Tanya Wollstein, who investigated the Tiffany Hill case; Washington Republican State Sen. Lynda Wilson, who helped write the Tiffany Hill legislation; and Democratic State Rep. Sharon Wylie.

Republicans in the House of Representatives narrowly passed the "Parents Bill of Rights," while Democrats introduced their own competing bill. 

Current school board members and students say it's important to center the needs and voices of students.