Queer Meets Queer Weston Anderson

She worked stage crew; they played basketball with the boys. Can I make it anymore obvious? When Janine laid eyes on Taylor at recess, she fell head over heels into her first ever, stomach-flipping girl crush. Taylor was totally oblivious so they became best friends, obviously. Then Taylor’s family moved away. They went to separate high schools and, after that, different colleges. That pretty much seemed like the end of it: another unrequited, unrealized, unconsummated middle school love story. But when Janine and Taylor both moved back to San Francisco after college, they decided to write themselves a new ending. Let’s go girls!

On offer for Sunday Brunch today: Nikki (Nik) talks about what first attracted them to their girlfriend, Weston remembers what HIV stigma felt like when they were first diagnosed, and husbands Ray and Thom ask each other intimate relationship questions.

Anthony Hudson had no idea that white face paint, a pillow case, and a name—”Carla”—would lead to the manifestation of THE Carla Rossi, Portland’s premier drag clown. Carla Rossi became a hurricane force in Anthony’s life and a fiery furnace of creation. Anthony, on the other hand, became a chauffeur and a personal assistant to Carla’s rising star, which is just what happens when you are host to an immortal trickster spirit. Through more than a decade of multidisciplinary artistic works, Anthony and Carla negotiated split identity, stared privilege in the (white)face , and contemplated queerness.

Thom falls in love. The only problem is he’s already married. It doesn’t work out and, after separating from his husband, Thom moves to Denver and then to Portland, chasing men on Scruff. Then Thom meets Ray. Sometimes relationships move fast. Things click into place and start rolling and there’s all this unanticipated momentum, driving you forward. One minute you are meeting for the first time, maybe for coffee, maybe to hookup, and before you know it your lives are intertwined in ways you wouldn’t have previously thought possible. That’s how things were for Ray and Thom. 

In this tasty serving of Sunday Brunch, Tori and Sammee (from “Bio Family can be Chosen Family”) talk about growing up mixed race in a predominantly white education system, the challenges they faced, and how their siblinghood helped them overcome barriers. They also discuss how George Floyd’s murder at the hand of Minnesota Police in May 2020 helped inspire the creation of their podcast, Sisters and Sonder. Finally, Sammee and Tori get teary-eyed playing our questions game.

The conclusion of Jim’s story. Listen to part 1 if you haven’t heard it yet! Jim comes out in Portland in the 1980s, meets the love of his life, is diagnosed with HIV, and his relationship with his father changes for ever.