Portland’s gay communities first found widespread visibility, and later organization, through the local media. While some tribes have struggled to keep these traditions alive in the face of colonial influences, the Portland Two-Spirit Society is evidence of the resurgence of Two-Spirit pride. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark noted a number of encounters with such individuals in Oregon. According to the First Nations Two-Spirit Collective, native people have celebrated gender and sexual minorities for millennia.
Portland’s LGBTQ+ history likely goes back to the first human inhabitants of the area. Note: This section was produced in collaboration with, formerly known as PQ Monthly.
