Gay Skate at Oaks Park Roller Rk Turns 30 | Portland Monthly

Contents:

• 'QUEER SKATEBOARDG': PHOTOGRAPHER DOCUMENTS GAY SKATER CULTURE
• A BRIEF LOOK AT SKATEBOARDG'S GAY PAST
• BRIAN ANRSON, SKATEBOARDG STAR, COM OUT AS GAY
• OAKS PARK GAY SKATE IS ON A ROLL
• 16 GAY AND BI OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS
• MEET THE GAY MAN SKATEBOARDG ACROSS THE U.S. TO RAISE CLIMATE CRISIS AWARENS
• THREE OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS E OUT — 2 GAY MEN AND 1 QUEER WOMAN

'QUEER SKATEBOARDG': PHOTOGRAPHER DOCUMENTS GAY SKATER CULTURE

”Self-portra of photographer Ross Lannberger Oak Ridge, LannbergerLannberger adms that as a gay kid skateboardg at his lol skate park a suburban Tennsee, he never felt all that weled by other skateboarrs.

“Once I was a ltle b olr, and knowg I was gay, and people throwg around slurs all the time, jt beg around that, I had no tert beg iends wh the people. It wasn’t until profsnal skateboarr Brian Anrson me out as gay 2016, that Lannberger began to realize there uld be a space for him to be openly gay while also beg embraced wh a sometim homophobic skateboardg culture.

A BRIEF LOOK AT SKATEBOARDG'S GAY PAST

"Skateboarr Ryan Schertz, LannbergerSce 2017, Lannberger has been travelg to different ci and documentg the liv of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer skateboarrs for his photo project tled “Queer Skateboardg. Gay people skate.

When asked about her orientatn terviews sometim she jt bsh the qutn of wh “I’m gay. A said thg to note is that he hid his sexualy for many years bee he felt would hurt his reer to be openly gay the “macho” world of skateboardg. She is openly gay and her fay supports her orientatn which is not always the se nservative untri like the Philipp.

BRIAN ANRSON, SKATEBOARDG STAR, COM OUT AS GAY

Vlent anti-gay attacks the early 1980s and 1990s wh the male-domated world of skate led many to hi their sexualy. Brian Anrson, a skater who rose to populary the 1990s, remembers regularly hearg gay slurs, which ma him thk at a young age that was dangero to talk about his sexualy. In 2016 Anrson beme the first high-profile profsnal skater to e out as gay, somethg he never thought he would do.

Proceeds om sal of his Cave Homo ze, which explor Anrson’s journey as an openly gay man, are donated to the LGBTQ+ suici preventn nonprof The Trevor is the first issue of the ze Cave Homo, a llaboratn wh Anrson’s iends, signer Le Williams and photographer Christian Trippe.

OAKS PARK GAY SKATE IS ON A ROLL

Cave Homo beme a venue for Anrson’s art, sketch, and photography, highlightg Anrson’s personal terts and his newfound eedom as an openly gay StrberryCher Strberry g her first signature Kevil signed transgenr skater Cher Strberry’s first signature ck. “I am hopg that by beg an all-clive project, uld be a bigger ia than a gay skate pany—and that we n break down barriers together. ”Skate is still workg on s acceptance of gay and queer skaters, but Baker has hope for cln.

She refers to high-profile skaters like Jay Adams, who was nvicted of felony asslt 1982 the fatal beatg of a gay man, and Jason Jsee, who apologized May after old terviews which he ma homophobic slurs rurfaced onle. And by tablishg a place where people will feel accepted and embraced for who they are, the PDX Queer Skate Crew is openg the doors to a sport that saw s first profsnal skater e out as gay ls than two years ago.

16 GAY AND BI OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS

Lghl Nil District, Fremont, CALghl the Castro, San Francis's gay Denver Lghl got to skate wh world champn longboarr Jeff VyaJeff Vya & Lghl - Wash Park Denver om 2030 or Bt on 's a short vio of my nversatn wh Sean, manager of The Triangle Denver, a gay bar wh a FIERCE mment to staabily. Proceeds om sal of his Cave Homo ze, which explor Anrson’s journey as an openly gay man, are donated to the LGBTQ+ suici preventn nonprof The Trevor Project. “I am hopg that by beg an all-clive project, uld be a bigger ia than a gay skate pany—and that we n break down barriers together.

MEET THE GAY MAN SKATEBOARDG ACROSS THE U.S. TO RAISE CLIMATE CRISIS AWARENS

Skate is still workg on s acceptance of gay and queer skaters, but Baker has hope for cln. “My name is Brian Anrson, I’m a profsnal skateboarr, and we are here to talk about the fact that I am gay, ” Mr.

Anrson, who liv Queens, beme skateboardg’s most proment pro star to e out as gay, jog the steady trickle of athlet om other sports who have done so over the last few years. Anrson said an terview Wednday all s untercultural ol, skateboardg has historilly been party to the same kds of homophobia found other male-domated stutns. Until fairly recently, many skate parks had a certa locker-room feel, wh gay slurs and sensive jok.

THREE OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATERS E OUT — 2 GAY MEN AND 1 QUEER WOMAN

There is even a 1980s-era trick lled the Gay Twist, a homophobic reference to beg “the gay way” of performg a particular kd of recently, skateboardg culture has shifted. There have been skateboard graphics celebratg gay marriage and magaze articl qutng why so few skaters are out. “All the kids who were stg there at home thkg, like, ‘Wa, my favore skater is gay?

Friends and dtry sirs have been aware for more than a , and mors that he may be gay have been a equent topic of discsn skateboard rners of the March, durg a skate ntt Tampa, Fla., Gvanni Reda, a iend and director, asked Mr. “At first he was a ltle apprehensive, and I was like, ‘Du, there is probably a kid here right now who is gay, ” Mr. ” Rpect and sponsorships followed, but he kept his sexualy a Anrson told Vice that hearg gay slurs all the time ma him thk at a young age that was “really dangero” to talk about his gay may be easier today, he add the terview, but ’s still not easy.