Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile | ‘Treat me like any other man’
Chris Drake took time from his busy schedule working three jobs to talk about his experiences as a trans man in Portland and how he thinks allies can better support people in his community. Chris has been a Street Roots vendor for three years, and he also works for a food delivery service and makes…
News
Opinion | March for Trans Lives: ‘A day like no other’
Raven Drake is Street Roots’ Ambassador Program manager. On the grassy field and adjacent hill of Irving Park, a little more than 200 people sat in the hot sun supporting the March for Trans Lives, an event led by Black trans organizers. The park was a buzz of energy, old friends and new coming together…
Remembering the trans people who have been killed
The Human Rights Campaign tracks the killing of transgender and gender nonconforming people each year. In the first 20 weeks of 2021, there have already been 26 homicides in the U.S. and Puerto Rico — that’s a rate of more than one person killed each week among a group of people who make up about 0.6%…
Raven Ellaine: ‘I’m a proud, Black trans woman’ — and so much more
Raven Ellaine came out West in an effort to provide mutual aid, which, as she describes it, is a way people come together using their resources or skills to take care of one another. Five years ago when Ellaine was living in Virginia, she visited Portland and was taken aback by what she saw on…
Opinion | How to ensure you’re treating a trans person with dignity
I’ve noticed that, unfortunately, staff and volunteers who run nonprofits that serve poor and houseless folks are often unaware of how to treat transgender community members with basic respect. Some are outright unwilling to use trans people’s correct names or pronouns. That was my reason for putting together a presentation that the following tips were…
How to be a better trans ally: Human Rights Campaign’s Tori Cooper explains
For more than 40 years, the Human Rights Campaign has been fighting for LGBTQ+ equality in the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the advocacy organization boasts more than 3 million members and supporters, making it the largest LGBTQ+ lobbying and advocacy group in the nation. Even those who haven’t heard of HRC have likely…
Housing
Raven Ellaine: ‘I’m a proud, Black trans woman’ — and so much more
Raven Ellaine came out West in an effort to provide mutual aid, which, as she describes it, is a way people come together using their resources or skills to take care of one another. Five years ago when Ellaine was living in Virginia, she visited Portland and was taken aback by what she saw on…
Opinion
Opinion | Portland, it’s time to ensure equal access to bathrooms
James “Pops” Duby, Street Roots’ vendor program assistant, was visiting the Lloyd Center with his wife one day in March when he realized he needed to use the restroom. He proceeded to the restrooms only to find there were no all-user restrooms available. He identifies as male and went to the men’s restroom. He entered,…
Opinion | A queer teen’s story of activism
Ben Louis is a 17-year-old non-binary individual living in Portland. They are passionate about advocacy and journalism, often blending both together. My name is Ben Louis. I am a 17-year-old nonbinary individual, state abolitionist and soon-to-be Portland Public Schools (PPS) dropout. I’m a youth organizer and protester, on a path of creating a mutual aid…
Opinion | TeTe Gulley helped me learn how to forgive myself
Ga lo Vann is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Eastern Oklahoma and a prisoner at Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem. Read more of his columns. I first met TeTe Gulley in 2015. She was in the medical unit of the Multnomah County Detention Center, where we were both imprisoned. I was the orderly…
Editorial | We need to talk about anti-trans violence
Many transgender people face a difficult choice. The choice is not about which gender to identify with, as any transgender person will tell you. The choice is whether to end their life or to live it. Street Roots editorials represent the opinion of the Street Roots organization and editorial board. The rate of suicide attempts…
