LGBT culture in Eugene, Oregon


in Eugene, Oregon predates the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969, but that event coincided with organized efforts in Lane County, Oregon, to support and celebrate LGBT people. Even though Eugene has been rated on lists of cities friendly to LGBT populations, there are very few venues specifically for the LGBT community in the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.

LGBT pride festival

Since 1993, committee volunteers have organized the Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival each year in August, rather than in June, "which is Pride Month, but you know that unique Eugene thing: We're different," according to the town's alternative newspaper. "Plus, we're too busy at the pride celebrations of the city to the north in June. So: We're later, we're smaller, but we're still proud." The Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival is supported by sponsorships and volunteer help.

History highlights

Source: EugenePride.org

Recreation and social activities

A dedicated LGBTQ space, "The Wayward Lamb" opened in August 2015. Calling itself "Eugene's Official Queer Pub", the venue also offered a private event space and "unique dedicated queer programming". Citing the expectation that it was "a de facto LGBTQ community center as well as a bar", the owner closed the bar in February 2018. The space re-opened as Spectrum in the summer of 2018 as a re-branded queer bar under new management offering a quiet reading room and southern-inspired dining in addition to the usual drag shows, lip-synch battles, and debauchery.
A variety of other LGBTQ social, political, and support groups meet in Eugene:
Additional local resources are listed by the University of Oregon on the UOUT site.