The Pink Light District and Portland’s Queer Geography

"The Pink Light District isn't about recreating the past—it's about building a vibrant, welcoming future for Old Town."

Portland has long enjoyed an association with the color pink. There’s the fragrant perennial flower that grows so well here and gives the Rose City its nickname. There’s the distinctive doughnut box that for years has helped identify out-of-towners. There’s U.S. Bancorp Tower, aka Big Pink, that looms over Old Town and the Akebono cherry trees that line the waterfront with blossoms each spring.

And from roughly the 1940s to the 1980s, a triangular swath of downtown between Southwest Harvey Milk and West Burnside streets, dubbed the “Pink Triangle,” served as a hub of queer nightlife and culture. Though Northwest 9th Avenue historically marked the triangle’s eastern boundary, a larger scene of queer businesses populated the surrounding area.

Now, a new pink zone nearby is attempting to honor that spirit. The community-led effort aims to revitalize downtown’s flagging economy with plans for a “Pink Light District,” a nightlife and entertainment zone centered on Ankeny Alley and signified with that familiar bubblegum hue—pink streetlights, pink murals, pink curbs.

---

Original Article by Garett Andrews