Ethos Magazine 2022

WINTER 2022 | VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 2

The Daycare Drought How Eugene daycares are surviving their worst labor shortages yet.

Letter from the Editor,

I

f you are human, read Ethos.

Ethos is a multicultural magazine that elevates the voices of underrepresented communities by telling their stories. Since its founding in 2006 as Korean Ducks, Ethos has always been a place of inclusivity — a space where people of all economic backgrounds, races and genders can celebrate individual life experiences.

We are a magazine dedicated to social awareness, and we bring stories to light that might’ve otherwise remained in the dark. We celebrate the humanness of our subjects, gloriously separatedandconnectedbyourdizerences.

This edition of Ethos highlights what we’ve always stood for, displaying what makes ourhumanethosunique.Ethosisdefinedasthecharacteristicspiritof aculture,eraand community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.

In Emerson Brady’s cover story, "The Daycare Drought," childcare providers express their exhaustion and anxiety from enduring a long worker shortage in the United States.

And community members in West Eugene, a neighborhood with a high percentage of peopleof color,pushagainstenvironmentalracismwithhelpfromlocalnonprofitBeyond Toxics. Clayton Franke’s story "A Lingering Smell" shows how pollution coats Eugene’s landscape disproportionately — companies aren’t held accountable for their recklessness and residents are paying the price.

But downtown, at Spectrum, a local LGBTQIA+ bar, two drag kings celebrate their joy for performance in Nika Bartoo-Smith’s piece "Drag Kings: We’re Hard to Come By." Though therearefewexistingdragkings,Bartoo-Smithshowsthatthefiercepassionfortheartexists in Eugene.

DowninVeneta,Oregon,sevenkidsatasmallcozeeshopescapetherealworldandfind friendship through Dungeons & Dragons in Bentley Freeman’s "The Misadventures of the Mighty Seven."

Asyouflipthroughthismagazine,embraceeachstorywithempathy.Findsolaceinthe threads that make us all human. See yourself in Ethos.

Anna Mattson Ethos Editor-in-Chief

1 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Email editor@ethosmagonline.com with comments, questions

g

and story ideas. You can find our past issues at issuu.com/ethosma

and more stories, including multimedia cont

ent, at ethosmagonline.com.

Our Mission: Ethos is a nationally recognized, award-winning independent student publication. Our mission is to elevate the voices of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the media landscape and to write in-depth, human-focusedstoriesabouttheissuesazectingthem.Wealsostrivetosupport ourdiversestudentstazandtohelpthemfindfuturesuccess.

Ethos is part of Emerald Media Group, a non-profit organization that’s fully independent of the University of Oregon. Students maintain complete editorial control over Ethos and work tirelessly to produce the magazine.

Students at the Oak Street Child Development Center play, craft and read together every day. There isn’t a flat surface in the building that’s free of toys and picture books, and the staff let the children play with it all (Wesley Lapointe).

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 2

Contents

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Putting the “Fun” in “Fungus” With over 75 years of experience foraging for mushrooms, Lee Yamada wants to share his knowledge with others.

A Lingering Smell Alocalnon-profitleads West Eugene’s environmental justice battle.

29

The Misadventures of the Mighty Seven Through Dungeons and Dragons, a group of seven kids in Lane County escape reality and form close friendships.

The Daycare Drought Continuing to adjust to the pandemic and demands for childcare, Eugene daycares face their worst labor shortages yet.

35 41

Drag Kings: We’re Hard to Come By As drag culture becomes increasingly popular, Eugene’s drag kings are making their mark on a scene dominated by drag queens.

Behind the Scene House shows are a weekend ritual for young people in Eugene, but wouldn’t exist without the hosts who run them.

Living with Intention Intentional communities like Walnut Street Co-op provide more ecologically sustainable lifestyles while helping theirmembersfind communityandfulfill ment.

Photography Editorial Editor-in-Chief Anna Mattson Managing Editor Sam Nguyen Associate Editors Ella Hutcherson Abby Sourwine Fact-checking Editor Lauren Brown Web Editor Caleb Barber Copy Chief Amanda Lurey

Writers Nika Bartoo-Smith Emerson Brady Chloe Bryant Bruno Crolla Clayton Franke Emma Slay

Fact Checkers Lily Fjeldheim Bentley Freeman Jasmine Lewin Kendall Porter Kate Jaques Prentice Maris Toalson

Photo Editor Collin Bell

Photographers Amalia Birch Stephanie Bucuroaia Elizabeth Donovan Ian Freeman Wesley Lapointe Natalie Myking Ilka Sankari Vanna Vergara

Multimedia Multimedia Director Morgan Gwynn Multimedia Producers Courtney McCall Kate Jaques Prentice

Illustration Art Director Sophie Barlow Illustrators Maya Merrill Lynette Slape

Design Design Editor Jessie Dunn Designers Liz Blodgett Kira Chan

Socials Social Media Director Jaila Cha-Sim Social Media Production Assistant Whitney Conaghan WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 4

Putting the “FUN” D

riving north on U.S. Highway 101, Lee Yamada, 83, carefully scanned the left side of the road for a turnozmarkedBakerBeachRoad.Theroadleads to a campground nestled between Baker Beach and Florence’s coastal forests.

But Yamada had no plans to camp. He knew the spot was ideal for mushrooms to grow because of its climate and habitat.

Yamada is a mushroom forager, and that day.

Hehopedtofindsomeediblemushrooms.

Yamada’s “mushroom-hunting car,” as he called it, bumped along the gravel as he turned onto the road. He passed a sign indicating entrance into Baker Beach Campground and a large pile of Cantharellus cibarius — more commonly known as chanterelles — obviously picked and discarded.

Yamada explained the abandoned mushroomswerelikelyunfittoeatduetothe previous week’s heavy rain that likely caused the mushrooms to become slimy and rot.

Yamada could also easily spot the red caps of Russulaemeticasgrowinginclustersnear the entrance of a short trail to the beach.

Yamada says one way to identify whether the russula mushrooms are edible is to nibble a portion of the cap with your front teeth.

He crumbled oz a portion of the cap and stuck it between his front teeth, chewing daintily. A few moments later, he spit it out onto the ground.

5 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

in “FUNGUS” With over 75 years of experience foraging for mushrooms, Lee Yamada wants to share his knowledge with others.

Written by Chloe Bryant | Photographed by Amalia Birch and Ian Freeman

Lee Yamada crumbles off a chunk of a Suillus luteus mushroom. These mushrooms are more commonly known as Slippery Jack mushrooms due to their slimy texture. They grow under pine and spruce trees, and they are edible when cooked, though they can cause stomach issues if the slimy skin is not removed.

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 6

“Peppery,” Yamada says. “My tongue is tingling. It’s not edible.”

With 75 years of foraging experience, Yamada can easily discern nonedible mushrooms from edible mushrooms.

Mushrooms mean more to him than a weekend hobby.

By the end of their excursion, Yamada and his parents had foraged enough mushrooms for a meal.

Once high in a tree, moving from pocket to pan to plate, the prized mushrooms were sautéed in a buttery sauce for the family to enjoy together.

The earliest Yamada can remember mushroom hunting alone was when he was around 6 or 7 years “It’s a lifestyle for me,” Yamada says. old. Yamada would jump oz the bus after school and Yamada’s love for teaching others about mushrooms is search for the mushrooms he was sure were edible — even stronger than his passion for mushrooms. Yamada wild mushrooms like Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus is a board member of Cascade Mycological Society — ostreatus, which are more commonly known as button a nonprofit organization with a mission to study andand oyster mushrooms. conserve fungi and to educate the public about fungi.

“I loved mushroom hunting because, to me, it felt like There, Yamada teaches everything he knows from an Easter egg hunt,” Yamada says. “It made me feel his years of experience to people in Eugene who are likeIwasgoodatfindingsomething.” interested in mushrooms and mushroom foraging.

Yamada’s fascination with fungus continued into Yamada was first introduced to mushroom foraging adulthood. He joined two local mycological organizations, by his parents, who were San Francisco Mycological also taught by each of their Society and Santa Cruz Fungus Federation, where parents. While Yamada’s he could meet like-minded father primarily fished and mushroom fans and master clammed, Yamada’s mother -Lee Yamada, local mushroom forager mycologists. would forage for edible plants and mushrooms. Sometimes they would forage as a Of the mushroom organizations Yamada joined, he family. Growing up in the Santa Clara Valley, Yamada’s spent the most time with Santa Cruz Fungus Federation family frequently hunted for mushrooms in dense and was elected to the Fungus Fair Coordinator position by other members of the federation. Yamada orchardsandgrassyfieldsneartheirhome.

Yamada recalls mushroom hunting as a 7-year-old was responsible for organizing the federation’s Fungus Fair, Santa Cruz Fungus Federation’s annual fundraiser boy in a dying prune orchard with his parents one and membership drive. He held the position for nine afternoon. Yamada spied a cluster of oyster mushrooms years, from 1993 to 2003. growing high in one of the orchard’s dying prune trees.

“Part of my drive is to educate people about that, but He scaled the withering limbs of the tree to harvest the mushrooms. Nearly 10 feet above the ground, he it’s fun,” Yamada says. “One of the slogans from my used a knife to cut the mushrooms near their bases, previous club, the Fungus Federation, was ‘Keep the ‘fun’ in ‘fungus.’’” preserving them as much as possible. Yamada placed The size and popularity of Santa Cruz Fungus the mushrooms into the safety of his pocket before climbing down the tree and rejoining his parents on Federation’s Fungus Fair drew attention from the North American Mycological Association, which is the ground to continue their walk.

"It's a lifestyle for me."

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Yamada holds what he identifies as a Boletus edulis, or Porcini mushroom.

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A salamander rests in the shadow of a gilled mushroom. Mushrooms can play many different roles in their habitats. Some have symbiotic relationships with the fauna around them, while others are parasitic to their hosts. One of the most common roles of mushrooms is breaking down wood and other organic material into the soil,which is then suitable for new plant growth.

9 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

“a nonprofit organization of professionalwould and amateur lead a Cascade Mycological Society membersmycologists with over 90 a{liated mycological societies only foray in the Oregon Cascades, where they would in the United States, Canada and Mexico,” according to teachindividualshowtofindediblemushrooms. the association’s website. Among a few other fungus fair After agreeing to meet up in three days to prepare organizers around North America, Yamada was added fortheforay, Yamadabriefly toldSpivack abouthis day to a call list of people to contact for information and and how he was doing before saying goodbye. Yamada advice on organizing mushroom festivals. resumed identifying as many mushrooms as he could as Yamada stayed a member of the Santa Cruz Fungus Federation until 2012 when he moved to Eugene.

Shortly after moving to Oregon, Yamada joined Cascade Mycological Society, where he shared his mushroom foraging experience and met new friends.

Joe Spivack, a fellow “mushroomer” and member of Cascade Mycological Society, became close friends with Yamada when the two bonded over a mutual passion for mushrooms. Both Spivack and Yamada are also interested in other forms of wild foraging, such as fishing, crabbing and clamming.

Spivack says he loves spending time with Yamada and appreciates being able to learn from his experience.

“I’m his best buddy in a lot of ways,”Spivacksays.“Rarelydoesa week go by when I don’t call him.”

dark clouds threatened rain.

As a board member of Cascade Mycological Society, Yamada helps to organize monthly meetings and local forays to educate people in Eugene on all things mushroom.

At these events, attendees have opportunities to speak to and learn from expert mycologists and guest speakers on various fungi-related topics.

After COVID-19 restrictions forced Cascade Mycological Society to cancel in 2020, 2021 saw the return of Cascade Mycological Society’s biggest educational event: the Mount Pisgah Arboretum Mushroom Festival.

On the morning of this year’s festival, the air was crisp at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Dozens of people wearing bags and buttons Wandering into a coastal forest near with mushroom art, mushroom cap Baker Beach Campground, Yamada hats and fungus-patterned shirts Scan the QR code with your phone to see where identified each of the mushrooms he wandered under the arboretum’s oak Pacific Golden Chanterelles are found in Oregon. passed along the trail and explained Map by Ian Freeman. trees.Liveperformersfilledtheairwith how he could recognize them. music as festival-goers explored canvas Heidentifiedsomeagaricales,morecommonly known tents with activities and shops that all shared a common as gilled mushrooms because of the distinctive gills theme: mushrooms. visible underneath the cap. Small salamanders lounge by At the Mount Pisgah Arboretum Mushroom Festival, the mushrooms, unbothered by Yamada’s presence. visitors can view diverse mushroom displays with The quiet of the forest broke when Yamada’s cell phone rang.

“Hello?” Yamada says, answering the call.

On the other end of the line was Yamada’s friend Spivack, who was calling to schedule a time to go spot hunting with Yamada. In a week, Yamada and Spivack

anywhere from 450 to 52 identified species, compare edible and non-edible mushrooms, attend culinary demonstrations and go on mushroom hunting nature walks with experienced “mushroomers.” The festival is the largest mushroom festival on the West Coast.

“There’s nowhere else in our area where you can go see

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 10

several hundred species and with correct names on them from an expert,” Chris Melotti, president of Cascade Mycological Society, says. “There’s just no other place around that has those available to the general public.”

in life in that he is always helpful and giving in anything he’s involved in.”

willing to share from his experience,” Melotti says. “Lee Yamada is unique in Cascade Mycological Society and

Carefully plucked from the debris, this mushroom was exactlytheEastereggYamadahopedtofind.

After nearly an hour of exploring the coastal forest At this year’s mushroom festival, Melotti volunteered at near Baker Beach, rolling thunder announced the rain the Edible and Poisonous Mushroom tent with Yamada. hadfinallyarrived.Itstartedslow.Atfirst,treesprotected Wearing homemade trousers with a mushroom pattern, Yamada from the wet, but the rain began to pierce the Yamada was easy to spot. He stood in the center of the canopy steadily.

Edible and Poisonous Mushroom tent, surrounded by As the rain grew stronger, Yamada decided it was time fold-uptablescoveredinsoilanddizerentvarietiesof local to head back to the car, but there was one last mushroom edible and nonedible mushrooms. As mushroom-garbed he wanted to find before leaving. Retracing his steps show-goers viewed the fungi, Yamada ozered tidbits of toward the car, Yamada searched along the sides of the information on how to safely identify them in the wild. trail,finallystoppingataseeminglymushroomlessspot.

Melotti says Yamada’s depth of knowledge has made Leaning over, Yamada pawed through wet forest debris, him an invaluable curator of the mushroom festival and revealingabulbous,whitemushroomasbigashisfist. member of the organization.

“This is Boletus edulis,” Yamada says. “The Italians “Some of the traits that make Lee a good ‘mushroomer’ are that he’s always willing to learn and call it porcini. It’s a delicious mushroom.”

Chris Melotti peers at fan-shaped fungi, hoping to identify it as the edible Turkey Tail mushroom.

Although there were nearly 400 species of mushroom displayed at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum Mushroom Festival, experienced mycologists like Melotti note this year has seen much less fruiting than those previous.

11 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Emissions plume from an industrial chimney that belongs to Emerald Forest Products near West Eugene. According to Eugene’s Toxics Right to Know Program, Emerald Forest Products is responsible for releasing over 11,000 pounds of pollutants into the air in 2020.

A LINGERING SMELL AlocalnonprofitleadsWestEugene’senvironmentaljusticebattle.

Written by Clayton Franke | Photographed by Collin Bell

W

hen Kayla Godowa-Tufti was a child, she treatment. Godowa-Tufti says the heavy tar smell led her used to play in her backyard. A railroad tie tofilefourcomplaintswithLaneRegionalAirProtectio was situated in the lawn. On hot days, she Agency in the last several months. recalls the tie smelled of tar and chemicals.

Since 20, locals have filed over 3,50 air pollution In 2015, she brought her newborn baby from the complaints about West Eugene with LRAPA. Backed hospital to her house on West Eugene’s Roosevelt by the environmental nonprofit Beyond Toxics, West Boulevard. That day, she smelled the heavy tar scent Eugene residents have created an environmental justice throughout her neighborhood again — it was familiar movement of their own. but unpleasant.

Accordingtothecityof Eugene’sToxicsRighttoKnow And she still gets hints of it every once in a while. database, 96% of Eugene’s industrial pollution in 2019 Whenever she smells it, she pulls her two children was within one zip code: 97402, which includes almost — a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old — inside the house, all the area west of Highway 99 in Eugene. The Oregon concerned about what they might be exposed to.

Health Authority has identified two superfund sites, “Sometimes you can’t smell anything else,” Godowa- places contaminated with exposed hazardous materials, Tufti says. inthearea:theUnionPacificRailroadHeadquartersand the J.H. Baxter wood treatment plant, which is across the Ontheothersideof RooseveltBoulevard,anindustrial wood treatment plant pumps creosote, a coal tar pitch street from Godowa-Tufti’s house. Neighbors say they’re used to preserve wood, into railroad ties and other wood concerned that the area’s industrial pollution, particularly products. According to the Oregon Health Authority, from J.H. Baxter’s decades of operations, may increase the odors in West Eugene come mostly from creosote the cancer risk for nearby residents. Prior investigations and pentachlorophenol, another chemical used in wood haven’t found a definitive link between local canc WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 12

cases and J.H Baxter, and state o{cialscontinuetoinvestigate.

According to Beyond Toxics’ statewide environmental justice coordinator Ana Molina, the heavy pollution in West Eugene is an example of environmental racism: when communities of color are disproportionately azectedbypollution.

The neighborhoods of West Eugene — including Bethel, where Godowa-Tufti lives — have higher percentages of BIPOC residents. According to a 2011 study from the City of Eugene, 15% of the Active Bethel Citizens neighborhood population is BIPOC. That’s compared to, for example, just 11% in the Cal Young neighborhood of North Eugene, where less than 1% of all industrial pollution occurs, according to Eugene’s Toxics Right-to-KnowProgram.

Across the country, communities of color have faced environmental racism.

An example is Flint, Michigan, where lead contamination disproportionately azected people of color.

Godowa-Tufti is Kalapuyan and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and her husband is a member of the Comanche Nation. GodowaTufti moved to her current home on Roosevelt in5 1 to 0 2 raise a familybecauseshecouldn’tazordtoliveelsewhere.

“It’s very easy to get stuck in that feeling of being trapped and being frustrated,” she says.

She says the big polluters in West Eugene are not only taking away her right to a clean environment but violating treaties that provide claim to the land for local tribes.

“It’s bad land stewardship to be a heavy polluter like that,” she says.

Godowa-Tufti has been actively working with Beyond Toxics to voice her concerns. The group holds community meetings to put residents in direct contact with representatives from 13 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

LRAPA, the Department of Environmental Quality and local politicians, like Mayor Lucy Vinis and City Councilor Claire Syrett.

In 2011, Beyond Toxics published an environmental justice report for West Eugene. The report challenged the e{cacy of traditional environmental risk assess claiming the models focus only on the “highest tolerable rate” of a chemical based on certain indexes and models.

They conducted a community-based health study in West Eugene, which prioritized vulnerable groups and considered factors like socioeconomic status, geography, land use patterns and cultural dizerences. They’re a

Kayla Godowa-Tufti holds her daughter’s hands at her elementary school. Godowa-Tufti says she doesn’t see the necessity for industrial polluters located around children and residences. “I would like to see them stop their operations. That’s ultimately what I would like to see so that people can live without obstructions. Kids can’t even play outside during some times and it’s really dangerous,” Godowa-Tufti says.

with DEQ, which can reach an administrative judge if mediation is unsuccessful. It denied almost all of the DEQ’s accusations.

J.H. Baxter did not respond to Ethos’ request for comment.

“It’s just a fine,” Molina says. “These companies have millions of dollars, and they’re not gonna stop doing what they need to do to reach their bottom line.”

Beyond Toxics partnered with lawyer Chris Nidel from Washington D.C. and helped him find plaintizs to represent the community in a class-action lawsuit he filed last spring against J.H. Baxter. One of theseplaintizsisGodowa-Tufti.

Thesuitdefines“J.H.Baxter class” as anyone living within a 4-mile radius of the plant.

These are the people who have claims in the suit.

According to Nidel, a classactionsuitcanmoree{ciently benefit a larger number of people compared to an individual suit. The suit claims that contamination of lawns and residences hurts property values and contributes to the loss of use and enjoyment in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Still, there’s downsides. The suit doesn’t cover personal injury or any health ezects beyond burning noses and eyes. Those who have been diagnosed with illnesses won’t receive compensation

making a dizerence in the community by holding polluters cancer or other serious and environmental agencies legally accountable. under the class action.

In March 201, the Oregon DEQ fined J.H. Baxter The suit is asking for $750 million in damages – Nidel says over $200,000 for the unpermitted disposal of hazardous he won’t settle for anything less. waste generated from the wood treatment process, and Last spring, Nidel introduced himself at a West Eugene the unauthorized release of untreated stormwater from its community meeting held on Zoom. Behind him, his wife property. But, according to Molina, fines don’t always hold tended to their dog, who has lymphoma. polluters accountable because they can usually pay them In 2019, Nidel met Carol Lafon in a Facebook group for withoutissue.Shealsosaysthemoneyfromfinesdoesn’t go cattle dogowners.Shelivesneartheintersectionof Ro back to the community where the pollution occurred.

Boulevard and Danebo Avenue, about a mile away from the In March, 1 J.2 0 2 H. Baxter filed an administrative appeal J.H. Baxter plant. She remembers letting her dogs – Hali, a WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 14

labrador, and Buddy and Dingo, both cattle dogs – play in 40 and over 55. As her daughter began chemotherapy the small creeks near her house, and they smelled worse and stem cell treatment, the cause of the cancer remained a mystery. than the usual wet dog stench.

Although sometimes Arberry-Baribeault would notice “The community stinks really bad,” Lafon says. “It’s a strange smells after stepping outside her house, she says it putrid smell.” didn’t concern her.

In 2018, Hali’s fur started to fall oz. Lafon took her Then, in October of 2020, the son of Arberrydog to the vet and learned Hali had hemangiosarcoma, Baribeault’s best friend of 30 years was diagnosed with a common cancer in dogs that azects blood vessels. The next morning, she left her home to search for cancer Hodgkin’s lymphoma, also at age 13. Arberry-Baribeault medications; when she returned, Hali had blood dripping says she had a feeling these two strange diagnoses, just from her nose onto the carpet. Ten days later, Hali died. over two years apart, weren’t a simple coincidence.

“I wasn’t really thinking that I was putting my child in Within the next year, her two cattle dogs would also be diagnosed with cancer –– Buddy with hemangiosarcoma danger by letting them play in the sprinkler outside or and Dingo with lymphoma. Buddy died within days of letting them ride their bike,” Arberry-Baribeault says. diagnosis. Dingo battled the lymphoma for a year and a Once she began researching the health ezects of half before passing. Lafon was heartbroken and puzzled. harmful chemicals, she says she realized living in the She was aware industry was nearby but didn’t know she industrial zone could have led to her daughter’s cancer. and her dogs were exposed to chemicals. Lafon says she The problem is that it’s di{cult to prove. According to believes this exposure led to cancer.

OHA’s website, health assessments from the agency “My animals never got sick before,” Lafon says. “I was “cannot draw direct associations’’ between local cancer always making sure the food they ate didn’t have any kind cases and the J.H. Baxter facility because of “limitations in cancer registry data.” However, OHA is working on a of chemicals.” cancer analysis of the community around the facility.

Even though Lafon says her dogs were healthy besides released, the results will bolster existing knowledge thepotentialpollutionexposure,it’sdi{culttoOnce directly link the cases to environmental factors. Dr. Kristen Couto is a about cancer in the community. OHA conducted similar reports in206and208.Neitherfoundadefinitivelink veterinaryoncologistwiththeVeterinaryReferral Center between cancer cases and J.H. Baxter. of Central Oregon. She says she’s unaware of any known OHA also plans to complete a health consultation by impact of environmental toxins on the development of hemangiosarcoma in dogs. While there is some evidence spring 2022. The consultation will include data from linking lymphoma in dogs to their environment, she says DEQ soil samples taken in September 2021. These soil samples will complement new data from OHA and that cancer usually depends on a mix of other factors.

“Hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma are two of the most LRAPA’sCleanerAirOregonprogram,whichwillassess common cancers we see in dogs,” Couto says. “It becomes airpollutionrisksinthearea.LRAPAexpectsthefacility challenging to understand what type of environmental or to complete the program in 2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has genetic risk could be because they are so common.” classified two chemicals J.H. Baxter uses to treat wood – Still, she says, when dogs are exposed to carcinogens, it’s likely creosote and pentachlorophenol – as “probable human humans are too because of the shared living environments. carcinogens.” The Agency for Toxic Substances says And it wasn’t only dogs who were getting sick at the those living near a wood preserving facility are at risk for time. For 22 years, Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, a Black exposure to creosote, especially if the facility discharges mother and cosmetologist, lived and raised a family in the chemical into the air or the ground — the agency also West Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood. says children who play in contaminated soil are at risk for On Sept. 27, 2018, at the age of 13, her daughter was creosote exposure. diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer The leaking of toxic chemicals from the wood treatment thatazectsapartof theimmunesystem. process over the decades have contaminated soil at J.H. Baxter, “That date is permanently seared in our family’s stateo{cialssayRegulators . finalizedaplanforJ.H.Baxterto minds,” Arberry-Baribeault says. clean up its on-site contamination in 2019, and an investigation The news devastated Arberry-Baribeault but also is underway to determine the extent of soil contamination. confused her. Neither she nor her partner had any Arberry-Baribeault took to Facebook, trying to spread family history of cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, the word around West Eugene. That’s when Lisa Arkin, Hodgkin’s lymphoma is most common in people ages 20- the Beyond Toxics’ executive director, asked her to join 15 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault is the West Eugene environmental justice organizer for Beyond Toxics — a nonprofit organization that has advocated for clean air and environmental justice for Oregonians, regardless of race, economic status, gender or citizenship status, for the last 20 years. Arberry-Baribeault’s journey with environmental justice began after her daughter and her close friend’s son — who both grew up near West Eugene — were both diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma just two years apart. Arberry-Baribeault believes the diagnoses are linked to the industrial pollution surrounding their homes. After sharing her beliefs online, she was contacted and hired by Beyond Toxics.

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 16

Arberry-Baribeault, right, poses with her daughter Zion Thompson. “What I would love to have happened, as an activist and as an advocate for West Eugene, is that no other families have to go through the nightmare that we went through,” ArberryBaribeault says.

the nonprofit’s team. Arberry-Baribeault now connects school district, the asthma rate is 14.33%, compared to 8.08% community members and educates them about pollution in among all Eugene students outside of the Bethel district. the area as the West Eugene community organizer.

As a mother of two, Godowa-Tufti is concerned for her “We can’t get anywhere without the community,” Arberry- children’s health. But she’s also a student at the University Baribeault says. “That is the most important thing.” of Oregon. When she heads to campus, the wood treatment But even with the leadership from Beyond Toxics, the plants disappear. She can breathe without questioning what’s battle for justice moves slowly. The class-action suit could in the air. It’s almost as if she’s in another world. take years to settle, and actions from enforcement agencies Many people she’s talked to at UO aren’t aware of the can take years of environmental review to implement. Lafon expressed concern that action from government agencies pollution in West Eugene. With the Bethel neighborhood is moving too slowly while the community continues to be on the other side of Highway 99, away from downtown exposed to toxins. Arberry-Baribeault agrees. She also says and UO, people in Eugene don’t see or smell the chemical thefineisn’tgoodenough. releases from industry unless they live near it.

“There’s no amount that’s worth my child’s life,” ArberryArberry-Baribeault says this lack of awareness needs to change.

Baribealt says.

“Since 1994, people have been making complaints about Earlier this year, Arberry-Baribeault’s daughter fully recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma after doing 25 these issues, and nobody is listening,” she says. “There’s a lot of chemotherapy sessions and six surgeries over a span of people in West Eugene who feel like their voices don’t matter.” two and a half years. But Arberry-Baribealt says she’s still The environmental justice movement in West Eugene has concerned about her daughter’s well-being because of her gained some attention from local media and representatives continued exposure to pollution. She attended Willamette in recent years. But as the stench still lingers in West Eugene, High School in Bethel School District.

Beyond Toxics and the community have more work to do.

Within two miles of the school, there are 13 industrial polluters.

“I’m a very optimistic person,” Molina says. “We can do West Eugene school districts like Bethel also have more better.

Things can change, and we really need to hold these BIPOC students than other districts. Beyond Toxics’ 2010 environmental health survey found 60% of residents in West companies accountable and take care of the communities where this is happening. Because at the end of the day, we all Eugene reported “significant concern about asthma” and other cardiovascular diseases. Among students in the Bethel need clean air; we all need water.”

17 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Newsroom

dailyemerald.com/ethos

in your pocket

Newsroom in your pocket dailyemerald.com/ethos

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 18

Figurines in Dungeons and Dragons help players connect with their characters in a 3D space. Akeldema the wolf shifter, played by Mason, is positioned in the middle of the playing field. Each player gets to choose a figurine to best represent their character.

Akeldema, or Aki for short, was hand painted by Mason.

19 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

THE MISADVENTURES OF THE MIGHTY

7

Through Dungeons and Dragons, a group of seven kids in Lane County escape reality and form close friendships.

Written by Bentley Freeman | Photographed by Elizabeth Donovan | Illustrated by Sophie Barlow

“Y

ou contemptuous, ill-fated, pact-making imbeciles. tabletop roleplaying game. Initially, this group started as What do you take us for? My sister says there was just a one-on-one session with Maya playing and Smith nothing at the bottom of that lake,” guardian of the feywild running a campaign about her character, Theadora and leader of the Fey snarls.

Virdis, traveling to a school for magic. But now, D&D The Siren — played by Eric Smith, the dungeon master serves as a way for this group of seven kids to hang out, of this campaign — says the group will live out the rest of bond and escape from the real world. their days here, and one of the player’s pet lynx will be put to Back in the game, one of their non-playable party players death. The group of seven middle and high schoolers started drowned a monstrous cyclops in the cave. Maya’s character frantically throwing out ideas. told the Siren to send her Fey to retrieve the body. Xexes, a Minotaur played by Smith, brought the Cyclops down into

“They can take me instead.” the murky depths of a dank lagoon but never reappeared.

“Why does nothing ever work out for us?”

The Siren deliberated for a while before sending her

“We have a deed — that should be enough!” second-in-commandtoinvestigate.Theplantotallybackfired

“Can we use one of the magic apples?” when the Fey returned, stating they found no evidence of the JT — a 15-year-old freshman at Elmira High School Cyclops or the Minotaur; the Siren leader wanted to hold who plays Ander Trygg, a human mercenary — argued the player party in the Feywild as penance for their crimes the lynx should not be put to death as it is harmless and against the Fey. The Siren didn’t like that the party of seven part of the group. adventurers failed their quest and especially hated that they Maya — a 14-year-old freshman at Elmira High School, had discovered the location of the Feywild. who plays Theadora Virdis, a warlock demon who worships Previously,thesevenyoungadventurerswerefinishing cats — pleaded with the Siren to spare the lynx. their business with a group of Fey, led by a Siren, to Once it seemed as if all hope was lost and they would be stop them from harassing some farmers. The players discussed how to best seal the deal with the Fey creatures, stuckinthefeywild—amagicalhiddenforestonadizerent plane of reality — for the rest of their lives, Maya’s character who initially agreed to stop harassing the farmers if the started praying to her god in the hopes it will help get them out party killed a Cyclops who was giving them trouble. This of this situation. Smith tells the group of seven adventurers group has been on several adventures together now, and to each roll for initiative, the order in which players and the DM ensures that each one is unique. monsters take turns in combat, a sign every Dungeons & Smith, the only adult of this group, has been playing D&D Dragons veteran knows all too well. since the early 1980s. Being a dungeon master comes with This adventure is just one example of the endless challenges, like knowing obscure information and managing possibilities that can play out in Dungeons & Dragons, a multiple players with their own motives. But Smith says it’s WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 20

all part of the fun. Today he runs campaigns out of two brick JT wants to get more involved in the game, but he has to and mortar stores. This group runs the campaign at Lock & Key work around his basketball schedule. He says he loves getting to Adventurers Guild, which shares the space with A Link to the roleplay in a high-fantasy setting like D&D and crafting a story Past,alocalcozeeshop. surrounding his character.

Smith says he enjoys “being the world” because, as the DM, he “I’m a big fantasy fan, and so being able to control your own is the creator of every story taking place, all the way down to the fantasy story is very fun,” JT says. He met Mason and Maya in the minutia, like the name of a beggar in a large city. He says D&D campaign and says he’s grateful that he’s made new friendships can cater to the type of game any player wants. because of it. He likes to be the group negotiator and makes sure “It’s inclusive for everybody. Some people do it as a tactical everyone gets a word in when six other players are trying to get board game because it’s important to them,” Smith says. “Some their opinions on what to do next. people do it purely on the acting. Some people don’t know what Ben wants to bring the game back to his family to play it with to do with their character, but they want to watch, and they want them. He loves the randomness of the game and how the dice to be involved.” control the outcome of any action, even with his character’s Smith lets this group have as much control on the story as they identity. Initially, Ben was playing a stoic Dragon Born warrior, want but not without consequence. For example, at the beginning but because of some dice rolls and roleplaying choices, the of their campaign, Maya’s character was searching for the character evolved into a narcoleptic, gay Dragon wrestler. previous owner of her lynx companion, an evil warlock hiding at One of his favorite moments in the campaign was when he a magical school. had “swordplay” with Xexes, the Minotaur. “We were forced to The party captured him, but the warlock unexpectedly wrestle, and I came out with a black eye,” Ben says. He wants to switched bodies with a 12-year-old student at the magical school. start DMing his own campaign because it seems like fun, and he When Maya presented the deceitful warlock to her elder cat god plans to keep the chaos going with his family. without interrogating him, she was shocked to find just a kid Mason enjoys getting to create art for their characters and subsequently killed by a horde of cats. The player group took a the group. They enjoy the creative aspects of the game and big hit in morale that day. letting their imagination run wild with their characters and “Ihadfinallygottenthebadguyand , Iwasgonnabringhimto my elder god and be like, ‘Here. I did it. I won. I did it. I completed actions. Mason says it allows them to practice drawing, a it. I’m so great,’” Maya says. “And then it was a 12-year-old boy.” favorite hobby of theirs.

All these motives behind playing D&D resulted in awesome She says she felt stupid and stressed, but she recognized her mistake moments of camaraderie, and it shows in and outside of the game. and was ready for the future consequences of the campaign.

While D&D seems like just a few slips of paper and small Back in the game, when the Sirens attacked their pet lynx, character miniatures, it is much more to this group of players. It’s the group of players wasted no time in taking up arms together not just about the game itself — to them, the game is also about against the magical creatures. As the characters fought together, the connections formed while creating those stories. each was slowly whittled down by the volley of attacks from Maya started out in the theater group at school. When she Satyrs, Sirens and Fey. found out about D&D from her parents, she immediately fell in Right when all hope seemed lost, Xexes came charging in love with it. She loves getting involved with her characters and from a pool of water with the Cyclops they believed they had sayssheuseshercharacter,Theadora,asareflectionofherself. slain. Cheers and whoops echoed throughout the store as their Eventually, more players heard about Eric and Maya’s small Minotaur friend saved them from beyond the grave. campaign and wanted in. Ben brought JT to come and play, and

“I love you so much, Xexes!” the rest heard about it by coming to the store. The group grew

“Did your god reanimate you?” to seven players, and they have been adventuring together for the

“Love you, Xexes.” past two months. The chaos has stayed around, but JT and Ben agree that it adds to the experience.

After the dust settled, Smith closed the campaign session. All the players said their goodbyes, eagerly awaiting the next session The group says they came together by chance, and now they all have something in common to share. Mason and Maya knew each other to see what happens next. “Each session is always something beforehand, but JT hangs out with them every day at school now. dizerent,”JTsays.

21 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 22

The Daycare Drought Written by Emerson Brady | Photographed

23 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

by Wesley Lapointe

Michael Bustamante leads a reading group in the corner of the toddler room at Oak Street Child Development Center. Not just anybody is a good fit as a teacher, according to Cindy Bellamy, director of Oak Street Child Development Center.“You have to be patient, kind, loving and sometimes firm,” Bellamy says. For such an impactful job, Bellamy says the support the non-profit childcare center receives isn’t enough to offer competitive wages to staff.

Continuing to adjust to the pandemic and demands for childcare, Eugene daycares face their worst labor shortages yet.

S

tepping into an educational center as an outsider Center, Cindy Bellamy. It’s chaos, but Bellamy says it’s evokes the same bewilderment and anxiety of controlled chaos. stumbling through a crowded market. To the left, Bellamy works around the clock with an objective in there’s a room with two adults scrambling to comfort mind. “My goal is to make sure that all of the children roughly six babies. Down the hall are classrooms filled know how to deal with other kids before they hit public withlaughter,tearsandyelling.Runningbackandforth school,” Bellamy says. fromtheclassroomtohero{cetowhereverelse isCDC is a childcare facility located in the Oak she Street needed is the director of Oak Street Child Development heart of downtown Eugene and provides childcare for

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 24

kidsagessixweekstofiveyears.BellamystartedatOaksays there are still positions that have yet to be filled Street after its first year of opening and has worked since the pandemic started in March of 2020. The there for the past 29 years. Eugene has changed since situation is so dire that Bellamy may have to fill a then, but the need for good childcare remains. teaching position herself while they wait for more applicants. Although she would like to raise wages RecentdatapublishedfromOregonStateUniversity says every county in Oregon is considered a childcare for her staz and ozer a competitive salary to job desert for children ages 2 and below. For kids ages 3-5, prospectors, she says it is not feasible.

75% of Oregon’s counties are considered childcare Oak Street operates as a nonprofit, but because deserts. There is not a single county in Oregon that it is private, it doesn’t receive much help from the meets the childcare needs of its community. government. As of right now, Oak Street’s income Between tours, waitlists and rejections, parents like comes solely from tuition, which gets raised 2-5% each year. Bellamy says this isn’t sustainable.

McKenna Knapp are finding the search for decent childcaredi{cult.Knappisanewmomwhostarted “There will come a time when families aren’t going sending her one and a half year old child to Oak tobeabletoazordthat,”shesays.

Street in September 2020. But she started looking for In April of 2020, unemployment peaked at around childcare when she was six months pregnant — she 15%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. That was the 12th person in line for a spot at Oak Street’s number has since fallen to under 5%, but daycares infant care. Knapp was fortunate enough to land a andschoolsarestillstrugglingtofillgapsintheirstaz. spot but says the process was nerve-racking.

The struggle to remain unscathed by the pandemic “I mean you fall in love with a center, and you get isn’t limited to Oak Street. Andy Dettman, director comfortable with the idea that you might be able to of the language immersion school New Dream, dropyourchildoztheresomeday,”Knappsays. expressed similar concerns over staying afloat. One Knapp is happy with her decision to stick with Oak challenge they’ve been struggling to overcome is the Street and says the team does its best to deliver quality financialandemotionalstrainonteachers. childcare. Every classroom is lined with overflowing “Every time we have to close, it’s like I don’t know bookshelves, arts and crafts litter the tables and there’s a quaint playground out front where children can what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Dettman says. “I play. However, with pandemic-induced closures, labor don’t know if I’m gonna have a job in a week.”

Betweenfinancialinsecurityandtheemotionalto shortages and little to no help from the government, the burden of keeping daycare centers operating falls of teaching children all day, Dettman says convincing people to teach is a grueling task. on the shoulders of daycare directors and teachers.

“Thisisaverystressfulfieldtoworkin,andthere’s “It’s hard when people come in and you tell them how much they’re going to make and they say, ‘Well not a whole lot of pay,” Dettman says. “Of course it’s I can make that at McDonald’s,’” Bellamy says. “I try becomeevenmoredi{cultwithCOVID.” to help them understand that working in childcare is Annabelle Schwartz-Horney recently graduated so much more.” from The New School and is currently in the market Oak Street has been hit hard by labor shortages. for a job. Schwartz-Horney has thought about Currently, Oak Street has 15 teachers but needs teaching or working at a daycare but would rather three more to not be considered short staz.find Bellamy ajobtoadvancehercareer.

25 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Cindy Bellamy, director of Oak Street Child Development Center, hugs one toddler and plays with others. “It’s a small enough program that we feel like a family,” Bellamy says. According to Bellamy, she often gets wrapped up in the fun while taking breaks from her desk work as director.

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 26

Students at the Oak Street Child Development Center sculpt with play dough. They play, craft and read together every day. There isn’t a flat surface in the center that’s free of toys and picture books, and the staff encourage the children to play with it all.

“I have a handful of friends who are teachers and so that ozer infant and toddler care. Directors of both passionate about it,” Schwartz-Horney says. “I think places recognize the importance of providing this scarceservicebutarecrackingunderfinancialpressure. you really have to be into it to become a teacher.”

The underfunding and understa{ng of U.In S. January 201, Dettman made the di{cult decision to reduce capacity by 50% in New Dream’s childcare impacts not only Eugene, but states across the country. According to a study done by the Center infant room. for American Progress, there is only enough care to “I’ve already cut our hours back so I could avoid service 23% of infants and toddlers across 19 states having to make that choice,” Dettman says. “I just in the U.S. Care for babies and toddlers is the most couldn’tazorditanylonger.” detrimentally azected by this cycle due to the steep Last March, President Joe Biden signed into law the cost it takes to keep these programs around.

American Rescue Plan. The bill includes relief fo

Oak Street and New Dream are two of about 15 public schools and daycares impacted by COVIDchildcarecentersintheEugeneandSpringfield induced areas closuresandstazshortages.However,thebill 27 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

willmostlybenefiteducationalcentersthat When are Hershey-Black isn’t working a fullpublicly funded and leave private institutions to time job or navigating care for her children rely on tuition and fundraisers to keep going. during the pandemic, she’s advocating for Despite there being little help from the better funding and resources for New Dream federal government, the state government has andotherdaycaresinLaneCounty.Recently, provided some financial relief toHershey-Black daycares. and Dettman participated in a The Early Learning Division in Oregon has panel discussion with Kate Brown about how given out forgivable PPP loans to daycares that thepandemichasazectedfamiliesemotional request them. The idea behind giving out these andfinancially. loans is to allow daycares to raise their wages Hershey-Black says attending the panel to attract more potential teachers. However, Bellemy says she is wary about increasing confirmedthisisanissuebiggerthanEugene. wages because these loans aren’t a continuous At the panel, she says, parents and teachers source of income for the daycare. across the state acknowledge the lack of “I just don’t know what programs are support for daycares. Hershey-Black says now supposed to do when the loans run out,” isthetimetoworkonfindingsolutions.

Bellemy says. “It’s not sustainable.”

Advocacy is where Hershey-Black says she Financial pressure, mental health turmoil feels her role in helping daycares survive lies. and a global pandemic have created a Whether that’s mobilizing parents to organize multitude of challenges for daycares to fundraisers for their schools or advocating for overcome. The desire to throw in the towel parentswhocan’tazordtosendtheirchildre is strong, but Dettman and Bellemy say they to childcare, Hershey-Black believes parents have a community depending on them, and need to support one another. they are determined not to let anyone down.

“I’m a fortunate parent. I can drop my “Childcare is important. It’s always been important. I feel like it’s even more important children oz at two separate places and know right now because families are struggling,” that they’re being cared for and loved,” Bellemy says. “We just need to pull together Hershey-Black says. “Not every parent can do that, and that breaks my heart.” and keep doing what we’re doing.”

This struggle to keep going during di{cult times is experienced by parents as well as teachers and staz. Sabrina Hershey-Black is the full-time aquatics director at the Eugene YMCA, volunteer board member for New Dream and a mom to two young kids. Her children have both gone through the New Dream infant program. When New Dream was forced to shut down due to COVID exposure, Hershey-Black and her husband were spread thin trying to coordinate who could watch the kids.

“It’s just so stressful,” Hershey-Black says.

“We’re waiting up at night wondering if the school is going to email us saying it’s closed.”

Hershey-Black isn’t fond of the anxiety that school closures enact, but she understands -ANDY DETTMAN, DIRECTOR OF “daycares are doing the best with what NEW DREAM SCHOOL they’ve got right now.”

“Every time we have to close, it’s like I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 28

Victoria Bleisch performs as Drake Demonwing at Old Nick’s Pub for their “Dragageddon”-themed drag and burlesque show. The performance was filled with animated dance moves and big leaps off the stage. She attributes her powerful performances to the response of the audience. “I love the audience’s energ y. I love it when they hype me up,” Bleisch says. “Everybody’s positivity is just so contagious.”

29 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

‘Drag

Kings:

We’re Hard to Come By’ As drag culture becomes increasingly popular, Eugene’s drag kings are making their mark on a scene dominated by drag queens.

Written by Nika Bartoo-Smith | Photographed by Natalie Myking and Elizabeth Donovan

D

ressed in cyborg attire inspired by “Star Trek,” Drake Demonwing walks onstage with the song “Send in the Machines” by Bohnes guiding his steps. A harness and wires covered in broken CDs crisscross his chest. Gray, geometric shapes adorn his face, already accentuated by makeup and a painted-on beard.

Drag culture continues to go more mainstream and become well known, thanks in large part to the show “RuPaul’sDragRace,”whichdrewover1.3million viewers to the Season 13 premiere in 2021. But the show still has yet to include a drag king, according to a New York Times article.

Demonwing is the second performer to appear, In fact, while conducting interviews and doing research capturingtheaudiencebywhippingozthecloakfor hethis wore article, I was often met with the question: What is onstage. The lights switch from an eerie red glare to a a drag king? greenandbluetocreateasci-fitheme.Demonwing’s So here’s the answer: A drag king is someone, of any performance is characterized by his dramatic movements gender, who performs masculinity. This often means ashelipsyncsalongtoBohnes—flailinghisarms, hiding curves, applying makeup to imitate a beard and grabbing his head and jumping around, cheered on by acting in a way that exaggerates what the public thinks the enthusiastic crowd, especially as he walks into the of as stereotypical masculinity. Many performers “do crowd serenading audience members. masculinity” while lip-syncing or dancing, similar to the Ozstage,Demonwingisasoft-spoken,self-described performances of drag queens. feminine woman named Victoria Bleisch. She created According to Abigail, a drag king in Eugene who prefers Demonwingandstrivestomakehimconfident,sexyto and keep her last name anonymous due to safety concerns, totally out there. drag kings aren’t very common, especially in Eugene.

“I feel the straight male privilege kicking in,” Bleisch says, thinking about what it’s like stepping on stage. “And, you know, I feel like I can just dominate the world. It’s so fun.”

While there are a number of drag queens and nonbinary performers, Edd Zackly, Abigail’s drag persona, has only ever performed with one other drag king: Demonwing.

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Kira Maddox paints Victoria Bleich’s face before she performs as a cyborg in “Dragageddon.” Maddox and Bleich have been partners for three years, and Maddox does her best to help prepare for every show.

31 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

“I’m kind of a rarity,” Abigail says. “Drag kings: We’re makeup to transform her face into a whole new one. She hard to come by.” hangs up pictures of the celebrity she aims to impersonate all around her room while painstakingly adding makeup Bleisch is one of the few other drag kings in Eugene. At Old Nick’s Pub on Nov. 14, 2021, she became Demonwing, dots using a dark brown liquid eyeliner and mascara to create a beard. After the makeup comes the hardest part: dancing and lip-syncing his way through the armageddonhiding her curves. themed show called Dragageddon. Picture bloodbaths and metal accessories, red lights and leather.

She starts out by layering multiple sports bras to hide her breasts, which makes it hard to breathe. Next, she uses a Preparing to step on stage and take on the persona of chest binder and adds a silicone chest piece. The chest piece Demonwing,Bleischspendsfourtofivehourswithher goes onputs over the binder and makes it look as if Zackly is girlfriendputtingonmakeup.Shedefinesherjawline, on an itchy fake beard and tries her best to hide her curves. showingozhisbare,tonedchest.

For Bleisch, hiding her curves means duct-taping her “I’m not trying to be hypermasculine. I’m trying to be a breaststoflattenthemasmuchaspossibleandsometimes dizerentcharacter.Justfun,goofyandsuperentertaining,” adding a sock between her legs to add a suggestive bulge.

Abigailsays.“OnceIgetintodrag,Ievenwalkalittledizerent.”

For drag queens, the process of getting into costume often While doing drag and identifying as queer are not includes adding things – curves, breasts, long hair, eyelashes, synonymous, drag and the queer community at large are exaggerated makeup – yet for drag kings it is almost the intrinsically linked — drag is often performed in queer opposite.“RuPaul’sDragRace”ozersabehindthescenes spaces, like queer bars. look into this process. Many of the competing queens Abigailfirstfoundherhomedoingdragatalocalgay emphasize big hair, big makeup and big breasts. bar in Eugene: Spectrum. She found a community of other “It’s hard for me to dress masculine because I have such a performers and people coming to watch. However, due to feminine body. I’m curvy. I’ve got big boobs,” Bleisch says.

COVID-19, Spectrum experienced a number of closures.

“I try to always give my breasts like a week’s rest.”

As a result, Abigail has not been performing much lately.

Kira Maddox, Bleisch’s girlfriend, is usually both Since March 2020, Spectrum, the only exclusively queer behind the scenes helping her become Demonwing and bar in Eugene, has been closed — save for one week before in the audience providing support. Bliesch and Maddox the Delta variant hit. They recently reopened on Dec. 1, met originally at Eugene Pride –– and then again a few 2021. For Spectrum, being exclusively queer means the years later in November 2018 at the Hult Center during bariscompletelystazedandownedbyqueerpeople,and a performance of Peter Pan. They started messaging on theymakeanextraezorttosupportqueerperformers, Instagram and have been dating ever since. according to Spectrum’s general manager Kiki Boniki.

“It’s really fun because she doesn’t practice beforehand,” BonikirecentlydidtheirfirstdragshowsinceCOVID-19 Maddox says. “It’s a surprise.” began in March 2020. They recognize drag is intimidating Bleisch chimes in, “For myself included.” if someone hasn’t done it before — the best way for “You can tell that she’s feeling herself,” Maddox says. an audience to help alleviate the performer’s anxiety For many drag kings, performing onstage allows them to is to “hoot and holler and have a good time.” A drag take on a new persona and perform masculinity in a way performance is no fun with a silent audience. thatfillsthemwithconfidence,Abigailsays.

While closing long-term has been hard, Spectrum O{ciallyadragkingsince2019,Abigailhasperformed employees feel like it’s their duty as community members characters such as Mr. Bean, Elton John and even Freddie to protect people from getting sick, especially those who are Mercury. For her, drag is a form of expression. underserved, according to Boniki.

“What drag gives me is the freedom from myself to perform Hales Wilson performed at Spectrum for many years without the weight of being female,” Abigail says. “It kind of prior to the pandemic. Wilson embodied a variety of became an escape where I can perform, be funny and people dizerentdragpersonasovertheyearsbutmostrecently aren’t like ‘Oh, that’s just a girl trying to be funny.’” settled into the character of Ellen Degenerate when they When becoming Zackly, Abigail spends hours using moved to Eugene.

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 32

When performing as Ellen Degenerate, Wilson takes on a moody, “80s pop aesthetic” look: bright, playful makeup and often a bright jacket that looks like it is from a cartoon with yellows, blues, purples and pinks. In 2018, Wilson joined the Farse Family queer performance collective,whichhelpedthemfindgigs.

There are not many venues for drag – and drag kings in particular – in Eugene, even though there are many queer people in Eugene, according to Wilson. They found the best place to try out drag and queer performances were the weekly lip-sync nights at Spectrum.

“I always loved Spectrum because we had a following

[of] people who showed up every month,” Wilson says, referring to when they performed with the Farce Family, a queer performance collective in Eugene. “And so we could get pretty weird and wild there.”

With Spectrum recently reopened, Bleisch and Abigail are both hopeful there will be more opportunities to perform again –– and more shows that highlight some of the kings in Eugene. Bleisch continued to perform at other venues throughout the pandemic, but all of them had a very “heterosexual vibe.” She says she feels more comfortable surrounded by other queer people at Spectrum.

Abigail has not performed since the pandemic shut Spectrum down. Excited to get back onstage, she already has a couple character ideas in mind: David Bowe’s Goblin King look, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonka and Lord Farquaad from Shrek to name a few.

“Drag reminds me a lot of when I was doing theater — it’s the exhilaration of being onstage except for it’s whatever you want it to be. So you are kind of the star of your own show,” Abigail says. “It’s kind of your moment to forget everything else.”

Instead of choreographing a routine beforehand, Bleisch’s performances are done on the spot and in the moment. She says before going on stage she imagines herself as the main character in a music video.

To her, Drake Demonwing “is just another version of myself that I feel really excited to express,” Bleisch says. “When I’m onstage I get to be as loud as I want to be.”

33 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

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35 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Behind the Scene House shows are a weekend ritual for young people in Eugene but wouldn’t exist without the hosts who run them.

Written by Kendall Porter | Photographed by Amalia Birch | Illustrated by Sophie Barlow

T

humping drums and electrifying guitars pierce the night air in the neighborhoods of Eugene.

The songs of local artists draw crowds down alleyways toward a front door or back gate. With IDs and vaccine cards in hand, concert-goers electronically pay the $5-$10 fee and step into the bright lights of the makeshift venue. Thus begins the beloved tradition of a house show.

Until 10 p.m., a stranger’s backyard becomes a place for dancing, moshing and energetic conversations.

“It’s hard to even fathom how cool the Eugene house show scene seems as a college freshman,” Cal Fenner, bassist for the band Laundry, says. “It just seems straight out of ‘80s New York. It feels like the most undeniably hip, creative place you could possibly hang out.”

House shows, as they are colloquially called, are a DIY style of concerts in which traditionally local bands perform for an audience of 200-500 people in a backyard, basement or living room instead of a professional music hall. In Eugene, a majority of those involved in producing house shows double as college students. Due to the small-scale nature of these events, there is a symbiotic relationship that forms between the musicians, attendees and hosts.

“I really enjoy how it’s a more intimate and smaller concert experience but more casual to go with your friends and meet new people,” Anna Crump, a junior at the University of Oregon who frequently attends house shows, says.

“Everyone’s really open-minded there.”

For Crump, house shows are a staple of every weekend.

The ritualistic screenshotting of event posters and DMing accounts for an address is one of the easiest and most azordablewaystoexperiencelivemusicinasmallerci “I realized how much more accessible it is here in Eugene,” Kellie, a house show organizer and host from Portland, says.

The ease in experience for attendees is not shared by those who host. A night of dancing and socializing for the people fillingthebackyardisanightof constantmotionfortho duty. Capacity, property damage, theft, personal safety and complaints from neighbors are all looming threats that need to be handled with precision and care. While this may feel like a nightmare scenario for some, for the people who host house shows, it’s a dream come true.

The Alder House – a venue that started hosting shows this past summer – is run by the seven people who live there. This year, they are one of the few locations to host multiple shows and have built up a following under the Instagram handle @thealderhouse. Due to safety concerns, all of the residents of theAlderHousewillbereferredtoonlybytheirfirstnam Kellie and Sigi fell in love with the house show scene their freshman year. Experiencing live music with a community they loved quickly became their favorite weekend activity. When they movedoz-campus,SigiandKellieknewtheywantedtohost house shows the second they saw their backyard. With their fiveroommatesonboard,theplanwastotransformthespace outside their house into a fully-functioning concert venue.

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 36

The Alder House’s first show took place on Sept.

24, 2021, and hosted local bands Common Koi, Broth and The Deans. After reaching out to the artists over the summer and settling on a date, Sigi and Kellie’s freshman year pipe dream was set into motion.

“We had no idea how it would go. It was perfect.

It went so well, and everyone was so excited,” Kellie says. Despite it being their first show, “it really came together. It was one of our best shows yet.”

As the venue grew and word spread, however, a new set of issues began to arise. For the Alder House’s second show, fears of an empty backyard were quickly replaced with the increasing danger of overcrowding. As the night continued and floods of people followed the promise of live music from the night’s lineup – Candy Picnic, Pillowspiders and Laundry – the household scrambled.

“It was the first show we had experienced that rush of people,” Sigi says. “I didn’t think we were ever going to reach that level with that many people wanting to come to our place. I had never seen that many people in such an angry mood.”

Through multiple miscommunications between the Alder House residents, security and those waiting at the door to get in, the tone of the crowd quickly became hostile once doors were closed.

“We were all spread out across our house and the yard, trying to ping-pong around trying to communicate,” Sigi says. As crowds grew in the alleyway between their house and Sundance, a small grocery store that borders the alley, Kellie struggled to give a direct answer to the people demanding entrance.

“I should have just been straight up and said no,” Kellie says. “But it’s hard because of course I want Portland-based band Growing Pains plays at people to be able to come and listen to the music. I the Alder House in Eugene Oct. 31, 2021, with wished that I was over there listening to the music too, Eugene-based bands Novacane and Candy Picnic. but I was telling people not to break our fence.”

Photo and caption courtesy of Ian Enger.

Frustrations about the limited capacity caused some members of the crowd to try to take matters into their own hands. to leave, infiltrators would run into the backyard and “There were people coming from all corners of our try to blend into the crowd. backyard,” Lina, a resident of the Alder House who was “They did a killer job,” Fenner, who was performing working security that night, says. Even in their living that night, says. “They had to kick people out for sneaking room, she could hear the front door jiggling as people in with no vax card, and we were way over capacity out desperately looked for another way in. there. It was brutal. It was like war out there for them.”

Gabe, a resident of the Alder House who was In the aftermath of the night, a section of their running his hot dog stand near the edge of the yard, neighbor’s fence was torn down, their own fence had remembers seeing people enter through the front gate, which was broken and out of use at the time. been damaged and one of their friends guarding the Despite his efforts to redirect stragglers through the door sustained a minor facial injury from a wannabemain entrance, Gabe says his requests were often attendeeflailingtheirarminexasperation. met with blank stares. Immediately after telling them Neither Sigi nor Kellie believe anyone’s intentions 37 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

“It just seems straight out of ‘80s New York. It feels like the most undeniably hip, creative place you could possibly hang out.”

-CAL FENNER, BASSIST FOR LAUNDRY were malicious, but Kellie says the disrespect was disheartening. The household spent the following day moment decision for attendees, Kellie says this was digging holes, pouring cement and building a new fence from scratch. Despite everything, they also remember the needed — safety, above all else, has continued to be the kind-hearted response that came from the community. Alder House’s main concern.

But making after the same show, they received an Instagram Multiple people ozered their assistance in message saying someone went to their show while repairsorozeredtheircondolencesforwhathappened. exhibiting In response, the household got to work finding new symptoms of COVID-19. Although the individual hadnotyettestedpositive,healtho{cialshad solutions to the capacity problem. What they arrived on: selling free EventBrite tickets the week before the show asked them to quarantine. The morning after the show, so attendees could reserve their spot in the backyard the results came back positive.

The Alder House posted a statement on social media beforehand. While they reminisce on the days when houseshowswerefirstcome,firstserveandaspurofand theurged people who went to the show to get tested as WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 38

The house shows take place in the backyard of the Alder House.

The residents set up a carpeted area in the corner so the bands have a place to set up that’s relatively safe from mud.

A poster board reading “please have your ID, ticket & vax card ready, $5” lies under the painted outdoor table with other decorations leftover from the Halloween show. Along with checking vaccination cards, the housemates — and hosts of the shows — also take temperatures at the door. “We just want to cover all of our bases, and be as safe as possible. Even if you are showing your vax card, we have an unobtrusive method to see that you’re healthy,” Kellie says.

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soon as possible, even though they had to show proof neighbors and police. House shows are naturally of vaccination at the door. After the scare, they decided ephemeral, he says. they could never be too careful and started taking Nearly every aspect of house shows are impermanent, people’s temperatures at the door on top of the vaccine yet the marks left behind remained scarred into the card and ID requirements. venues of the past. In the Alder House’s backyard, “As the band who gets to play at the house, we’re so a deep divot in the grass holds the memories of an grateful when someone is willing to let a million people energetic mosh pit on a rainy day years prior. into their house and just let us do our thing,” Fenner “That was from a show we had. That was a mud says. “That’s why it’s so important to have a place we pit for years,” Fenner says. “It never healed. We had trust, like the Alder House, because, while we’re onstage, our kitchen open to use the bathroom, and the next we have no idea what the fuck is going on out there.” morning,thefloorwasjustbrown.”

The music scene in Eugene has been vibrant for The energy of a mosh pit can be even worse for years, but Crump says she’s noticed bigger crowds indoor venues, and Fenner reflects on a show that his post-quarantine. Yet the number of venues has been bandmate hosted in 2018. With hundreds of people stagnant, if not lower than in previous years, because jumping up and down, a splintering crack sound filled fewer people are willing to host. the room. After the music stopped, there was “about Fenner has been an active member of Eugene’s a 4 inch gap between the floor and the wall.” Fenner house show scene since coming to the UO in 2017. says the rest of the set had to be cancelled because of His freshman year, venues like the Lorax Manner concerns for the structural integrity of the house, but and the Campbell Club — two co-ops bordering the the story is still passed around years later.

UO campus — dominated the scene, though neither Despite the hardships endured, venues like the Alder have returned to hosting shows after the start of the House continue to host shows because they love to do it. pandemic. Both Fenner and Crump say they have Lina, another Alder House resident, says house shows noticed a decrease in venues since March of 2020. were never something she was interested in prior. Now, In the past, Fenner remembers two to three house she says she much prefers hosting over attending shows. shows taking place every weekend. Now, he says, the community is lucky to have even one. The lack of shows In her own backyard, she’s much more comfortable combined with the growing crowds mean limiting walking around and talking to people. She says it’s nice attendance is a relatively new concern venues are to be able to go inside the house when she’s not working.

“It’s a lot more work, and you don’t get to be in the facing. While it makes the show every weekend “pretty crazy and fun,” as Fenner says, the responsibility falls mosh pit,” Sigi says. “It starts, and then you literally race to the finish line, and then it’s done. It’s like a on the venues’ shoulders.

Fenner’s own band, Laundry, has to deal with the whirlwind. I love it. I have always wanted to be a part something like this.” She joked with Kellie that, after ramificationsof thesechanges.Overthepastfiveof years the first show, they were both ready to change their they have been together, Laundry has slowly become one of the most popular and sought-after bands majors to event planning. performing in Eugene, with over 4,100 followers on Though few venues remain, Eugene’s house show Instagram. The residents of the Alder House speculate scene can’t function without those willing to take on the capacity concerns from the show were partially due the workload for the community. Kellie says, when she’s to the hype that had been drummed up around the hosting, the show is no longer for her; it’s for the guests. headlining act.

Despite comparing the experience of hosting to a “full“We have to close doors at a certain point, otherwise time job for the night,” Fenner looks back fondly on the house is going to die,” Fenner says. “We used to the days when his band was able to throw shows in the advertise our shows for weeks in advance. Now it’s same backyard. almost to the point where we don’t want to post about “I’d be hard-pressed to have a better couple years a show because it’s just going to be too big regardless.” than living at Alder House, being in Laundry and Fenner used to live in the Alder House in 2018 and hosting shows,” Fenner says. “It was really special, and hosted a “glorious four shows” in the same backyard. it really felt like you were in the middle of something He eventually stopped due to complaints from both happening –– and we kind of were.”

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Living With

Intention

Intentional communities like Walnut Street Co-op provide more ecologically sustainable lifestyleswhilehelpingtheirmembersfindcommunityandfulfillme Written by Maris Toalson | Photographed by Ian Freeman

S

itting at the intersection of Walnut Street and more like the way people have traditionally lived,” Tom East 17th Avenue in Eugene is a quaint, creamAtlee, activist, author and member of Walnut Street Cocolored, Craftsman-style house. A resident tends op for 20 years, says. to the vegetable garden in the front yard, and charmingly At Walnut Street Co-op, ecological sustainability eclectic furnishings decorate the house’s interior. is a core value –– as are cooperation, community, Downstairs,thereareshelvesfilledwithbooksandcommunication, democracy, fairness, personal awareness games, and houseplants rest atop various surfaces. Savory and collective intelligence. smellsflowoutfromthekitchen.Ajourneyupthestairs Atlee and other members of the co-op practice reveals a bright hallway that is painted yellow and lined sustainability by buying food in bulk, purchasing organic with bedrooms. This house is more than a place where and local foods, cooking mostly vegetarian and vegan, people live. For the nine residents of Walnut Street Cogardening, composting and sharing resources amongst op, it is a home. members of the household. Sharing resources – such But despite sharing living spaces, meals, resources as household appliances and products, food and more and household responsibilities with one another, these – is an essential practice for intentional communities residents are not a family –– at least not a biological one. like Walnut Street Co-op, and it reduces consumption, This household is an intentional community. according to Atlee.

IntentionalcommunitiesaredefinedbytheFoundation “People have things that the vast majority of for Intentional Community as “groups of people who time they’re not using. And, under the right social have chosen to live together or share resources on the basis organization, those things could be used by other of commonvalues.”Theyconsistof fiveormorepeople people,” Atlee says. “Living collectively, you don’t need and may be organized around shared social, spiritual or more than one or two hammers or whatever.” other beliefs. Physically, they can be one house or multiple According to the U.S. Environmental Protection structures and range from urban to rural locations.

Agency, plastic products – which non-bulk food is Because of the more cooperative nature of intentional often packaged in – accounted for 12.2% of all waste communities, they can provide more sustainable lifestyles. produced in the United States in 2018. Emily Kostuch, “We are moving from this absurd form of living that is another member of Walnut Street Co-op, notices the now standard in our culture to something that is a little co-op produces less waste than other households in the 41 | ETHOS | WINTER 2022

Tom Atlee stands on Walnut Street Co-op’s front porch. His activism work is a foundational element of Co-op, both as a way of fostering community and to guide Co-op in its sustainable and affordable goals.

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Group dinners have been a tradition at the co-op for as long as it has existed. They play a critical part in creating a sense of community within the household.

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neighborhood due to the nature of their lifestyles –– particularly because they purchase food in bulk. By buying food in bulk, the co-op reduces their single-use and plastic product waste.

Kostuch also says she has become more eco-conscious since living in an intentional community.

“I think more about where my food is coming from and packaging that food comes in,” she says.

Living a more sustainable lifestyle guides many intentional communities and can be a big motivation for individuals – like Kostuch and Atlee – to join them. Some members also like the constant support from others.

Kostuch says she appreciates the relationships she’s gained as a result of her involvement in intentional communities. Kostuch says these relationships are a source of strength and support, andlivinginintentionalcommunitieshasbeenbeneficialto mental health.

“If I was living on my own, I feel like I would have a mental breakdown,” she says. “If I’m feeling anxious and I want to go be near someone, I can do that.”

The community-oriented lifestyle Walnut Street Co-op provideshasbeenespeciallybeneficialduringthecoronavi pandemicforsomemembers,includingMorganRaikes-Bennet He says living at the co-op has helped him feel less isolated.

Walnut Street Co-op has fostered community for its residents during and prior to the pandemic through activities such as board games, group dinners and group meetings. These activities provide spaces for members to come together and connect amidst their individual lives.

“We’re a co-op, but we’re also a collection of individuals doing their own lives, and it’s very possible to go a full week without really seeing another person even though we share the same space,”Raikes-Bennettsays.“Themeetingsarenicetobeable to have a once a week check-in, and similar – that’s what meals represented, too – is community building on a regular basis.”

Raikes-Bennettsaysgroupdinnerscurrentlytakeplaceaboutthree times a week and are foundational to how the co-op lives its values.

Between a number of members shopping for food, others cooking the meal itself and cleaning up, group dinners need planning and teamwork. The process of working together to producethesedinnersfosterscommunityaccordingtoRaike Bennett, and it comes to fruition when everyone sits down at the co-op’s large dining table to eat with one another.

Another motivation for individuals to join intentional communitiesistheavailabilityof housing.Providingazordabl housing is a part of Walnut Street Co-op’s mission, and it is what drewRaikes-Bennetttobecomearesidentthere.

Raikes-Bennetsayshewasinneedof stablehousingwhenhe decided to look into Walnut Street Co-op with his sister. While

WINTER 2022 | ETHOS | 44

hissisterdecidednottojointheco-op,Raikesnecessary to make small lifestyle changes – such Bennett has been a resident there since 2017. as abiding by quiet hours or other community Hesayshedidn’tknowif hewasfittolivein agreements–whichcanbedi{cult.Holding cooperative housing, but he’s had an impactful residents accountable to these community experienceandbenefitedinmanydizerent ways. agreements while still being understanding of “Something I’ve gotten from the co-op is that their circumstances can also be challenging. each individual brings their own background Intentional communities like Walnut Street and what they love,” he says. “And that’s very Co-op also deal with judgment from those outside evident in how we share food and cook for each of the co-op. According to Kostuch, one such other.I’vebeenexposedtosomanydizerent assumption is the idea that the co-op is a cult. vegetables and dishes.”

Additionally,Raikes-Bennetsayssome Kostuch and Atlee both say the co-op works people believed he was going to be living on a because of the unique passions and skill sets of its residents — Kostuch says there are members commune when he told them he was moving of the household who love to garden and lead a to the co-op. However, these stereotypes do not representtherealityof Kostuch,Raikes-Bennett gardening committee. or others’ experiences.

However, navigating the various perspectives

of such a diverse group of people presents “It’seasiertotalkconfidentlyaboutsomething challenges at times, according to Atlee. He you’re ignorant about, especially if you’re going says communicating and interacting with other totalkdisparagingly,”Raikes-Bennettsays. members of the co-op in a productive manner Kostuch says her family has been supportive is important to create healthy relationships and of her involvement in intentional communities build community. and even visited Walnut Street Co-op for the “You have your perspective, but you don’t firsttimelastsummer. expect to get whatever you want or to be She says her parents believe she’s just “doing privileged in terms of your voice mattering any more than anybody else’s,” Atlee says. “So it’s a her thing.” lot of personal growth.”

“Idefinitelyknowthatmyfamilydoesn’t fully understand what I do here,” Kostuch says.

Raikes-Bennetalsosays,toberespectfulto other members of the co-op, it is sometimes “We’re just people that want to help each other.”

“We’re just people t hat want to help each ot her.”

-EMILY KOSTCH, MEMBER OF WALNUT STREET CO-OP

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Jarred and labeled spices sit in a kitchen drawer. The Co-op has two kitchens; one is entirely dedicated to vegetarian cooking. The kitchen is consistently restocked using monthly fees paid by all of the members and is where group dinners are cooked. The spice drawer is just one example of the abundance of reusable containers and bulk goods spread throughout the kitchen.

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