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Marina Martinez-Bateman
Marina Martinez-Bateman (they/them) is an equity and communications consultant and ghost tour guide who moved to Portland in 2014. Read More
Mother’s Day in Portland: Gifts for Your Butch Mom
Marina Martinez-Bateman
Marina Martinez-Bateman (they/them) is an equity and communications consultant and ghost tour guide who moved to Portland in 2014. Read More
If you’re anything like me, you might dread mid-April when Mother’s Day ads run wild, bombarding us with stock copy insisting that every mother wants nothing more than pearls and lace.
Meanwhile, for other mothers and parents who aren’t interested in the softer side of feminine expression, this can be yet another reminder of how our families are erased and ignored by a culture that isn’t exactly throwing open the doors for us right now.
But that’s the beauty of the LGBTQ+ community. We thrive despite everything, and we do it with joy and flair. In that spirit, I put together a list of places to either get a gift from or take your mother to. And your mama, papa, rotten soldier, sweet cheese, good time boi, or whomever and however many people you think of when thinking of a mother’s love.
Credit: Celeste Noche
Treat Her to Brunch at Tropicale
What’s not to love about Tropicale’s beautiful heated patio, drinks that are basically art, and their polite, insistent note that restaurant staff prefers they/them pronouns and non-gendered language? Add in an asopao, a Puerto Rican-style chicken stew that will knock your socks clean off, chilaquiles if you’re there before 2 p.m. on Sundays, and piña salsa they should probably just roll out in a trough, and you’ve got one happy parental figure.
Parking can be tough in this part of Kerns, but it’s very worth it when you walk through the connected patios of the neighboring restaurants into the mini-paradise that is the Tropicale patio. Order a colorful drink embellished with a plant, start your meal with chips and guac, and get ready to maintain your place as the favorite child.
A Class at Daffodil Studios
Owned by nonbinary transgender artist Danni Martin, Daffodil Studios’ art gallery on Sandy Boulevard hosts classes in ceramics and crafty things like painting, rug tufting and stained glass. If you have a queer parent that likes to DIY, get their hands dirty and learn new things; this is the gift for them.
Most of the reviews for this space have the word “sweet” in them, so you know you’re in for a treat of a time. No prior experience or artistic inclinations are necessary because these classes are all about exploration and cultivating a sense of wonder. At Daffodil Studios, the real gift is creating treasured memories with your loved one.
Plus, you get a new mug, candle holder or random freeform decoration for your mom’s home. For this Portland Mother’s Day gift, it’s the mom-aligned parent who makes the macaroni art for themselves! (Full disclosure: They don’t actually offer a macaroni art class.)
Gifts from EcoVibe
This amazing green emporium has two locations in Portland: the original in the Alberta Arts District and a second, larger location on Hawthorne. EcoVibe stocks everything a person needs to please their groovy eco-mom. Baskets? They have them. Candles? There are dozens!
Every corner of both locations is jam-packed with sustainable trinkets, house goods, wearables, consumables and more. The aromatic Oregon-made solid cologne by Broken Top Brands will tempt you; however, I recommend picking up a copy of the cookbook “Everyone’s Table” by 2024 James Beard Award-winning Gregory Gourdet, who owns Portland’s premiere in-demand Haitian fusion hot spot Kann. (This book is also a gift for you because the Haitian BBQ returns are out of this world.)
Poler Sleeping Bag Poncho
Do you have a camping mama? If you have fond memories of summers spent covered in sunscreen, dunked up to your neck in a body of water somewhere, waiting for your mom to fish up dinner while your other mother patiently grills the backup hot dogs, this one’s for you.
Poler calls themselves the original #campvibes store for a good reason. Take a spin around their site, look at the books on mushroom hunting, and ask yourself, when did camping get so cool? Then get your mom a sleeping bag poncho. She’s going to love it.
Warm and reversible while remaining sturdy and stunning, this sleeping bag poncho is the perfect accessory for nights spent around a bonfire, after-ski drinks at the cabin, or breezy summer evenings. I guarantee your mom will be the envy of every butch on the river.
Cotton Robe From Coral Story Beauty
Step inside the clearly organized and aesthetic Coral Story Beauty on Division, Portland’s first Indigenous-owned beauty supply shop. Owner and curator Morning Dove Barranger of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe of Montana specializes in sensitive skin and products for people who need or want more natural ingredients in their skincare and makeup.
While their beauty supplies are plentiful, I recommend their kimono-inspired cotton robe that achieves luxury without being frilly or flowy. This lightweight all-season robe is graphically stunning and printed in bright colors. It’s the quintessential GQ-style accessory that your mom will flip for. Or at least nod sagely at and thank you sincerely for while solemnly patting you on the back exactly three times.
Mother’s Day Drag Brunch at Swan Dive
Swan Dive, a local spot known for regular dance parties and nostalgic yet comfortingly eccentric millennial-friendly rock acts (like Swiss Army Wife), hosts a drag brunch on Mother’s Day. If you’re over 21, you need to be there.
Famous for their mix of outrageous acrobatics and meticulous showmanship, Swan Dive drag brunches are a queer mom paradise. These queens work for every cent of the ticket price with hand-made and custom outfits, sweat-defying make-up that ensures daytime realness, and one-of-a-kind wigs that won’t come off for anything, honey, not even a backflip-splits combo. Paired with appearances from local drag celebrities like Jayla Rose Sullivan, you’ll surely give your mama the memory of a lifetime.
Credit: Jason Hill
Brunchers should come prepared with handfuls (and I mean handfuls) of $1 and $5 bills to show gratitude for the deserving queens. Hot tip: Keeping your legs and lap crossed or otherwise occupied tells the queens that they should, respectfully, stick to the dance floor and away from your personal space. Keeping your legs and lap open means the queens are free to embellish their performance with a mutually consensual lap dance.
Mother’s Day in our communities can be complicated. Some of us have mothers that we don’t speak to, for one reason or another, but a lot of us have grown up to be mothers and parents in our own right. To children, of course, but also to chosen family, friends, pets and even ourselves.
This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate all our mothers, inside and out. (And preferably in Portland!)
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