What makes us tick

From lighting the Morrison Bridge red to promoting testing and prevention, Coates Kokes supports Oregon’s efforts to end new HIV infections and reduce stigma statewide.

We all have an HIV status, regardless of who we are or where we live. And we should all be tested for HIV at least once. Yet 6 in 10 Oregonians have never been tested. In rural parts of the state, it’s even more evident there’s work left to be done to increase testing for HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI).

With tourism down in the Portland-metro area because of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with ongoing protests in the city core, sales stalled for Orox Leather Co., a family-owned business that prides itself in its craft leather goods and Mexican heritage. Adding to this already challenging time for small, local businesses, the Orox team was robbed not once, but twice over the course of two months, losing tens of thousands of dollars of leather bags, wallets and other products.

Full on mushroom ravioli and white wine, as a reward after a long day, I ambled my way south through downtown Portland to Keller Auditorium. Solo and feeling uneasy, this night was as much about dinner and a show, as it was confronting my inner anxiety.

In the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Justin Torres for The Washington Post wrote “In praise of Latin Night at the Queer Club,” a tribute I shared among friends, many who identify with a letter in the LGBTQAlphabet, and many who don’t. The outpouring of support and the unity that followed that brutal attack…

Cutbacks at print and broadcast media outlets in Portland and an emphasis on digital content have demanded we think beyond traditional tactics and change the way we practice public relations. We have been transformed into visual content producers as well as writers, strategists and professionals pitching story ideas to reporters. We know that by offering…