Subaru & Sexuality

I went on a date last week, my first in Portland. I still laugh thinking about him telling me how challenging it is here for men, how they “compete with straight guys and lesbians.”

My date restores old cars as a hobby and he had just driven in from Olympia where he had picked up a ‘63 Studebaker. I, on the other hand, met him in my reliable yet slightly beat up ‘98 Subaru Forester. Naturally the subject of cars came up and when I mentioned what I drove, like others before him, his eyebrows raised up ever so slightly. And just like that I found myself once again defending my love of Subaru as a straight girl.

The more I thought about this stereotype that only lesbians drive Subarus, the more I realized of all my lesbian friends I only know one who actually drives a Subaru. Of all my straight gal pals, five own a Subaru. I did however do some googling and binging and found a website geared toward gay women calling the Subaru Forester the #1 car for lesbians. How they qualify that is beyond me ... and what if gay women around the world don't like this label? Ever thought of that? But all this got me thinking, maybe it’s time to declare the 1998 Subaru Forester the #1 car for Lebanese women? I am, after all, 100% Lebanese.

And “Suby” has been excellent in getting me to where I need to be when I can’t ride my bike. That includes a great show at the Oregon Zoo a few days ago. JJ Grey & Mofro opened for Susan Tedeschi. All were fantastic. Right before a show the zoo releases various birds. On this night they released a red tailed hawk, a bald eagle, and a bird that hails from Africa; a great start to a really nice evening. In fact, a great weekend. On Saturday I hopped in the car with three gal pals and we headed to a farm to go fruit picking. Of course, we veered off course for a few hours to hit up some yard sales, but it made for a well rounded day of shopping.

And it just occurred to me that my married friend Lara who drove that day did so in her … Subaru.