Meet Jack Bott

We were lucky to catch up with Jack Bott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience stems from my family and the queer community that surrounds me.

Growing up as a girl in society was a constant challenge. My childhood was filled with efforts to prove myself to doubters, especially in team sports. As an athletic kid, I was fortunate to have supportive parents and brothers backing me in every endeavor. However, my peers were often less enthusiastic, particularly in co-ed sports where I was frequently the only girl.

I played basketball and flag football consistently from pre-school through middle school. Despite outperforming many boys, I faced bullying simply for being perceived as a girl. At the time, I was proud to be a girl in sports, though I never truly felt like one. Growing up in Florida, a state not particularly inclusive to queer folks, I lacked understanding of my gender identity.

I never presented femme, and I always dressed and acted very boyish, which drew a lot of unwanted attention. Thanks to my parents’ upbringing, I never compromised my true self. Although the bullying affected me at times, I focused on the support from my few loyal friends and family. I drowned out the negativity with their words of love and encouragement. I never let others drive me away from what I loved—playing the game, having fun, and being authentic.

This experience of growing up as a young girl in team sports significantly contributed to my resilience today. While my dream of joining the NBA didn’t materialize (I’m too short anyway!), it undoubtedly helped build the foundation for me to persevere in all my passions.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a multifaceted individual with various passions, all ultimately leading back to serving my Queer community.

My 9 to 5 job is working as a Graphic Designer, and I absolutely love it! I’ve been doing it since 10th grade. I am so blessed to be able to do something for a living that I actually have a degree in. I work for a small, family owned marketing company in Beaverton, called City Connect. I’ve been there now for 8 and a half years, and I love my co-workers and my managers. They treat me very well, and I really feel valued as a part of a working family. When I have time, I also take on freelance clients from all over the country. I’ve worked with folks from California to New York, on big and small projects. I mostly work in print design, such as ads, brochures, business cards, etc. In my free time, I like to design typographic artwork. One of the many reasons I moved to Portland was after I attended TypeCon in 2013. It’s a very niche area of design that I’m quite nerdy about. In fact, TypeCon is returning this month, and I will be a volunteer this year! I felt right at home when I first came here to visit, and to witness first hand how much the art community here is supported and valued made me feel right at home. It was love at first visit–I was hooked and I knew I needed to be here.

I’ve always been very passionate about music. I used to make mix tapes, (really CDs), for my friends in high school, and I was a playlist curator for a handful of parties in college. I am now one of the DJs for a monthly queer party called BLOWPONY, and I am so honored to be a part of this family. I’ve been with them now for about 3 and a half years, and I absolutely love the community that we foster. Not only do we put on one of the most inclusive parties in PDX, but we also give back to a lot of local and national non profits and organizations. This aligns greatly with what I like to do during the summer months—I will throw impromptu dance parties at Colonel Summers Park and try to raise awareness/funds for different queer organizations. Last month, we raised $237 for the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition. I try to do as many of these dance fundraisers as possible, amidst my busy schedule. Being a part of the BLOWPONY family party has also pushed me to refine my DJ skills. Most recently, I DJ’d at Mike Bennett’s Wonderwood Springs for his Ye Olde Gay Faire and Ye Ole Renn Faire, as well as the first Transmasc Night at Doc Marie’s. This month, I will be performing at Portland Pride’s Waterfront Festival on the Main Stage for a segment called Trans Power Hour, featuring 3 other trans dancers who are a part of my BLOWPONY family! I was also recently nominated for the Willamette Week’s Best DJ of Portland.

The attention that I’ve drawn to myself is a bit overwhelming to be quite honest, but I’m also a Libra, so I love the attention! I have a rule for myself that I won’t accept too many gigs on top of my 9 to 5 job. This is partly because I don’t want to overextend myself so much that it becomes super stressful for me, and partly because I want DJing to remain fun. Prior to these bigger parties that I have DJ’d, I’ve had some bad experiences with gigs—mainly friends referring me to other people that I didn’t know as well, and these events were also not within the queer community. Unfortunately, this really soured a lot of the types of gigs that I’ll say yes to. I promised myself that I would only do queer events from now on, or at least events put on by folks who I know are super supportive of the queer community. There is absolutely nothing I love more than to play the best music for folks and watch my community just let loose and be themselves on the dance floor! Given the current climate around being loud and proud as queer and trans people, these parties and events are forms of protests. We are out here living our best lives, being our unapologetically queer selves, and celebrating our identities together. We’re reminding people that we have been here, and we will continue to be here living our authentic lives. Our foremothers, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera did not risk their lives fighting for us to live in fear and shame.

One of my other passions that I’ve picked up over the years has been fixing computers, specifically laptops. This passion stemmed from an unfortunate situation that occurred in my first quarter of college, right in the thick of finals week. My brother had bought me this amazing, brand new, fully loaded laptop from Toshiba so that I could have a really nice computer to carry me throughout my college career. I should mention that my brother is also a computer whiz, so he was very careful about what he bought and made sure that it had some real horsepower—it was not cheap. This computer completely fizzled and died on me, after only owning it for about 2-3 months. My brother and I spent hours on the phone with Toshiba, but they would not help me, simply for the fact that I had a PO Box on a college campus. They refused to send me a box so that they could repair it, and instead required me to go to an authorized repair store. I had no mode of transportation, and the nearest store was about 2 hours away, by bus. Sure, I could have taken the bus, but it was ludicrous that I would have to do the heavy lifting because of my college address. Their ideal market is college students! My brother tried to help as much as he could from afar, and I spent days upon days watching Youtube videos on how I might go about repairing this computer myself. I should have been studying and working on my papers, but this took up so much of lmy time, and I wanted to figure it out! The entire debacle opened my eyes to how these big boxed computer companies don’t care about consumers. Eventually, we ended up getting it taken care of because we filed a complaint with the BBB. From that day forward, I wanted to help anyone I could with fixing their computers, and prevent folks from investing so much money into machines that are not even built as well as they used to be.

I am proud to say that I am now an expert in fixing PC and Mac laptops. I’ve watched thousands upon thousands of videos. I’ve been fixing many laptops over the course of the past 10 years, and it feels amazing to help people for a fraction of the cost. During the pandemic, I offered my computer services for free, especially to the queer community. I would only have folks reimburse me if any parts needed replacing. I often had many people who donated what they could toward my labor, which was very much appreciated. I can’t stand these big corporations, and even some of the smaller computer fix-it places, that take advantage of people who are not tech-savvy and charge them obscene prices, when the parts are not even that expensive, and the labor is not that extensive! My side business that I run is called iFlipTechPDX. I mainly operate it through instagram, and I’m happy to talk to folks about their laptops, give them advice, or try to revive their dead machines to bring them back to life!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Listen. Communicate. Balance.

Listening is one of the best skills a person can possess. Not just listening to what other people say, but also listening to what your body, your mind, and what your heart are telling you. I’m guilty of not listening sometimes—it’s not an easy skill to develop, and we all tune out sometimes. I’m a great listener when it comes to offering an ear to someone who needs to be heard. If you need someone to sit with you and listen to what you have to say, I’m your guy! The listening that I still struggle with to this day is listening to myself. I’m not talking about my inner saboteur—that’s one voice I will always advise you shouldn’t listen to, but I’m talking about when my body is telling me it needs rest, when my gut is telling me that something doesn’t feel right about a connection or an upcoming decision that needs to be made.

Communication is key in all relationships, including with oneself. My mother instilled this value in me early on, emphasizing the importance of expressing feelings, needs, and wants. I learned that when communication isn’t reciprocated, it often leads to heartbreak or feeling left in the dark. This skill applies to all aspects of life; sometimes, difficult conversations open the best doors. Remember, no one is a mind reader—if you’re feeling a certain way, speak up. If nothing changes after communicating, it may be time to move on.

Balance has always been part of my nature, though it’s very easy for things in this world to become off-kilter. I strive for balance in all aspects of my life—projects, activities, and relationships. With a full plate and many creative outlets, it’s challenging but essential to nurture your inner child and not overextend yourself. Take the rest you need—if you need extensions on deadlines, ask for them. The worst thing that someone can say to you is “no,” but most of the time, if you’re just honest with folks about where you’re at mentally, and needing that rest, you’ll get those extensions. Things will fall into place as they’re meant to—I truly believe that.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Two individuals have significantly ignited the sparks within me:
Lindsey Danae Perez, the love of my life, is an exceptionally supportive and inspiring person. Her creativity and passion for art and activism have awakened something in my soul, encouraging me to pursue my own passions. As a multifaceted individual herself, Lindsey understands and shares my drive to create and give back to our queer community. She keeps me grounded, reminding me to nurture my inner child when I lose sight of my principles. I’m deeply grateful for her presence in my life.

The other influential person is my late friend, Lee Hawkins. Lee was beautiful inside and out, fearlessly embracing every aspect of life. I don’t think it coincidence that, after she left this physical plane, I met Lindsey, and that I became connected to one of Lee’s favorite queer parties, BLOWPONY, and that I also became acquainted with her favorite local artist, Mike Bennett. Lee was one of my closest friends who genuinely cared for me and wanted the best for me. Her love continues to propel me forward, and I feel her presence with me on every step of my journey.

These two remarkable individuals have played crucial roles in shaping my path and inspiring my continued growth and dedication to the queer community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jackbott.com
• Instagram: youthitthejackpott
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackpott
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/uhitthejackpott
• Other: Computer Help/Advice Instagram: @iFlipTechPDX
  BLOWPONY Instagram: @blowpony_homocult

Image Credits

Main image that is being used for the feature is by Jason DeSomer of Whatever Photo.

Image of me with Mike Bennett by Lindsey Perez.

Image of me DJing behind the computer by Lindsey Perez.

Last image of me DJing with my hand in the air is by Jason DeSomer of Whatever Photo.