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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1985)
l/ f ---- c. ) V I ------ t .. 1 1 f\ \ r= ) Prefers the C lub Dear Editor, So. you prefer the Primary Domain! It fol lows then, that you love the lighting effects at the airport term inal’s ticket counter, the decor of your high school's cafeteria, the drink prices at the Oil Baron's Ball, and a staff and m anagem ent trained in Gestapo tactics. Personally, I prefer Club 927. That’s because I love soft lights, pleasant surround ings, reasonable drinks, and a warm, consid erate staff and m anagem ent I guess it's true, there’s just no accounting for taste, is there? O f course, I don’t always have impeccable taste myself. I have to confess I did read your paper — once! Diana Marcott — a grateful patron of C lub 927 G ive m e a break! Dear Editor: In response to editorial on Primary Domain: Give me a break, please! Granted, Portland lesbians were in grave need of a new place to dance, etc. 927 and The Other Side of M id night are very dungeon-like and feel very male-identified. I sympathize with your feel ings of hoping they either go out of business or stop calling themselves w om en’s bars. B ut really, don’t you think that you went just a little too far? A little paint does not make class. I think that Kate could use some artistic advice. The Christm as decor was tacky. If that is any kind o f representation of the so-called ‘class’ she has brought to Portland. I say keep it to yourself. Furthermore, many women gave their time and energy to that place for little or no pay and it is not a non-profit venture. Let’s get things in perspective. Kate Sullivan started a business that many women have seen the need for, but couldn’t get the finances to gether to do it Given the need, she is almost certain to make considerable profits off all of us. I have nothing against that. However, I do not feel that I owe her a "big thank you,” and I can think of more appropriate places for my praise. She should give a “ big thank you” to Renee for the free advertising, though. Maybe with the extra money she could support some lesbian artists and get som ething on those walls. A decent D J . would help, too. Realistically, D.K. Sing It Sister Dear Renee: In regard to your recent editorial about w om en's bars in Portland. I have one main com m ent: SING IT SISTER. The Club 927 does one thing for me only — it chum s my stom ach. Is it true that they now have female strippers there? I pray the wom en’s co m m unities around the States never find out about it — how sad and degrading. And here I m oved to Portland hoping it would become Just Out. rrv *985 the W om en’s capitol of the world . . . I have not been to the latest opening establishment, but have visited the Primary Dom ain. I basically agree with you as to the com fortableness of the place: I would, how ever, like to see some very good artist (I just happen to know one) get her hands on the walls at the Domain. I also would love to be able to go somewhere like that and not be forced to leave because of cigarette smoke. Such is the life of an active non-smoker. Please keep up the great work with Ju st O ut, I do look forward to reading it You and Jay have a wonderful thing going. I’m even impressed with the typeset you choose. In sisterhood and support, LM . Luther of diversity am ong the paid staff, it’s basically generic. But then, is that not true for most gay bars in our com m unity? Before we "line the pockets" of a bar owner with our hard earned money, be it Dyke or gay man. stop and think. Could that money aid another Lesbian group? One that is work ing to help others? There are a lot of other Dyke organizations that truly serve a diverse group of women. Organizations that are non profit and are working towards a better future for us all. How about a little financial support for them. Try skipping the bar just one week end of the year and donate the tab to one of the Lesbian organizations; if we all do that, we can go a long way towards helping ourselves. Besides, it’s tax deductible, and a whole lot better for our health. Thank You, McGee, Portland Dear Editor: RE: Renee's rendition of what the Primary D om ain means to Womin [sic). As a color-observant person, I couldn't help but notice that the walls of the Primary Do main, heretofore referred to as PD, are not white, even though it is true that the rest is gray. I applaud the color decisions made. The PD is a welcome relief from other lesbian bars in that sense. I am really looking forward to seeing some lesbian art on the walls soon. I wish that the drinks were more within my price range. Mostly, I wish that someone would sink the D.J. through a basketball hoop. There, per haps, she would reach new heights in the wonderful world of basketball disco for re tired sports enthusiasts. I mostly go to the PD because I like to dance my socks off. U nfortu nately, the music doesn’t facilitate my feet or motivate my body’s rhythm to activate. The scratched records make me cringe. The in congruous and haphazard mixing sends me up the wall of inertia. As I sit waiting for a "g o o d song to dance to " I wonder repeatedly how I can get a dancing fix.’ I sure can’t get it at the PD! I am not going to boycott the PD until the DJ miraculously recovers from whatever dread disease caused her to lose all sense of taste in music, but I probably will not be going there for awhile. I will most likely be at home . . . getting down to my favorite tunes on that great dance floor that I fondly call my kitchen. a disappointed dancer. I remain. Dianna C. Long C om m unity doesn't n e e d bars Dear Editor, I’m writing this letter in response to your m ost recent editorial on The Primary Domain. As a m em ber of the w om en’s com m unity and a W oman of Color I do not owe Kate Sullivan a "thanks" for opening another bar. Bars are not the answer to what our co m m unity needs. No matter how m uch one tries to mask the environm ent, this observer still felt very dark am ong the white walls and pretentious atmos phere of the Domain. One would have to look very hard to find that "extremely diverse group of wom en" Renee wrote of. There is not even a pretense N ot a non-profit o rganization In response to your January ’85 editorial: I for one D O N O T believe “ the wom en’s com m un ity owes Kate Sullian a great big thank you . . . " I thi nk that Kate is more than adequately thanked every tim e a member of this com m unity passes some of her hard earned money over the bar. Kate is definitely n o t running a non-profit organization. This co m m u n ity is supporting her — not the other way around. W hile I’m on the subject of the Primary Dom ain: Linda Shirley did a great job as DJ. but who is this that’s in the booth these days? I was in the P.D. New Year's Eve for about an hour and a half. During that tim e this alleged DJ managed to cause the stylus to go bounc ing across the record no less than six times. She also repeated records during that time. I realize that it’s impossible to go all night with out replaying some tunes, but to hear them twice in 90 minutes is very boring. Sincerely. Susan Gregg Everyone m akes errors in ju d g e m e n t Dear Editor: Myself and the staff at the Primary Domain wish to thank Just O ut and the com m unity at large for their overwhelming support for our new social club. It’s truly a wonderful co m pensation for our efforts to be lauded by our co m m u n ity press. As with m ost people, posi tive feed-back makes our everyday work m ore inspired and congenial and gives us the patience and perspective to deal with any negative sentiments. From my short tim e in dealing with the public domain, I have learned that there will invariably be those who are dissatisfied with services rendered. This goes with the territory and is as m uch a statistical probability as rain. E veryone makes errors in judgem ent; when you are a public industry there are apt to be echoes that the individual is not subject to. That is why we at the PD were concerned to read that our plaudits were som ewhat based on a denigration of C lub 927. It is not our desire at the Dom ain to achieve a m onopoly in the gay wom en's com m unity. Regardless of com plaints in any direction, we are all still m ore free when we have choices. In many ways our present suc cesses are based on the trials and errors of past efforts. The Portland W om en’s C o m m unity has grown tremendously; despite the general econom ic exodus, and will continue to grow as wom en from all across the country seek the liberal atmosphere of the west coast cities. There is m uch room for expansion in services to our com m unity. I hope we can support one another in this effort. Many thanks to J u s t O u t for their support!! Kate Sullivan. O wner of The Primary Domain GRNL O utreach I To the Editor: A short while ago I assumed the position of executive Director for the Gay Rights National Lobby. Although there is m uch that needs to be done, I am confident that I can succeed not only in m aking GRNL an effective voice for lesbian and gay rights on Capitol Hill, but in helping our com m un ity to gain the rights and respect we deserve. ! In a tim e when so m any voices, like the m oral majority, are calling for anti-gay legis lation, it is especially im portant for our voice to be both strong and loud. It is m y goal to w ork with national and local gay and lesbian organizations, as well as non-gay organizations that support us, to create that voice. It is absolutely imperative that all m em bers of the gay and lesbian com m unity, our fam ily and friends join with us in w orking for what is rightfully ours. W hen we think o f lobbying, m ost of us th in k only of a person on Capitol Hill rushing in and out o f House and Senate offices and w ining and dining im portant officials. That is only part o f the task. The other equally, if not m ore im portant part is the role that the indi vidual voters play. Congresspeople do not respond to lobby ists unless they know that we represent voters in their districts. We have two ways o f letting them know this: (1) we point to the num ber o f m em bers we have in a given district and (2) we activate ou r c o n s is te n c y network to m ake calls to their representatives to encour age them to support ou r positions. I strongly encourage all gay men and les bians to becom e part of ou r national network, part o f our voice, by becom ing m em bers of the Gay Rights National Lobby. No matter where you live, you can volunteer your tim e to help. Or, if you prefer, you can send us a contribution. For m ore inform ation, please write to RO. Box 1892, Washington, D.C. 20013 o r call (202) 546-1801. Remember, it is only by working together that we will ever reach our goals. Your co n tributions o f tim e and m oney are vital to us all. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Nancy Roth, Executive Director Gay Rights National Lobby 3