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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
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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
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