Just out., May 05, 2000, Page 45, Image 45

may 5. 2000 ’ jHflt
t was a late Saturday evening in Vancouver,
and the smoke was thick. The stereo blasted
familiar disco music; the dress code seemed
to be the usual T-shirts and jeans. Those in
attendance mingled in and out of smaller
groups, talking and laughing while sipping their
favorite alcoholic beverages. And, yes, there
was the periodic glance at someone passing by
who seemed appealing. But this was no bar or
disco. This was Socialites Cosmic Bowling, and
over 20 men and women attended the April 22
event near Fort Vancouver.
The SW Washington Gay & Lesbian
Socialites, a group serving the gay and lesbian
community since 1995, gets together twice a
month, and membership is free. The group has
hosted a wide variety of activities, including:
visiting the Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry, jet boating on the Willamette River,
attending a comedy club, seeing movies,
watching professional hockey games, and
camping trips. The Oregon Zoo will be the
Socialites’ next destination on May 27.
While many of those who attend the
group’s events are from Vancouver, some travel
miles to join the group.
“Some people come from the other side of
Mount Hood,” Jesse Batz says.
Batz, one of the group’s organizers, says he
plans on traveling to Seattle and British
Columbia to invite out-of-towners to the
Socialites’ annual summer fund-raising event.
Some members keep coming no matter
what. Doug Polley lived in Vancouver several
years ago and then moved to Portland, but he
regularly returns to socialize with old friends
and finds himself making new friends as well.
“Portland doesn’t have a group like this,
where you can get out and meet people like
this. It’s just an alternative to going out to the
clubs and trying to meet people,” Polley says.
While he didn’t meet his partner, Tom
Brannian, at a Socialites event, Polley has
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e just like to read good books,
eat good food and talk!” says
Cary Renfro, an organizer of
Marionberry Salon.
The group, based in Salem, meets
once a month. While the mailing list has nearly 20 names on it, about
six to eight people attend each meeting of the book group. Renfro says
certain folks come to every discussion, white others come if the book
looks interesting to them. Most members are from Salem, but meetings
are also attended by people who live in Dallas and Woodbum.
The mission of the group is to read books that touch on the gay, les­
bian, bisexual or trans experience. While the group is open to all,
regardless of sexual orientation, only sexual minorities currently attend.
Usually meeting on Saturday evenings for discussions over a
potluck dinner, the group gathers in a different member’s home each
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since introduced him to the fun. They now
attend events together.
One of the group’s founders, Mike Audette,
a Vancouver native, continues to organize the
Socialites. In addition to planning events and
ensuring they are successful, Audette has the
daunting task of keeping the Socialites
informed about upcoming events. After five
years of work, Audette’s mailing list has grown
beyond 700 e-mail and home addresses. On top
of that, Audette sometimes searches electroni­
cally for people to attend Socialites events.
Audette’s creative recruitment effort paid
off for the bowling event.
“I just got this random e-mail,” said one
female bowler, dressed in ’50s bowling attire.
She decided to attend with little knowledge of
the group and brought along a date as well.
In 1995, an informal “gay town hall” was
held to examine the interests, needs, services
and problems of the gay and lesbian communi­
ty residing in southwest Washington. One of
the outcomes of the meeting, which was
attended by more than 100 people, was the
idea for a social organization. At that meeting,
organizers stepped forward, the name was put
to a vote and the Socialites was bom.
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SW Washington Gay &
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by J onathan
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The group’s annual budget is approximately
$2,000, raised during an annual summer cruise
on the Portland Spirit. More than 400 people
are expected to take part in this year’s cruise,
and participants will travel from all over the
West to attend. The money raised at the event
covers postage, advertising and other operating
expenses for one year. In addition, some funds
are put toward events, allowing the admission
prices to be lower.
While the group mostly consists of singles,
about 25 percent of those who attend are
involved in significant relationships. The
Socialites’ events provide the opportunity to
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month. Books are chosen two months in advance. It's more of a social
group than anything else, according to Renfro, who adds that meetings
are not highly structured.
The salon broke off from the Coalition to End Bigotry book group,
which began meeting in 1993. The Salem Public Library was a co­
sponsor until 1995, when it withdrew its sponsorship due to low atten­
dance. The book group continued without the library’s aid while the
Coalition to End Bigotry became increasingly focused on Salem’s
annual pride celebration. The book group decided to separate from the
coalition and continued meeting under the name Marionberry Salon.
(The name is derived from the tasty native Oregon fruit.)
On May 20, the gathering will include a discussion of The Kid by
Dan Savage. For more information, contact Renfro at (503) 363-6036
or MarionberrySalon@aol.com, or visit hometown.aol.com/marionber-
rysalon/myhomepage/index.html.
meet other singles, but most events have an
atmosphere of warm friendship rather than a
pickup joint. Some people, however, have
found more than just friendship. “It’s possible
that a love connection has been made,”
Audette concedes.
Socialites don’t just socialize, members are
involved in the community. Audette has
recruited some of the Socialites for a new coed
softball team from Vancouver. The Socialites
also participate in Saturday in the Park, Van­
couver’s annual pride event.
Although Portland is a social destination
for many who live across the Columbia River,
some southwest Washingtonians prefer to stay
in their own communities. For Mike Sager,
Vancouver is not just where he lives with his
partner, but where he socializes as well. Most of
his friends live in the area and some participate
in the group he co-founded. (One of the orga­
nizers of the original town hall meeting, Sager
started the group with Audette.)
“A lot of my friends come to this to meet
new people,” Sager explains, adding that the
group is always changing—“People cycle in
and out.”
Sager is also the head of a committee that
organizes Saturday in the Park. The daylong
event is scheduled for July 15. The Socialites
will reach out to the community at the pride
event by sponsoring a booth and talking to
potential members, and the group has also had
a hand in promoting Saturday in the Park.
“Vancouver works like that,” Sager says of
the cooperative atmosphere in his city. “Every­
thing is so small it just works like that.”
Vancouver
Resources and Info
SW Washington Gay &. Lesbian
Socialites, P.O. Box 6002, Vancouver,
WA 98668; socialites@aol.com; Mike
Audette (360) 735-1901.
Webpride softball team is part of the Rose
City Softball Association. Season runs
through July. (360) 735-1901.
SW Washington Gay & Lesbian Resource
Guide, www.gayvancouverwa.org ; Carl
Vanderzanden (360) 397-8215.
Men Talk of Vancouver meets on the first
and third Monday of every month. Peter
Christensen (360) 576-6595.
Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree
Empire. Jane or Shelley (360) 699-5232.
Saturday in the Park 2000 “Generations
of Pride” takes place from 1 to 8 p.m.
July 15 at Vancouver Landing, Terminal
1, near Red Lion Inn at the Quay.
The (Potter’s House ¡Ministries
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