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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2003)
January 3.2003 CULTURE ............... ▼................. 15-year-old girl sits on the edge of heF bed contem plating suicide. Blood strings her arm as she slowly cuts h e r self with a serrated kitchen knife. But a friend, w ho she met on TechnoD yke.com , finally convinces her at 5 a.m. to put the knife down. Less than two years later this same lesbian posted, “I’m 17 now and, Stacy, if you didn’t cre ate this site I don’t think I’d he here because without it I wouldn’t have had anyone when I needed someone the most." And that epitomizes why TechnoDyke.com has become the second-leading online lesbian publication and community in its genre. If you ask any computer-savvy dyke what the best site on the Internet is for the ladies, odds are she’ll tell you about this brainchild (if Stacy Bias. A phoenix in the dot-com rubble, Techno- Dyke provides lesbians with “entertainm ent, education and a vantage point from which to watch and join in the evolution of technology.” It’s a place, Bias says, where lesbians gather together to “educate, support, piss off and m oti vate one another.” • Bias was a graphic designer when she decided to start up the site in 1999. “It’s amazing how much of a motivating force hating your day job can he!” she exclaims. “T he concept originally was for a site mainly fix:used on queer women in technology...hut almost immediately the site just sort of slipped away from me and became this huge beastie of its own.” Now it provides dating, classifieds, e-mail, bcxik and music reviews, links and other eloquent content around news and entertainm ent with queer interest. Idle most popular attraction is the commu nity chat for dykes to debate, rant, joke or sniv el. O ne devotee delights, “T he forums here help me feel a sense of community, especially since I’m so far away from a physical o n e...an d it’s a really gcxx.1 feeling to know that people read what I have to say and maybe even care.” Bias feels the energy of the community she facilitates and believes the Internet is an invalu able resource for women who are missing this component in their lives. “I think our strongest point is the community aspect. We have thriv ing message hoards...where people talk about everything from daily minutiae to gender poli tics to how to have sexy safe sex to the best joke they’ve heard lately.” W hen asked how the site has affected her life, one dyke said: “It helped me to stop hating myself. I realized that there were other people going through the same stuff I was.” Beyond the collective therapeutic powers of les bian energy, you can also find a girlfriend. In a handful of categories—ranging from trans to hi to g(x xl old-fashioned girl-on-girl action— Web surfers can search more than 800 postings on the site. Bias A Life saving on the superhighway TechnoDyke.com: Serving lesbians one click at a time by G in a D a g g e t t says she is amazed that there have been more than a handful of TechnoDyke-induced couples. ias, a purebred Oregonian who lives in Northeast Portland with her girlfriend and wiener dog, says that in the three years since its conception, TechnoDyke has ignited within the lesbian community, most notably because of lack of a similar outlet prior to its launch. She’s steadfast in her commitment to keep the content sharp and original. “I realized that there was this overwhelming need for real les bian mainstream representation...quite a few sites out there [that] cater to queer culture are really into syndicated content.” TechnoDyke’s content is insanely diverse— one click to an advice column, one click to the LTyke of the M onth, one click to a stimulating interview— and Bias works hard to keep the features fresh. T he feature articles ride an edge that you can’t find on other sites that p<x:ket money from controlling advertisers. "We can talk about stuff like drag kings, dyke pom, trans rights and less er-known but attention-deserving queer musi cians." W ith nearly 50,000 visitors each month, it must be doing something right. B The BIGGEST GAY LEAGUE in Portland bowls at 300 LANES! For More Info Call Cathi Bowlers needed for Friday ni^ht fits league 3031SE Powell Blvd Portland OR 97202 503-23^-0237 Always M sites do, but Bias wants to keep it accessible to “people of all socioeconomic backgrounds." However, without advertising or member ship cash flow, the Webmistress has to do back- bends to stay up and running. Having grown from its evening and weekend upkeep, Techno- Dyke has become a full-time job. Along with a generous time commitment, Bias has developed other profit centers to cover operating costs. “O ur products are the main way that we support the site financially," she explains. O ne of these pnxlucts is “Pussy Pucker Pots”— all-natural, vegan lip balm with the tag line “For the Tastiest Lips N orth of the Hips” and clever flavors like “Strawberry Snatch” and “Chocolate Nipple Ripple.” It was one of the hottest stocking stuffers this year, flying off the shelves both Lxzally and nationally, and Bias is struggling to keep up with demand. She’s also developed “DykeTees.com,” which carries “kajillions of unique queer-themed shirt designs.” Her “Hey Mister, G ot a SisterF T-shirt is a hot seller and was just picked up by a large national distributor. And while there are TechnoDyke members all over the world— reaching as far away as South Africa and Australia— Bias says she’s concentrat ing on developing the Portland community. “For the first year and a half, I really didn’t focus on having a local presence; I was too busy keeping up with the demands of the site. But I have made a commitment this year to get things together here and start building a community in Portland.” j H Because TechnoDyke doesn’t benefit from advertisements, it can’t afford to pay writers (save a small stipend if your piece is chosen as the site’s “feature”). It does, however, allow queer women a chance to publish while keeping up with trends and news. Techn oDyke could charge a member ship fee, as similar Visit T echno D yke at wivw.technndyke.com to find the main site with links to Pussy Pucker Pots and DykeTees. Contact Stacy Bias at pdx@technodyke .net. G ina D a g g ett is a Portland firee'lance writer whose favorite Pussy Pucker Pot flavor is “Shaved Peach." She can he reached at dagaett@aol.com. TechnoD yke Webmistre Stacy Bias at home with capable assistant George cWe&hsides Our professional unit arrange your delivery EVERY SINGLE BOOK OF GAY EROTICA 4 ALW AYS IN STOCK! <@ )A fy First Time Vol.3. True stories of young lads falling prey to homosexual agenda! $15. ( new ) Rhapsody in Black. Brothers drop trou, show off third leg in book of 1970s photos. $50. ( new ) Vintage pulps, mags, photos. Museum- quality collection recently bought! $20-up. 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