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.
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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
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