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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2003)
tebfuary 2 1.2 Û Û 3 * J a a ft a a f t j ^ H ' i ' ] ; * i n v i 4-1 m e w s hat is queer profit? It’s the way we make our living, spend our dollars and prepare for our futures. It’s lavender com merce. It’s building communi ty through support of gay-owned and gay-friendly business. It’s mortgages, health care, child care, auto repairs, enter tainment and every other aspect of our lives that involves the earning and ex change of money and by gixxls. Queer profit is Marty Davis all of us. The profitable part of Just Out is a tad shaky today. So far, and it’s early in the day yet, we’ve had a broken water main— causing God only knows how much damage— followed by a fire alarm that was greeted with total apathy by the staff as we sat in a sugar-induced daze from eating Erin’s birthday cake. All while listening to our new, not-so-stx)thing, ceiling-to-floor waterfall. And now, a few notes from the world of queer profit. m PROFIT #»ní* ou know something big is going on when you can’t find a parking space in downtown Linn- ton on a Sunday night. Downtown where? Linnton is a small community a few miles west of Portland on Highway 30, near the St. Johns Bridge. W ith dignity and fortitude, and not much by way of econom ic development, Linnton is the childhood home of Portland treasure Dar- celle XV. O n Feb. 16 Darcelle— or W alter Cole, as he was known in those days— came home to Linnton. Using the queer profit power of his persona, Darcelle and Company played to a packed, and I mean packed, house M oney T alks Linnton curtsies to drag queen; photographer snaps to it; comic snub is no laughing matter at the Linnton Community Center. Poised, polished and professional, the troupe raised scads of dollars to help keep the center up and running. At the end of the perform ance Darcelle was presented with a "key to the city”— a touching tribute to the childhood of a man who has grown up to create one of our community’s finest legacies. Yup, queer profit helped save the day for a depressed Oregon mill town. And exactly how often does that happen? he board of directors of Center Stage has renewed the contract of artistic director Chris Coleman. This means audiences will be treated to his cre ative skills through at least 2006. Cole man has received national and inter national recognition for his theater endeavors. Portland C e n Quick, changi ter Stage partners the locks— with Ju st O ut in Darcelle X V presenting the gay has the key and lesbian audi to Linnton! ence night of each I Portland 1 production. Attendees enjoy a reception with cast and staff, receiving additional value for the price of their tickets. hotographer and Portland Area Business Association board member John Gress is branching out from his main business of taking award-winning photographs into dabbling with gay-themed merchandise. Available for viewing on his Internet site, www.cafeshops.com/BITFO, is a gallery of his offerings— several of which I do not understand. They all have that casual Pacific North west look about them, though, and with spring rapidly approaching, well, a guy can just never have too many baseball caps. Re member to remove your cap when going to church. P I s this the beginnings of a dynasty in the making? Lesbian-fave Egyptian Club owners have branched out and are operating Tennessee Red’s in Southeast Portland. T he new managers are intent on making the locale— famed for sloppy, slurpy ribs— a dining and entertainm ent destination. It’s karaoke at its finest (is that an oxymoron?) and it’s your chance to eat, make merry and support gay business. H ere’s a queer profit conundrum for you. Let’s say that one of your favorite lesbian- identified performers is coming to town for a performance. Let’s say that this particular per former made quite a to-do about coming out on her television show a few years ago. Let’s say that this comedian’s career has been carried for some time now on the backs and wallets of adoring lesbian fans. Now let’s throw in news from the promoter who has stated that Ellen— er, excuse me, this unnamed lesbian-identified performer— will not be specifically marketing her show to lesbian audiences this time around. Rather than advertise in the gay press— publications that nationwide have contributed greatly to the career success of our performer— their marketing dollars will go to other mainstream and alternative papers. Yup, in Portland it’s the skateboard paper that gets the bucks. But on a bright note to make us feel included, doggone it, this same pro motion company has made sure that the gay press gets tons of info to ensure that the per former receives all the free publicity she can get. I guess what really pisses me off is the fact that 1 went ahead and bought tickets anyway. I feel so used. j n Business news with a queer bent should he reported to M arty D avis at m any@ justout.com .
