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 .