Portland‘s Darcelle XV Showplace embraces an “improvised, low-budget, and self-reliant illusion of glamour” reminiscent of the 60s.
Long before Stonewall’s drag queens made headlines by rioting in the streets, and brought LGBTQ rights into the national conversation, this nightclub gave Portland’s queer performers a place to express themselves and entertain their adoring fans freely.
The upbeat club’s owner Walter Cole has performed at the bar as Darcelle XV since he founded the venue. At 92 years old, he holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest living drag performer, and he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. In fact, his club is one of only two known drag clubs in the US to open before 1970.
Leading the community
“I want to be remembered because I made somebody smile and care [about the queer community],” Cole said to OPB in an interview about his iconic legacy. “Another thing that happens here a lot is young people will tell their parents that they’re gay, and then they come here, and the parents will see their contemporaries, and they’re enjoying themselves. The son can say, ‘Look, you see, those are the things I would like to be remembered for.'”
Coming out to your parents is never easy, and less so when you must come out again to confess drag is not a phase or a hobby–but a DREAM. Before RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag performers sacrificed their careers, relationships, and lives in the name of art instead of the possibility of stardom and millions. Instead, they pursued their alter egos because they couldn’t imagine such a singular life. And surrounded by hatred, they often experienced that sacrifice in less metaphorical terms.
Perhaps, for this reason, the public refers to Cole as a gay ambassador to the straight community, hosting events and charitable causes dressed as Darcelle XV. The best way to educate someone is to show them, and his club Darcelle XV thrived, entertaining audiences with Las Vegas-style cabaret revues of glamour and comedy.
