The owner of Portland’s Darcel XV Showplace said a historic plaque honoring the club’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places was vandalized with anti-gay graffiti and what he described as “vile hate speech.”
Jeremy Corvus Peck wrote in a May 15 article: facebook He posted that he had discovered the vandalism when he visited the club earlier in the day.
The graffiti evoked anti-LGBTQ tropes depicting gay and queer people as child “groomers” and pedophiles, mocked LGBTQ visibility, and called for violence against members of the community.
Scribbled on the shield were words such as “Death to Sodomites,” “Lil Boy Lover,” “The Gayest Homo in History (So Far…),” “Stay Away from Children,” and “Not Appropriate for Public Service Announcements.” The vandals also drew an “X” over the statue of Darcel XV on the plaque.
“It depresses and saddens me that in 2026, someone can still write about hurting others simply because of who they are or who they love,” Corvus Peck wrote in the post.
Darcel XValso known as Walter Cole, who passed away in March 2023 at the age of 92, was recognized by Guinness World Records in 2016 as the world’s oldest active drag queen. Guinness also ranked her show as “the longest-running drag show on the West Coast.”
Darcel XV purchased the dilapidated tavern in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood in 1967 and still operates it today. Throughout her 60-year career, she hosted fundraisers and events supporting a variety of LGBTQ causes, according to . LGBTQ nation. In 1972, she was crowned Rose Empress XV (“Rose of Happiness”) by the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court of Oregon, Oregon’s longest-running LGBTQ charity, in recognition of her contributions to the community. She also frequently appeared at civic events with local and state politicians.
In July 2023, Portland officials renamed O’Bryant Square, located approximately a half-mile from Darcel XV Showplace, to Darcel XV Plaza in her honor. The plaza where it will be officially established open Within two months, construction will include a performance space with a stage and sail shade canopy, a small off-leash dog park and a “Walk of Fame” honoring Darcel and other LGBTQ figures.
In his post, Corvus-Peck blamed some of the current administration, arguing that its rhetoric “leads people to believe that if you are not a heterosexual white male, you are somehow less valuable, second- or even third-class.”
In recent years, Republican and conservative politicians have used anti-gay rhetoric and metaphors similar to those scrawled on plaques to demonize LGBTQ people, particularly drag performers, while pushing for laws that would restrict drag performances in front of minors.
The plaque has since been cleaned and restored, but Corvus-Peck urged the public to remain vigilant against efforts to erode people’s civil rights.
“As May turns into June, we all need to remember that when those in power choose division and intolerance over equality and humanity, the rights and progress we have fought for over the past 50 years can be undone,” he wrote.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
