The premise of a legacy drag venue anywhere, let alone in the United States, isn’t something we can take for granted. That Darcelle XV Showplace opened in Portland, Oregon in 1967 under its eponymous owner, the legendary Portland drag queen Darcelle XV, née Walter Cole, and remains open to this day is just short of a miracle. Darcelle XV Showplace, known as Darcelle’s, was the first LGBTQ+ history site in Oregon added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. According to the National Parks Service, “as a nightclub and drag venue, the aesthetic of Darcelle XV Showplace reflects the improvised, low-budget, and self-reliant illusion of glamour that resulted from its development during the late 1960s and early 1970s when drag was celebrated mostly behind closed doors due to gay discrimination and the threat of harassment.”
When Darcelle passed in 2023, at one point named the World’s Oldest Drag Queen in the Guinness Book of World Records, the venue faced some uncertainty. This was despite, as the National Parks Service shared, its status in 2020 as “one of only two known drag clubs open prior to 1970 in the United States with an owner who performed (and is still performing!) as part of the company.” After Darcelle’s passing, however, business at the club had become slow and attendance had waned; could it stay open? As of last week, however, its future remains much brighter: under new ownership, the club shares, its life will continue.
It had been Darcelle’s wish that the club’s life would continue after her passing. The new owner of Darcelle’s is Jeremy Corvus-Peck, himself a drag artist of over 30 years, an Air Force veteran, and an Oregonian business-owner, who purchased the club from Darcelle’s children. “His goal to honor the history of the club while moving us forward with innovation and creativity is highly anticipated by the current cast and crew,” the club shared on Instagram. “His desire to honor the legacy of Darcelle XV stems from their longtime friendship.” As of now, the club remains “the longest-running drag cabaret on the West Coast.”
Darcelle’s is a long beloved Portland institution and a foundation of drag history in the U.S. It’s fitting, too, then, that a new plaza is being built in the city honoring the legacy of both Darcelle herself and the club. A groundbreaking was held last July, and “early drawings show the new park will have a stage, a public art space and ‘wall of fame’ for notable LGBTQ Portlanders,” Oregon Public Broadcasting reported last year. According to updates from the Portland Parks & Recreation department, as of January 2025, underground work is scheduled to be completed on time and sidewalks will begin pouring thereafter.
That the club’s life will continue and that the plaza will honor Darcelle’s life and contributions is a huge win for LGBTQ+ history in Portland and in the U.S., especially when drag faces direct opposition from the standing current presidential administration. Because of venues like Darcelle’s and owners like Cole and now Corvus-Peck, drag and drag history have become cemented as part of American life–it’s not going anywhere.
Follow Darcelle XV Showplace on Instagram to stay updated.
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.