Culture

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Darcelle XV Plaza?

We asked passersby which Portland drag queen is the namesake of a city park.

By Zave Payne and Aaron Mesh
Hot Mic, July 22.

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The tributes to Darcelle XV keep pouring in. Last week, the nightclub founded by Portland’s beloved drag queen set a world record for the longest drag show. And, on July 13, city officials renamed O’Bryant Square in her honor. Now the shuttered brickwork better known as Paranoid Park will soon be even better known as Darcelle XV Plaza.

Well, maybe people will know it. It’s hard to say what folks know. That’s the lesson from our roving civics quiz, Hot Mic, hosted by Reed College filmmaker Zave Payne.

This week, we asked passersby in Pioneer Courthouse Square to name the drag queen who is now the namesake of a city square.

See their guesses here:

Explore more on:

Hot Mic

Aaron Mesh

Aaron Mesh

Aaron Mesh is WW's editor. He’s a Florida man who enjoys waterfalls, Trail Blazers basketball and Brutalist architecture.

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