DRAG – doing role as a girl – has been around as long as there have been men performing on a stage; but Drag as an artform is being vilified and challenged across the nation.

On March 23, the world’s oldest female impersonator – Drag Queen Darcelle XV died as the result of natural causes in Portland, Oregon at the age of 92.

Darcelle was born Walter C. Cole in 1930 but was better known to Portland as Darcelle XV.  In 2016, the Guinness Book of World Records named Darcelle the oldest working drag queen performer.  She was 85 at the time and showed no signs of slowing down.

She also ran the longest-running drag show on the West Coast of the United States – a nightclub Cole  bought and opened in 1967 and named it Darcelle XV Showplace.  It was a dive when Cole purchased the place but turned it into a cabaret and even took the stage himself…as Darcelle.

When not on stage, Walter was an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and did charitable work in Portland.

Workers at the Showplace said that they were heartbroken and are asking for “privacy and Patience” as they grieve.  In deference to Darcelle’s wishes, all shows will go on and a memorial service will be announced in the near future.  The Club asked fans to join them in celebration of Darcelle and her legacy.

In 2020, The Showplace was added to the National Register of Historic Places; making it the first place in Oregon to be named specifically for its significance in LGBTQ+ history; joining the Stonewall Inn in New York City as historical sites dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community.

Among those expressing their sorrow on social media was Portland’s mayor and Senator Ron Wyden.

Survivors include estranged wife Jeannette and children.  Cole’s partner in the club, Roxy, died three years ago.



feature photo credit: Portland, Oregon (August 16, 2022) – 010 (cropped).jpg