Betty Desire, Bellingham’s most iconic drag queen, started The Betty Pages in 2001 to keep the queer community abreast of culture, politics and general goings-on, with a healthy dose of activism and, of course, astrology.
“Prior to 2001 if you wanted to publicize a gathering or event catering to the queer community, all you needed was to put a poster in the Bar [at Rumors Cabaret],” Betty said.
The free monthly tabloid carries on the waning but storied tradition of alt-weeklies in the region and was patterned after Seattle’s The Stranger and Bellingham’s now-defunct Fish Wrapper.
Around 5,000 copies of the indie paper are printed by the Lynden Tribune each month and dropped at queer-friendly establishments across Whatcom and Skagit counties (see the full list at thebettypages.gay).
“It’s really more a labor of love than a thriving business, as I will never be a ‘William Randolph Hearst,'” Betty said.
In 2020, when the small-dollar local advertisers who support The Betty Pages felt the squeeze of the pandemic, Betty started a Patreon where true devotees can chip in a little to receive the tabloid by mail, get sneak peeks of upcoming issues and participate in Q&As with Miz Desire herself.
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Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
