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At Q, it's not your grandma's bingo

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BY MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star

Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008 - 12:33:27 am CST

A drag queen dressed like Anna Nicole Smith is bellowing out bingo numbers, sexual innuendos and dirty words.

Sometimes all at once.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” says Jessica Bower, a Lincolnite drag queen who adores Hillary Clinton and says she has starred on Jerry Springer’s TV show more than once, after a certain innuendo that always gets a rowdy crowd response.

Story Photo
Derrick Wilhelm (left) draws bingo numbers while Dustin Hayes plays the game and drag queen Jessica Bower, performing as Anna Nicole Smith, calls the numbers Jan. 8 at Q. Performers dressed as celebrities call the weekly game. (William Lauer)

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Bingo at Q

Bingo starts around 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Q, 226 S. Ninth St. This week's bingo celeb: Diana Ross.

Every Tuesday is Bingo Night at Q, the gay bar on South Ninth Street. And, as you might have guessed, all the stereotypes connected to the game of bingo ... well, they don’t apply here.

It is the same game that sweet-faced, little old ladies play in church basements.

Then again, it’s not the same game at all.

“We’ve actually had little old ladies who brought their bingo daubers in here,” Jessica says. “They’re like, ‘Oh, it’s bingo,’ and then they’re kind of creeped out a little bit. They’re like, ‘Oh, where am I at?’ But it’s fun when they do come in. They’re good clientele.”

Q Bingo is free to play. Participants get one card when they come in and can get more cards throughout the evening when they buy shots. If you’re under 21, you buy sodas instead.

Some of the other weekly events at Q include best buns contests, strip nights, cabaret pageants and the occasional theme party.

“We wanted to try something a little different with the bingo nights,” says Derrick Wilhelm, who’s hosted bingo with Jessica since it started a little more than two years ago.

But this Tuesday night is a little different.

It’s the first Q bingo event of 2008, and the beginning of a new take on the tradition: For the next 52 weeks, the bingo games will be called by a drag celeb or character. Future bingo hosts will include Celine Dion, Diana Ross, Reba McEntire, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Edward Scissorhands, to name a few.

But this particular evening belongs to Anna Nicole Smith, courtesy of Jessica.

Jessica’s got all the Anna-erisms down pat: the random outbursts, the blonde musings. It wasn’t hard for her to get into character.

“She’s just dirty, nasty and drunk all the time, and so am I.”

Contrary to the bawdy tone of the evening, the prizes awarded are relatively tame, such as Pier 1 Imports gift bags and Applebee’s gift certificates, for example. Although Kelcey Lueninghoener, a 21-year-old University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, says sometimes the prizes are a bit more, well, adult.

Lueninghoener has played Q bingo since it started. Gradually, a group of her old high school friends joined her.

“And since then it’s just sort of become a Tuesday tradition,” she says. “It’s definitely just a great atmosphere. Everybody’s so accepting here. They don’t really care about anything.”

“But at the same time,” her friend Emily Newman interjects, “there’s also a lot of gay drama. It’s a close-knit community in Lincoln. So it’s kind of like high school, sometimes.”

Another game of bingo begins. This one’s a blackout.

“OK, your next ball is G49,” Jessica says. “G49.”

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.


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Lindsay wrote on January 15, 2008 6:52 am:
" Who said there isn't anything to do in Lincoln? This sounds like a lot of fun! "
J wrote on January 15, 2008 8:46 am:
" I love Q bingo! I wish I could go more often. Thanks for printing an article. Hopefully, this will generate more business for them. "
Mark wrote on January 15, 2008 8:51 am:
" Thank you, thank you, thank you. For a positive story on the gay community in this town. We get sick of the "family values" bigotry thrown at us all the time. Nice to see LJS being so supportive! "
Refreshing wrote on January 15, 2008 11:13 am:
" I agree with the previous comments; it's refreshing to see positive coverage of gays. It's also refreshing to read positive comments in the blog section, rather than the usual rash of people who are offended if the mere fact that gays exist is acknowledged. Now if only LJS would extend their coverage to something besides bars and drag queens - gay parents, gay Christians, gay Republicans (the mind boggles on that one) and the like. We're a diverse community requiring diverse coverage. "
why is this a story? wrote on January 15, 2008 11:50 am:
" Is it because they are gay? "
Huh wrote on January 15, 2008 12:25 pm:
" Gay Christians?? Are you seious? Would you say that Christians believe in the Bible? I would say it goes hand in hand. Now the bible says a lot of things non of which say it is OK to be gay. I repect people, people in general, gay or not. In other words, I repspect gays as human beings and just like anyone else MOST gays are good human beings. However, there should not be one gay person calling themselves a Christian and if so, what Bible do they read? Do "gay christians" just marker over the words in the Bible that apply to them therefore acting like the words were never there. Also, I on the other hand think this is a terrible article. It's like writing an article trying to put a positive spin for readers about Dr. Johns. Adults can at leat understand it wether they agree with it or not but your just confusing the youngers ones and making their parents job more difficult. In closing, I hope we all make it through the pearly gates but let's be honest with ourselves, if we as a society are going to seperate good from bad or say we need to shield or protect our children and take away all forms of morally incorrect temptation then let's actually do it and not just say we need to. We can start by not printing articles like the one above trying to make it seem like it's perfectly acceptable. Sorry but it's not and 90 percent of us know it no matter how you slice it. "
J wrote on January 15, 2008 12:37 pm:
" It's a story because it is something fun to do in Lincoln. "
Is this a story? wrote on January 15, 2008 12:48 pm:
" I think it is a story. Certainly Unique. Something that a lot of people probably don't know exists. On the other hand, I really don't see this as something I would call "postive" coverage for the gay population - since it emphasizes drinking, sexual innuendos, dirty words, bun contests, strip nights, drag queens etc. etc. It's just going to continue a lot of stereotypes for many in our society. It will probably be "positive" in terms of the Q's business I would think. "
Jen wrote on January 15, 2008 1:15 pm:
" No, it's a story because it looks like a good time. My mom and I will be going one night! "
n wrote on January 15, 2008 1:25 pm:
" It's sad and unfortunate that this even merits coverage in the media. "Family Values" and morality are alive and well - it's too bad that LJS is bent on undermining both with such filth. "
SJK wrote on January 15, 2008 2:02 pm:
" It's also a story because your average Joe, from Broken Bow, may not know that activities like this exist in an environment that is open and accepting of all. "
Josh wrote on January 15, 2008 4:37 pm:
" I posted a comment earlier wondering how long it would take before the "Christians" started their bashing (which was not approved for posting). Yet, I see that - true to form - there are several anti-gay postings from "Christians". I wonder why these negative comments were allowed and not my simple one-sentence question? As for those asking why this is a story, it is in the LIVING section - something that has all sorts of human interest stories. If you get right down to it, why do we need sports coverage? That certainly isnt news or of interest to everyone.....get over it - it is a good time - no worse than you would find at Hooters.... "
tim wrote on January 15, 2008 4:39 pm:
" There's a new movie coming out entitled For the Bible Tells Me So with Rev Karen R. Moritz that is an "entertaining documentary brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture, and in the process reveals that Church-sanctioned anti-gay bias is based almost solely upon a significant (and often malicious) misinterpretation of the Bible." It goes on to document how church leaders from around the world have come to their conclusions about this topic. "
DGK wrote on January 15, 2008 5:12 pm:
" There's way more filth in the White House than there is at the Q. "
Nina wrote on January 15, 2008 5:55 pm:
" I imagine gay people read the Bible that says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged," and "Let those who are without sin throw the first stone." That's the one I read, too. I do wish the story would have been more positive than one about sexual innuendos and dirty words. If they wanted to do one about those items, they could cover Blue Collar Comedy, or Lincoln's famous Sidetrack Bar gang. Such forms of entertainment are popular among as many straights as gays, and are far overshadowed by the really interesting and quality entertainment all types enjoy. I think the LJS is having post-holiday letdown and just wants to stir things up a bit. Too bad your article and some of the posts here had to disgust me to do it. "
ta wrote on January 15, 2008 6:30 pm:
" Why dog Dr Johns or the Q Lincoln needs Jobs. Beacuse or a Gay or christain doesn't make you a good person your actions do. "
R. Ality Check wrote on January 15, 2008 7:24 pm:
" Great story. Lincoln is lucky to have the Q. Next time I am in Lincoln, I am going to stop in just to have a good old time. As for "Huh", I feel sorry for his biases masking as beliefs. "
Another bible reader wrote on January 15, 2008 8:38 pm:
" To HUH: If you're going to get so upset about the bible making it clear about homosexuality being wrong, then maybe you should start calling every single person who has been divorced and remarried an adulterer, since that's what the bible states pretty clearly about that. However, most churches are accepting of couples who fall into this category. And since the bible also says that God is no respector of persons, then I would also take a guess that if a gay lifestyle is a sin, then so would a person who is divorced be sinning by remarriage. Be careful when you start throwing stones, because its a long way down the quarry.
LJS: Good story on Lifestyle "
Luke Peterson wrote on January 15, 2008 9:42 pm:
" I'm gay and I'm a Christian. Is my religious beliefs not as good as yours? What makes you the judge of my character? Last time I checked, God was still in Heaven and not in Lincoln, NE. Also, bingo makes at the Q makes Tuesday night fun. Maybe you should go and have some fun? Sounds like you could use it! "
Seriously? wrote on January 16, 2008 11:16 am:
" If you can't be a Christian because of the so called "sin" of being gay, then you can't be a Christian for the sin of "coveting" which EVERYONE has done. So if you have ever coveted, you had better not call yourself a Christian, because you are not foll- oh Christ, I don't have the energy to finish this argument with someone so obviously out of touch. "
jeez wrote on January 16, 2008 11:23 am:
" I have always enjoyed the Q, and bingo is wonderful. In response to huh, and the gay christian thing, you obviously don't have your information straight. Even when I was a child attending religions classes, we were taught that to be gay is not a sin. Technically it is only a sin to "practice." ( THats according to religion, not my own personal beliefs as I am a supporter.) I'm tired of bible bangers who don't know what they preach. "
Practice makes perfect wrote on January 16, 2008 11:40 am:
" I don't need to practice homosexuality. I've perfected it. "
Christian? wrote on January 16, 2008 11:41 am:
" For those making the "Christian" self-righteous comments against homosexuals, it's up to God to make His own judgments regarding his followers. As far as I know, I don't know any gay people nor do I pretend to understand them. However, I would extend to them the same courtesy as I would to any other fellow man or woman. I'm human & it's hard not to pass judgments but that just means that I need to work on myself for more patience & tolerance instead of judging others. "
Lisa wrote on January 16, 2008 1:30 pm:
" Sounds like fun, to all you nay sayers, stay home! More fun for us! "
JR wrote on January 16, 2008 3:19 pm:
" I happen to know of a number of gay and lesbian people who not only consider themselves Christian, but are held in high esteem in their church. A number of them are leaders in the Catholic Church, a couple I know are Lutheran, and even more are Methodist. So somehow I doubt they should feel any doubt as they are indeed one of God's people. And unlike some of you, they are willing to accept themselves as sinners. Do you, Huh? "
Roman D wrote on January 17, 2008 2:04 am:
" I've been going to the Q since the start of bingo and I always have a great time. The Q is a wonderful place to hang out and have a good time with friends, whether it is bingo or one of the many amazing shows. The talented folks in the shows are some of the best in the country. From the cast of N*Joy to the Dreamgirls, and the Girls of Desire to Crush, they are without a doubt my favorite way to spend a night downtown. Or maybe three or four nights downtown. "
Yes wrote on January 17, 2008 11:11 am:
" Yes, I know for fact that we are all sinners, including me. Gay and Divorced. My thought process is that it's not OK in God's eye to be gay or to get divorced. One can divorce and I HOPE be forgiven, like my parents. I also feel one could have been gay and then be forgiven if they truly repent. Can one still be gay and ask for forgiveness every second of the day? So, I just don't understand how one can be gay and still consider themselves a christian. You have to repent your sins after you make mistakes, not during them and keep doing them. "
Um, Yes? wrote on January 17, 2008 3:04 pm:
" Is your argument that a person can't be gay and Christian because they have to repent and stop being gay in order to really be Christian, which would make them not gay? Then how is divorce different - which you claim it is - because once you're divorced, you're always divorced, and in the eyes of the Bible, committing adultery if you ever get married again every day for the rest of your life. And if you think we are all not sinning every minute of our lives, I think you are sorely mistaken. "

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