As a group of dancers at downtown’s Diamond Cabaret strip club grouse that the Democratic National Convention hasn’t been a boon to their business, Randy Long, the owner of Boyz Town on South Broadway, says his gay male revues have been a hit. Traffic at Boyz Town is up by as much as 20 percent since convention-goers began arriving last weekend, he says, adding that he knows “a lot of them are Democrats because some come in still wearing their badges.” Some rave to him about what a great city Denver is, he says, adding that the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender faction of the party is quite “fun and festive,” and not at all out of control. A dancer at the Diamond Cabaret wishes she could tell a similar story.

The bubbly bombshell, whose name and hair color are being withheld because she wishes to remain anonymous, outlined the problem via phone yesterday, keeping up the conversation as she slipped into her work clothes alongside several other dancers. They shouted in agreement into her phone when she said that “all the regulars who work downtown are staying home this week because of the convention.” “The Democratic convention crowd isn’t coming in,” she added. Though the dearth of pole-dance-loving Dems could simply be a matter of extreme caution for a party that’s seeking to stake territory among values voters this election, the dancers hope that will change after Barack Obama gives his speech accepting the party’s presidential nomination tonight, especially as the weekend is approaching. As it is, a dancer yesterday was so bored she had nothing to do but kick up her platform heels and enjoy an ice pop with a riddle on the stick: “What kind of key won’t open a door?” When she got to the middle, it read, “A donkey.” “No, that’s no lie,” she said with a giggle, noting the convention will soon be over.