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Page 4
JULY, 1986 □ Vol. 1, No. 2
TO ADVERTISE. CALL 704/332>3834
Baxter Is 'Carolinian Oi The Year'
Jim Baxter, editor and publisher of
The Front Page, is QCQ's
"Carolinian of the Year."
Queen City Quordinators
announced the award and made
the presentation at the Pride Week
banquet June 25 at Fortuna
Restaurant in Charlotte.
Baxter is the witty, charming man
— in conversation as well as writing
— so many people throughout the
Carolinas call or write when they
have news for the twice-monthly
newspaper headquartered in
Raleigh. Baxter founded TFP almost
seven years ago with a loan from a
'm
EdDePas-
quale, who at
tended Oleen's
the first night it
opened, andl
Mr. Carolina]
Drummer I
Butch Sieven-l
son present]
plaques to f
Oieen Love.
tm.
business man he worked for.
The Maryland native who came
to North Carolina to attend college
and stayed has lost two jobs
because of his refusal to hide his
gayness: 1975 by the Greensboro
Youth Council after a television
appearance, and 1985 by The
Spectator, a Triangle magazine.
Last year's job loss occurred after
Baxter was severely beaten by two
strangers who came to his
apartment at 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 1.
The two had pounded on other
doors at the Raleigh apartment
complex where Baxter lived and
Baxter, groggy with sleep, let them
in, thinking he might have talked
with one of them previously. As the
minutes passed, they paid little
attention to his requests for them to
leave, noticed gay publications in
his apartment, and attacked him.
He suffered facial injuries that
required stitches, a broken finger
and severe bruises where they had
kicked .him and hit him with a
broom handle.
The story appeared in a Raleigh
newspaper. The day he returned to
work following hospitalization, his
superior at The Spectator told him
he would have to give up working
with TFP to stay employed. A week
later, the second in command told
Tea Dance, Beach Party Added
A 4-8 p.m. tea dance on the patio
with music by Les has been added
to the Pride Week Carnival at the
Scorpio parking lot Sunday, June 29.
And Charades is holding a beach
party that night with cover charges
to the Metrolina AIDS Project (MAP).
The Carnival, free except for food
and beverages which will be sold,
begins at 12 noon. Sales booths will
include jewelry by a local lesbian
company, an Atlanta T-shirt retailer
and possibly White Rabbit Books of
Greensboro.
Several organizations will have
booths including the Gay Parents
Coalition, MAP, the Gay/Lesbian
Switchboard of Charlotte, the North
Carolina Gay/Lesbian Health Pro
ject and QCQ.
Surprise entertainment is also
planned.
Beer sales will begin at 1 p.m.
■ ■ ■
The first weekend of Pride Week
brought a crowd to Oleen's on Sat
urday, June 22, (see picture else
where) and to Bryant Park on Sun
day, June 23, for softball, volleyball,
horseshoes, sunbathing and food.
Two other events you still have a
chance to make — if you've picked
up Q-Notes early —. both on Satur
day, June 28:
The final performance of "Bent" at
Spirit Square at 8 p.m. (tickets were
to be sold at the door the night of
the play); and the North Carolina
Gay/Lesbian Pride March in Dur
ham.
If going to Durham, assembly for
the march is 11:30 a.m.’ at the
Friends Meeting House, 404 Alexan
der Ave. The finish line: West Dur
ham Park (corner of Hillandale and
Hillsborough Roads).
■ ■ ■
A tea dance on the Scorpio patio
has also been scheduled 4-8 p.m.
Sunday, July 20. Cost is a $1 dona
tion to QCQ. Alcoholic beverages
will be sold, and the 'VIP room will
be open.
■ ■ ■
Oieen Love and her bar were
honored by QCQ on June 21 at the
first event of Pride Week. Oieen re
ceived two plaques, one designat
ing Oleen's as Charlotte's "Mother
Bar"; the other citing Oieen for her
contributions to the gay/lesbian
community. Oleen's was the first of
Charlotte's current gay bars.
JIM BAXTER
him the magazine was letting him
go. He had worked as an open gay
man for five years at The Spectator.
He now supports himself with a
small salary from TFP, by writing an
entertainment column lor a
progressive Triangle newspaper
called The North Carolina
Independent, and by freelance jobs
involving graphics and writing.
Baxter is the opposite of so many
North Carolina gay men. Instead of
growing up in the state and moving
to a larger urban area, he came to
North Carolina from a Washington,
D.C., suburb and stayed.
Guilford College near Greensboro
was the lure. After a year
commuting to American University
in Washington while living at home
in Hyattsville, he visited Guilford at
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Mr. Charlotte Contest Is July 13
A man representing Charlotte is
going to win a free trip for two to the
Hotlanta River Expo — formerly the
Hotlanta Raft Race — next month.
All he has to do is win the Mr.
Charlotte Contest sponsored by
QCQ at Charades on Sunday, July
13. It's a preliminary to the Mr. Hot
lanta Contest, an event that has be
come a nationally sought title.
Contestants for Mr. Hotlanta will
come from Hawaii, Canada and
many states including Texas, Illinois,
California, Minnesota, Colorado and
Massachusetts. Last year's winner
was from Boston; the first runnerup,
Houston.
This is no leather contest.
"They're looking for an all-
American type," said Rick Walkup
of the Mr. Hotlanta committee.
"This is a contest for an all-around
person. They want good body defi
nition, well-proportioned. A person
with a huge chest and small legs
To Enter Mr. Charlotte
To enter the Mr. Charlotte Contest,
ask for Steve Freeman at Charades;
contact Robert Sheets, 375-7315, or
write QCQ, P.O. Box 221841, Char
lotte, N.C. 28222. Deadline is Satur
day, June 12.
probably wouldn't make it."
The Charlotte winner will receive
registration for two to the entire
River Expo weekend Aug. 1-3, ac
commodations lor two, plus money
for gas and incidentals. The week
end includes a huge opening party
called "Fusion" Aug. 1, a carnival,
the Mr. Hotlanta Contest at the Fox
on Aug. 2, and the Aug. 3 trip down
the river.
Categories lor Mr. Charlotte will
parallel those for Mr. Hotlanta:
■ Presentation, in which the con
testant wears clothing for the im
age he wants to project.
■ Formalweqr.
■ Swimwear.
Talent displays or "fantasy" acts
are not required.
QCQ officials said the Mr. Char
lotte winner would get a sitting with
a photographer, paid for by QCQ.
Registrations for the entire Expo
weekend are limited to 1,000, and
have not been filled. The cost: $80
per person, payable by check or
money order to Hotlanta River Expo,
Inc. A T-shirt costs an additional $10.
Packets for those who register in
advance will be available at the
Colony Square, headquarters hotel
for the weekend. To register, send
check, name and address to Hot
lanta River Expo, P.O. Box 8525, At
lanta, Ga. 30306.
There is no limit to events other
than the river trip itself, and tickets
will be sold separately.