AIDS
OH! Takes On Delta’s Unfriendly Skies
Charlotte
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Holidays Affect Groups’ Schedules
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Paae 2 ^ ^ ^ ^
DECEMBER 1986 □ Vol. 1, No. 7
TO ADVERTISE: 704/332-3834 after 6:3o p.m.
Monthly TV Show Begins
Dec. 22 On Local Cable
The first monthly television show in the
Carolinas about gay men and lesbians
will air for the first time on Monday, Dec.
22, at 6:30 p.m. on Cablevision of Char
lotte's local access channel 3.
The show, “Gay/Lesbian Forum," is
locally produced and taped in Char
lotte by a group called Closet Buster
Productions and will be scheduled for
the fourth Monday in each month as
well as at other times unannounced.
The first show, an overview of Char
lotte's goy/lesbian community, features
the Rev. Lynn Guerra, pastor of Metro
politan Community Church of Charlotte;
Diana Travis, a Charlotte native who
became active in gay/lesbian civil
rights efforts while attending college in
Boston; and Don King, long-time local
gay activist.
The January and February shows will
be hosted by Guerra and will deal with
Biblical scriptures relating to homosexu
ality.
Panel discussions, taped person-on-
the-street style footage and a three-min
ute national news segment will be part
of each show during the first few
months. Future shows will focus on
groups such as the Charlotte chapter of
PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians &
Gay Men); gay men and lesbians in
history; the effect of harassment in
schools and of discrimination in the
workplace; gay/lesbian equal rights ef
forts, and other topics of interest to any
one with a gay man or lesbian in the
family.
"We have a very dedicated group of
people in Closet Buster Productions,"
said Travis, who initiated the effort to
place a gay/lesbian program on local
cable access. "1 know of only one other
effort like this in the Southeast: Atlanta's
gay/lesbian community started a
monthly show at one time, but it discon
tinued after a few shows."
Travis said the show may be offered
to other cable companies in the Char
lotte television market for use on local
cable access channels.
"We would like to see it as widely
broadcast as possible," she said. "All
over the country, people need reliable
information about gay men and lesbi
ans and the issues that concern us. So
much of what is heard is either distorted
or just not true, particularly in places
like the Carolinas where so many of us
remain in the closet out of fear of harass
ment and rejection.
"Cablevision has been very coopera
tive and available in showing us how to
use the equipment and in scheduling
time for us to be in the editing room and
control room."
iiii
Lin Benfield
chooses another
high energy cut
while electrifying
the crowd with his
music at Charades.
The story about
Benfield on Page 6
is the second in a
series about Char
lotte's club deejays.
For other musical
treats, read Page 5
where Doug
Neems' club music
column debuts in
Q-Notes; and check
the Page 4 short
story about disco-
by-mail tom
Tommy's Tunes
in Atlanta.
Chorale To Premiere
And Boom Boom Will Impersonate Scrooge? Tiny Tim? Santa?
December is a month for marvelous entertainment
for Charlotte gay men and lesbians.
Consider this:
■ Wednesday, Dec, 10: "Boom Boom's Christmas
Carol" at Scorpio, presented by QCQ.
■ Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m.: the premiere perfor
mance of the Charlotte Lambda Chorale, an all-men's
choir, in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Church, on
excellent performance hall.
■ Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m.: the New Life Players
present "Get the Dickens Out" at Acceptance, which
meets at Park Road Baptist Church.
Mystery surrounds "Boom Boom's Christmas Carol."
No one is saying exactly what's going to happen. But
rumor has it that Boom Boom Latour, perhaps Char
lotte's best known female impersonator, will actually
appear on stage in bed. Usual Scorpio cover charges
will apply and will go to QCQ.
"Get the Dickens Out" is the second performance for
the New Life Players who earlier this year premiered
the gripping play "Bent" in Charlotte. It's a free
performance, this time heavy on the comedy.
The Lambda Chorale premiere is "a ground-break
ing moment for Charlotte's gay/lesbian community,"
said director Art Fleschner, who is also the pastor at
the New Life congregation of Metropolitan Community
Church.
"This says something about hoe we're blending as a
community. It's a group the community is going to get
behind.
"I hope it's a sell-out because I don't think we'll ever
have trouble getting an audience once the people
hear this concert,"
The chorale is an all-male group because not
enough women auditioned to provide a balance for
the number of men's voices.
The performance will be a "special holiday treat,"
Fleschner said. "We're doing both traditional and
nontraditional Christmas music and Broadway selec
tions.
"There's be a number of solos Including a swooning
TU Be Home For Christmas,' a Sandy Patty gospel carol
called 'Bethlehem Morning,' a rendition of 'No Golden
Carriage' that will bring a tear to your eye, 'O, Holy
Night' and 'Jesu, Bambino.'
"This is becoming a very professional-sounding
choir. The voices are strong. There is a fine balance of
very trained musicians and amateur musicians. We
cut up a lot and also do a lot of hard work.
"The sound is very warm and well blended. They're
beginning to learn qualities of shading. And some
thing for people who love music is that you don't get to
hear much all-male music.
"I'm very excited about it."
■ ■ ■
If you're going:
Chorale — the Unitarian Church is at the comer of
Sharon Amity and Hardwicke a block north of Cots-
wold. Turn onto Hardwicke, turn right at the next street
and turn right into the parking lot. Tickets ($5 individu
als and $8 per pair) will be available at the door.
"Get the Dickens Out" — Park Road Baptist Church is
about two blocks north of Park Road Shopping Center
on Park Road. Turn onto Ashcraft, then left into the
church parking lot. Go to the two-story building up the
left sidewalk from the parking lot.