AIDS
A MOTHER AND FATHER SPEAK OUT
Charlotte
Hotline
Page 4
Switchboard
333-AIDS
IS KEY WEST IN YOUR WINTER PLANS?
525-6128
Page 6
AUGUST, 1986 □ Voi. 1, No. 3
TO ADVERTISE, CALL 704/332-3834
Unrestricted, Media Cover
Vigil For Truth 8c Decency
Related story. Page 2.
On Friday night, July 25, for the
first time, a Charlotte event involv
ing gay men and lesbian women
was held with no restrictions on me
dia coverage.
A camera crew from WSOC-TV
wandered through the crowd
roughly numbering 105 as Rev. Art
Fleschner of One Nation Indivisible
sadly sang the Star-Spangled Ban
ner, then trained the lens on former
N.O.W. president Marjorie Storch as
she assailed the way the religious
right stigmatizes gay men and les
bian women. A Charlotte Observer
photographer took pictures and a
reporter made notes.
- Earlier, before "An American
Vigil Audience Holds Candles While Listening To Speakers Vigil For Truth & Decency" started in
an Independence Park shelter near
; children's swings and slides, a crew
p.j A jpjC ^rom WBTV interviewed Fleschner.
•C-i-y U-Iilly The vigil was One Nation Indivisi
ble's response to the appearance in
N.C. cases through June 15: 232 f . Cameron, a
^ no discredited psychologist invited to
Nonresidents 113 pornography" by the antigay
N.C. deaths through June 15:.... 145 group Concerned Charlotteans.
Residents 81 "Cameron has found a way to
Nonresiderits................................ 64 make money from the Christian
right," thundered Charlotte activist
Mecklenburg to date: 15 Don King, emcee for the vigil. "This
N r hietom- man, who has repeatedly been re-
B«'toie * pudiated by his colleagues, mouths
1984 1984 1985 1988 the distortions about gay men and
9 17 63 30 lesbians that the bigots want to
hear.
„ , "It just burns me up that a so-
Noniosiaents are people who were diaanosed With n A . i. _ - t.
AIDS elsewhere, then moved to North Carolina. CQllSQ CnriStlCin QrOUp WOUlQ inVllG
NOTE In each case, the Iigure is the number of cases SUCtl Q ITlQn tO CtlCirlOttG.
confirmed according to the US Center for Disease Control's T-^t*TY^^r T
stringent definitions Doctors double the figures to calculate ruilliei L^lblliCl V^UUI I JUUy« i-Uliy
the actual number of AIDS cases BlQck; Jim Gronqulst, formeF presi-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Switchboard Classes Set
Persons interested in contributing
time in service to their peers may
participate as a peer counselor by
taking the Gay & Lesbian Switch
board training sessions scheduled to
begin Thursday, Aug. 14.
Sessions will be held two other
Thursdays, Aug, 21 and 28, and two
Sundays, Aug. 17 and 24. All Thurs
day sessions will start at 7:30 p.m.
sharp and end at 9:45. Meeting time
for the two-hour Sunday sessions will
be decided by the class at its first
meeting.
"Even if people don't want to
work the Switchboard, they are wel
come to take this class," said John
Q., president. "These sessions are an
excellent course in good communi
cation skills."
After the classes are over, those
who decide to work the Switch
board will set their own schedule,
working as little as once monthly
from 7 to 11 p.m.
The Switchboard handles numer
ous calls for information about bars
and organizations, often receiving
inquiries from visitors to Charlotte or
persons who recently located to the
city. Other callers talk to the coun
selors about personal problems,
most often involving how to handle
the ending of a relationship or how
to come out to parents or other
persons in close relationship.
■ ■ ■
To inform the Switchboard that
you will participate in the August
class, call the Switchboard, 525-
6128, or John Q. at 333-1428.
Boom Boom's Roast Cooks Aug. 13
t'
Lady Latour doing her 'Tm just a
blind little piglet" number during
May's Carolina Drummer '86.
North Carolina's National
Drummer Contest entries — Butch
Stevenson and Chuck Lance —
didn't finish in the top three, but
had a great time anyway.
Miss Piggry, Waylon Flowers and
Madame declined, politely saying
that such a porky event was be
neath them; but the dais will be
loaded with wicked wit on Wednes
day, Aug. 13, when 'The Boom Boom
Roast takes place at the Scorpio.
Cooking time is 11 p.m. and a host
of wags will be on hand to dish
Lady Latour like she's never been
done before.
Among the cooks will be these:
■ Tina Terrell, the terror from
Oleen's, a long-time colleague of
Boom Boom's.
■ David Wright who worked at
the Scorpio back in the 19th Century
when Latour was already a veteran
impersonator. Wright manages
Greensboro's Encore.
■ Tags owner/operator Danny
Follis, who in his impersonation days
suffered fhe trials and tribulations of
appearing with Boom Boom on
stage.
■ Butch Stevenson, Mr. Carolina
Drummer '86, who had to put up
with LaBoom who emceed the levi-
leather contest back in May.
■ Dean Gaskey, who has had the
immense task of keeping the spot
light on the immense Latour during
Scorpio performances.
■ Ed Depasquale of Acceptance,
the only man in Charlotte's gay/les
bian community who has been
around longer than Latour.
Ron Lowe of Metrolina AIDS Pro
ject and Rev, Art Fleschner of One
Nation Indivisible and New Life
MCC will also have a few words for
Charlotte's Queen Bee.
"Expect a few surprises," said
Robert Sheets, president of QCQ
which is sponsoring the roast. "This
is the chance for all those who have
suffered Boom Boom's barbs to
break a few of his beads."
Sheets warned, however, that
Boom Boom will have the final say.
After all the others do their dirtiest,
Latour will have the chance to get
even.
Scorpio owner Marion Tyson has
agreed to donate cover charges of
$2 (members) and $3 (guests) to
QCQ.
"It'll be our final major fundraiser
for a couple of months," Sheets said.
"And it will come just after we allo
cate funds to a number of commu
nity organizations on Aug. 7. The
money will also help QCQ with seed
money for future events."
He said that QCQ's budget and
requests from other organizations for
assistance are now in the thousands
of dollars after years in the hun
dreds.