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MAY 1987 □ Vol. 2, No. 5
TO ADVERTISE; 704/332-3834 AFTER 6:30 P.l
DRUMMER!
The Amazing Month 01 May
For complete details about Dnmmer
Week, read the ad on Pages 6 and 7,
By DON KING
Editoi
You gotta be at Charades on Friday,
May 1, to see the amazed preppies and
guppies (gay upwardly mobile profes
sionals).
That's the night the Tradesmen and
their guests — from Baltimore to Dallas
— will trek in full leather into Charlotte's
trendiest gay establishment.
'The scene will symbolize May's hap
penings in Charlotte.
It's leather month. And anniversary
month. And Miss Charlotte month.
'The Tradesmen combine the two —
leather and anniversaries — May 1-3
when they celebrate their first year.
Two weekends later comes Drummer
Week, a host of activities climaxing with
Carolina Drummer '87 on Saturday, May
16.
Meanwhile, Oleen's, 'The Scorpio and
Charades hold anniversaries of their
own. And 'The Scorpio hosts the Miss
Charlotte Contest the night after Caro
lina Drummer. (For details, see each
bar's ads elsewhere in Q-Notes.)
Pariy-out is May's name of the game.
Much of the 'Tradesmen's weekend
will be private — unless you've already
registered. Do, however, catch their
special show, including the gender
bending comedians Cheap Trade, on
Saturday afternoon. May 2. It's open to
the gay public, space permitting in the
Scorpio's VIP Lounge.
Now about all the Drummer activities:
everything is open to anybody gay who
wants to attend.
"No, you don't have to wear leather,"
shouted QCQ Drummer committee chair
Robert Sheets, "to come to Drummer or
any pari of the week. The only thing you
need is the mindset for a helluva good
time."
The good times start at midweek. But
the big deal is, of course, Saturday, May
16.
Female impersonators have been
working for two months on production
numbers for Carolina Drummer '87. 'The
life
''Yi
Ji you read the
issue oi The
Advocate that
reached
subscribers in
late April, you
know the
importance oi
the leather
community to
gay men and
lesbians.
Drummer Week
is a celebration
oi that leather
culture, and a
major
iund-raising
endeavor ior
QCQ.
Art by
Kevin Kennedy
/
Charlotte Lambda Chorale has been
practicing for pari of it. Volunteers have
lined up sound equipment and orga
nized everything from city flags on ta
bles to motel room reservations. The
'Tradesmen will usher. And contestants
will represent Atlanta, Nashville, Ashe
ville, Raleigh and who knows where
else.
Contestants will come prepared for
knock-out fantasies, speeches and
leather wardrobe presentations they
hope will land them in the national Mr.
Drummer finals in San Francisco this
summer. And some of the top names in
the leather culture will be here, includ
ing Scott Tucker, Mr. International
Leather; and Jim Ed 'Thompson, the as
sociate editor of Drummer magazine
who was Mr. Son Francisco Leather '86,
third runner-up in Mr. International
Leather '86, and appears in films with
his partner.
Tucker and 'Thompson, who vrill ad
dress the audience, are judges along
with the editors of Etc. magazine and
The Frontpage, and three other men.
Later that night comes another big
bash. Starting at 1 a.m. in the morning at
a very secret location (because there
are only like 300 tickets to be sold, you
see, and nobody wants a frustrated
crowd at the door trying to get in) will
be the ManDance/DrummerBoy Contest
with 'The Scorpio's Doug Neems and Ed
Kirkland staffing sound and lights impor
ted from Atlanta. It will be dance time
— and DrummerBoy time.
DrummerBoy, you see, is sort of an
CONTINUED. PAGE 6
Asheville Watching Violence
Special To Q-Notes
ASHEVILLE — Asheville's gay/lesbian group
CLOSER has started monitoring incidents of vio
lence and harassment. 'The new Human Rights
Watch is the result of these:
■ 'Two people were attacked outside of the gay
club Trax by a man wearing a ski mask. The two
drove off the attacker and suffered minimal injury.
■ Tires were slashed in a parking lot used by
Trax patrons.
■ 'There were reports of a police officer verbally
harassing a gay man about his sexuality.
'The Human Rights Watch adopted these goals:
1) To document violence and discrimination
against people perceived as lesbian or gay.
2) To support Arictims of homophobic violence
and discrimination.
3) To suggest ways to deal with homophobic
violence and discrimination.
4) To inform Asheville's gay and lesbian com
munity of local human rights problems and prog
ress.
CLOSER invited Asheville-area gay and lesbian
citizens who have suffered discrimination or vio
lence — or people knowing someone else who
has been victimized — to write the Human Rights
Watch, c/o CLOSER, P.O. Box 2911, Asheville, N.C.
28802; or call Don or Joan Marshall at All Souls
Episcopal Church, 274-2681.
■ ■■
CLOSER is an acronym ior Community Liaison
Organization ior Support, Education and Reform.
"She" won first
place and S99.50
in QCQ's Camp
for Cash Night at
Charades on
April 23. More
pictures. Page 8.
$25,000 In Firevrozks!
Charlotte's having a $25,000 fire
works show during Drummer
Week.
Get your seat on Stevens' up
stairs porch on 'Thursday, May 14,
enjoy dinner, kick yoiir legs up
with a drink and you'll hove a
great view of the fireworks that
will shoot off the former Arnold
Palmer Cadillac property on South
Tryon Street at about 9:15 p.m.
Actually, it's part of the World
600 Festival.
The Parade of Lights begins
downtown at 8 p.m,; the fireworks
follow. Stevens will be great
grandstand seating for oohing and
aohing when the blockbusters hit.
As the crow flies, Stevens is about
on eighth of a mile from the old
Cadillac dealership.
You'll still have time after the
storbursts to rush over to Charades
for the Leather Fashion Show &
Roast of Butch Stevenson, Mr. Caro
lina Drummer '86.
‘Tough Customers’ Photos
Drummer magazine has agreed
to consider publishing "tough cus
tomer" photos taken at the Brass
Rail during Drummer Week.
QCQ will arrange photography
for those who want it for Friday,
May 15, at the bar during the
Drummer Welcome Party.
"Tough customer" layouts are
among Drummer's popular fea
tures. Typically, the magazine
publishes six or more per page, all
with captions and some with an
optional code for contacting the
person pictured. A recent issue
featured Texans.
Those accepted from the Brass
Rail would likely be published
July or August.
Leather, Books For Sale
SM Leathers of Baltimore and
White Rabbit Books of Greensboro
will be selling merchandise in
Charlotte during Drummer Week.
White Rabbit will display and
sell at the Scorpio on Friday night.
May 15, and at the official Drum
mer motel on Saturday, May 16,
from noon to 6:30 p.m.
SM, which mokes its first Char
lotte appearance during Trades
men's anniversary weekend May
1-3, returns to Charlotte May 13 lor
five sessions: May 13 at Scorpio,
May 14 at Charades where SM will
coordinate the leather fashion
show. May 15 at the Brass Roll,
May 16 at Park Center, and May
17 at Scorpio during the Miss Char
lotte Pageant.