Q-NOTES
&
CAROLIN
noted . notable . noteworthy GLBT Issues
^ Volume 19 • No. 01 • May 22, 2004
The Carolinas'most comprehensive Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender newspaper . Published every 2 weeks
PO Box 221841 • Charlotte, NC 28222
704.531.9988
704.531.1361 FAX
•
www.q-notes.com
Publishen Jim Yarbrough
publisher@q-notes.com
•
Editor David Moore
editor@q-notes.com
Associate Editor: David Stout
Special Assignments; Lainey Millen
•
New Media; Brian M. Myer
Graphic Design Production: Lainey Millen
production@q-notes.com
Administrative Assistant Brad Ward
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Q-Notes nor its publisher assumes liability for typographi
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contributing writers
David Bresnahan, Mubarak Dahir, J. Lynn
Davidson, Lawrence Ferber, Barry Gay, Kevin
Grooms/Miss Della, J.S. Hall, W. Todd
Humphrey, Robert Johnston, Robert Kirby,
Charlene Lichtenstein, Sheri A. Lunn, Ed
Madden, Donald Miller, David Moore, Brian M.
Myer, Fidel Ortega, Tina Rice, Carol Robinson,
Leslie Robinson, David Stout, Trinity
on page one
• Coalition puts marriage in spotlight
• Controvery surrounds Durham County murder
• Will N.C. turn its back on gays
07
17
32
21
20
35
19
42
37
03
38
23
08
11
12
39
42
34
36
16
33
01
26
41
articles
Deep south drag queen cag'acking
DP issue spurs group formation
Drag show on tour
Men's Chorus to hold concert
Trans vet march to Wall a success
Where do old cell phones go?
Who will Kerry choose?
features
Alanis Morrisette wants to marry couples
Charlotte Pride 2004 Retrospective
Time for answers on Iraq
columns
Classifieds
Community Cards • 37-39
Curbside
Drag Rag,
Editor's Note
General Gayety
Money Matters
News Notes: Global
News Notes: NC
News Notes: SC
On the Air
Out and About
Out in Print Frank O'Hara
Out in the Stars
Para Todos
Playin'It Out
Q-Poll
Q-Poll Results
Tell Trinity
advertising space deadlines
issue: 05 June
issue: 19 June
issue: 03 July
deadline: 05-26
deadline: 06-09
deadline: 06-23
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%ditor^s note
Columbia for the
weekend
For a few brief days this past weekend I
got a taste of South Carolina Pride. The
whole affair kicked off with an interesting,
if not almost spiritual
note. I’ve seen this hap
pen once before — dur
ing an Atlanta Pride cele
bration back in 2001 —
but I wasn’t expecting to
see it again early Friday
evening from our fifth
floor hotel room in downtown Columbia.
We d just arrived and as we were unpack
ing out bags my partner pointed at the
window and the rainbow forming in the
clouds over the city.
Friday night. Pride kicks off. Rainbow in the
sky over Columbia. Hnmnnmm.
Later that evening we decided to take in
a few sights around town. For an early
drink and some conversation with a bar
tender named Paul (“But everybody calls
:.s.(
PRIDE i
BSBlA'N
me Bam-Bam”) we stopped in at PT’s
1109. Paul/Bam-Bam gave us the scoop on
the nearby spots to hit for some fun and
told us some of the history of the building
that housed the club.
The Alley Cafe proved to be our next
stop for dinner — great rosemary pork and
veggie pizza and more tips from^ the cafe’s
bar manager Leigh, who told us all about
gay nightlife in South Carolina’s capital.
“Everything’s off Gervais Street,” she
chuckled.
A small but very comfortable little bar
called The Capital Club proved to be a
pleasant topper to Friday evening. Earlier
in the evening a few different people had
off-handedly mentioned that the bar
catered to a mysterious “theater crowd"
and that it had been open for several years.
chatted briefly with one of the bar
tenders, and told him how much I liked the
decor. A small fellow sitting directly next to
me suddenly piped up, “Yeah, it’s a theatre
crowd."
Hmmmm. I’m stiii not sure what that means.
People that tike theatre decorate well?
Back at our hotel the next morning at
breakfast we noticed a rather large number
of portly white heterosexuals eyeing us
suspiciously while we were eating. My
partner commented on the phenomenon
as well. On the way out he spotted a sign:
S.C. Republican Convention.
Uh-oh.
After installing our tent at Findlay Park in
our assigned location, Q-Noto publisher Jim
Yarbrough joined us as we spent the better
part of the day getting to know the 1000 +
crowd that piled into the park following the
kick-off march at Memorial Park.
Since we’re based out of
Charlotte — there are a num
ber of people around the’
Carolinas that I’ve main
tained a long-distance phone
and email relationship with
since I started here a year ago (yep — my
anniversary is this week). I finally got to
put a face on a number of them, like
SCGLPM’s Bert Easter and Ed.Madden, as
well as Mandy Carter of Southerners on
New Ground and everybody’s favorite
PFLAG mom Harriet Hancock.
By day’s end we were all sufficiently
sun-burned and sweaty. Dinner proved to
be a fiasco — everything was packed, we
kept getting lost and where we ended up
— well — I wouldn’t wish that on any
body. Next time I'll stick to Ed Madden's advice.
A shower and a few hours later we
snagged a couple of drinks at a place called
Friends. It’s on Gervais, across a bridge,
and it played host to an intimate crowd in
a comfortable, casual setting.
We wrapped up our Saturday night in
Columbia at Art Bar, a club that boasts a
very friendly mix of gay and straight danc
ing to retro-eighties music in a really retro
environment.
Our trip was packed and hurried — but I
have to admit we all really enjoyed Columbia
and the people we met there. Don't be sur
prised if you see us again in a few weeks.
Celebrating 18 years in print.
Ronald Reagan was still in office. Jim
and Tammy Faye and the PTL Club were
the headline of the moment. The year
was 1986 and the LGBT newspaper C^-
Notes had just printed its first issue. On
the cover the headlines announced the
May 31 debut of the first annual Carolina
Drummer ’86 weekend, a leather event
sponsored by the Charlotte gay communi
ty group Clueen City Quordinators.
News stories in the first issue covered
the premiere of the play “Bent” at New Life
MCC, MAP’s info on safe sex parties, tips
on who to vote for in the Charlotte
4^54 I ,
Q-Notes
DrmYimerWeekend Coming
Mecklenburg run-off elections, an interview
with Dj Tom Johnson and a profile of former
MCC Charlotte minister Lynn Guerra.
Clearly much has changed since our
first issue. We’re proud to have served you
for 18 years and thankful that you’ve
helped us to become the leading LGBT
voice for North and South Carolina.