DECEMBER 31. 2005 • Q-NOTES
& SO
CAROLIN
noted . notable . noteworthy GLBT issues
Volume 20 • No. 17 • December 31, 2005
The Carolinas'most comprehensive G^, 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
Publisher Jim Yarbrough
publisher@q-notes.com
•
Editor David Moore
editor@q-notes.com
Associate Editor David Stout
Special Assignments: Lainey Millen
•
Administration: Justin Watford
New Media: Bob Balentine
Graphic Design/Production: Lainey Millen
advertising@q-notes.com
Ad Sales:
Jim Yarbrough, Manager
publisher@q-notes.com
Gordon Marcelo
adrepl@q-notes.com
Peter Boykin, Triangle
peterboykin@verizon.net
Ad Sales. National:
Rivendell Media
704.531.9988
704.531.9988
919.682.9990
212.242.6863
GLBTQ Switchboards
For meetings, or guidance contact the
GLBTQ Switchboard in your area:
contributing writers
Ashley Byrd, Kevin Grooms/Miss Della,
John Hall, Linda Ketner, Robert Kirby,
Charlene Lichtenstein, Kittredge
McFadden, Ed Madden, Lainey Millen,
Donald Miller, David Moore, Leslie
Robinson, Mark Smith, David Stout,
Trinity, Steve Warren
on page one
* jCelebrating same-sex marriage
• Evangelicals on the attack
articles
14 I Famify and friends m lost in 2005
21
21
21
features
Big screen: best of2005
Memorable music of2005
Must read books of2005
columns
NC: Charlotte
Raleigh
Win-Salem
SC: Charleston
Columbia
704-535-6277
919-821-0055
336-748-0031
843-720-8088
803-771-7713
Material in Q-Notes Is copyrighted by Pride Publishing &
Typesetting O 2005 and may not be reproduced in any
manner without written consent of the editor.
Advertisers assume full responsibility — and therefore,
all liability — for securing reprint permission for
copyrighted text, photographs and illustrations
or trademarks published in their ads.
The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers,
writers, cartoonists we publish is neither inferred nor
implied. The appearance of names or photographs does
not Indicate the subject's sexual orientation.
Q-Notes nor its publisher assumes liability for
typographical error or omission, beyond offering to
run a correction. The views of this newspaper
are expressed as editorials.
Q-Notes accepts unsolicited editorial, but cannot
take responsibility for its return. Editor reserves
the right to accept and reject material as well as
edit for clarity, brevity.
30 Classifieds
• Community Cards • 24-25
28 Curbside
22 Drag Rag
03 Editor's Note
25 General Gayety
05 News Notes: Global
08 News Notes: NC
11 News Notes: SC
26 Out and About
28 Out in the Stars
01 Q-Poll
29 Tell Trinity
advertising space deadlines
issue: 14 January
issue: 28 January
issue: 11 February
deadline: 01-04
deadline: 01-18
deadline: 02-01
Happy New Year
to our friends, family, writers
and advertisers.
Thanks for your support!
Mailed from Charlotte, NC; 1st & 3rd Class; in sealed envelope. Subscription rates -
1 yr - 26 issues: 1st = $48; 3rd = FREE. 6 months -13 issues: 1st = $25; 3rd = FREE
Make checks payable to (D-NOTES: PO Box 221841. Charlotte, NC 28222
YEARLY 26 issues; □ $48/ □ FREE
name:
• 1/2 YEAR 13 issues: □ $25 / □ FREE
address:
CITY
STATE ZIP
CREDIT CARD- CHECK ONE.’ □ MASTERCARD
□ VISA □ DISCOVER
□ AMERICAN EXPRESS
CARD #;
EXP date:
signature:
ttors note
Rememberina good
times in old New
Orleans ,
On my first visit to New
Orleans back in the mid
1990s, I was fortunate
enough to have along an
enthusiastic travel com
panion who made sure I
saw everything there was
to see.
We explored massive
old cemeteries, rode the trolley to the end
and back, sampled cuisine from multiple
historic restaurants and spent days and
nights navigating the French Quarter’s vari
ous storefronts and bars.
Late one night after too much partying at
a club called Oz, my friend and I made our
way to a hole-in-the-wall diner called the
Clover Grill. A bearded waitress took our
order while a rather weathered looking KC
from KC and the Sunshine Band sat next to
us sipping on coffee and reading a paper.
The bearded lady caught me glancing at KC
and held up a menu to obscure her face from
his view. “I think he lives here now,” she
mumbled. “Been seein’ him in here a lot.”
You could tell by the gleam in her eye
she was proud to be the purveyor of inside
gossip of goings-on in the French Quarter.
1 just nodded and smiled.
The following evening, our last in New
Orleans (that trip anyway), we decided to
take another stroll through the French
Quarter and hit some of the cheesier
places — just so we could say we had. It
was my birthday and 1 wanted to be
adventuresome.
If you’ve ever been to New Orleans’
French Quarter then you can’t miss this place
— it’s a seedy little strip joint with a painted
black board in place of a picture window. The
board has two large holes cut in it so that the
legs of a mannequin continuously pop out
and then back in, giving you the impression
that a naked woman on a swing is waiting
just on the other side of the door (made of
plastic of course, but you get the idea).
I’ve never been one who was able to
resist the lure of camp and bizarre, I just
can’t. I had to go in. I drug my friend along
with me — much to his chagrin. “Why are
we going in here? We’re gay aren’t we?”
“Yes, of course we are, but you know
this is going to be really fun — come on!
Naked girls dripping glow stick fluid on
their bodies dancing to bad ’70s disco or
hanging upside down from a pole while
they crush beer cans between their breasts
doesn’t sound the least bit arousing but it
does sound pretty entertaining.”
We took a seat at a table as a large
transgendered waitress lumbered in our
direction.
“What can I get you guys?”
“T\vo Rolling Rocks will do it, thanks.”
In less than the time it takes to turn your
head from one side to another we were
quickly pounced on by two topless dancers.
One was a small freckled redhead, the other
an extremely tall latina with one eye that
tended to wander off to the
left.
“Hi boys,” the redhead
said. “I’m Britney. This is my
sister.”
“Hey guys,” I’m Carolyn.
“You guys wanna specialty dance? We’re
sisters. We do a special sister act together
for you in the back room if you like.”
During all of this my friend is squirming
and about to bolt and run while I’m sitting
back taking stock of the situation.
“You guys are great,” I tell Britney and
Carolyn. “Come on, you’re not sisters,
though. You don’t even remotely resemble
each other.”
They both laugh. “No we’re not,” says
Carolyn. “We just like to tell the guys that.
They seem to like it. What do you guys
like?”
“Other guys,” 1 say matter-of-factly. “We
just thought we’d stop in and watch the
show and have a drink. It’s my birthday.”
The lumbering transgendered waitress
returns without beers while Britney and
Carolyn seem to be making some kind of
covert plan of action.
“Ohhhh! So it’s your birthday. Maybe
vve know somebody else here who you
guys might like a little better.”
Something in the back of my head
made me think 1 probably should have kept
the part about my birthday to myself.
&veral minutes later a rail-thin male
dancer appears, draped in a ripped-up
“Flashdance” sweat top, minus a few front
teeth and sporting a particularly intense
. mullet cut.
“So you guys wanna private dance in
the back, huh? Want me to show you a
good time for your birthday?”
Now we were both squirming.
“I don’t think so man, we were on our
way out —. but thanks.”
My friend and I made a bee-line for the
front door and out into the night.air.
In the years since that time I’ve made
other trips to New Orleans, and I have to
admit I’ve always had a soft spot for the
town’s people — especially those unique,
one-df-a-kind individuals you’d encounter
nowhere else but New Orleans. They’re
good-natured and charming and always
ready to lend a hand.
Now it’s our time to lend a hand back
to the people in New Orleans’ LGBT
community.
According to a story that came across
my desk this past week. New Orleans’ Gay
and Lesbian Community Center is on the
verge of collapse. Supported solely by pub
lic donations — most of the funds have
dried up after donors were forced to evac
uate. Although many people have
returned, those who kept the center afloat
with regular donations apparently haven’t.
The director of the center is requesting
gays and lesbians who can afford to from
around the country to make a donation of
just $20. If 2,500 people from the gay
community can donate that small amout
each, the center’s crisis could be averted
for a full year.
Wanna help? I know I do. If you’ve got
the extra cash, send your donation to the
New Orleans Lesbian and Gay
Community Center, 2114 Decatur St.,
New Orleans, LA 7QI16.
— David Moore
Editor