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Opinion Queer in Translation The Grand Entrance
Opinion Queer in Translation The Grand Entrance
| The Grand Entrance |
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| Thursday, 14 August 2008 21:51 |
 QIT and Boom Boy introduce themselves to Townsville's queer society at The Sov.
 As I glanced around The Sovereign, I suddenly knew how Dorothy felt when she realised she wasn’t in Kansas any more. Last weekend was The Diva’s birthday, so we celebrated at the only gay bar in Townsville. Not only was the night in celebration of The Diva turning a quarter of a century, it also marked our entrance into Townsville’s gay club scene. The Sov is very different to the clubs in Brisbane we were used to. For starters, it’s smaller, no surprise there. As soon as we walked through the main doors, eyes turned in our direction. Maybe it was the way we were dressed or the slightly awkward expressions we wore – it was pretty clear we were the out-of-towners. I didn’t let that bother me in the slightest. Dressed in black, with my boyfriend Boom Boy under one arm, I felt like Brian Kinney from Queer as Folk. After less than 10 minutes at the bar, one of the customers I knew from my new retail job came up and showed me the pair of jeans she had purchased earlier in the week. After introducing me to her overly intoxicated friends and two sons, she proceeded to praise Boom Boy, saying how gorgeous he was. She kept introducing us to everyone as, “This is such and such and they’re a couple.” Her best friend’s daughter whispered into Boom Boy’s ear: “I think I might be gay but don’t tell mum.” The thought that even in a gay club some people still have to hide their sexual orientation was partially humorous. Actually, I felt like an animal in a petting zoo, due to the fact that one of the sons kept trying drunkenly to rub up against me. Thank god for Boom Boy stepping in the way. During the earlier part of the evening the dance floor was pretty dead and, being the Gemini that I am, I decided to draw all attention to me by breaking it down to Britney’s ‘Ice’. What can I say: I love being a show off. We discovered that the smoking area was one of the rare places where you could still drink. It was very much a pub vibe, where everyone sits, talks and drinks. We met another older gay guy who had not long moved from Cairns. He was facing the dilemma of where to shop for shoes in Townsville other than visiting the local Target store. He got into an argument with a slightly loud-mouthed, larger girl, who kept going on about how she was a beautician, straight and loved gay guys. He went straight to the point: “Love, pull your head in, no one cares!” The thing I’m growing to like about Townsville is it’s no bullshit, what you see is what you get. It is a well-deserved break from the at times plastic gay scene of the big city. So it was no surprise, when I bumped into one of the original plastics of Brisbane, to hear he was finding it hard to fit in. The one thing I learnt to appreciate that night is it’s better to just be yourself. As the night went on, the music got better and the Rock Star and Diva danced up a storm when The Pussycat Dolls’ ‘When I grow up’ began to play. All you need is good company and music, and fun can be found anywhere. Will I be returning to the Sov? Definitely: Saturday was just the beginning. -QIT |