HOW IT ALL BEGAN . . .
In 1989, a group of friends (Mark Cline, Alan McArthur, Michael Del Giudice, Jason Shadix, and the late Duane Garrett) returned from a trip to Charleston, SC, where they were recovering from a strict regimen of the Old South prim-and-proper social code. Their apt response was to organize a drag ball in Athens.
As the planning began, the question of entertainment for the night came up. There was some concern that people might not be comfortable performing in drag. At that time, there was no specific “gay bar” in Athens and most people made the trek to Atlanta to play and see drag.
Mark Cline remembered meeting Vernon Wall at the fabulous 40 Watt on one of its infamous “Gay Friendly Monday Nights.” Vernon had been performing as Coretta Scott Queen (a southern gospel gem) with the Armorettes in Atlanta. Since the Armorettes were known for their charity camp drag work, Vernon joined the committee to coordinate the entertainment. In order to give the event an air of genuine respectability, they made the evening a benefit for local charities. The party was christened “Boybutante Ball: A Night of a Thousand Barbras.”
Party-goers at this first Ball were urged to arrive at the now-defunct Rockfish Palace (later Boneshakers) in their wildest, most fabulous outfits, and they did. The club was packed– and the $800 raised was given to AIDS Athens and the battered women’s shelter. Before the evening had ended, a tradition had begun.
The next year, the Ball moved to the legendary 40 Watt Club, where R.E.M. and the B-52s got their start. It continued to draw larger and larger crowds, and in 1996 the Boybutante Committee was incorporated as the “Boybutante AIDS Foundation, Inc.,” a nonprofit organization, registered in the state of Georgia.
The Ball has steadily grown–it has been a sell-out since 1992–to become the social event of the spring season in Athens. Revolving around a Broadway-style revue featuring the prodigious talents of local–and imported–drag queens, the Ball also includes contests in which audience members compete for titles and then dance ’til they drop–or until a heel breaks.
Since its birth in 1989, the Boybutante Ball–along with its sponsors and the people who attend its events–has raised more than half a million dollars for AIDS services organizations. With tremendous community support, the Boybutante Ball is now preceded by a week of special events at various venues in downtown Athens, and followed by a delicious brunch. The Boybutante AIDS Foundation also raises money throughout the year by hosting Boybutante Bingo – Christmas in July, a Back to School Party, our annual Boo-Butante Halloween Party, and other special events. We also proudly sponsor fundraising events of other organizations involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.