Drag Day at Shaman Drum Textbooks

On the first day of classes each Fall, Shaman Drum welcomes students with a day of drag. Cross-dressed employees help students find their books and check out as on any other day, but with an element of awareness. The annual Drag Day at Shaman Drum is a celebration in remembrance of long-time employee Earl Gebbot, who died of AIDS in 1994 and was a "flamboyant cross-dresser" in his earlier years. "Earl had a good sense of humor ... he would have appreciated a day in which his friends dressed all in drag," says Karl Pohrt, Shaman Drum Bookshop owner. The day also seeks to promote safe sex and continued awareness of HIV/AIDS in the community. The Ypsilanti-based HIV/AIDS Resource Center (HARC) provides free condoms and information about AIDS and sexual safety.