Kym Register is about as Durham as it gets. Born at Durham Regional Hospital, they’ve spent most of their life in and around the Bull City. Their mother and grandmother are from Durham, too, and once lived on Geer Street.
“I think Durham still has this Durham love, and that is sick. We have to love our town to make it cool and to make it what we want it to be,” said Register, who uses they/them pronouns. “I think we’re still small enough to where we can make things happen. There are people on the city council that we all know. I love that people who are involved in the arts are also involved in our government.”
For the past 17 years, Register has been giving back to the city as the owner of one of its most esteemed clubs: The Pinhook. People call it a lot of things, but at its heart, it’s a queer and musician-owned venue that prioritizes queer voices across several musical genres.
“It’s interesting when I hear people in reviews call it a dive bar. That’s not actually how I see it,” Register said. “It is kind of a punk club; it’s a queer club that’s punk-ish. And it’s not always the most beautiful place all the time, but it’s a homey space. It’s lived in and it’s been here forever. We’ve been here for 17 years and that’s really old in club years.”…