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inside this issue
feature
10 The Worst of the Worst: Robinson vs. Cawthorn 11 Mo’ better badness 12 History’s Worst of the Worst
news
4 Never-Repealed Laws Banning Same-Sex Marriage & Sexual Acts a Ticking Time Bomb 5 SCOTUS Overturns Roe v. Wade, Justice Thomas Takes Aim at LGBTQ Rights 6 Transgender North Carolinians See Major Legal Victories 7 Proud Boys Enter Wilmington Library «During LGBTQ Story Time; Parents Say They Felt Unsafe 8 Trans Woman Murdered in Zebulon 8 NC Officials Identify First Case of Monkeypox in State 8 Mecklenburg County Confirms First Case of Monkeypox 9 Atheist and Agnostic Workers Fired After refusing to Attend Company’s Christian Prayer Meeting 9 City of Charlotte Arts Board Awards $2.01M to Arts & Science Council
While parents were expecting to enjoy story time at the local library, others had something else in mind. In this story we discuss how story time at the library goes wrong.
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Virtual Reality Gaming and Fitness
From the looks of it, you are now able to stay in shape while enjoying video games. In this article we discuss how fitness and gaming can exist in the same spaces
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a&e 15 Out In Print: LBGTQ Books for Kids 18 Q-Music: Long Haulers
life
17 Heath and Fitness: Virtual Reality Gaming and Fitness 19 Our People: A look at the business of family and community
views
19 Legal Eagle: LGBTQ Politics: The Worst List
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Proud Boys Enter Wilmington Library
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news
Never-Repealed Laws Banning Same-Sex Marriage & Sexual Acts a Ticking Time Bomb Dozens of States Still Have Constitutional Bans on Same-Sex Marriage and 15 Have Sodomy Laws on Books BY JOHN GALLAGHER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T
he Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a woman’s right to choose is a reminder that state and local penal codes, rendered moot by court rulings, in many cases were never cleaned out. These dead laws just sat there collecting dust, presumably never to be heard of again. What the Supreme Court ruling in the overturn of Roe v. Wade highlights is that laws on the books are never entirely dead. Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin all have old laws on the books banning abortion predating the original Roe v. Wade decision in 1972. The states never got around to removing the laws and now are grappling with the possibility that the laws, dating back to 1882 in West Virginia’s case, will once again take effect. While rendered moot by Lawrence v. Texas and later Obergefell v. Hodges, two such particularly dangerous legal precedents are still on the books in North Carolina. Sexual Activity North Carolina’s “sodomy law” comes in the form of Gen. Stat. Section 14-177 and the legislation is directly traceable to an English law passed in the year 1533 during the reign of King Henry VIII, which referenced the “detestable and abominable vice of buggery.” It was passed into law in 1837, with one important difference. The persons drawing the statute found the word “buggery” too offensive to even read, so it was reworded to read as follows: “Any person who shall commit the abominable and detestable crime against nature, not to be named among Christians, with either mankind or beast, shall be adjudged guilty of a felony, and shall suffer death without the benefit of clergy.” Of course, the words and punishment changed as time passed – execution was phased out and punishment lessened – but as late as 2014, a person found guilty was charged with a Class I felony when committing a “crime against nature.” Because the constant rewording of the language left the definition vague, the UNC School of Government looked
at the case law in 2011 to determine what the statute specifically identified as a “crime against nature” and released the following determinations: giving or receiving fellatio, cunnilingus, annalingus, inserting a sexual organ into the anus of another male or female or an object into a person’s genital opening. As of 2020, the aforementioned sex acts are still considered “crimes against nature.” However, in 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws were unconstitutional, arguing that consenting adults can engage in oral and anal sex, when performed in private, without facing criminal penalties. Marriage On September 12, 2011, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted 75–42 in favor of North Carolina Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and any “domestic legal union.” On September 13, 2011, the North Carolina State Senate voted 30–16 in favor of the bill. On May 8, 2012, North Carolina voters approved of the amendment by a vote of 61.04 percent to 38.96 percent. The amendment added to Section XIV of the Constitution of North Carolina reads as follows: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.” North Carolina was the 30th state, and the last of the former Confederate states, to adopt a constitutional amendment
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defining marriage to exclude same-sex couples. Preparing for the Future Stepping backwards in time is a prospect LGBTQ residents of North Carolina and many states across the country might face if the Court decides to revisit any of the rights it had previously ensured. Given Clarence Thomas’ open invitation to correct “the error” that led to marriage equality, and the end of sodomy laws, that’s not a remote possibility. These laws and constitutional bans are ticking time bombs waiting to go off in the event that the Supreme Court takes its reasoning in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to its logical conclusion. Indeed, in their dissent, the three liberal justices warned that the conservatives weren’t done with the damage they intend to cause. While Thomas said that the ruling opened the door to other cases, the other justices in the majority tried to downplay that idea. Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor would have none of it. “Either the mass of the majority’s opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat,” the dissenting justices wrote. “It is one or the other.” In the meantime, the right-wing has a passive ally in moot – at least for now – laws that are still on the books. These laws are waiting in the wings to come back into full force should the right’s fantasy of eviscerating LGBTQ progress come to fruition thanks to the ideologues on the Court. During the fight for marriage equality, some 30 states passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in some form or another. Nevada voters
repealed theirs in 2020. The rest are still on the books. There are also dozens of laws banning marriage equality as well. Some states, like Virginia, have taken steps to strike those from the books, but Republicans have blocked efforts to repeal the constitutional amendment. Legislators in other states have tried for years to get laws removed, but again failed in the face of GOP opposition. It’s a similar situation with sodomy laws. More than a dozen states still have laws on the books banning sodomy. The laws generally prohibit oral or anal sex between adults, and while most of them apply to straight people as well, historically they have been used to target LGBTQ people. Last week’s ruling made it clear that there’s no such thing as a secure right as long as the right-wing justices control the Court. If it seems far-fetched to consider the Court overturning tens of thousands of marriages, just consider the confirmation hearings for Breyer’s replacement, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Republican Senators repeatedly pressed Jackson for her views about “unenumerated rights” like marriage equality. The clear message was that these rights were illegitimate. Given that the conservative justices on the Court are virtually indistinguishable from the GOP policy line – indeed, they were chosen for that very reason – there’s every reason to believe that they are thinking the same thing. For the longest time, the fear was that the Court would slowly poke holes in LGBTQ rights by carving out broad exceptions based on a religious liberty argument. After Dobbs, it’s just as easy for them to cut right to the finish and eliminate the rights altogether. That’s the end game. As they’ve shown with abortion, why wait if you have the power to impose your views now? This article appears courtesy our media partner LGBTQ Nation. North Carolina specific material added by qnotes. : :
news
SCOTUS Overturns Roe v. Wade, Justice Thomas Takes Aim at LGBTQ Rights NC’s access to abortion remains protected by law
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riday, June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. The decision by five of the Court’s nine justices will allow each state to set its own abortion laws, leading to a patchwork of access throughout the country. The result is expected to be an uptick in the number of women traveling out of state for abortions, as well as unsafe abortions in states where the medical procedure will now be banned or heavily restricted. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his opinion, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Chief Justice John Roberts filed a separate opinion concurring in the judgment about the Mississippi law at the center of the case, making that a 6-3 ruling, but not about overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, making that a 5-4 ruling. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Alito continued. “That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ‘implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.’” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the dissent in the case for himself, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. “With sorrow — for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection — we dissent,” he wrote. The new status of abortion access on a state-by-state basis, Breyer wrote, “says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to
BY JENNIFER SHUTT/NC POLICY WATCH | CONTRIBUTING WRITER term, even at The pro-choice the steepstate called the est personal “Dobbs” decision and familial a devastating costs.” rollback of human Breyer rights, but noted later added, that abortion in “Whatever North Carolina is the exact still legal. Here’s scope of the more from their coming laws, statement: one result There are of today’s fourteen abordecision is tion clinics across certain: the North Carolina curtailment that provide of women’s compassionate rights, and of abortion care for their status patients. Today’s as free and ruling is devastatequal citiing, but it is not zens.” the end of our Twentyfight for reproductwo states tive freedom in have laws North Carolina. Protestors rally against the overturn of Roe v. that would Anti-abortion Wade. (Credit: NC Policy Watch) restrict when lawmakers in our and how General Assembly a patient have spent can terminate a pregnancy, according to decades methodically drafting and passthe Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive ing medically unnecessary and politically health and rights organization. motivated laws to take away our access to Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin are abortion. They have introduced inflammaamong the 10 states that have pre-Roe tory and medically false bills to attack aborabortion bans that are now expected to tion patients and abortion providers and to take effect. Thirteen states — including deceive the public about the realities of reIdaho, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee productive health care. They have created a — have laws enacted since Roe that will be landscape of barriers and undue burdens, “triggered” by the court’s decision. all designed to control the health, bodies A dozen states, including Maine, and lives of women, pregnant people and Maryland, Nevada and Washington, have families across North Carolina. laws that would protect abortion access Yet advocates in North Carolina have up to the point of viability, usually 22 to held the line for abortion access, making 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Colorado, the our state one of the few in the southeast District of Columbia, New Jersey, Oregon that will still have abortion care regardless and Vermont have laws that protect of this devastating decision. abortion access throughout a pregnancy, Thomas Targets Birth Control, Sameaccording to the Guttmacher Institute. Sex Marriage and Sexual Relations The Right to Reproductive Freedom Justice Thomas wrote his own concurRemains Safe in North Carolina ring opinion, arguing that since the court
has overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, which was grounded in the 14th Amendment and the due process clause, other cases that have been rooted in the same right to privacy could all be reconsidered. Those include: The Griswold v. Connecticut case from 1965 that said states couldn’t bar married couples from making private decisions about birth control use. The Lawrence v. Texas case from 2003 that said states couldn’t criminalize consensual sexual relations between samesex partners. The Obergefell v. Hodges case from 2015 that legalized same-sex marriage. “For that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell,” Thomas wrote. Thomas also wrote of the Dobbs case that “The resolution of this case is thus straightforward. Because the Due Process Clause does not secure any substantive rights, it does not secure a right to abortion.” Reaction Pours In The Center for Reproductive Rights, which brought the case to the Supreme Court, rebuked the Republican-nominated justices for ending the right to an abortion. “The Court’s opinion delivers a wrecking ball to the constitutional right to abortion, destroying the protections of Roe v. Wade, and utterly disregarding the one in four women in America who make the decision to end a pregnancy,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Utter chaos lies ahead, as some states race to the bottom with criminal abortion bans, forcing people to travel across multiple state lines and, for those without means to travel, carry their pregnancies to term — dictating their health, lives and futures. Today’s decision will ignite a public health emergency,” Northup confirmed. This article was made available by our media partners at NCPolicy Watch. : :
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news
Transgender North Carolinians See Major Legal Victories
Ruling Will Allow Trans People Identification and Other Documents Consistent With Their Gender Identity BY JOE KILLIAN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T
ransgender people born in North Carolina can now change the gender marker on their birth certificates without undergoing medical transition, according to a consent judgment in a federal law suit issued Wednesday. The lawsuit, filed last year by Lambda Legal, Baker Botts LLP and Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard, challenged state restrictions on how transgender North Carolinians can change their gender markers. Many transgender people do not choose to have any surgery or to medically transition. They say requirements that they do so don’t reflect the reality of transgender peoples’ lives. This week’s judgment means the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and other state officials and agencies will have to provide birth certificates reflecting an applicant’s sex, consistent with their gender identity, without their having to undergo any surgery. “This is a victory for all transgender people born in North Carolina that will help enable them to navigate life with safety and dignity,” said Omar Gonzalez-
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Transgender individuals who have identity documents that conflict with their perceived gender have suffered harassment and discrimination. (Credit: Adobe) Pagan, counsel at Lambda Legal, in a statement Thursday. “We are gratified by North Carolina state officials’ agreement to reverse North Carolina’s policy prohibiting so many transgender people born in
North Carolina from having accurate birth certificates. This lawsuit was just the latest step in our nationwide battle to break down barriers for transgender people to access accurate identity documents.” Under the judgment a transgender person born in North Carolina can change the sex designation on their birth certificate through submitting a sworn statement along with a passport or driver’s license or a certification from a licensed healthcare professional, social worker or case manager confirming their gender identity. The suit involved three plaintiffs born in North Carolina but unable to change their markers under the surgery requirement: Lillith Campos, an adult, and two minor teenagers: C.B., through parent Shelley K. Bunting; and M.D., through parent Katheryn Jenifer. “I’m glad that my daughter will be able to correct and align all her documentation that will allow her to avoid discrimination or exclusion at school, college, sports or government agencies,” said Katheryn Jenifer in a statement. “No child or family should have to go through this trauma
just because the government doesn’t want to recognize transgender people for who they are.” In her own statement Campos called the surgical requirement “outrageous and dehumanizing.” “We should all agree that everyone deserves accurate and accessible identity documents that allow us to go through life and run errands with safety, dignity and respect,” Campos said.“I’m pleased to see this day happening, that the State of North Carolina now must recognize us for who we are.” According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, almost one-third of transgender individuals who showed an identity document with a name or gender marker that conflicted with their perceived gender were harassed, denied benefits or services, discriminated against or assaulted. Transgender individuals also are disproportionately targeted for hate crimes. The judgment is the second significant legal victory for transgender people this month. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Winston-Salem ruled in favor of plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s exclusion of gender-affirming healthcare for transgender state employee under the state health plan. Policy Watch reported extensively on that suit and related issues when the suit was filed in 2019. One of the plaintiffs, Julie McKeown, is an assistant professor in the College of Education at N.C. State University. In a statement on the victory, she said it sent “a powerful message of validation to the entire transgender community in North Carolina.” McKeown said. “After years of fighting for fair treatment, finally having a court decide that these healthcare exclusions are wrong is vindicating,” she said. “As government employees, all we want is equal access to healthcare, but we were denied just because we are transgender.” This article is made available by our media partner NC Policy Watch. : :
news
Proud Boys Enter Wilmington Library During LGBTQ Story Time; Parents Say They Felt Unsafe Southern Poverty Law Center labels Proud Boys an extremist hate group
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arents who attended an LGBTQthemed story time at a Wilmington, North Carolina public library say members of the Proud Boys protested outside and entered the building during the event to antagonize them. At around 5:30 p.m. June 21, around 10 parents and children gathered at the New Hanover County Public Library Pine Valley Branch to hear a reading of two LGBTQ children’s books — “Heather has Two Mommies” and “Daddy and Dada” — and make crafts for Pride Month, Emily Jones, who attended the event with her 1-yearold daughter, told McClatchy News. “I was really excited to see a Pride-themed story time,” she said. But that excitement soon turned to fear when demonstrators entered the library and intimidated the attendees, she said. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook that a group of demonstrators assembled in the parking lot of the library during the event. “Sheriff Deputies responded to a call of disturbance,” the statement says. “After a period of time a small group of the demonstrators entered the library which is open to the public.” Lt. Jerry Brewer, with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, told McClatchy News that many of the protesters were wearing clothing with black and yellow insignia that members of the Proud Boys traditionally wear. The Southern Poverty Law Center categorizes the Proud Boys as an extremist hate group that espouses white nationalism. A supervisor with the sheriff’s office went into the library and stood between the door to the room where the event was being held and the demonstrators and told them that they could not enter the room, according to the post. “At no time did Sheriff Deputies witness nor did any library staff report any of the demonstrators causing a disturbance within the library or try to enter the private room that was holding the reading,” says the post, which has more than 1,000 comments. “After the reading, all the participants left the library with no incident.” But parents said they felt the protesters should not have been allowed into the library at all. “I was starkly nervous that they were in the building,” Jones said. “I definitely felt unsafe at that point. I never imagined that the police would allow them to go into the library.” Brewer said that legally, law enforcement could not stop the demonstrators from entering the library because it is a public building. Other Pride-themed storytelling events around the country have been disrupted by protesters or canceled completely. One drag queen story time in Galveston, Texas, was canceled this month due to safety concerns, according to The Daily News. Proud Boys members
BY MADELEINE LIST | CONTRIBUTING WRITER also stormed a reading hosted by a drag queen in California. Before the Wilmington event began, around 15 people were gathered outside the library with signs that had messages like “stop supplying pornography to our students” and “pedophiles Protesters went into a library where an LGBTQ story reading was taking r using LGBTQ place and antagonized attendees, North Carolina parents say. (CREDIT: to groom kidz,” Contributed Photo) according to parent accounts attendees. “I was shocked that the sheriffs and photos from the scene. were allowing these protesters to be During the event, around six people within an arms length of these families as went into the library, many of whom had they left the building,” she wrote. “I didn’t their faces covered with black and gold scarves, and walked past the room where the reading was taking place, making derogatory comments, Jones said. “They kind of paraded down the hall yelling,” she said. Brewer said the protesters did not yell inside the library. Jones said that at one point, a man came up to the door of the room, which had a long window, “pressed his face against the glass and glared at us,” she said. After the demonstrators left the building, Jones said the event attendees were asked to stay inside the room for a few minutes while library staff determined it was safe to leave.“It was very terrifying,” Jones said. Sandra Dawn, who wrote in a Facebook message that she got to the event as many of the parents and children were leaving, said she saw protesters confront attendees as they left. She said she was disappointed in law enforcement for not doing more to separate the protesters and the
understand why they were allowed to be so close to them. It felt really unsafe and I was very worried for the families.” But Brewer said the group had a right to protest in a public place. “Do we agree with a lot of it? No,” he said. “But we have to enforce the law.” Jones said the whole event has made her feel less safe in her community. “I’m almost having trouble finding words because I feel so disturbed by it and uncomfortable and just shocked that I live in a society where people parade around saying they care so much about kids and then they turn around and antagonize us,” she said. “It makes me really uncomfortable knowing I live in a community like that.” Madeleine List is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter. Her articles have appeared in the Cape Cod Times, the Providence Journal and The Charlotte Observer. This article appears courtesy of our media partner, The Charlotte Observer.
July 8 - 21, 2022
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news Trans Woman Murdered in Zebulon Sasha Rodriguez-Mason, 45, a transgender woman who was misidentified as a cisgender male by local authorities and media, was murdered in her home earlier this year on May 13 in the town of Zebulon, N.C. With a population of approximately 6,000, the town is located in Wake County and is considered to be a part of the Research Triangle area. Within a week, two men were arrested in connection to the robbery and murder. Ali Tariq Khabir Wiggins of Wendell, N.C., has been charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery with a dangerous weapon. A few days later, Julius Antwan Smith of Angier, N.C., was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. He has since been charged with murder. When contacted by qnotes, Zebulon police authorities were forthcoming about the case but reserved comment on additional murder charges for Wiggins. Since the case continues to be under
Local authorities have said they believe the robbery and murder was a targeted attack. “It is heartbreaking to investigation, they did not rule out the know that a mother has lost possibility of further charges. her child. Sasha was a friend Rodriguez-Mason was part of a large, to many people in our town,” loving family and had many relatives and Zebulon Police Chief Jacqui friends in the town of Zebulon and nearby. Boykin said in a statement. She lived in an apartment behind her “Friends and family should not mother’s home in Zebulon. Ali Wiggins (left) has been charged with conspiracy to have to face such a senseless After being awakened in the early commit armed robbery with a dangerous weapon. In loss. I hope the police departmorning hours of May 13 by the sound addition to charges of murder, Julius Antwan Smith (right) ment can bring some peace of a gunshot, Rodriguez-Mason’s mother, also faces the same charges as Wiggins. (CREDIT: Zebulon and sense of justice to ... loved Inez Davis, found her lying in her apartPolice Department) ones.” ment, with at least one Tori Cooper, gunshot wound. Zebulon “Sasha’s death is yet another tragic Human Rights police officers arrived incident in an epidemic of fatal violence Campaign Director of on the scene quickly against transgender people, especially Community Engagement and performed CPR but transgender women of color. for the Transgender Justice Rodriguez-Mason was Those who wish to do us harm are Initiative, issued the folpronounced dead by the emboldened by the hostile anti-LGBTQ+ lowing statement: “I am time emergency medical rhetoric and anti-trans stigma in our curheartbroken to learn of service officials arrived. rent politics and culture. It must end.” Sasha’s death. She should Items were taken from According to HRC, Rodriguez-Mason is still be with us today. We the apartment during the the 16th confirmed killing of a transgender will continue to remember robbery and research Sasha Rodriguez-Mason was or gender non-conforming individual this her life and say her name confirms both Wiggins and loved by many in small NC year. alongside her friends and Smith were acquaintances town. (CREDIT: Facebook) info: bit.ly/3ukWsgY family. of Rodriguez-Mason. — David Aaron Moore
NC Officials Identify First Case of Monkeypox in State The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the first case of monkeypox virus infection June 23 in a North Carolina resident, identified by testing at the State Laboratory of Public Health. Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with varicella zoster virus (chickenpox). Most infections last two to four weeks. NCDHHS is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, relevant local health departments and the patient’s health care providers to identify and notify individuals who may have been in contact with
the patient while they were infectious. Monkeypox is typically spread by skin-toskin contact. The person is currently selfisolating at home. No further information will be shared about this case to protect the patient’s privacy. Since May 2022, 3,308 monkeypox cases have been identified outside of endemic regions worldwide, with 156 cases identified in the United States. There have been no deaths related to this outbreak. Epidemiologic investigation of these cases is ongoing. Information about international cases is available from the World Health Organization and information about U.S. cases is available from the CDC. “The number of monkeypox cases has been growing in the U.S. and globally,” said Dr. Zack Moore, State Epidemiologist and Epidemiology Section Chief. “Though this is the first confirmed case in North
Mecklenburg County Confirms First Case of Monkeypox Mecklenburg County Public Health has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the area, the county announced Monday, June 27. The news comes just days after the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the state’s first case of the rare but potentially serious viral illness. Monkeypox typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Department. “Though this is the first confirmed case
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in the county, we know there are likely other cases,” county health director Dr. Raynard Washington said in a statement. The Mecklenburg resident with monkeypox is at home and in isolation, Washington said in a Monday afternoon
Carolina, we know there toms, see your health care are likely other cases in provider — if you don’t the state. We are encourhave a provider or health aging doctors to consider insurance, visit a public this in people who have health clinic near you. a rash or skin lesion that Keep the rash covered looks like monkeypox.” and avoid sex or being Monkeypox is transintimate with anyone until mitted person to person you have been checked through direct skin-to-skin out. Standard household contact, having contact cleaners and detergents with an infectious rash, are effective at cleaning through body fluids or environmental surfaces through respiratory secreand linens. tions. Such contact often More information Dr. Zack Moore: ‘Though this occurs during prolonged, can be found on the CDC is the first confirmed case face-to-face contact or website: in North Carolina, we know during intimate physical Signs and Symptoms there are likely other cases in contact, such as kissing, How It Spreads the state.’ (CREDIT: NCDHHS) cuddling or sex. While anyMonkeypox Facts for one can get monkeypox, People Who Are Sexually in the current outbreak, Active many of the cases are in men who have Learn About Social Gatherings, Safer sex with men. Sex and Monkeypox People can take basic steps to prevent info: bit.ly/3yiKiGm the spread of monkeypox. If you have an — Qnotes Staff unexplained rash, sores or other symp-
news conference. The person is thought to have come into contact with the illness from an out-of-county resident, he said. Mecklenburg’s communicable diseases team has identified close contacts of that person and is working to vaccinate those people, he said. There is not a specific vaccine for monkeypox, but There is not a specific vaccine for Washington said pubmonkeypox, but public health officials lic health officials are are able to use vaccines typically used able to use vaccines to prevent the spread of smallpox. that are typically used (CREDIT: Adobe Stock) to prevent the spread
of smallpox. The county received 40 smallpox vaccines from NCDHHS Monday, he said. Washington encouraged county residents with “concerning rashes” to contact their health care provider. Monkeypox is typically spread by skinto-skin contact, according to the county. Cases of monkeypox are continuing to rise across the country, Washington said. As of June 24, there have been 201 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S. this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This story appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. info: bit.ly/3OLsU40
— Hannah Smoot
news Atheist and Agnostic Workers Fired After refusing to Attend Company’s Christian Prayer Meeting The Greensboro, N.C.-based company Aurora Renovations and Developments, LLC, doing business as Aurora Pro Services, a residential home service and repair company, violated federal law when it required employees to participate in religious prayer sessions as a condition of employment and retaliated against employees who opposed the unlawful practice, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least June 2020, the company required all employees to attend daily employer-led Christian prayer meetings. The meetings were conducted by the company owner and included Bible readings, Christian devotionals, and solicitation of prayer requests from employees. Aurora’s owner, a devout Catholic
identified online and Facebook as Oscar D. Lopez, also took roll before some of the meetings and reprimanded employees who did not attend. When an atheist construction manager, George McGaha, asked to be excused from the prayer portion of the meetings in the fall of 2020, the defendant company refused to accommodate the employee’s beliefs, cut his pay and fired him. A few months later, in January 2021, Aurora terminated an agnostic customer service representative Mackenzie Saunders, who stopped attending the prayer meetings because the meetings conflicted with her beliefs. Lopez posted on his Facebook account Dec. 22, 2020, shortly after firing McGaha and just a matter of weeks before terminating Saunders, a comment that confirms his adherence to Christian teachings in the workplace: “This place is a shop of God. We start our day by listening to his mes-
City of Charlotte Arts Board Awards $2.01M to Arts & Science Council annually for three years. The Arts and Culture Advisory Board is in the process of allocating the Infusion Fund’s second year of funding. “The Infusion Fund’s purpose is to support people and groups at every level of the arts and culture sector in a new way — to create more opportunities for them to access the funding and support they need,” said Priya Sircar, the city’s arts and culture officer. “With this decision, the advisory board is ensuring Among those benefiting from the Charlotte Arts Board the ASC’s established proAward are the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte (left) and grams endure alongside new One Voice Chorus. (CREDIT: Facebook) resources only possible because of the Infusion Fund.” The City of Charlotte’s Arts and Culture The board has already approved the Advisory Board awarded $2.01 million on bulk of the $12 million available in FY June 21 to the Arts & Science Council (ASC) 2023. On June 14, members voted unanifor fiscal year 2023. With this award, the mously to award a total of $8.9 million board is working to fulfill a commitment to 38 arts and culture organizations in by the city and its partners to the whole Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The of the local arts community — individual vote ensured these organizations — some artists, and arts groups big and small — to of the area’s best-known attractions, as meet needs by funding new and existing well as small and mid-sized organizations opportunities. offering a wide range of arts and cultural The $2.01 million includes $950,000 to experiences — can maintain their cursupport ASC operations and nearly $1.06 rent operations while the advisory board million for the ASC to give grants to arts develops a long-term plan for the future of and culture organizations and individual the cultural community. The $8.9 million artists. The decision funds the ASC at the approved on June 14 included more than full amount the ASC requested from the $300,000 in funds that the ASC has a conInfusion Fund for FY 2023. tract with the Bechtler Museum of Modern The Infusion Fund is a partnership of Art to provide the museum. the city, Foundation For The Carolinas, and Additional FY 2023 funding under conprivate donors to support Charlotte-area sideration includes about $900,000 that arts and culture with roughly $12 million
sage, we care about The EEOC seeks each other, we care monetary relief for about our customers the two employees, and we care about including compensathe quality of our tory and punitive work. damages. The EEOC “God is Blessing also seeks injuncus with great people. tive relief against Our Core Values the company to that we believe are end any ongoing important: Integrity, discrimination based Customer Care, on religion and to Safety, Team Work take steps to prevent and Serving God.” such unlawful conOscar D. Lopez, owner of Aurora Pro Clearly, his duct in the future. Services: “This place is a shop of God.” personal beliefs are “Federal law (CREDIT: Facebook) conflicting with his protects employemployees’ personal ees from having beliefs in the workplace. to choose between their sincerely held Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 religious beliefs and their jobs,” said prohibits religious discrimination, harassMelinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for ment and retaliation in the workplace. the EEOC’s Charlotte District. “Employers The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court, who sponsor prayer meetings in the Middle District of North Carolina (Equal workplace have a legal obligation to acEmployment Opportunity Commission v. commodate employees whose personal Aurora Renovations ad Developments, religious or spiritual views conflict with LLC, d/b/a Aurora Pro Services, Civil Action the company’s practice.” No.: 1:22-cv-00490) after first attemptinfo: bit.ly/3NIuSkg ing to reach a pre-litigation settlement — David Aaron Moore through its voluntary conciliation process.
board members could use to fund creative projects and opportunities as they arise, or to incentivize collaboration among arts groups of all sizes. This program, unique to the Infusion Fund, would include approximately $200,000 rolled over from the previous fiscal year. Among the organizations that will benefit are: A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas $20,000 Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte $61,750 Arts+ $266,202 The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art $443,339 Blumenthal Performing Arts $295,780 BNS Productions $20,762 Carolina Raptor Center $100,363 Carolina Voices $51,762 Carolinas Aviation Museum $119,160 Charlotte Art League $30,000 Charlotte Ballet $801,473 Charlotte Center for Literary Arts $27,452 The Charlotte Folk Society $16,268 The Charlotte Symphony $1,049,055 Children’s Theatre of Charlotte $501,420 Clayworks $60,000 Davidson Community Players $55,000 Discovery Place $1,033,714
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte $32,500 Goodyear Arts $45,088 The Harvey B. Gantt center for AfricanAmerican Arts + Culture $703,628 Historic Rosedale Foundation $17,250 JazzArts Charlotte $117,786 Levine Museum of the New South $525,333 Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works $12,133 Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts $100,000 McColl Center $388,125 Mint Hill Arts $14,789 The Mint Museum $1,026,777 One Voice Chorus $55,000 Opera Carolina $464,000 BOOM Charlotte $50,000 The Carolinas Latin Dance Company $7,500 The Light Factory $50,000 Theatre Charlotte $150,000 Three Bone Theatre $30,000 Tosco Music $40,277 Wing Haven $89,063 info: bit.ly/3RkmOcO — Gregg Watkins
July 8 - 21, 2022
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The Worst of the Worst: Robinson vs. Cawthorn Two Guys North Carolina Can Always Count on to Be Embarrassing
by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer
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he Ugliest of the Ugly some have called them, and they’re not talking about appearances, either. Behavior is what’s at stake here. It’s not hard to pinpoint when civility went flying out the window in government, but that’s not what we’re here to rehash. In this article, we’re here to look at the relatively recent bad behavior of two elected officials in the state of North Carolina. One continues to serve. The other recently lost an attempt at reelection, but will continue his term through the end of the year. Both are Republicans, conservatives, and never seem to know when to stop talking. Who’s a homophobe? Who lies? Who tries to force their beliefs on others? Who cheats to try and get ahead? Who’s a closet case? Who might be having an affair with their cousin? Who supported the “big lie?” More importantly, who has done the best worst job negatively impacting North Carolina? We’ll let you decide. Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson clearly stole a few pages from the Trump play book when he captured the office of Lieutenant Governor. With no previous political experience and a talent for mouthing off endlessly, he defends his statements as religious freedom and is oblivious about connecting with or representing anyone he doesn’t agree with. He captured national attention when he fired off a series of statements during a speaking engagement at Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove, N.C. in June of 2021 about school systems around the state and books he felt should be removed from libraries that made them accessible to school age kids. “There’s no reason anybody, anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” Robinson blathered.” And yes I called it filth. And if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.” The books Robinson was referring to included “George,” about a transgender girl in fourth grade; “Gender Queer,” the story of a young individual’s growing awareness of their own gender identity; and “Lawn Boy,” a book about a young Mexican-American male going through a phase of self-discovery. Never one to miss the opportunity to ride a train the full length of the rail, Robinson continued his diatribe against books and schools later in the year with a September Facebook post on the topic after response to his earlier statements didn’t do over so well. “I will not be silent. And I will not be bullied into submission. I will continue to fight for the rights of our children, free from sexual concepts that do not belong in the classroom. And I don’t care who doesn’t like it.” After taking aim at books that have anything to do with LGBTQ issues, it seemed only logical his next step would be
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Robinson or Cawthorn: who has caused more embarrassment and damage for North Carolina? (CREDITS: Screen Shots/David Aaron Moore) attacking the community itself. Par for the questioned him about his thoughts on course with conservatives and Republicans hetero superiority. “So you think your wife these days, first in his line of fire was and you, you think your heterosexual rethe trans community. During a rally in lationship is superior to my husband and Greenville, N.C., he offered up this gem: “I my homosexual relationship?” The man want to be that person at the track meet asked. “Yes!” Robinson responded. “These that stands up and says … ‘Them two fellas people are superior because they can do that won this track meet, they’re not girls. something these people can’t do. Because Why are they out there?’” he said. “That’s that’s the way God created it to be. And two boys. I don’t care what you call them. I’m tired of this society trying to tell me it’s They’re painted-up, striped-up jackasses. not so.” They’re not women.” Additional comments he made during But he couldn’t drop it there. the same appearance were equally incen“Here’s something else I’m not supdiary. “Everything that God made serves a posed to say. Ain’t but two genders. purpose. Will somebody please explain to Two genders. Ain’t nothing but men and me the purpose of homosexuality? … What women. You can go to the doctor and get does it create? It creates nothing.” cut up. You can go down to the dress shop Go for one, go for all, is apparently and get made up. You can go down there Robinson’s motto. Just weeks ago he took and get drugged up. But at the end of the aim at women in the state, offering further day you just a drugged up, dressed up, misguided insight. made up, cut up man or woman. You ain’t “We are called to be led by men,” he changed what God put in you, that DNA. said, during another church appearance You can’t transcend God’s creation. I don’t he insists is not campaigning. “God sent care how hard you try. The transgender women out … when they had to do their movement in this country…is demonic, thing, but when it was time to face down and full of the spirit of [the] antichrist.” Then it was time to fire off at gays and lesbians who had dared to voice their disapproval of Robinson’s hateful rhetoric. “It’s not about being against anybody because of their sexual This editorial cartoon from NC Policy Watch captures the way many in preference. North Carolina regard the state’s lieutenant governor. [PLACE SOMEWHERE This is an APPROPRIATE IN THE ROBINSON SECTION] effort again (CREDIT: John Cole/NC Policy Watch) to intimidate voices on the right into silence … it’s just another effort to try and Goliath, [He] sent David. Not Davita, David. intimidate me … from speaking out on this When it was time to lead the Israelites issue. It doesn’t matter to me what the out of Egypt he sent Moses. Not Momma definition of hate speech is. I said what I Moses, Daddy Moses.” said, and I believe what I said, and many When it comes down to the bare bones people across the state feel the exact of what Robinson hopes to eventually same way.” achieve, nowhere is theocracy more apDuring a speaking engagement at parent than in the following statement. Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, “As for this not being a Christian naRobinson told the story of a gay man who tion, yes, it is. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy
your plane, train or automobile ticket right up out of here. You can go to some place that is not a Christian nation.” Representative Madison Cawthorn Although “Mad” Madison Cawthorn recently lost in the Republican primary for his 11th congressional district seat in the US house, he will remain in office until 2023. That’s plenty of time for him to use his pulpit to do additional damage or open his mouth and let any number of stupid comments slide out. Once upon a time, Cawthorn was the darling of the Republican Party, when he first took office in 2021, filling the seat of outgoing Republican congressman Mark Meadows. From the get-go, he’s been a staunch Trump supporter and a later co-hort in the former White House resident’s attempt to overturn the election of President Joe Biden. Cawthorn is wheelchair bound, and that has often been a topic of debate. Although it has frequently been assumed his physical challenge is the result of military action (a point he has never claimed, but on occasion failed to correct), the Asheville native was actually injured in a car accident while returning from a trip to Florida. He lost the use of his legs when the SUV he was traveling in (as a passenger) crashed into a concrete barrier with his feet on the dashboard. While Cawthorn’s comments have been distinctly less anti-LGBTQ than those made by Robinson, he has made it abundantly clear he identifies as a constitutional conservative and a Christian. Cawthorn’s career started a downhill spiral when he appeared with Donald Trump at the Jan. 6, 2020 “Stop The Steal” rally ahead of the US Capitol insurrection on that same day. Since questioned, he has made it clear he has no regrets about his involvement. Prior to the siege, Cawthorn took to the stage to urge Trump supporters on. “My friends, do we love Donald Trump? I encourage you continue to make your voice heard. My friends, we’re not doing this just for Donald Trump. We are doing this for the Constitution. Our Constitution was violated. My friends, I encourage you to go back to your States after today. Hold your representatives accountable. Make sure that they stood up for election integrity and make your voices heard. My friends, I want you to chant with me so loud that the cowards in Washington that I serve with can hear you.” Apparently Cawthorn was a bit more overly confident regarding the number of friends he thought he had, who would diminish quickly over the coming months and years. In a podcast this past March, Cawthorn oddly set his sights on more established Republicans when he indicated he had been invited to a “cocaine sex orgy” by older members of the Republican Party. It’s not clear what he thought his statement would achieve, but it didn’t win him any friends. “I mean, being kind of a young guy in Washington, where the average age is probably 60 or 70, I look at all these
feature people, a lot of them ... I’ve always looked up to through my life. Then all of [a] sudden you get invited to like, ‘Oh hey we’re going to have a kind of sexual get together at one of our houses, you should come.’” That one comment was, by and large, the misplaced Lego that ended the political game for Cawthorn. Following his loss during the primary it was not the slightest bit surprising he attempted to deflect the blame for his failure at everyone else, taking no responsibility whatsoever. “This was a coordinated strike carried out by what I think is the oldest wing of our party, Cawthorn said during his concession speech, pointing a finger at senior Republican officials. “You know I think it’s a loser’s mentality, they realize the direction the election is going in, the direction the population is going in and ... They pay off people from my past for old pictures and things that happened years and years ago. I feel free to let them do that because I think the American people can see through that.” Those that had previously supported Cawthorn did apparently see through him, enough so that he lost the primary. Despite other controversies that revealed videos of him in what he dismissed as “horse play” with other men and a still shot of him wearing women’s lingerie, he maintained Trump’s support throughout his term and his loss. It remains a possibility that despite his gaffes, his young age may allow a return to the political arena in the future. : :
Mo’ better badness
When the LGBTQ Community doesn’t know how to behave properly BY QNOTES STAFF Ever been in a situation when you knew someone wasn’t being exactly honest, but you just couldn’t quite figure out who? When you apply the theory of Occam’s razor it’s usually not that hard to find your answer. Bring up such a theoretical approach and you’ll hear screams of “that’s an oversimplification,” but the idea of the simplest explanation as the most likely answer applies here: all parties involved were stretching the truth to some degree or another. Trans Cookiegate Take a young cisgender twink and place him in a restaurant that specializes in cookies. Add a flashy young trans woman with a thirst for fame and a desire to get there fast. Both of them are clever with a sharp wit, an even sharper tongue, a hot temper and a decided lack of patience. Underpay them, overwork them and you’ve got a recipe for disaster served up as a blend of harsh words, slapping, striking, punching, kicking, biting and rolling around on the ground, just in time for the police to show up. Who’s at fault here? One individual says
this, another individual says that. But what about witnesses? Some say she started it, while others say he caused the melee. Much grandiosity follows. Zoom meetings, press conferences, GoFundMe accounts, online teleconferences full of outrage, praise for purported bravery and condemnation for a theoretical hate crime. Then the FBI steps in. What do they determine? Not very much. And in the end, at least for now, it all just fades away leaving everyone scratching their head and asking the question, what was that all about anyway? Embezzle me, baby Let’s say you have a long standing, highly praised organization that has done much good for the community and an intelligent and capable individual with – one would assume – the best of intentions. Although, that might be a bit questionable when the organization’s said policies reportedly allow intelligent and capable individual, the founder of the organization, the ability to do as they see fit with all donations and finances, etc. Lots of money goes missing. Founder resigns and lives large. Questions remain. Potential case still pending.
Embezzle me, more Is it possible that the impact of unqualified and mentally unstable government heads, when mixed with a global pandemic, could bring out the worst in people? Is that what happened when a respected director with a long history of involvement in the LGBTQ community might have dipped into the till of a regional community center in a really big way? No one seems to know exactly what happened, or at least they’re remaining very tight-lipped. While details continue to be a blur, reportedly a sum somewhere between five figures but closer to six disappeared and remains unaccounted for. According to a source that prefers to remain anonymous, the director has disappeared and remains unaccounted for, too. So far, apparently, closure and full discovery continue to be unresolved while the community center will only say they are looking forward to the future. With such a pricey mistake in their past, how could they not be looking forward to a more positive outcome in the future? : :
July 8 - 21, 2022
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History’s Worst of the Worst
Bad Carolinians Who Took Aim at the LGBTQ Community and Missed Their Target by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer
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harlotte and North Carolina have a long history of embarrassing individuals that have captured national attention. While politics of the 21st century have seemingly brought out the worst in so many people, we had a fair share of bad guys in years past. All of them had careers or public exposure prior to the advent of the internet and social media, so they frequently started out relying on the spectacle of protest and public confrontation, in the hopes that local media might consider coverage of their lunatic fringe efforts. With mass communication of the time limited, a spot on a local news program or publication captured the attention of the city, the state and on some rare occasions, an entire nation,
Department Store Manager, he passed away as only a faint memory of religious zealotry at the age of 88 in 2011. Reverend Joseph Chambers was a mouthy Minister from Paw Creek Church of God (later Paw Creek Ministries) who decided it was his personal mission to prevent the Miss Gay USA pageant from being held in Charlotte’s Ovens Auditorium in 1982. He took to print and the streets in protest, but the pageant went on as planned despite hymn-singing protestors harassing patrons at the entrance of Ovens Auditorium. Although he reportedly continues to refer to the LGBTQ community as “sodomites,” Chambers has dialed down his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric as he has grown older. Now 86, it is unlikely he is capable of actions like the disruptive debacles of his past. Despite his advanced age, he continues to hold the title of president and founder of Paw Creek Christian Academy and serves on the executive committee of the Mecklenburg County Republican party. In the late 1990s, Bill James was the Mecklenburg County Commissioner who caused a nationwide scandal
the spotlight, although his two sons prop him up on social media every now and then. Lastly, we have former Charlotte mayor and North Carolina’s one-term Governor Pat McCrory. McCrory started out okay, even issuing a welcoming proclamation for a Pride celebration in Charlotte. Once he was attacked
FLIP BENHAM CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
HENDERSON BELK CREDIT: TWITTER
Among the earliest anti-LGBTQ bad guys was Henderson Belk, the crackpot Belk brother (of Belk department store fame) who decided it was his mission back in the late ‘70s to prevent anyone from enjoying alcohol of any sort at any establishment around town. Doing so, Belk confirmed, would lead Charlotte down a path like San Francisco or Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the extra added bonus of eternal damnation, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, all guaranteed to follow. His efforts failed, along with businesses that he owned locally. An author, auto dealership owner and former regional Belk
JOSEPH CHAMBERS CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
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BILL JAMES CREDIT: FACEBOOK
when he and other members of the commission voted to cut funding to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Arts Council following a staging of Jared Kushner’s Broadway success “Angels in America.” But James didn’t stop there. Over the next 20 years he regularly attacked the LGBTQ community in print and on radio, successfully convincing the county at the time it was in our best interest to pass a resolution stating that Mecklenburg County supported marriage to be recognized only as a union between one man and one woman. While the city and county today offer extensive protections for the lesbian and gay community, that resolution by the Mecklenburg County Commission remains unrescinded. James lost his zeal and podium for attacking queers at every opportunity and his battle to hold on to his seat to a progressive Democrat in 2018. Now 65, he lists himself as retired on his Linked In account. For much of the first two decades of the 2000s we had the unpleasant experience of Flip Benham, one of the founding members of Operation Save America. Benham came to North Carolina at the behest of a wealthy Concord benefactor, who had high hopes for Benham’s evangelical prowess and manipulation skills to set the Piedmont region and the rest of North Carolina on the path to godliness and theocracy. Benham protested abortion clinics and numerous LGBTQ Pride events in Charlotte and around the state. He is 74 now, and largely stays out of
by Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James for his “error in judgment,” McCrory never took another positive position on behalf of the LGBTQ community again. As Charlotte mayor he attempted to shut down a pride event unsuccessfully in 2006; and then later (in 2016) as governor passed the infamous House Bill Two, also known as the “bathroom bill,” which required all transgender individuals to use restrooms that corresponded with their gender designation at birth. In what turned out to be a giant embarrassment for the state and a clear attempt to rally the evangelical voter base to elect him a second time to the Governor’s mansion, McCrory stymied House Bill two in favor of something called “a cooling off period,” which prevented all county, city and town governments from passing any policies to protect LGBTQ people until 2020. The move backfired on McCrory and resulted in a loss of the governorship and a failed attempt for a senate seat earlier this year. He has since announced his retirement from politics and will turn 66 in October of this year. ::
PAT MCCRORY CREDIT: SCREEN CAPTURE
July 8 - 21, 2022
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WWJD: Exploring the Stigma of Testing and Living With HIV in Faith Communities Rev. Dr. Shonda Jones Rallies Southern Clergy in Fight Against HIV
BY L’MONIQUE KING QNOTES STAFF WRITER National HIV Testing Day is June 27. It’s one of many HIV/AIDS awareness days designed to reduce the stigma of testing and living with HIV. The day is also about bringing awareness to an epidemic that has already lasted 40 years too long. In some parts of the southern United States, where the Christian religion extends beyond churches and abstinence is the order of the day in school classrooms, Southerners make up more than half of the new HIV cases in America. This is one of the reasons that less than 60 days after National HIV Testing Day a more regional awareness day takes place. Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is annually recognized on August 20. This day speaks directly to the disproportionate number of HIV cases in the South. The day is also intended to expose how HIV related stigma and discrimination have led to those higher numbers that confirm the Black community continues to be impacted the most. In 2019, Black Americans in the South made up more than half of all new HIV diagnoses, though they are only 19 percent of the Southern population. In a region where religion impacts so many facets of public and private lives, churches are seen as places of support, comfort and healing. Considering this widely accepted notion, it would seem a tangible leap that such influential organizations would be leading the charge in the fight to end HIV. Sadly, that’s usually not the case. But for affirming and LGBTQ clergy, the fight to end the continuing HIV pandemic is a cause passionately embraced by many. Especially if you’re an LGBTQ clergy member and know how AIDS once decimated the gay community, the battle against HIV is probably closer to heart and home than those outside the community. It’s been said time and time again: Meaningful change will only come through collective effort. So, outside of awareness days, what’s being done to get more of the faith-based community on board with the help and healing congregants and communities need? The good news is that work is being done and word is spreading as faith-based leaders come together to address the HIV/ AIDS crisis in the southern United States. Rev. Dr. Shonda Jones is an LGBTQ faith leader and HIV advocate from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Most recently in May, she appeared at the GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards. Sharing the stage with and introduced by Dr. Shanell L. McGoy, the Director of Corporate Social
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LGBTQ Faith Leader and Advocate Rev. Dr. Shonda Jones. (CREDIT 1: Courtesy of GLAAD) Responsibility at Gilead Sciences, McGoy lamented, “Sadly, we know that too many LGBTQ people have experienced trauma from faith communities,” and added, “We want to increase the access to equality of healthcare services in southern states.” During the 33rd annual awards event in NYC, Jones continued the appeal to the southern faith community by enthusiastically using the platform as a rallying call to action in the eradication of HIV. She shared how faith communities are “working to tell a new story about HIV” in hopes of ending stigma and accelerating understanding to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Buoyed by The Gilead COMPASS Initiative, Jones hosted a faith conference in Texas (June 21-23) to address HIV and LGBTQ stigma and urge faith leaders to use their pulpits to advocate for acceptance, compassion, health and safety. The Gilead initiative (which sponsors a Faith Coordinating Center at Wake Forest), is working to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the southern United States by collaborating with local community organizations and stakeholders to use evidence-based solutions to meet the needs of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS. Among the COMPASS Coordinating Centers are Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Southern AIDS Coalition, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Long before the conference, “Proclamation at the Intersections: Faith, Healing & HIV,” Jones has been steadily connected to the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. “I started working at the AIDS Interfaith Network in Fort Worth, Texas,
years ago. That was the early ‘90s when people were dying from complications from AIDS, and it was quite common,” Jones recalls. This was my first glimpse of the work that needed to be done, especially from faith communities. Then after that experience, having worked there for years, I was asked to serve on boards within the arena. Now, there’s this recognition that among those [vulnerable] populations are Black people, specifically Black women. As a Black woman, it hits my demographic. There are so many people in my community still impacted by HIV, it fuels the work, and the awareness that HIV is not only still a thing, but we are impacted disproportionately.” Hosted by the Gilead COMPASS Initiative Faith Coordinating Center at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, the event’s website describes the effort as “an unprecedented opportunity for interdisciplinary and cross-sectional learning and collaboration between faith leaders, lay ministers, religion scholars, public health scholars, health providers, nonprofit organizational leaders and graduate students.” The three-day conference, which was comprised of activities and performances ranging from gospel music to yoga, included 50 speakers and panelists from the southern United States. More importantly, “Proclamation at the Intersections” featured needed and necessary workshops on how to integrate programming and messages about HIV and faith into spiritually-integrated counseling, community religious education, ministry work and preaching, as well as tips and strategies on establishing partnerships with public
health institutions, medical providers, HIV nonprofit organizations and [the big caveat] how to engage faith leaders in training about HIV, sexuality and health. It was an event that, for many who missed it, hope remains it be repeated or at least accessible through recording. Anyone working in the South with HIV intervention and prevention knows all too well how challenging it can be to engage faith-based communities. Discussing sexually related issues with clergy and faith communities are often discussions that don’t occur, while HIV and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) rates continue to go unchecked. Stigma and connections between HIV and the LGBTQ community make discussions even more daunting. After all, who wants to be vulnerable with anyone or any institution that may judge or traumatize them? Not many. For this reason, it is even more important that clergy not serving as allies or who are not members of the LGBTQ community understand how harmful discriminatory ideology is. To those clergy members, Jones had plenty to say. “What we do in the South is, tell stories. Part of our story is that individuals in the South are disproportionately impacted by HIV. People in our congregations need us. Don’t matter whether you’re gay or straight, Black or white. HIV doesn’t care about any of that. Jesus said, whosoever will – come. And if we claim to be followers of Jesus, then we need to extend the same kind of radical hospitality as Jesus. That means caring for the sick, freeing those who are in bondage and feeding those who are hungry.” As for that “feeding the hungry” part, there are many in the faith-based communities who have finally put their hearts and efforts where their pulpits and mouths are. The Proclamation at the Intersections: Faith, Healing & HIV conference wonderfully set the table and served the first course of what the southern faith community needs. It aimed to create a roadmap and foster discussion in addressing injustices and stigma heaped upon the undeserving. Seemingly, it did just that, as conference attendees gleaned valuable information and left recharged and ready to apply the knowledge gained. As for where it will all lead and what the future may hold for religious Southerners and for those who are HIV negative, Jones had this to say: “I think the future is in connecting. Part of what we do through the Faith Coordinating Center is connect different faith communities to do the work. [We’re also] helping the Black faith-based community in understanding the diversity of Blackness and that we are not a monolith. The future of this work must include awareness and celebration.”
a&e
LBGTQ Books for Kids Out in Print
BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER CONTRIBUTING WRITER LGBTQ Books for Kids Various ©2022, various publishers
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ike every kid in the world, the one you love has a zillion questions. “Why” begins with ants and runs through zebras. “When” goes from astronauts to zoos. “Who” from Aunties to, well, you. So why not keep a few books around for the kiddos, books that entertain and gently inform... Life is better when you have a friend, and in “Strong” by Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (Little, Brown, $17.99) a guy named Rob has always been one of the strongest guys around. When he decides he wants to compete, he finds someone to work out with him, and they fall in love – but when Rob goes to the competition, everybody whispers about him. Why does he look so strange? Four-to-six-year-olds will be glad to see that when the right kind of cheerleader arrives, looks don’t matter at all. Kids who got to see a Pride parade for the first time this year will want to own “The Rainbow Parade” by Emily Neilson (Penguin Dial, $17.99). It’s the story of Emily, who celebrates Pride with Mommy and Mama and a whole lot of people who are having a really good time. But be in the parade...? Not Emily, or maybe. Four-toseven-year-olds who are new to Pride will want you to read this book aloud at least once a week. Slightly older kids may appreciate hav-
ing “Pink, Blue, and You!” by Elise Gravel with Kykaell Blais (Random House Kids, $17.99) around to check with now and then. This book touches on some of the things that kids hear but don’t understand. Are there “boy things” and “girl things?” And if there are, who decides who can play with them? You can be a boy or a girl, but what if someone thinks they’re both? Who made all these rules, anyhow? For seven-to-ten-year-olds who need the blanks filled in on their gender education, this is a good choice to give. Bonus: you might learn a thing or two, as well. For teens who are trying to figure things out for themselves, or for 12-to17-year-old allies, “Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement” by Stella Caldwell, foreword by Layton Williams (Penguin Workshop, $14.99) is a great book to give or have around. It’s a book filled with quick-to-read, differentlength entries on a variety of people, places and things your teen will want to know about – things like what it was like to be gay in the 1950s, the early days of legalized same-sex marriage, early Pride celebrations and pioneers who came out strong when it was illegal to do so. Teens and young adults who are trans, gay, lesbian and queer also get a chance to weigh in on why they “have Pride.” Varied, interesting and informative, this is one of those books that an adult can absolutely be caught reading. If these great books don’t quite fit what you’re looking for, for the kid you love, be sure to ask your favorite librarian or book seller for help. They know books. They’ve got answers.
***SPONSORED CONTENT***
Why does Charlotte Have Two Pride Organizations? BY MATT COMER (HE/HIM), DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Unlike other cities, Charlotte gets not one, but three continuous months of Pride! Each June we celebrate Pride Month. In August, we celebrate the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade. Tucked in between, Charlotte Black Pride hosts their events each July. Our three months of Pride are a result of history’s uncanny tendency to unfold in unique ways — something we’ve been learning as we continue the Charlotte Pride History Project, a multi-year effort to document the history of Pride organizations and movements in North Carolina through archival research and micro-oral history interviews. As we prepare to celebrate Charlotte Black Pride this year, it’s good to remind ourselves exactly how and why our local history unfolded as it did and to honestly answer a question we’ve often encountered: Why are there two Pride organizations in Charlotte? In this column, we’ll share an excerpt from our in-depth feature, “20 Years of Charlotte Pride, 40 Years of Legacy,” published last year as part of the Charlotte Pride History Project and in recognition of our 20th anniversary. You can read the full feature online at cltpri.de/20years. First, let’s set the context — the Charlotte Pride we see today has existed in three distinct organizational eras: a founding era (2000-2005), something like a rebuilding era (2006-2012), and our current era (2013-present). We pick up our history feature excerpt in 2005. In 2005, the city would see the birth of Charlotte Black Pride after Black LGBTQ community members and their desire for a more inclusive local Pride event went ignored by Charlotte Pride leaders. Jermaine Nakia Lee, a founder of Charlotte Black Pride, recalled getting the runaround from past Charlotte Pride leaders when he and other Black community leaders held meetings and conversations with them to offer ideas for reaching out to Black and Latinx community members. “And then, Charlotte Pride would happen,
and there would be no difference in the programming and no diversity in the programming,” Lee said in an oral history interview. “After a while, after just giving the benefit of the doubt, we realized that this isn’t going to happen. And that actually motivated us to really get firm in our plans to establish Charlotte Black Pride.” Monica Simpson, also a co-founder of Charlotte Black Pride, noted the lack of diversity in the community’s and Charlotte Pride’s leadership at the time. “Back in the day, as things were getting started, it was really difficult for folks like me to see themselves reflected in leadership,” she said in an oral history interview. “So, we felt like we needed to do something that really centered us and centered our communities and our needs, and that’s why we created [Charlotte Black Pride].” Today, the relationship between Charlotte Black Pride and Charlotte Pride is different, more positive, and more collaborative — through years of intentional work, conversation, and partnership. The two organizations often describe themselves as siblings today — with Charlotte Black Pride offering a permanent space to celebrate Black LGBTQ people. “What we were doing with [founding] Charlotte Black Pride … we understood that wasn’t a temporary something,” Lee recalls of the decision to start the group and the intention to keep it going. “What’s wrong with having a Black gay cultural celebration? There’s nothing wrong with that.” Knowing where we’ve come from helps us all to know where we’re going. Sometimes that means mending old wounds and taking intentional steps to rebuild relationships. It’s been amazing to see the growing relationship between Charlotte Black Pride and Charlotte Pride — and even more amazing to see just how much Charlotte Black Pride has grown and how it continues to proudly serve the community today. We hope everyone will join in celebration with Charlotte Black Pride this month, July 17-24. Learn more about their events at charlotteblackpride.org.
July 8 - 21, 2022
Qnotes
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LGBTQ Politics: The Worst List Legal Eagle
BY AMES SIMMONS QNOTES CONTRIBUTOR
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his state legislative session has been bruising for advocates in North Carolina and South Carolina. As of this writing, North Carolina’s legislature is still in session, and South Carolina’s legislature adjourned after passing a ban on transgender athletic participation and a medical exemption from non-discrimination laws. Both legislatures also entertained curriculum restriction bills similar to those that passed in Florida and other states. These legislative proposals are called “Don’t Say Gay” in shorthand, but in reality, they are considerably broader and more insidious. Florida’s bill may have been the first and the most infamous in this session, but these laws are not new. Anti-LGBTQ curriculum restrictions go all the way back to the 1970s when conservatives like Anita Bryant began public campaigns against educators based on the idea that talking about LGBTQ people is “homosexual recruitment” or even implying that LGBTQ people are pedophiles. California had a public campaign in 1978 called Proposition 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative) to prevent LGBTQ teachers from employment in schools. Censorship laws had generally been
thought to be unconstitutional both because they restrict freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment, as well as because they treat LGBTQ people differently from heterosexual and cisgender people in violation of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Some states repealed their curriculum restrictions in the wake of the Lawrence and Obergefell decisions by the Supreme Court, which acknowledged the rights to same-sex intimacy and marriage. Other states replaced overtly antiLGBTQ restrictions with heterocentric language that requires teaching that heterosexual marriage is the best way to avoid HIV (like the N.C. Healthy Youth Act). Still, other states were sued, and their laws were repealed by consent decree, as in South Carolina in 2020. These biased policy ideas have been dusted off and given a new framing as “parental rights” to inspect curriculum materials and to object or withdraw their child from those classes that contain “divisive” content. Some anti-LGBTQ curriculum bills also contain provisions that require schools to out LGBTQ students to their parents, meaning educators must disclose that a child has identified as LGBTQ in some way at the school. The bill that was passed by the N.C. Senate during this session, HB755, contains a provision that educators must give prior notice to the parent of any student
seeking to change the name or pronouns that they use at school. This forced outing can put youth in a very dangerous situation if their family is not supportive of LGBTQ identities. Anti-LGBTQ curriculum bills are now being coupled with legislative proposals that forbid teaching about structural racism and sexism on the grounds that these concepts make others uncomfortable. S.C. HB4799 would have forbidden any school policy “to affirm a belief in anything characterized as the systemic nature of racism…or in anything characterized as the multiplicity or fluidity of gender identities.” Many of these same legislatures also entertained bills to restrict access to abortion and to voting. S.C. HB4830 would have criminalized abortion, and S.C. HB3444 would have prohibited drop boxes for absentee ballots. That is not a casual coincidence. These bills are all cut from the same far-right conservative cloth. Because Trump appointed so many conservatives to all levels of the federal courts in the United States, winning conservative court rulings is more feasible than it used to be. While the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of curriculum laws, the LGBTQ community should be alarmed at the recent Dobbs decision taking away constitutional protections for abortion. Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion made clear that he believes it is time to take away the fundamental liber-
ties to same-sex intimacy and marriage that underpin much of the modernization of our country’s curriculum laws. What can you do? Everyone should get to know the legislators who represent them — let them know that you value education without discrimination for students in your state and in your school district. Consider running for your local school board and have a direct say in what students are taught. There are also organizations like the Banned Books Book Club that are fighting censorship. But without a doubt, one of the most important things that anyone can do is to show support, love and affirmation for LGBTQ people. Research shows that if a young person knows even one adult who is supportive of their identity, it significantly decreases mental health risks. LGBTQ young people are resilient and grow up to be brilliant organizers, lawyers, doctors, educators, artists and lawmakers when they are supported. Ames Simmons is a queer transgender man who holds a senior fellowship at Duke University School of Law. His work is grounded in community-based antiracism, anti-violence, and anti-poverty. He previous worked at the National Center for Transgender Equalityn and Equality North Carolina..: :
notesCarolinas.com
“It’s about our family’s stories and the love we share.”
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July 8 - 21, 2022
life
Virtual Reality Gaming and Fitness Health and Wellness
BY JACK KIRVEN QNOTES CONTRIBUTOR
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ecently a client let me try out his Oculus, a VR gaming headset after raving about it for weeks. I finally decided to make the time to see why he was so excited. And I have to say it: I’m completely hooked. I love it. Over the course of two different visits, he let me play with three different apps. Those are Saber Beat, Pistol Whip and Tripp. From the first minute I played Saber Beat, I could see that this was going to end up being an upper body conditioning session. It is addictive, and I find myself playing it for hours at a time — yes, I bought an Oculus of my own. What Saber Beat is for the arms, Pistol Whip is for the legs. I was literally doing hundreds of squats while playing this game. Ultimately I had to stop, because I finally realized I could barely walk. I had sweat pouring off me. It was awesome. And then he showed me Tripp. This is an immersive app that focuses on meditation and intentional breathing and thinking. It was just as fascinating as the action packed games, but it had the opposite effect on me: I was cradled down into a totally restive state. Absolutely riveting. Saber Beat The premise of Saber Beat is simple enough: Cut up the colored cubes as they fly toward you. Do it on tempo with the rhythms of the music, and perform the slices in the direction indicated on any given block. It’s very similar in concept to games that require you to stomp on pads to match colors. However, this is for arms, not feet. And even more amazing: You are playing the game with light sabers! The game is set up like a tunnel where
you are in a fixed position, facing down a long hallway. As the music begins, your lightsabers extend, and when you overlap them (they are “projected” outward from the handles you’re gripping), they vibrate with electricity. With every correct slice, you will also feel a reverberation. So the game is also interesting for the haptic experience. The scenes are gorgeous, the levels vary from Easy to Expert+, and you can download music bundles, if you don’t care for the free songs the app provides as default content. My favorite bundles are Lady Gaga, Interscope Mixtape (which includes “Don Cha” by the Pussy Cat Dolls and “Sugar” by Maroon 5), Electronica Mixtape (which includes “Stay the Night” by Zedd), and Imagine Dragons. What is particularly gratifying is when you learn a combination well enough to stop thinking, and then realize that someone who understands choreography created the patterns. It is utterly delightful to realize that the game is forcing you to wave your hands up like you’re at a concert full of LGBT folks while Lady Gaga is belting out “I was born this way, hey!” Pistol Whip This is a classic shooter game. You use the handles as guns, and you point and shoot. But what is new within virtual reality is that you have to physically dodge walls, people and bullets. The game will literally put you into “Matrix” bullet dodge mode, and I absolutely love it. When an enemy is targeting you, a red line will
extend out toward you from their own pistol. The shots come from all sorts of directions and angles, so moving around those bullets creates the type of modern dance I wish I could create on my own. In fact, this would be an excellent choreography tool. Have someone video record you from the outside, then try to recreate the movements you did while you were inside the game. I would be willing to bet that it would look fascinating. Also, the leg work. Oh, my God. To get under and around all the projectiles, you will have to lunge, squat, pivot and hinge until you have to stop for a water break. My thighs got numb. Some people might not care for that. But I’m a masochist on some level, I think. Tripp This app envelops you inside a bril-
liantly colorful womb of peace. The calming voices and music. The mesmerizing kaleidoscope of shapes. The psychedelic landscapes. All of it together is hypnotic. And when you allow yourself to float around inside its gushy universe, you might find that the app has distracted you away from all your stress. It lulled me into a fascinated gaze that ignored everything else racing in my brain. This is so chill. So, so chill. Some Caveats First, and probably most importantly, it is vital that you have at least a six foot square space for gaming. This space needs to be perfectly level, stable, and clear of all objects. Virtual reality is very disorienting, and you can very easily injure yourself. You do not want to punch a wall, or fall over a chair. I would very strongly suggest you give yourself much more open space. I am going to dedicate the center area of my second bedroom to virtual reality gaming. The workout equipment will fit nicely along the walls, so I should have at least a nine-by-nine, if not ten-by-ten spot. I had to get a battery pack because I play for hours at a time. I have that kind of flexibility in my schedule. For other people, I would definitely recommend you set a timer. It is astonishing how much time passes in the real world while you are singularly engaged in the virtual world. You really must stay hydrated. I have overheated a couple times after not taking water breaks. You can forget that this is essentially an extended conditioning session. This is particularly important if you use one of the apps that is specifically for working out. There are several boxing apps available. If, like me, you have gotten bored with traditional exercise, this is an excellent option. I highly recommend turning workouts into invigorating play time. : :
July 8 - 21, 2022
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Long haulers Q-Music
by Gregg Shapiro Contributing Writer
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y the time Frank Sinatra died at 82 in 1998, he had been a performer for 60 or so years, recording for Columbia and Capitol Records before founding his own Reprise Records label.
Sinatra’s 1970 Reprise concept album “Watertown” (Capitol/Frank Sinatra Enterprises/UMe) has been reissued in an expanded and remastered edition, newly mixed from the original session tapes. Considered a “lost masterpiece,” “Watertown” was co-composed and produced by Bob Gaudio (of The Four Seasons fame). The album tells the story of a Watertown, New York-based man raising his sons on his own following his wife’s departure for city life. Sinatra’s emotive vocals, even at this stage in his lengthy career, do the material justice, particularly on the songs “The Train,” “Michael & Peter,” “I Would Be in Love (anyway),” and the title cut. Previously unreleased bonus material includes the Billie Holiday homage “Lady Day,” a few session takes, and a pair of radio promos. With 89 years and more than 70 solo studio albums under his belt, Willie Nelson’s legend status is incomparable. A celebrated songwriter (he wrote Patsy Cline’s hit “Crazy”) and interpreter of other people’s compositions (listen to “Stardust,” his celebrated 1978 album of standards), Nelson gives us some of both those aspects on “A Beautiful Time” (Legacy). Originals such as “Don’t Touch Me There” (not to be confused with the Tubes’ song of the same name), “I Don’t Go To Funerals,” and “Energy Follows Thought”
strike a balance between humility and humor. Nelson’s reading of Rodney Crowell and Chris Stapleton’s “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die” and Lennon and McCartney’s “With A Little Help From My Friends,” represent Nelson’s appreciation of new and old classics. Perhaps most telling of all is Nelson’s choice to cover “Tower of Song,” a tune written by another elder statesman, the late Leonard Cohen. Has Superchunk mellowed with age? You might think so after listening to the quartet’s latest album “Wild Loneliness” (Merge). Some things haven’t changed, including Mac McCaughan’s distinctive vocals and Jon Wurster’s steady drumming. But now there are strings provided by gay musician Owen Pallett on “City of
the Dead” and “This Night.” There’s some lovely piano on “On the Floor” provided by Franklin Bruno. Also brass on “Highly Suspect” and the title track played by Kelly Pratt and Andy Stack, respectively. Oh, and Sharon Van Etten lends her vocals to album closer “If You’re Not Dark.”
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July 8 - 21, 2022
Superchunk may have mellowed a bit, but nearly enough to lose the indie cred it established more than 30 years ago. Jon Spencer has been making some version of alternative/experimental modern garage rock in one form or another since the early 1990s in bands including Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, Heavy Trash, and his latest incarnation Jon Spencer & the HITmakers. On songs from “Spencer Gets it Lit” (In The Red/Shove!), such as “Bruise,” in which Spencer advises us to have faith in biology, and “The Worst Facts,” featuring the mantra “It’s called a fact,” and a reference to knowing science and math, it sounds like Spencer is getting political. If not now, when? Right? Relative newcomers in terms of the other musical acts here, duo The Black Keys (Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney) have been churning out their own version of modern blues since the early 2000s. Where the aforementioned Spencer maintains the trashy (Spencer’s word) edge of his trademark sound, The Black Keys have made a leap towards pop accessibility with “Dropout Boogie” (Nonesuch), beginning with the opening number “Wild Child.” The Latin-tinged “It Ain’t Over” is begging for a remix for club play. “For The Love of Money” is almost as soulful as The O’Jays’ song of the same name. “How Long” is a heartbreaker and “Didn’t I Love You” attempts to mend the break. The Black Keys perform July 27 in Charlotte at PNC Music Pavilion; August 30 in Charleston at Credit One stadium and September 1 in Raleigh at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek. : :
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A look at the business of family and community Our People
BY L’MONIQUE KING QNOTES STAFF WRITER
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ypically, this column features an interesting LGBTQ community member from the Carolinas. This month, while Pride Season continues, we thought it would be fun to do things just a little bit differently. This edition will feature one pride filled group with input by board participants from Charlotte Black Pride, because they are our people and we are theirs. So, we invite you to have some fun with us and continue reading the following content, shared with you the way we generally share interviews; except this time, we’re interviewing an entire family, not just one cool person. It’s been almost 20 years since you started your family. In reflecting upon that, how do you feel?
What prompted the decision to start this family? Monica Simpson, Former Board Member & Co-founder Charlotte was a very different kind of Charlotte back then. The community center had just opened. I was the first person of color and the youngest hired to work at the community center that was then called the Lesbian and Gay Community Center. It shows you how young we were in the understanding of gender, sexuality, inclusion, all of that. There were very few Black folks involved in the organizing of the community center. Our community didn’t really see themselves reflected in programming. Doing this work [with Charlotte’s center] is what lead me to connecting with other people that started Black Gay Pride with me. At that time, I was the only woman among four founding members (Jermaine Nakia Lee, Korey Handy, Damon Blackmon and myself). What are some of the challenges that come with being who you are?
why we’re here. People often say, “Why do you need a Black Pride?” Charlotte Black Pride was established in 2005. The Black LGBTQ experience is very unique – so we’re here not to separate [the LGBTQ community] but as an outreach organization, a mechanism to let people know that we’re here 365, not just a week and not going anywhere. And we’re here providing education and an outlet allowing people to experience and learn more about Black LGBTQ culture. When you take the time to get to know us, you’ll find we have a lot more in common – a lot more commonalities than differences. Many people know about CBP’s Pride Festival and weekly events leading up to it. Outside of that week, how do you spend your free time? Gladece Knights, Director of Operations We’ve been engaging the community. This year we had our first Juneteenth cookout. Juneteenth is now a national holiday, so we would be remiss not to recognize it for our community and the diversity of their intersectionality. There are so many aspects to us. That was June 18. Most recently however, now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, we’ll be addressing that as well, because these are issues that impact us. And like most issues the impact is different [for us] than how white communities, white cis male communities or Black heterosexual people experience them. Why join this family? There must be other ways to be engaging and impactful. Lauren Nichols, New Board Member at Large I’m involved in the Charlotte Black
As a newly adopted member of the family, what stands out for you? Lauren Nichols, New Board Member at Large The feeling of family. We take on these projects, these programs these activities. I spearheaded the Juneteenth event and never felt alone. I had so much support from veteran and senior board members, it was just great. Please tell Qnotes readers something most folks don’t know about you? Candy Chaney Neverson, Secretary What a lot of people don’t know or realize is that we actually changed our name from Charlotte Black Gay Pride to Charlotte Black Pride a few years ago. We made the change to be more inclusive of our community. Our previous name didn’t do that. How did the COVID pandemic impact your family’s activities or routines? Candy Chaney Neverson, Secretary We had to rethink our strategy of how to find ways to reach community to assess their needs. We were so used to being forward facing – out in the community. COVID promoted us to use social media more, to offer pop-up clothing drives and virtual activities. Last year we made our first attempt at a face-toface pride [since the pandemic]; it was kind of a post-COVID trial run. But this year – I think we’re feeling like the city is fully open for business and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone come out July 17-24, for our Pride events. When you see yourself aging, what do you see?
Jermaine Nakia Lee is the Co-founder& Development Director of CBP. (CREDIT: L’Monique King)
Jermaine Nakia Lee, Co-founder& Development Director Seventeen years later, it fills me with pride and delight to think that Charlotte Black Pride (CBP) is still celebrating & presenting Black LGBTQ+ culture in Charlotte. From day one, our mission has been rooted in creating events and programs which showcase the beauty, diversity and prowess of the African American LGBTQ+ community in the Queen City. It’s about our culture. As a co-founder, I’ve always thought of CBP as an institutional gift established in my generation but intended for [younger] generations to come [and benefit from], a cultural inheritance.
Pride organization because I’m a native Charlottean. After attending last year’s pride week – where they were asking for people to volunteer and get in volved, I thought to myself, what better way to get involved with the Charlotte community than being part of a family that’s inclusive and authentic to my identity as a Queer Black Woman.
Quan Rutledge-Wade: ‘When you take the time to get to know us you’ll find we have a lot more in common than differences.’ (CREDIT: Quan Rutledge-Wade) Quan Rutledge-Wade, Dir of Entertainment and Pageantry I think one of my biggest challenges is people not understanding what we do and
Lauren Nichols spearheaded CBP’s Juneteenth event. (CREDIT: Tony Davis)
Quan Rutledge-Wade, Dir of Entertainment and Pageantry I see Charlotte Black Pride as being a major player and major leader in Charlotte and not just for Black LGBT people but for any people of color or not, in need. I also see us increasing our work with the Trans community; where we have the type of presence [that] we provide food, housing and other needs. As we age, I want to see us have a paid staff and office space where we can continue to function year round; spreading joy, understanding and support while affirming our family members and a legacy of experiences unique to the Black LGBTQ community. For more information on Charlotte Black Pride, this year’s Pride festivities or to get involved, visit them on line. : :
July 8 - 21, 2022
Qnotes
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JULY 15-17 • BELK THEATER AT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
BlumenthalArts.org • 704.372.1000 Group Sales: 704.348.5752 20
Qnotes
July 8 - 21, 2022
