Qnotes issue, March 3, 2023

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10 Building a better work place, one t-shirt at a time

House gives bipartisan approval to Medicaid expansion

6 NC Democratic Party ousts entire leadership in a major shake-up

6 NC Minor League Baseball Player Anderson Comas comes out

6 US Queer population has grown in the last decade

7 The It Gets Better project announces year two of major grants initiative supporting LGBTQ students

8 Christians could sue people who call them homophobic if this GOP bill passes

9 House gives bipartisan approval to Medicaid expansion

NC Minor League Baseball Player comes out

Anderson Comas is a player for the Single-A team, The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, which is owned by the Chicago White Sox and serves as a try out team and training ground for new baseball players working towards the major leagues. He says he’s gay and wants to serve as a role model for others.

PAGE 6

14 The aging of a pop icon: Madonna

17 “Age” of love: an interview with gay filmmaker Goran Stolevski

18 Queer NC Native & Oscar winner Ariana DeBose gets slammed for performance at BAFTAs

12 Two former Qnotes editors making career changes

19 Our People: Michael Stromar

4 Political Voices: Queer and Trans Youth under attack: We will not be silent

4 Teresa Davis, former LGBTQ Chamber President, dies at 59

For event listings, visit qnotescarolinas.com/eventscalendar.

House Bill 76, also known as the Access to Healthcare Options bill, is the latest effort to expand Medicaid in North Carolina. It passed the N.C. House 92-22 with large bipartisan support.and was sent to the N.C. Senate February 27. If it passes there, it will provide coverage to 600,000 but leave another similar number of individuals without care.

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Queer and Trans Youth under attack: We will not be silent Political Voices

by Kendra Johnson Qnotes Staff Writer

The 2023 legislative session is underway, and lawmakers are targeting trans and Queer youth with harmful legislation across the nation. North Carolina is no exception, with bills like SB49 and HB43 aiming to take away the rights of LGBTQ+ youth. But no one can legislate the trans and Queer community out of existence, and our youth deserve to grow up in a world where their identities are not constantly under attack.

Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is on the rise across the nation, with trans youth becoming lawmakers’ most frequent target. In fact, more anti-trans legislation was filed in 2022 than ever before in the history of the country. The trend continues in 2023, with more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the first two months of the year. Anti-trans bills target the rights of trans youth from every angle. Harmful legislation aims to stop trans girls and women from participating in sports, to ban trans youth from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender and to block access to gender-affirming healthcare.

From what we’ve seen this legisla-

tive session so far, it appears that North Carolina could be headed back down the route of HB2, the anti-trans bathroom bill passed in 2016. The bills introduced by Republican lawmakers this year are dangerous to trans youth and target their fundamental rights.

For example, HB43 would ban trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care, which is vital to their physical and mental health and well-being. SB49 is another version of the notorious “Don’t Say Gay” bill introduced in Florida. This is the second time that North Carolina lawmakers have tried to get this type of bill passed, with the state’s first version HB755 filed during last year’s

legislative session. The newly-introduced bill would ban instruction on gender identity and sexuality in K-4 classrooms and subject trans students to forced outing in the classroom.

Lawmakers frame any and all policies that would affirm the identities of LGBTQ+ youth as not “age appropriate” or as “sexualizing” children. Yet, they are the ones who want to stop Queer and trans youth from living their lives like other kids. They are taking away the chance for these kids to have formative experiences in school and in sports. And they are trying to prevent them from living as their true selves by blocking access to gender-affirming care.

For proof that the GOP is targeting

Queer and trans children, look no further than our schools, which are becoming spaces for elected officials to push their bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ agendas. In February, the New Hanover County school board reversed a trans-inclusive athletics policy. The amended policy bans trans middle school kids from playing the sport that matches their gender.

We know that anti-LGBTQ+ policies directly harm the mental health and wellbeing of Queer and trans youth, who are already disproportionately at risk for adverse mental health outcomes like suicidal ideation and depression. Recent polling from the Trevor Project’s found that 86% of transgender and nonbinary youth say recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health. When lawmakers come after our youth, they are inflicting direct harm and threatening their very lives.

Put simply, extremist lawmakers are trying to erase our communities in North Carolina and beyond. And they are targeting the most vulnerable in our community – our kids. That’s why no matter how many times lawmakers beg us not to “say gay,” we cannot and will not be silent. When they attack our youth, they attack all of us. Join us in the fight to protect Queer and trans kids and to build a better future where they can live fully and freely as themselves. ::

Remembering Teresa Davis, former LGBTQ Chamber President

Other community

involvement included Charlotte LGBT Community Center, REEL Out

Charlotte Film Fest and Charlotte Pride

By Chad Turner I Contributing Writer

Teresa L. Davis was born in May of 1963 and spent most of her childhood in Johnson City, Tenn. She spent her high school years in the Midwest, and her college years in St. Louis, Miss., receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. She then attended the Law School at St. Louis University where she received her law degree and was admitted to the bar in Missouri.

In 1993, Teresa joined the Air Force where she served six years as an activeduty United States Air Force Judge Advocate, stationed primarily in Japan before transferring to Washington, DC. After her active-duty service, she remained in the Air Force as a reservist until 2013. When she retired from the Air Force, she had attained the rank of Major.

She was ultimately admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Missouri Supreme Court.

After the Air Force, Teresa served as the Acting Assistant Director of the FOIA/ Privacy Act Unit for the Department of Justice Executive Office for United States Attorneys, FOIA/Privacy Act Unit. She supervised six attorneys and more than twenty paralegals and staff assistants. She also created, directed and appeared in monthly training videos broadcast through the Department of Justice

National Advocacy Center where she frequently taught courses on FOIA, the Privacy Act and records retention.

In June 2003, Teresa and her spouse Victoria Eves moved to Charlotte, where Teresa joined TSA as a Field Attorney for Charlotte, N.C., and South Carolina. She also covered a temporary assignment in Atlanta between 2017 and 2019 as a Supervisory Field Attorney for Georgia and South Carolina.

Since 2019, Teresa has served as Ethics Counsel to the Transportation Security Administration, providing ethics guidance and advice across the agency.

Teresa had always been very active in the Charlotte Community since her arrival in 2003. She worked on several committees and non-profit boards, including that of the Charlotte LGBT Center and the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, where she served as president. And

in 2009, with the help of Victoria and friends, she founded Charlotte’s Reel Out Annual Film Festival, which is now going into its 24th year.

Teresa passed away peacefully on Feb. 15, 2023, after a long illness. She is survived by her spouse of nearly 24 years Victoria Eves and her brother Michael Davis, of Atlanta, Ga.

As the current CEO of the Chamber, one of my proudest moments was presenting Teresa with the inaugural Teresa L. Davis Legacy Award, which we re-named in recognition of her lifetime of courage, fierceness and advocacy. It’s unimaginable that Teresa has left us, but the spirit of someone as formidable as Teresa lives forever and continues to inspire us through the impact of her work and legacy within the organizations and programs that stand today. The greatest honor we can bestow on Teresa is to continue the work and never forget those who went before us and set the path.

A Celebration of Life for Teresa L. Davis will be held at the Gantt Center March 30, beginning at 7 p.m. and continuing through 9 p.m. At the specific request of Teresa prior to passing, this will not be a memorial service. Per her wishes, it will be an evening of dancing, cocktails and remembering what Teresa Davis did for us and our community. ::

At the time of her passing, Teresa Davis was serving as an ethics attorney for the Department of Homeland Security/Transportation Security Administration. CREDIT: Facebook

NC Democratic Party ousts entire leadership in a major shake-up

In its biannual party leadership elections held February 11, the State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party ousted its entire leadership bench. The incumbent party chair, former state legislator Bobbie Richardson, 73, was defeated by insurgent candidate Anderson Clayton, 25, previously chair of the Person County Democratic Party (which lies north of Durham along the Virginia border).

Richardson had been endorsed early and loudly by virtually every major elected Democrat in the state, including Gov. Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein and all seven Democratic members

of Congress. She was widely seen as the pick of the state party establishment. Nevertheless, Richardson lost to Clayton on the second ballot by a margin of about 10 percent in a heavilyattended meeting.

Besides Clayton, a “changed slate” of candidates were also elected: Jonah Garson as First Vice Chair, Dr. Kim Hardy as Second Vice Chair, Elijah King as Third Vice Chair, and Melvin Williams as Secretary.

North Carolina Democrats have struggled badly to win elections since 2010’s Republican wave brought the GOP to power in the state. Democrats have

NC Minor League Baseball Player Anderson Comas comes out

Although scant attention was paid to the announcement by American press, the UK LGBTQ website Gay Times recently reported a story about a team member of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, a White Sox-owned Single A Team player who recently announced he’s gay.

“This may be my most personal thing I ever share, and it’s that I’m proudly and happily part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Anderson Comas posted to his Instagram account on February 19.

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are owned by the Chicago White Sox and identified as a Single A Team, which is more or less a try out team or training ground for young and new baseball players to get their feet wet.

While Comas, 23, is clearly excited to share his revelation, he began it with a note of caution: “If you’re homophobic, this post may not [be] for you, or maybe

yes, so you can see we all matter and we are all the same.

“I’m human with a great soul. I’m respectful. I’m a lover. I love my family and friends and that’s what really matters,” he continued. “I enjoy my work a lot, being a professional baseball player is the best thing that [has] happened to me, so I just want to say something to those people that say gay people cannot be someone in this life. Look at me. I’m gay and I’m a professional athlete. That didn’t stop me [from making] my dreams come true. I’m doing this because I wanna’ be an inspiration for those like me out there fighting for their dreams. Please don’t listen to the stupid things that people say about us. Fight for your dreams, believe in yourself and go for it.”

Originally from Santa Domingo in the

US Queer population has grown in the last decade

The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as part of the LGBTQ population has doubled in the last ten years, according to a new poll from Gallup.

The poll found that 7.2 percent of adults in the U.S. identify as something other than heterosexual and cisgender in 2022. In 2012, the percentage was 3.5.

Much of the gain comes from younger adults. 19.7 percent of adults in Generation Z identified as LGBTQ+ in the poll, while 11.2 percent of millennials, 3.3 percent of Generation X, 2.7 percent of Baby Boomers and 1.7 percent of the Silent Generation respondents said the same.

Most of the non-straight respondents, 4.2 percent, said they were bisexual. 1.4 percent identified as gay men and one

percent as lesbians. 0.6 percent of U.S. adults identified as transgender, and 0.1 percent identified as pansexual, asexual, queer and “other LGBT.”

Generation Z’s LGBTQ+ population is even more bisexual than the general population. Fifty-eight percent of LGBTQ+ adults in the survey said that they were bisexual, while 66.4 percent of Generation Z LGBTQ+ adults said they were bisexual. Gay men outnumbered bisexual people of all genders among Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation in the survey, while bisexual people outnumbered every other group in the younger three generations.

Last year, the same survey found that 7.1 percent of the population is LGBTQ+, continuing the upward trend and show-

never won back control of the badly gerrymandered legislature.

In the last two cycles, Democrats lost

the statewide judicial elections

0-14, locking in Republican control of the state Supreme Court until at least 2028. In a state with an electorate split nearly 50/50, the party’s persistent electoral weakness has been a major frustration for North Carolina’s Democrats.

This article appears courtesy of Daily KOS. :: https://bit.ly/3IN6YFk

—Carolina Forward

Dominican Republic, Comas is currently back in Chicago. No word yet on whether he will be returning to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers for another season or

moving on to the major leagues and a role in the White Sox. ::

https://atmilb.com/3SFJVjb

ing that last year’s number wasn’t a fluke. 5.6 percent of U.S. adults said they were LGBTQ+ in 2020 and 4.5 percent said the same in 2017, the previous year that Gallup conducted the survey.

This article appears courtesy of our media partner LGBTQ Nation. https://atmilb.com/3SFJVjb

—Alex Bollinger

Anderson Clayton, 25, is the new chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. CREDIT: Facebook

—David Aaron Moore

Anderson Comas: ‘I’m a lover.’ CREDIT: Instagram

According to the latest Gallup poll the LGBTQ population has increased by more than seven percent since 2012. CREDIT: Facebook

It Gets Better project announces second year of grants supporting LGBTQ students Program will provide funds to every state in the US and provinces across

Canada

The It Gets Better Project, the world’s largest storytelling effort to uplift LGBTQ youth, is currently accepting applications for year two of its “50 States. 50 Grants. 5,000 Voices.” grants initiative. Grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to at least one middle or high school in every U.S. state, including U.S. territories, and fund projects that uplift and support the wellbeing of local LGBTQ students.

This year, the project will expand into Canada, with grants awarded to at least one middle or high school in every Canadian province and territory.

As with the initiative’s inaugural year, the project is made possible by support from American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) through American Eagle and Aerie customer donations in the U.S. and Canada via their Real Rewards loyalty program, as well as an in-store pin-pad promotion during Pride Month 2022.

Grant submission portals in the United States and Canada are open now and will be accepting applications through March 15. Students are invited to apply in partnership with a faculty advisor, educator or school administrator.

By Ross Von Metzke |Contributing Writer

Recipients of the 2022 grant opportunity were announced last year during Pride Month and feature a wide range of projects aimed at making things better for LGBTQ+ students in schools. Winning projects include a school in Texas organizing a regional Queer Youth Conference; a school in Hawaii helping parents understand the importance of advocating for LGBTQ students by centering Native Hawaiian knowledge and education around māhū (third gender) identity; a Colorado school remodeling single-gender restrooms into gender-neutral ones and a school in North Carolina creating an art therapy program for LGBTQ+ students. You can read more about the 2022 grant recipients on the organization’s website at https://itgetsbetter.org/.

“At a time when LGBTQ+ youth are being inappropriately drawn into political discourse, “50 States. 50 Grants. 5,000 Voices.” should serve as a reality check to any individual or institution trying to stand in the way of progress,” said Brian Wenke, Executive Director of the It Gets Better Project.

“The It Gets Better Project’s sole pur-

pose is to empower LGBTQ+ young people to realize and fulfill their greatest potential. What better way to ignite that spark than by giving youth the power to create the world in which they want to live. LGBTQ+ youth have the energy and the passion to drive true, lasting change. This initiative provides the means to get them started.”

Since the beginning of their partnership in 2017, AEO has generated more than $3.8 million for the It Gets Better Project. In 2019, AEO became the It Gets Better Project’s first Legacy Partner, signifying lifetime contributions of $1 million or more.

About the It Gets Better Project

The It Gets Better Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that strives to uplift, empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe. Created in 2010 as the result of one of the most successful viral video campaigns in YouTube’s history, the It Gets Better Project provides critical support and hope to LGBTQ youth around the world by leveraging the power of media to reach millions of people each year.

The project has garnered support from President Joe Biden, former President

CREDIT:

Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with celebrities including Kelly Clarkson, Gabrielle Union, Zachary Quinto and MJ Rodriguez.

More than 750,000 people have taken the It Gets Better pledge to share messages of hope and speak up against intolerance. Please visit https://www.50states50grants. com/ for more information. ::

Applications are open for ‘50 States. 50 Grants. 5,000 Voices,’ with $690K to be awarded to school projects uplifting and empowering LGBTQ youth.

Christians could sue people who call them homophobic if this GOP bill passes

By Alex Bollinger|Contributing Writer

AFlorida Republican introduced a bill that would make it easier for religious people to sue those who call them out as homophobic or transphobic, a bill built on a suggestion from the Republican governor from the same state, Ron DeSantis.

State Rep. Alex Andrade (R) filed H.B. 991 Feb. 21. The bill would make it easier to sue journalists, publications or social media users for defamation if they accuse someone of racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia. The bill specifically says that publications can’t use truth as a defense when it comes to reporting on people’s anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments by citing the person’s “constitutionally protected religious expression or beliefs” or “a plaintiff’s scientific beliefs.”

And the bill isn’t limited to professional journalists in scope – it affects anyone in public, including people on social media. Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandra Caraballo, a trans woman, called the bill “absolutely chilling.”

“If someone calls you a f*ggot or tr*nny and you say they discriminated against you, they can now sue you for at least $35k and cite their religious beliefs,” she noted on Twitter. “This would apply to the internet as well. This would empower bigots to target the LGBTQ community with impunity.”

“This applies to the internet as well, so if the person is in Florida, you could be liable even if you have never stepped foot in Florida.”

Others noted that the bill violates federal free speech protections and would be struck down if passed.

“If it’s not struck down, my wife and I are moving to Portugal,” First Amendment lawyer Barry Chase told the Tampa Bay Times to illustrate how confident he is that the attack on free speech won’t be upheld in court.

The bill makes several changes to how defamation lawsuits work to make it easi-

for defamation has to prove that the defamation hurt their reputation, but H.B. 991 would make it so that statements “that the plaintiff has discriminated against another person or group because of their race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes defamation per se.”

That is, if someone calls DeSantis transphobic for holding a ceremony at a Christian school on the first day of Pride Month to sign a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in school sports, he wouldn’t have to show that the accusation hurt his reputation anymore in order to win his suit. Being accused of transphobia would be considered damaging in and of itself.

In other words, it’s the legal version of conservatives’ belief that accusing someone of racism is worse than being racist.

Moreover, the bill would lower the

just prove that statements made about them are false. They have to prove that a news organization acted with a “reckless disregard” for the truth as well, which is hard to prove. The rule doesn’t apply to private figures who sue for defamation.

The bill would limit who counts as a public figure to only applying “when the allegation does not relate to the reason for his or her public status.”

H.B. 991 would make it so that the plaintiff in a case automatically wins attorney’s fees if they win their trial, no matter how little money they’re awarded by a jury. This is to encourage more lawsuits to be filed.

The bill also says that statements from an anonymous source must be presumed false when it comes to defamation cases, making it harder for media outlets to publish statements from whistleblowers.

Last, the bill says that a plaintiff’s religious or “scientific” beliefs can’t be used to prove that they’re anti-LGBTQ. Normally, the

truth is the best defense against defamation; if a journalist can prove that what they wrote is true, then it doesn’t matter how damaging it is to someone’s reputation.

The law would change that when it comes to anti-LGBTQ statements. If a magazine reports that, for example, Pastor Jonathan Shelley is anti-LGBTQ because he said he would be supportive “if someone walks into a homo bar and shoots ’em all, shoots a bunch of homos and kills all of them,” Shelley could sue the magazine. The magazine could be blocked from citing his statements as proof of antiLGBTQ sentiment because they’re a part of his “constitutionally protected religious expression or beliefs.”

“Journalists are seeing this as something that only applies to them, but this applies across the board,” Andrade – the bill’s author – said earlier this week, explaining that it applies to social media users as well.

When asked for a comment on the bill, DeSantis’s office pointed to a Feb. 7 roundtable discussion he participated in where defamation lawyers complained about how hard it is to bring defamation lawsuits.

“A guy like me who’s an elected official, I have an ability to press my case,” he responded. “Some of these other citizens just simply do not.”

DeSantis has long had a combative relationship with the press, with his press secretary even attacking an LGBTQ Nation journalist on Twitter for asking her to explain statements her boss made. Earlier today, his office announced that he will be “boycotting” MSNBC and NBC because Andrea Mitchell commented on DeSantis’s attacks on teaching Black history in schools.

Donald Trump is another major Republican who supports making it easier for people to sue if they don’t like what is said about them in the media. When running for president in 2016, he said that he would “open up our libel laws” to make it easier to sue.

This story appears courtesy of our media partner LGBTQ Nation. ::

The bill’s author made sure journalists and anyone using social media would be included

Florida’s Republican Governor and presidential wannabe Ron DeSantis planted the seed for this bill, which could impact the entire country. CREDIT: Facebook

House gives bipartisan approval to Medicaid expansion Plan provides insurance for 600,000 individuals, although a similar number could remain without coverage

By Lynn Bonner |Contributing Writer

The state House gave approval Feb. 15 to a proposal expanding Medicaid, which begins a pathway towards providing about 600,000 low-income adults in North Carolina the chance to sign up for health insurance. However, according to a report dated November 2022 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), North Carolina comes in third place in the country among adults under age 65, with 17.6 percent of the population uninsured (the national rate is 12.6 percent). According to those figures, that will leave a purported 600,000 people in the state still uninsured, which has yet to be addressed.

The 96-23 vote marks the first time the full state House has acted a bill expanding Medicaid. The bill will move to the Senate after another House vote that is largely a formality. Challenges remain and hard negotiations between the House and Senate are likely ahead.

The Feb. 15 debate on House bill 76 was brief. The state has been talking about Medicaid expansion for years.

Last year, the NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie told a legislative committee that rural residents are disproportionately uninsured compared to the state’s urban and suburban residents.

That same group of legislators heard former Ohio Gov. John Kasich implore them to pass Medicaid expansion. “Great states can do great things,” he told them.

North Carolina has a higher percentage of uninsured residents compared to the national average, according to the U.S. Census.

North Carolina is one of 11 states that has not moved to expand Medicaid.

The federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost for people who gain health insurance through expansion. Under the House bill, hospitals would pay the other 10 percent.

The federal government is offering financial incentives to states that have not yet expanded Medicaid that in North Carolina would amount to about $1.5 billion.

Those who would gain insurance fall into what’s called the health insurance gap. They make too little to qualify for subsidized health insurance offered through the

Affordable Care Act marketplace but make too much to qualify for regular Medicaid.

Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Winston-Salem Republican who has been working on expansion for years, said most people who would qualify for Medicaid under expansion work. They sacrifice health insurance so they can afford food and clothes, he said.

“Expansion makes financial sense for our state, especially our rural areas,” he

said. “I’m concerned about rural North Carolina. Health care in rural parts of North Carolina is often challenged.”

The House bill does not include changes to the state certificate of need law, which requires health providers to get permission from the state Department of Health and Human Services to build new facilities and purchase major equipment.

The expansion bill the state Senate

passed last year included limits to certificate of need and other health policy changes. Senate Republicans have been trying for years for significant certificate of need rollbacks, and Senate leader Phil Berger said last year that Medicaid expansion needed to be in the package with policy changes.

Hospitals have fought changes to the certificate of need law. Negotiations last year over certificate of need as part of an expansion bill flopped.

For most of the years the state has been talking about expansion, Democrats pushed for it and Republican leaders were staunchly opposed. Chances for passage shifted last year when Berger announced he had changed his mind.

Three amendments to the House bill passed easily. Under the first, the state would negotiate to add Medicaid work requirements if the federal government signals it will allow them. Second, the counties would get $50 million for Medicaid eligibility determinations and inmate medical costs. The third amendment provides for a loan forgiveness program for doctors and nurses who agree to work full-time in rural counties.

This article appears courtesy of our media partner NC Policy Watch. ::

Rep. Donny Lambeth urged his colleagues to support Medicaid expansion. CREDIT: NC Policy Watch

Building a better workplace, one t-shirt at a time

by Chris Rudisill Qnotes Staff Writer

Jared Sizemore sits at a desk in Music City Creative’s 3,500-square-foot warehouse space just south of downtown Nashville, Tenn., where he oversees the organizational strategy and day-today operations at the fairly young print shop. A rainbow flag hangs on the wall behind him, and the popular phrase “y’all means all” has an especially important tie to the company’s success.

In 2020, he left his job as marketing manager at a golf course and country club in Kentucky to join longtime friend Steven Romeo on growing Music City Creative (MCC) as a mix of e-commerce and business-to-business custom merchandising.

Romeo was named an LGBTQ Artist Champion of Change in 2015 by the Obama Administration and started the nonprofit The Change Project in Birmingham, Ala. They then launched a business traveling the country, selling merchandise at events like Pride festivals and LGBTQ conferences. As these events came to a halt in 2020, Romeo discussed the idea for a new business model with Sizemore – one that would focus more on the internet and be direct-to-consumer.

The two started working in a converted 400-square-foot studio space that was part of a city project that built “maker spaces” from older public housing units.

One day in August, while testing a rainbow “Y’all Means All” on a simple black t-shirt using a process called discharge printing, they decided to make a TikTok video. The mobile app was still fairly new, and Sizemore recalls only having a handful of followers at the time.

But what they were doing quickly got some attention and the video went viral.

“The cool thing about discharge printing is when it gets hot, this chemical reaction happens so it kind of goes from a very dull print to something more vibrant,” says Sizemore. And that’s exactly what viewers saw with the rainbow print.

The day after posting, Sizemore and Romeo woke up to 25,000 views, email requests and 130 comments from people wanting to buy the shirt. Sizemore quickly got the shirt on the website and by the end of the week they had close to $30,000 in revenue.

Things didn’t stop there.

They kept making videos, kept going viral and by December 2020 had opened a retail store and a separate production facility in Nashville. They’ve since pulled everything back into a single location but continue to do retail pop-ups, sell at events across the country and run a full-service business line from design to

production for companies and nonprofits.

Community-Conscious MCC Finds and Creates Tools to Build a Diverse Workforce

Just days before QNotes talked to Sizemore, the Tennessee Senate passed a series of anti-LGBTQ legislations banning gender-affirming care for minors and prohibiting public drag performances. (The Tennessee House later passed companion bills on Feb. 24.)

It’s times like these that make the business and workplace model Music City Creative has created most important. Sizemore says that the company is focused on creating a strong, diverse and passionate team. “Our goal is to make MCC a place that works for everyone and helps others be the best versions of themselves.”

From its beginning as a small start-up, MCC has focused on ensuring a culture that cultivates the core values of sustainability, community support and social equity.

One of the tools they use is an online job board designed to recruit Queer workers. In April, when hiring a print shop apprentice and warehouse fulfillment associate, they went to the Everywhere is Queer website designed by Charlie Sprinkman.

MCC had been listed on the website, designed as an interactive map of LGBTQ-

owned businesses, for a while and were happy to promote jobs there when they started to grow.

According to an interview in the Skimm, the website has been viewed over 135,000 times since launching in January 2022. Sprinkman created Everywhere is Queer after traveling 42 of 50 states and

searching for ‘Queer hangouts here’ or ‘Queer spots here.’ He didn’t find much. While the map is focused on helping users find safe spaces, it also serves as a resource for the LGBTQ business owner, especially entrepreneurs like Romeo and Sizemore. A company can submit an application to be listed and then have access to a Google Sheet-based ‘job board.’

“We found Everywhere is Queer on TikTok, just like we were discovered by the world,” said Sizemore. At the time, Sprinkman’s project had just launched and only had about one hundred followers. “When they launched that option to put our hiring stuff on there, obviously we’re going to jump on it because we want to support them as much as they’ve kind of been supporting us as well,” he recalled.

The impact of Sprinkman’s website has a renewed importance as these anti-LGBTQ legislations like the ones in Tennessee spread across the country. Last year marked the passage of the most anti-LGBTQ and anti-transgender legislation in recent history. Sprinkman told Skimm that a number of businesses in Florida and Texas have popped up recently. “All I can hope is that we’re going to be able to support these Queerowned businesses in these states that are having horrible things pass,” he said. For Sizemore, being visible is part of their success. “We went viral for something that was inherently Queer and inherently inclusive … that’s what people kind of know us for, are the two Queer people who went viral on TikTok for making t-shirts.”

Changing Workplace Culture

It is important to maintain that inclu-

How a queer-owned print shop in Nashville is setting an example for small businesses focused on sustainability and success

Jared Sizemore: For Jared Sizemore (he/him), Music City Creative’s COO, being visible is part of the company’s success. “We went viral for something that was inherently queer and inherently inclusive.” CREDIT: Adam Roberts

CREDIT: Adam Roberts

sivity for all their employees as well, and LGBTQ people have flocked to it. The majority of MCC’s eight-person staff identify as Queer. Sizemore had experienced environments heavy with racism and homophobia in past jobs. Romeo spent a lot of time in the nonprofit space developing inclusive policies. Together, they knew they wanted to create something special with MCC – a place where all employees were heard and felt welcomed.

“Everywhere that we can put that we’re a Queer-owned business, we do,” says Sizemore. “Everything about Music City Creative – that is at the forefront.”

Sizemore has given talks on what small businesses can do to be more inclusive, and MCC has become a voice for the community.

“Small businesses influence every part of the community, right? And so, if we are a voice for a community we have to sometimes, have to take a side, whether we think it is appropriate, or not. Us taking a side that is welcoming to others will honestly help our business. We will find those patrons who agree with us and who want to be involved with the things that we stand for.”

Not surprisingly, the company’s busiest month is June, especially for their businessto-business line of products. Companies are now more likely to seek out Queer-owned businesses when buying Pride month merchandise for their employees, and that’s a big step toward progress, says Sizemore.

He feels strongly about companies being vocal about inclusivity. It shows they really

care about the products they are using and about their staff. “Consumers are increasingly conscious of where they are getting their products.” MCC has also built an identity around only using sustainable materials like 100% water-based inks and garments that are third-party verified as sustainable and American made, that their suppliers pay workers an ethical living wage.

Another key to being part of the community is the company’s nonprofit partner-

ship program. Throughout the year, MCC will do fundraisers or profit-sharing for different causes. For one of their most recent projects, MCC donated a portion of revenues back to an organization that provides access to those who cannot afford or access abortions.

Shirts stating “Sex Work is Work,” “Reproductive Rights are Human Rights” and “Matter is the Minimum” have become a staple on their site and showcase the com-

pany’s outward stance on social justice issues. “We find something that we’re really, really interested in trying to help and then we’ll create a design or create a collection of designs and then donate money back,” says Sizemore.

This involves the full team at MCC, too. Anytime the company makes a statement on social media, creates a new collection, or takes a stand on an issue, they get buy-in from the staff. It’s just another example of how inclusivity is showing up in the small but growing business and changing norms along the way.

The full team even had input on developing HR policies and writing the company handbook. “We want to create policies that are forward-thinking and are right for our business,” says Sizemore.

MCC starts workers at $17.50 an hour, considered a living wage in Nashville by nashvillelivingwage.com, and staff get time off for therapy. That means that sometimes the product costs more and Sizemore says it’s important to be honest about that.

“I send emails to clients saying prices are going up, or sometimes prices go down. But it’s all because we believe in eco-friendly printing, paying our workers an ethical living wage, creating an inclusive work environment, all the above.”

This story is part of QNotes’ special project “OUTlook: Finding Solutions for LGBTQ Labor and Workplace Equality.” It is supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. ::

Music City Creative founder and CEO Steven Romeo (they/them) prepares a shirt for printing. They use a process called discharge printing that removes the shirt’s color and replaces it, instead of putting ink on top of the shirt.

CREDIT: Adam Roberts

Two former Qnotes editors making career changes

Matt Comer & O’Neale Atkinson moving in to new fields

by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer

Two of Charlotte’s well known LGBTQ community members who previously served as editors of QNotes, Matt Comer and O’Neale Atkinson have remained prominently involved with the local LGBTQ community since their departure from the publication.

Between 2007 and 2015, Matt Comer served as editor with QNotes twice, for a period of approximately eight years, before moving on to Charlotte Pride in 2017, where he would fill the role of Director of Operations and Communications.

Now, after five years with Pride, he’s moving on once again, this time out of the direct impact LGBTQ arena and into the role of director of communications and digital engagements at St. Stephens United Methodist Church.

As an out gay man and an individual of faith, Comer is pleased about the opportunity to work in an environment that supports his religious beliefs and is welcoming and affirming to the LGBTQ community.

“Most of my responsibilities are

about engaging with the church members,” Comer explains. “I’m very happy I found a place in an LGBTQ affirming, welcoming congregation.”

Comer has often acted as advocate and activist in the Charlotte and North Carolina LGBTQ community. Saint Stephens’ community involvement and outreach programs are additional aspects of his new job he finds appealing, which include assistance finding housing for Charlotte residents in need, working with Habitat for Humanity and the local Loaves and Fishes program.

Comer’s presence as an LGBTQ spokesperson has remained high profile for several years in Charlotte, but don’t expect him to fall off the radar completely just because he’s working in a less vociferous position.

“Although I am no longer employed by the LGBTQ community,” he says, “I hope to stay involved [locally] and with the national pride organization.”

Atkinson, after six months with QNotes, later moved on to the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Center and then to Time Out Youth, where he spent ten years, eventually becoming the organization’s Deputy Director.

Now Atkinson is heading into private

practice as a licensed clinical social worker with Wisteria Counseling and Consultation.

“Last year I decided I wanted to do something new and try something different that would allow me to explore clinical work,” Atkinson offers.

Like Comer, Atkinson’s roots with the LGBTQ community run deep, and he has no desire to ever step away completely.

“Working with the LGBTQ community was why I got into social work and will continue to be a part of my clinical career,” Atkinson says. “I’m always going to be open to pursuing and offering help to the LGBTQ community, both locally and nationally.”

He also hopes to continue work with Time Out Youth in some capacity. The organization routinely refers clients for counseling and therapy to organizations and providers in the Charlotte Metro area.

“I am open to that, yes. I foresee with the counseling I provide I will focus on young and LGBTQ people going through challenges, so I look forward to that possibility.” ::

Matt Comer (left) and O’Neale Atkinson, former Qnotes editors, are continuing new career journeys. CREDIT: Courtesy photos

The aging of a pop icon: Madonna Pop & dance music diva exploded on the world music scene in

1983

by David Aaron Moore Qnotes

All of us get older. It’s difficult to visualize yourself as a senior citizen when you’re still in your twenties and already on top of the world.

But that’s where singer Madonna is now. Back in the 1980s she was a 20-something darling of the pop and dance music world around the globe. Now she’s 64 and only months away from turning 65.

At 28, Madonna had already experienced three extremely successful hit albums, a list of chart topping singles longer than your arm that included “Everybody,” “Burning Up,” “Borderline,” “Lucky Star,” “Like a Virgin,” “Material Girl,” “Crazy for You,” “Into the Groove,” “Angel,” “Dress You Up,” “Live to Tell,” Papa Don’t Preach,” “True Blue,” “Open Your Heart” and “La Isla Bonita.”

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention a sizable role in the film “Desperately Seeking Susan,” which was lauded by New York Times film critic Vincent Canby as one of the 10 Best Films of 1985, and a concert performance that was part of the Who’s That Girl World Tour in June of 1987, which took place near Paris with an audience of over 130,000 people. At that time it broke every known record for the highest attended female concert of all time.

In a 2019 interview with the British Publication Guardian, she had this to say about that time in her life: “It took my breath away. I can’t begin to tell you. I remember the first concert I did on the Virgin tour, in Seattle, when everything became big and I had no way of being prepared for it. It literally sucked the life out of me, sucked the air out of my lungs when I walked on stage. I sort of had an out-of-body experience. Not a bad feeling, not an out-of-control feeling, but an otherworldly feeling that nothing could prepare

you for.”

Over the next three decades she would continue with a musical winning streak, although she was never fully embraced as an actress, despite finally achieving acclaim and a Golden globe award for Best Actress as Eva Peron in the movie “Evita.”

Of that film, she said:

“This is the role I was born to play. I put everything of me into this because it was much more than a role in a movie. It was exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. And I am proud of ‘Evita,’ more than anything else I have done.”

Her Significance to the LGBTQ Community

The Queer community has been there, all along, supporting Madonna since the release of “Everybody” and “Burning Up.” While the rest of America had turned their back on dance music, Madonna was wholeheartedly embracing it, providing plenty of material that was dance worthy for LGBTQ clubs around the world. Then there was her sense of fashion: unique and unusual and unlike anything else out there. Without question, those two elements are how she first caught the attention of Queer fans on a national and global level.

But before there was Madonna the singer, there was Madonna the dancer. She had left her home state of Michigan to travel to New York in search of career success and fame and with every intention of following a career in dance. Along the way she became friends with many gay men, supportive of the LGBTQ community at large and, as her career led to a position of power, an advocate for those in need throughout the HIV/AIDS pandemic. To this day she remains a steadfast ally to our community. She even turned down the opportunity to present the album of the year award at the recent Grammy Awards ceremony, instead recognizing the importance of and choosing to introduce the first trans woman performing at the Grammys.

Does America Destroy Its Own Icons?

To a great degree in the United States, fans and the media are often judgmental of performers who start to show signs of aging. Especially women.

As has been the case in our particularly patriarchal society, many female actors and recording artists eventually turn to plastic surgery in an effort to retain a younger image.

As the years have passed and

Madonna’s youthful beauty has diminished, she has turned to plastic surgery, as well. At first it was barely perceptible, but followed by injectables and outer eye lifts, she began to take on an unexpected Asian look. Her recent appearance on the Grammy Awards showed us additional work had been done, and the face of a woman many called “barely recognizable” as Madonna.

She Responded on Instagram

“Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 and fills the need to punish her if she continues to be strong-willed, hardworking and adventurous. I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I’ve made nor the way that I look or dressed and I’m not going to start.”

Can Madonna Dish It Out but Not Take It?

In an interview with The Advocate in 2019, Madonna doesn’t deny the accusations many have said about her aberrant behavior towards other people around her.

“They ... think I’m a bitch,” she said in the pages of The Advocate. “They already think I’m Atilla the Hun. They already compare me to Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein. I was never appalled by myself. I felt a little bit uneasy about certain things, but honestly I’ve learned to love myself more...”

That raises a question: If she does love herself as much as she claimed to in 2019, why did she feel the need to go to such an extent to change her appearance through plastic surgery? Did she not believe fans of her music would accept her aging?

Back to her response on Instagram:

“Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech, which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam (Smith) and Kim (Petras), many people chose to only talk about close up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face.”

Trying to deflect the reasons her face has changed so drastically by attributing it to one photographer, when it was

clear through the television camera lens audiences everywhere were seeing the same thing, confirms a sad but human truth: Despite all her claims of strength and bitchiness, she’s just as vulnerable to criticism as everyone else.

Should We Still Support Her?

If you’re a life-long Madonna fan, the answer is a definite yes. If you don’t feel strongly about her music or her reputation one way or the other, consider this: Throughout her career she has been a constant LGBTQ ally. Most recently, during an effort to recognize the importance of trans visibility, she was subject to harsh criticism from press, fans and fellow performers. Despite her intimations of being a queen of steel, it’s obvious the comments have seeped through the cracks. They hurt. They stung. If someone who stands up for you is victimized by another, what would you do?

Upcoming Concert

Although Madonna won’t be performing on stage in Charlotte, she will be making an appearance nearby: in Atlanta on Tuesday, Sept.ember 5. Tickets are currently listed at $149 - $560, but are expected to go higher as the concert date approaches. ::

Staff Writer

Madonna as Eva Peron in a scene from ‘Evita.’ CREDIT: Screen Capture

Madonna will perform in Atlanta September 3. CREDIT: Screen Capture

Madonna, then 25, in the music video “Material Girl” and now 64, during a recent appearance at the Grammy Awards. CREDIT: Screen Capture

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of love: an interview with gay filmmaker

by Gregg Shapiro Qnotes S

February, or even March, is a little early to start compiling a list of the best movies of the year. But don’t be surprised if you see writer/director Goran Stolevski’s “Of an Age” (Focus) on some of those lists when the time comes. At turns, exhilarating, funny, sexy, touching and ultimately heartbreaking, “Of an Age” is one of those rare transformative gay coming-of-age stories. The combination of the acting (both Elias Anton as Kol and Thom Green as Adam are exceptional) and the writing and direction are effective. Stolevski was gracious enough to make time for an interview in advance of the movie’s opening.

Gregg Shapiro: “Of an Age” begins in 1999, seven years after many American audiences learned about Australia’s fascination with ballroom dancing competitions in Baz Luhrmann’s “Strictly Ballroom.” Was this something of which you were aware, or did you also discover it via “Strictly Ballroom?”

Goran Stolevski: I moved to Australia in 1997. “Strictly Ballroom,” unfortunately, wasn’t that much of an event in Eastern Europe where I grew up. The way I discovered Australia was through one of our other gayest films, which was “Muriel’s Wedding,” which is a masterpiece. With Baz Luhrmann, my induction was through “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo + Juliet.” I came to “Strictly Ballroom” afterward, during my film nerd days. I had a complicated relationship with Australia, probably still do, in the sense that I was a very unwilling child of migrants. My film nerdiness is a reaction to being moved to this other place where I didn’t want to be. I was always looking to be transported elsewhere, through books, and especially movies. Apart from Baz Luhrmann, and maybe Jane Campion, I pretty much resisted watching Australian films for many years. I think I’m the last gay guy to ever watch “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” which I saw maybe five years ago. I fucking love it, now [laughs]!

GS: Why did you wait so long?

GS: It’s difficult to describe to someone who hasn’t been emotionally dislocated from where they lived. I wanted to be in Europe. I wanted to be in America, weirdly, considering I’d never been to America when I was little. Or where [filmmaker] Wong Kar-wai was, because that’s where I wanted to live at the time. That’s what shaped my childhood. In terms of ballroom, in high school I didn’t know any

other gay people. But an acquaintance at the time, when I came out, she told me “Oh, it’s totally fine! I know a gay guy. He’s my ballroom dance partner.” Although I never met him. But he was the only gay person I knew of that was within several degrees of me.

GS: “1999” is the title of the first of two sections of “Of an Age,” with the second being “2010.” What is the significance of those years?

GS: Initially, I envisioned the “1999” section as the whole film. It was only while I was writing it that I got fascinated by what would these two…obviously the story has a lot of parallels to (Richard) Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, and also I grew up obsessed with Truffaut’s (character) Antoine Doinel. I’m always curious if you revisit characters 10 years later and 10 years later than that, what happens, and how it comments on the story. Initially, I was going to do something set across a 24-hour period. Then I realized there wouldn’t be enough for a whole movie. Dancing in the back of my head were these ideas of how they met, how they would run into each other 10 years later. I knew there would have to be a spe-

cific cataclysmic event that had to bring them together. Then I remembered the Icelandic volcano being quite a news story in my life back in the day [laughs].

GS: The “1999” section launches like a rocket ship taking off at fullthrottle, beginning with Ebony’s (Hattie Hook) panicked phone call to Kol, who then has to find a solution to the situation. It’s the kind of thing that gets viewers’ adrenalin pumping. Was that your intention?

GS: A little bit. I’ve done a few short films in that style. I do find it thrilling as a viewer, and as a filmmaker. In this case, it was also how being a teenager felt to me [laughs]. Parts of my brain have outgrown others, but there are parts of me that still function like a teenager. It captures that part of my life. Pretty much the style that evolved in this film at every point is keeping track of the characters’ feelings. That’s what directed it. Then, obviously, a shift in style and energy happens, and we are keeping in lockstep with this character. How those elements interact is its own thing. I was a little bit worried about whether people would stay for the ride when that shift occurs [laughs]. That

was my main concern before the film was edited. I wanted that feeling of being caught completely off guard. It’s a blip in the universe. Those first 18 minutes feel like day-to-day life, and then suddenly something veers off in another direction, and life feels completely different.

GS: I’m glad you mentioned the shifts because that section feels very serious, and then suddenly there’s really wonderful humor when Kol shows up at Tari’s and Jaya refers to him as “this gay kid” and the humor hits a high point when Kol’s in the car with Adam and there’s sexual tension, flirtation and teasing, along with humor. But it also feels authentic. This made me wonder how much of you, and your experience, is in these characters?

GS: In terms of personality, 100% [laughs]. In terms of incidents, it’s not autobiographical in that sense. God knows I never did ballroom. I don’t even dance now. Even the character of Kol. He’s Serbian, and I’m Macedonian. There are key differences to make sure it’s not exactly me. My rule when I’m writing something is just because it happened to you, that doesn’t make it interesting. In terms of the humor that you mentioned in that section, I think there are funny things that happen in the opening, but they don’t feel funny because to them it’s so dramatic. I wanted to honor how they feel in the moment. I’ve noticed people laugh a little more at the early section on a second viewing because I guess you watch it from more of a distance then. I am thrilled at how much it feels like a tense sequence.

GS: While Adam is driving with Kol, he subtly reveals that he’s gay and that he still has some of his exboyfriend Goran’s belongings in his car. Kol then makes fun of the name Goran, which also happens to be your name. Why did you choose that name for Adam’s ex?

GS: At the time, it was because the dialogue was coming at me too fast to keep up. Mine is a foreign name that’s really easy to spell and type quickly. I thought I would change it eventually, but I never did, because I found it hilarious. I kind of like being the negative character [laughs]. I have a cameo as an even more negative character in my next film. Actually, [in “Of an Age”] I’m also the toxic dude at the airport who bumps into him. I’m much more interested in being the toxic person on screen for some reason. I think it’s safer. Otherwise, you become very narcissistic as an artist.

GS: The sexual tension between Kol

‘Age’

Goran Stolevski Filmmaker’s latest is a transformative gay coming-of-age story

taff Writer

Goran Stoleviski is the creator of the film ‘Of an Age’. CREDIT: Facebook

See Goran Stolevski on next page

Queer NC Native & Oscar winner Ariana DeBose gets slammed for performance at BAFTAs

by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer

If you don’t know who Ariana Debose is by now, chances are you’ve been sleeping for the past few years.

The North Carolina native who was born in Wilmington, studied dance in Raleigh and self-identifies as Queer, experienced a break-through year in 2022. As previously reported in QNotes, she won both the Academy Award, a Golden Globe and the British BAFTA for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic film “West Side Story.”

That same year she was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine. As if all that wasn’t enough, she was also invited to host the 75th annual Tony Awards for 2022.

There’s no questioning DeBose’s talent. She’s a triple threat: dancer, singer and actor. None of that has changed, but a freestyle rap and dance presentation at the 2023 BAFTAs (an acronym for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which hosts the annual British Academy Film Awards) Feb. 19, stirred up enough negative comments on Twitter that DeBose decided to deactivate her account.

Following her performance at the 76th annual event in London where she celebrated the female nominees by name in a combination of dance, song and rap,

and Adam eventually reaches its peak, and they end up having sex in the station wagon. It’s a beautiful and erotic depiction of the first time someone has sex. How challenging is it to write a scene such as that, and not have it come off as cheesy or manipulative?

GS: It’s not something I was too worried about. Matthew Chuang is my cinematographer, and my straight husband, and I feel very safe in his hands. He tends to rely on natural lighting, and then when that’s not available, he mimics it so closely that you don’t realize it’s not natural. Natural lighting never leads to tawdriness. It helps the film feel tactile without it being tasteless or artificial. Because all of our work is shot according to those principles, I don’t think we approach the sex scene in a different way. With the sex scene, it was all about the actors’ comfort, and also trying to convey that feeling of sex for the first time as primally as we possibly can, while everyone’s being treated respectfully. You don’t have to rely on explicitness or shock tactics.

GS: The second section, which takes place 11 years later in 2010, begins during the “Icelandic volcano apoca-

the criticism kicked in from Variety who described her performance as “a little out of breath at some points” with lyrics that “felt clumsy.”

The show’s producer Nick Bullen quickly came to her defense in the same publication.

“I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it. Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing. The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping and

lypse” (of Eyjafjallajökull), which you mentioned. Kol and Adam bump into each other in the airport, both back in Australia for Ebony’s wedding. A comment is made about how Kol’s personality hasn’t changed much, but a physical transformation has occurred – Kol is now a hot man and carries himself differently.

GS: We were all keenly aware on-set of that happening in front of our eyes. In the script, the difference in Kol was mainly about demeanor and personality. I felt like he was more similar to how Adam was when Kol first met him.

GS: He exuded a newfound confidence that Adam had.

GS: Yes! To me, that also shows the impact Adam had on him. It’s what life makes of you. You have to build a certain kind of resilience if you’re a gay kid from that kind of background, socioeconomically, culturally and so forth. There was a lot of conversation with Elias, the actor, because he was 23 or 24 at the time we were shooting. It’s easy to play someone younger than you, but it’s really hard to convey life experience beyond your own actual years.

people were sort of dancing to the music. That rap section in the middle mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. And she’s opening the BAFTAs with a song that said so much on so many levels. All those mentions, I felt, from the moment we were rehearsing it right through the transmission last night, spoke to what we wanted to do.”

So what exactly did DeBose do to

GS: He succeeds.

GS: Thank you! There was a lot of conversation. But, to be honest, it was also kind of uncanny. I remember tearing up at the most casual dialogue, when they’re talking on that bus. I was like, “Oh, my God, it’s my boy growing up.” There was a parental dynamic with all three of them. Especially with Elias and Hattie, who were younger. You just watch them grow, as well, offscreen. I feel very lucky to have been able to benefit from that. It felt like capturing lightning in a bottle. There was a lot of talk, before we even started shooting anything, about the difference between your mindset and your inner life when you’re older, like 28, compared to 17, and so on and so forth. Once we started shooting, I didn’t want to talk about things in the abstract. I feel like it’s something you have to absorb unconsciously, and then you’re acting from an organic place.

GS: Without giving too much away, the finale falls into the tearjerker category, and yet, it’s not a tragedy. Is this how you always envisioned the story ending?

GS: Yes. I think there’s a parallel

merit a full force attack that went viral on Twitter?

In essence, she had one of those perfect storm moments. Not unlike the cringe-worthy “Howard Dean Scream” in the 2004 Democratic primary. Perhaps it was the combination of her body movements and vocal pronunciations –comically twisting her hips and flipping her hands in time to the music while uttering the vague phrase, “Angela Basset did the thing,” which seemed to many, somewhat dismissive for an accomplished actress like Bassett. Whatever the case, it produced something just quirky enough that social media mavens glommed onto it and sent it viral.

If the latest in 21st century technology didn’t exist and viewers hadn’t caught on quick enough to snag the clip and turn it into a meme or a gif and Twitter users hadn’t been quite so overboard, calling out DeBose on her own Twitter account, then she probably wouldn’t have shut it down.

Fast forward 24 hours and the North Carolina Queer girl who made it big is now chuckling at herself, once again taking to social media on Instagram and enjoying the attention she’s getting for her goofy words and movements on a page full of Ariana memes and gifs. “I’m loving every minute of this,” she posted.

And why shouldn’t she? DeBose has a slew of upcoming projects lined up to keep her busy, rake in some big bucks and keep making her home state proud. ::

between how the 1999 and 2010 sections end. It’s been interesting because people have slightly different interpretations about the ending. For me, emotionally, the whole premise of the film is, “Were these feelings worth it?” I don’t think it’s a standard happy or sad ending.

GS: Have you started working on or thinking about your next film project?

GS: I just finished editing my third picture. We’re in sound mix at the moment. That should be finished in the next couple of months, hopefully. After that, I’m a free agent, so I don’t know what happens with my life [laughs]. I was in a very strange position; before I finished my first feature, the next two were already financed. I’ve been shooting them back to back to back. I finish one on Wednesday and start casting the next one on Thursday. It’s been a frantic and emotionally rewarding couple of years. I’m very lucky to have had three extremely beautiful experiences with each of these films. Films that I love. I’m looking for that again. I don’t really want to make something that doesn’t make me feel this way. I don’t know what it’s going to take for the fourth one. ::

Initial reaction leaves DeBose stunned, now she’s laughing all the way to the bank

Meme gone viral: Ariana DeBose freestyle rapping at the BAFTAs in a tribute to women in film.

CREDIT: Screen Capture

Goran Stolevski from page 17

Our People: Michael Stromar

By L’Monique King

Qnotes Staff Writer

Michael Stromar is on his way to Children’s Theater of Charlotte for the last day of an opera production. He’s a thespian with a resonating voice and a propensity for rapid speech and clock watching, though he’s happy to slow down for a bit to speak with QNotes

A creative, warm and witty individual who willingly wears his heart on his sleeve, Stromar was born in Detroit, adopted by a loving couple and spent his younger years living in places like California and Ohio. Stromar’s family of four moved to the Charlotte area just as he was approaching the end of high school. On a quest to fuel his creative passions, Stromar didn’t stay long after graduating from Charlotte’s Myers Park High School. However, he returned to the area about seven years ago to care for his elderly parents. In this interview he shares some intimate thoughts on living a life of joy and moments that many might not have overcome.

L’Monique King: Where do you live in Charlotte?

Michael Stromar: Quail Hollow in a three-bedroom townhouse.

LMK: Having returned to Charlotte, what would you say is your best memory so far about living in the area?

MS: I’ve always thought it was a great spot. I’d come back for Christmas before I moved here. But a great moment was my first season with Opera Carolina. I was the first person on stage and the first person to sing. It really enlivened me. Having performing opportunities really helps keep my sanity.

LMK: Is your greatest passion singing?

MS: I think performing is my favorite thing, singing. I’ve done all types of singing: opera, music theater and cabaret. I just did a Rock Opera, though they called it a rock musical.

LMK: Is singing how you make your livelihood? What do you do for a living?

MS: Nothing now. Since I care for my mom, I can’t take a regular job. So, I restore furniture and accessories when needed. Usually at night when my mom is sleeping. I’m also under contract with Opera Carolina and perform with them intermittently. This year I have one contract for La Traviata [an opera many theorize the movie “Pretty Woman” was based on]. I’m in the opera chorus.

LMK: Are you partnered?

MS: No. It’s been a while, and the last one I had was for eight years, but I’m a cliché. Who wants to hang out with a gay dude that’s caring for his mom? I have no skills to meet people. I guess I have an inferiority complex – I was bullied a lot as a kid. I was psychedelic and I was a QIT “Queer in training” [raucous laughter].

I didn’t find someone until college and then went back and forth for a while until I settled into my identity as a gay man. And it wasn’t a choice. Who would make a choice to have a life of dissension, bigotry, ridicule and all that stuff? We’re born who we are, but all that [judgment] left buttons, feelings of being judged. So, it’s tough sometimes to shed all that, emerge free from it and seek a partner.

LMK: Do you have any siblings?

MS: I have a sister Lisa who is seven years younger. She passed in 1999 of cervical cancer, before much was known about HPV [Human Papillomavirus], and she was also adopted. I was adopted in Michigan, and she was adopted in New York. I remember I went with my parents to Manhattan to get Lisa, and as she was put in the back seat of the car, she winked at me. She had the biggest and most beautiful brown eyes. She was always kinda’ tom boyish, didn’t want to wear dresses. She rode motorcycles. She had a boyfriend once who she rode on the back of his bike, he never seemed too thrilled about that [giggles].

LMK: Any thoughts of finding or connecting with biological family?

MS: I’ve been an island all my life because I’m loaded with skills my parents don’t possess, and for years I thought, “Who am I – who are my people?” I didn’t even find out that I was adopted until college. I remember asking in elementary school, having noticed that I’d never seen pictures of my mom pregnant with me and that I didn’t look like them. I believe my dad may have become infertile as a result of serving in Korea. So, I can imagine how painful that would have

been to discuss, especially if my mom was able to bear children.

A few years back I decided to use Ancestry.com where I found a close DNA match that listed a woman named Patty as a family member. There wasn’t a picture, but on the next level down was a male named Noah, her son. I’ve spoken with him a lot. He’s a lovely guy with a really nice wife, and it’s interesting to have an actual blood connection.

LMK: How are your parents with your gayness?

MS: I never discussed it with my dad because my [lesbian] sister was very “in your face,” and it was a lot for them to take. Since my dad has passed, I’ve shared my orientation with my mother. Actually my aunt told her first, but that’s been [recently] within the last seven years.

LMK: We’ve heard that art is a huge part of your life. Would you share a little about how your creativity shows up?

MS: I attended Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh on a vocal scholarship but wanted to be an actor. I’ve headlined two shows at the Monte Carlo Casino. It was really something. Having my name on a billboard in Monaco was an incredible feeling.

Locally, I’ve been with Opera Carolina for four years and just did the rock musical, “Water Inc.” We recently did three productions in Morrisville about the water situation in our country. It’s kinda like a Greek tragedy. It was a great showcase for me. There were 42 numbers in the production, and I was [featured] in 20 of them.

Years ago, I had my own line of menswear and worked in a friend’s couture salon where I constructed out-

fits that ended up on the television show “Dynasty.” I often thought that I enjoyed fashion so much, and if I’d only had the right backing I might have taken that road. I was in Macy’s in New York once wearing a pair of pants that I designed, and a guy asked me where I got them. I told him that I made them, and he said, “Come with me.” He was a buyer for Macy’s. In the end nothing much came out of it because shortly after I followed my acting teacher to Los Angeles. Designing takes a lot of time and money. You need stock, labels and distributors.

Today, I enjoy furniture restoration. When I was a kid, I took all of my toys apart to see how they worked. Everything interests me. I have ADHD, it’s a blessing and a curse.

LMK: How is having ADHD both a blessing and a curse for you?

MS: It’s a blessing because I’m proficient in many things. Having more than one plate spinning can be a good thing. A lot of people have a career in one particular thing. I feel like I can do a lot of things extremely well, and if I had the proper self-motivation, drive and business acumen, who knows?

It’s a curse because I haven’t had a career that started here and ended there. I’ve taken different paths and have worked and found success in many fields. Sometimes I have money, and sometimes I don’t. It’s why I am not trying to create order in my life. I want to fulfill my power to the max.

LMK: What’s on the top of your “annoys me the most” list?

MS: Injustice, in general. Those poor people in the Ukraine, What the fuuuuck?! To what end Putin, to acquire some land? It’s beyond comprehension in this day and age that there’s war [bursts into song singing the Classic Motown hit “War.”] There’s so much of a lack of empathy that it just kills me. Especially [coming from] people who call themselves Christian.

LMK: When you need a smile, what’s guaranteed to bring you joy?

MS: Babies and children. The best thing in the world is when a baby holds your finger. The next best thing is children’s laughter.

LMK: In closing, if there was one thing you could share with our readers what would that be?

MS: [Thoughtful pause] I’m a diabetic, and I’m HIV positive. I learned my status sometime in the late 90s. I thought I was an anomaly [for a while] because though I’d been with dudes – some of whom are no longer with us – I was lucky to not have lost many people back in the day. Today, I’m undetectable and have been for years. So, I guess I would say, if you don’t have it, don’t get it. Be sensible. Practice safe sex. ::

Fueled by passion, creativity and unmatched energy a local thespian talks about life

Michael Stromar will appear in the Opera Carolina production of ‘La Traviata’ later this year. CREDIT : Facebook