Qnotes issue, April 14, 2023

April 14- April 27, 2023

Vol 37 No 26

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inside this issue

12 Working at Starbucks: Are benefits worth it?

14 Nonbinary and seeking a job

Blumenthal’s new season boasts a bevy of Broadway

5 Rep. Tricia Cotham switches parties, formally welcomed to NC House GOP caucus

5 Is Rep. Cotham suffering from mental health issues?

8 Boone Town Council most recent to pass NDO

8 Shooter who killed six at elementary school was possibly transgender

8 SCOTUS rejects effort to bar West Virginia trans girl from school sports

9 Film on 1990 lesbian mur der in Wilmington screening at UNCC

9 Charlotte’s Culture & Arts scene welcomes ‘preMETi tated: Love Affair’

9 Mecklenburg among healthiest NC counties

10 Kid Rock shoots four cases of beer in rage over Budweiser LGBTQ outreach

11 Disney pulls a fast one on Ron DeSantis

16 Coming soon to a theater near you

19 Q-Music: Rolling in retro

20 Charlotte Pride announc es 2023 scholarship and internship program

22 Living in a bubble

4 Mark Robinson going after LGBTQ community as he sets his sights on the governor’s office

Blumenthal’s new season of staged entertainment boasts a bevy of Broadway and planned for B’way shows, some already staged and others yet to be. Among the list of comedic, musical and dramatic presentations are ‘Moulin Rouge: The Musical,’ ‘Funny Girl,’ ‘Mrs. Doubtfire,’ ‘Beetlejuice, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Cookin’.’

PAGE 16

Mark Robinson goes after LGBTQ community and governor’s office

North Carolina’s loud mouth Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson kicked off his political career with a full throttle, endless attack on the state’s LGBTQ residents. A few months ago, when he began to hint at running for the governor’s office, he dialed his rhetoric down a bit. Now he’s back at it.

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Mark Robinson going after LGBTQ community as he sets his sights on the governor’s office

by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer

North Carolina’s notoriously anti-LGBTQ Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is reportedly planning to make an announcement that he will make a run for the governor’s office this coming April 22 at the Alamance County Ace Speedway.

It comes as no surprise with the date rapidly approaching, he believes ramping up his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is going to help him get elected (Interesting footnote here: Pat McCrory tried that and it didn’t work – it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out this time).

In a late March guest appearance at Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, he gave a speech, where, you guessed it, he once again took aim at the LGBTQ community.

“You see so many pastors right now will say in their pulpits, don’t want this church to be political, I don’t want to talk about politics that have anything to do with religion. We used to be religious in this church and we’re going to love, we’re going to accept everybody, and we’re going to accept anything. I’m going to fly a

rainbow flag out front and spit right in the face of God,” Robinson said in reference to LGBTQ welcoming and affirming pastors and congregations.

“Yes, said it. Makes me sick every time see it, when pass a church that flies that rainbow flag, which is a direct spit in the face to God almighty,” Robinson said, in what he refers to as a “sermon” (even though he does not hold any known ministerial credentials).

But Robinson didn’t stop there. He con-

tinued with his tirade, claiming the fight for LGBTQ rights and visibility was turning America into a “hell hole.”

Perhaps the most incendiary and offensive comment Robinson made during his “sermon” was his notion that he is tailor-made by God to take on the LGBTQ community.

“I was not crafted to be Mr. Nicey-Nice,” he told the audience. “God formed me, because he knew there was going to be a time when God’s learning was going to be intolerable to the wicked. When children were going to be dragged down to see the drag show. And pornography was going to be presented to our children in schools.”

Since he was sworn into office in 2021, Robinson has made a few things abundantly clear.

He is apparently incapable of governing with respect for anyone in the state, other than those he approves of.

If he is in a church and given the opportunity to stand behind a pulpit, he seemingly loses all control of the words coming out of his mouth.

He appears to suffer from delusions of both grandeur and persecution.

He has offered up many statements that would leave one to comprehend he believes in a literal interpretation of the

Rep. Tricia Cotham switches parties, formally welcomed to NC House GOP caucus

Republicans now have super majorities in both chambers

Avi Bajpaj and Danielle Battaglia | The Charlotte Observer

oric – repulsed by the LGBTQ community and perceives us as the ultimate enemy.

Kicking off his place in the North Carolina political spotlight with a seemingly neverending plethora of anti-LGBTQ statements he claimed were part of the “sermons” delivered at various churches around the state, he began to slack off on the rhetoric following a confrontation with State Senator Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe County).

Although Mayfield never mentioned Robinson by name directly, her reference was clearly aimed at him. “We are elected officials, and if we can’t respect some of our constituents, rather than viciously attack them, then maybe, we’re in the wrong job,” she said while addressing the general assembly. “I stand in solidarity with LGBTQ North Carolinians.”

State Senator Natasha Marcus (DNC) recorded some of the confrontation on her phone. She confirmed that Robinson accused Mayfield of comparing the Black civil rights movement with the LGBTQ Community, and telling her she should not have done that, which she explained was something that Robinson apparently misinterpreted.

When Robinson realized the confrontation was being recorded, he shouted at Mayfield abruptly, “Next time you get ready to say something on that stage you come and see me.”

It’s important to note here that Robinson was seemingly unaware he has no authority over state senators, but like one of his own most highly favored politicians, Donald Trump, the equally misguided Robinson appears to believe he has the right to take authority when he so chooses.

While it does seem likely Robinson has the appropriate amount of media exposure that gives him the notoriety to capture the Republican nomination for governor, many Republicans feel his vitriolic hate speech – which has come in

Democratic State Rep. Tricia Cotham joined House and Senate GOP leaders at the North Carolina GOP headquarters the morning of April 5 to announce that she is switching parties to become a member of the House Republican caucus. News of Cotham’s decision provoked divergent reactions from each party, with Republicans celebrating the move and Democrats calling for her resignation and accusing her of betraying her constituents.

Cotham’s party switch will have major ramifications for state politics. Republicans now have a supermajority in both chambers, which will make it next to impossible for Democrats to uphold Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes going forward. House Republicans now control 72 of the chamber’s 120 seats — the exact number needed to override vetoes when all members are voting. Republicans came out of November’s election winning an outright supermajority in the Senate, but fell one seat short in the House, which is what makes Cotham’s decision so consequential.

Cooper issued a statement on the Cotham news April 4: “This is a disappointing decision. Rep. Cotham’s votes on women’s reproductive freedom,

election laws, LGBTQ rights and strong public schools will determine the direction of the state we love. It’s hard to believe she would abandon these long held principles and she should still vote the way she has always said she would vote when these issues arise, regardless of party affiliation.”

House Minority Leader Robert Reives, acknowledging Cotham’s decision on Tuesday, called on her to resign. Reives said Cotham had campaigned as a Democrat and someone who supported abortion rights, health care, public education, gun safety and civil rights, and

that voters in her district “elected her to serve as that person and overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.”

GOP Secures Supermajority to Advance Agenda Republicans set their sights on a supermajority during last year’s election and vowed to win total legislative control. They planned to resurrect bills Cooper had vetoed in the past and pursue an agenda that Democrats wouldn’t be able to block. Among other things, that has included bills to increase penalties for

rioting, to require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, and most recently, to repeal the state’s permit law for buying handguns. That last bill, Senate Bill 41, was a package of gun rights measures. The inclusion of the repeal of the pistol purchase permit law — which had been a priority for Republicans, and which was strongly opposed by Democrats — made the bill a key issue for both parties to battle over early in the session. The bill passed both chambers, but was vetoed by Cooper. The governor’s decision was met by a promise from Republicans to hold “swift” override votes, and within three days the legislature had successfully circumvented Cooper, completing its first veto override since 2018. House Republicans’ success came down to absences from three Democrats: Cotham, who said she had a previously scheduled medical appointment related to her recovery from long COVID, as well as Reps. Michael Wray (whose office said he had a family emergency) and Cecil Brockman (whose office said he had been in urgent care during the vote). Per agreement, this story has been edited for space limitations. It appears here courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. ::

Is Rep. Cotham suffering from mental health issues?

by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer

Most of us are in shock at Tricia Cotham’s sudden decision to switch her political affiliation from Democratic to Republican.

She has an admirable history of progressive action, including support for LGBTQ equality, a woman’s right to choose and tougher gun control laws. Earlier this year, she signed on to multiple progressive bills as a supporter and/or a presenter. On January 30 she introduced HB19, which was designed to codify Roe and Casey protections. On February 6 she introduced HB42 to honor North Carolina’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement; on March 7, HB 302, the NC Adopt ERA bill, which was more or less a symbolic ratification and affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution as supported by the state of North Carolina; March 8 saw her support for HB 293, the Freedom to Vote bill; March 14 she voted to confirm HB 355, the Ensure Same-Sex Domestic Violence Protection Order; and on March 27 she introduced HB 76, which provides access to expanded health care options.

She was a clear supporter of progressive government, walking in the footsteps of her mother, Pat Cotham, a Democratic

Mecklenburg County Commissioner.

Tricia Cotham is well aware that every vote counts when it comes to government policy and Governor Cooper’s capability to veto bills that can cause more harm for our state than good.

Cooper recently vetoed Senate Bill 41, which ends the requirements for North Carolinians to acquire a permit from their local county sheriff to purchase a gun and allows gun owners to carry concealed weapons on private property. Cotham failed to show up at a vote to overturn that veto, which Republicans successfully did. Her explanation for not being present was medical treatment for her ongoing battle with Long COVID Syndrome.

Cotham’s lack of forethought with her actions strongly suggest she is incapable of fulfilling her job, as a Democrat or Republican. Her confirmation she is receiving treatment for Long COVID Syndrome brings into focus the disorder itself, which has been proven to exhibit the following symptoms: tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life; physical or mental efforts causing a worsening of overall symptoms; difficulty thinking clearly or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”); depression and/or anxiety.

Another symptom possibly indicates the illness may have led to her suffering from a stroke. As shown in the pictures here, before and later as she continues

to battle the illness, her face exhibits signs of lost muscle control on the right side.

While tragic to consider, is it possible she has suffered some form of related brain damage?

After admirable efforts dedicated to progressive causes, why would she abruptly change her core principles and fundamental belief system, if not for a lack of clear and reasonable deductive capabilities?

Consider her explanation for switching parties as even further evidence:

she claims she was chastised by “other” Democratic party members for using “prayer hand and American flag emojis.”

No one has stepped forward to claim responsibility for her accusations and Cotham’s claims seem clumsy and not clearly thought out.

Why should someone else’s misguided and seemingly unimportant opinion about Cotham’s emoji choice prompt her to completely jump ship for progressive causes, and at such a key moment in history when it could have the worst possible impact?

That raises an important question: is

she exhibiting symptoms that point to rash decisions, danger to our state and a strongly lessened ability to do the job she was elected for?

There’s one other possibility: is she suffering from a lack of clarity because of the impact of COVID, and has someone in the Republican Party taken advantage of that opportunity to influence her in a manner that has allowed the GOP to create their supermajority?

Rumors are already beginning to swirl.

Whatever the case, yo maintain her own well-being, many in the community at large feel Cotham should resign and focus on her own health issues, lest the state become unintentionally victimized by her unpredictable and chaotic actions. ::

After an extended silence on topic, he’s back at it again

NC Governor wannabe Mark Robinson’s latest anti-LGBTQ hate speech: ‘Makes me sick every time see it, when I pass a church that flies that rainbow flag, which is a direct spit in the face to God almighty.’ CREDIT: Screen Capture

Former Democratic State Rep. Tricia Cotham at North Carolina GOP headquters April 5.

CREDIT: Screen Capture

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issued following the HB2, or “Bathroom Bill” brouhaha.

In what was referred to as a “cooling-off period,” any pre-existing LGBTQ supportive policies became void and no additional policies were allowed to be put in place until after that date.

Film on 1990 lesbian murder in Wilmington screening at UNCC

On Jan. 25, the Boone Town Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that protects residents from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age or disability.

The ordinance ensures protections in employment, housing and places of public accommodations – such as restaurants and businesses – by prohibiting discriminatory practices. Of note, the new ordinance ensures that prohibitions on sex discrimination include discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression; and racial discrimination includes prohibition on discrimination based on natural hairstyles.

Similar ordinances prohibiting discrimi-

nation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity have been passed in 21 other municipalities all across North Carolina. They include large cities and smaller towns – such as Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Hillsborough and Morrisville – and five counties.

But will Boone be the last county capable of passing such city/county policy, with the state’s new Republican supermajority?

With conservatives now in control of the state government after years of district gerrymandering and vowing to push North Carolina in a different direction, it would come as no surprise.

Towns, cities and counties across the state – prior to Dec. 1, 2020 – were previously barred from creating any local or regional policy that could potentially offer protections against discrimination for the LGBTQ community in a “compromise”

Shooter who killed six at Christian elementary school in Nashville was possibly transgender

Police are saying they believe the person who killed six in a mass shooting yesterday at a Christian elementary school in Nashville may have been transgender.

Authorities say that the shooter entered the Covenant School, which is Presbyterian, armed with two “assault-style” weapons and a handgun.

Three adults and three children were killed in the shooting. The children were students all aged nine: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The adults were substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, and custodian Mike Hill, 61.

“We have to do more to stop gun violence ripping our communities apart,” President Joe Biden said, reiterating his call for Congress to pass an assault weapon ban.

“It’s ripping the soul from this nation.”

The shooter has been identified as Audrey Hale, 28, a former student of the school who investigators say had “some resentment… for having to go to that school.” There is no previous criminal record, and a motive is not yet clear.

“We have a manifesto, some writings that we’re going over,” Nashville chief of police John Drake said.

Hale was killed by police officers.

Drake said that Hale is transgender. A LinkedIn profile lists he/him pronouns. An unnamed source close to the purported perpetrator’s family told the Daily Beast that Hale “relatively recently announced she was transgender, identifying as he/him.” That source also said that Hale was autistic.

When a reporter asked Drake if Hale’s

SCOTUS rejects effort to bar West Virginia trans girl from school sports

The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected an effort by West Virginia’s Attorney General to block a 12-year-old transgender girl from continuing to participate in school sports with her peers with a 7-2 vote.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Virginia, Lambda Legal and Cooley LLP issued the following joint statement:

“We are grateful that the Supreme Court acknowledged that there was no emergency and that Becky should be allowed to continue to participate with her teammates on her middle school track team, which she has been doing without incident for three going on four seasons, as our challenge to West Virginia’s onerous trans youth sports

Since that time, the 21 North Carolina counties, cities and towns have jumped onboard the LGBTQ NDO bandwagon.

From a statement released by Allison Scott, Director of Impact & Innovation at the Campaign for Southern Equality: “Over the past few years communities across North Carolina have embraced LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections and protections for discrimination based on natural hairstyles.” These include urban and rural communities, large and small municipalities, and local governments from every region of the state. It’s great to see the Boone Town Council take action tonight – because no one should be left vulnerable to discrimi-

Boone, NC has proven itself to be a welcoming and protecting town with the state’s most recently enacted NDO. CREDIT: Facebook

nation because of who they are, who they love, or how they express themselves.”

The town of Boone’s actions and Scott’s words are heartwarming. But with the current political atmosphere in North Carolina and Republicans in charge, the possibility exists that anti-LGBTQ legislation currently under consideration will pass. More could likely follow, potentially leaving LGBTQ North Carolinians open to even more legalized discrimination. ::

— David Aaron Moore

be the victims of violence, rather than the perpetrator of it.”

The Trans Journalists Association said in a statement that the shooter’s pronouns and the police statement don’t mean that Hale was actually transgender.

“No other information has been released, and it is unclear how the police came to that determination” that Hale is trans, the statement says.

The name Talana Kreeger, whose life was cut short over 30 years ago because of anti-LGBTQ violence, isn’t known by most outside of Wilmington, or by many individuals from the area younger than 50.

“I moved to Wilmington in 1990,” recalls Tab Ballis, the producer of the documentary “Park View.”

“That was the same year that Talana Kreeger was murdered. I learned of her death from media coverage that was sensational in its description of the horrific details of her murder, yet somehow it left her identity as a human being unreported.”

“I sensed that the life of Talana Kreeger was at risk of being obscured by the horror

of her death,” says Ballis. “It struck me at the time there was very little information about [her] and who she was. I felt compelled to make sure that she was not forgotten.”

Kreege was murdered Feb. 22, 1990, after spending an evening with friends at The Park View Grill, a now defunct but previously popular lesbian bar located in a high profile area of Wilmington.

She met Ronald Thomas, who asked to tag along with Kreeger and other women from the bar who were headed out for late night eats after the nightclub had closed. Following an argument with Thomas concerning her sexuality, he physically and sexually assaulted Kreeger and left her to die in

Charlotte’s Culture & Arts scene welcomes ‘preMETitated: Love Affair’

It’s time to get seriously creative for the upcoming event “preMETitated: Love Affair 2023.” The first of what is planned to become an annual Met Gala-inspired evening benefiting Time Out Youth, the event will be a mix of fashion, food, drinks, performances and music.

a wooded area. In 1992 he was convicted of her murder and remained in prison serving two life sentences until his death on July 18, 2022.

Ballis believes the story of the decadesold murder is still very relevant today.

“Much has been accomplished by the LGBTQ community, especially with the overturning of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and Marriage Equality,” he offers. “But the danger and violence are still there. LGBTQ people have been targeted by violence at a rate that can only be called epidemic.”

“Park View” screened at UNC-Charlotte

April 11 as part of the Hate in Our State tour. It is expected to screen in the upcoming Real Out festival. ::

identity may have played a part, he responded: “There is some theory to that.”

In a statement, HRC said that trans and nonbinary people are more likely to be the victims of violence. “We still don’t know all of the facts about what happened in Nashville,” the statement says. “We do know that every study available shows that transgender and nonbinary people are much more likely to

Appeals for the Fourth Circuit blocked the state’s effort to kick Becky off the team as the legal advocates appealed a lower court ruling upholding the 2021 ban.

“The TJA’s guidance is to not assume someone is cisgender or transgender based on their appearance, gender presentation or pronouns. Police reports, public documents or statements from family members can likewise incorrectly identify a person’s gender. Even social media profiles can be misleading, outdated or incomplete.”

The Gun Violence Archive says that there have been 131 mass shootings so far this year in the United States. This article appears courtesy of our media partner LGBTQ Nation. ::

—Alex Bollinger

Hosted by WCCB-TV News Anchor Morgan Fogarty, the benefit will take place Sunday, April 30 at The Neighborhood Theater, located at 511 East 36thm Street in NODA. The evening’s celebration will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres from some of Charlotte’s brightest Chefs, among them Chris Coleman of the Goodyear House, Sweet Lou’s Barbecue’s Lewis Donald, Laney Jahkel-Parish of 300 East and Wentworth and Finn’s Samantha Ward. Specialty cocktails and mocktails will be provided by mixologist Bob Peters.

Performers for the event include Erica Chanel, Buff Faye, Adeem the Artist and Tia Wilson, among others, along with special presentations by The Vanity House and Haus of Telfar.

The art exhibit portion of the presentation will include work by Johnny Rocket, DaVita Galloway, Nan Gray, Dammit Wyesley, Emily Hood and Crystal Cannon. The original Met Gala, founded in 1948, takes place on the first Monday in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Held as an annual fundraiser for the museum’s costume department, the gala is regarded as the most important fashion event in the world and invitations are highly sought after. Much like that event, attendees to “preMETitated” are encouraged to get creative with their attire for the evening. Be extravagant. Wear something joyful and/or colorful.

Mecklenburg among healthiest NC counties, but not in drunk driving and STDs

ban makes its way through the courts. This was a baseless and cruel effort to keep Becky from where she belongs – playing alongside her peers as a teammate and as a friend.”

In April 2021, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed HB 3293 into law, barring transgender student athletes from participating on the school athletic teams most consistent with their gender identity.

In May 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of Becky Pepper Jackson, a 12-year-old girl who would be kicked off her middle school’s track and field team if the law were enforced.

In February 2023, the U.S. Court of

In a March 9, 2023 filing, Attorney General Patrick Morrissey asked the Supreme Court for an emergency motion allowing the state to enforce HB 3293 and kick Becky off her middle school’s track and field team. In a March 20 response to the Court, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Lambda Legal urged the United States Supreme Court to reject the effort.

West Virginia is one of 19 states that have banned transgender student athletes in just the last three years as part of an escalating wave of state-level restrictions on the rights of transgender people. Similar federal lawsuits are

Becky Pepper Jackson, 12, will continue to participate in local school sports, following response from the US Supreme Court. CREDIT: ACLU of West Virginia

pending in Idaho and Tennessee.

Seven Supreme Court justices voted against intervening in the case, while, not surprisingly, ultra conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. ::

—Billy Wolfe

Mecklenburg is one of the healthiest counties in North Carolina, but some negative health factors are on the rise, a new national study found. The rankings, put together by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute, are based on “more than 90 health-influencing factors such as housing, education, jobs and access to quality health care.”

Mecklenburg County finished sixth in the 2023 rankings out of 100 counties across North Carolina. Despite the high overall result, the study found the Charlotte area is outpacing the state in some negative categories, such as alcoholrelated issues and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

STIs, Drunk Driving Crashes Above State and National Levels

From 2016 to 2020, “35 percent of motor

vehicle crash deaths involved alcohol” in Mecklenburg County, according to the study. That’s higher than the statewide percentage, 26 percent, and national percentage, 27 percent, for the same time period. Mecklenburg County also slightly outpaced the statewide level for excessive drinking, with 18 percent of adults surveyed in the county reporting “binge or heavy drinking” compared to 17 percent across North Carolina as a whole.

Rates of sexually transmitted infections — measured by the “number of newly diagnosed chlamydia cases” per 100,000 people — are “getting worse” in Mecklenburg County, the study said. In 2020, “840.4 new cases of chlamydia were diagnosed per 100,000 people” in the county, according to the study. Statewide, there were 616.3 new cases per 100,000 people in the same time period, and

WCCB’s Morgan Fogarty hosts and performers like Erica Chanel and Buff Faye will perform.

CREDIT: Qnotes Facebook composite

Think outside the box, be yourself and above all, express yourself!

The kids from Time Out Youth will also be in attendance wearing garments they create. Since March 6, the Time Out Youth center has requested clothing donations and continues to do so for LGBTQ youth to utilize in their creations. Donations should focus on evening and formal wear such as

nationally there were 481.3 new cases per 100,000 people.

Mecklenburg Ahead in Premature Deaths and Smoking

Mecklenburg County got high marks for its rate of premature death in the study, measured by the “years of potential life lost before age 75” per 100,000 people.

“In Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 6,100 years of life were lost to deaths of people under age 75, per 100,000 people,” from 2018 to 2020, the study said.

tuxedos, wedding dresses, gowns and accessories. Donations can be made directly to Time Out Youth until April 26. Tickets for the event are $100 in advance and $125 a week before the show. All proceeds will directly benefit Time Out Youth. For more information, please visit www. premetitated.com ::

QNotes Staff

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are getting worse in Mecklenburg CREDIT: Adobe Stock

That’s lower than the 8,000 years of life lost statewide in the same time period and 7,300 years of life lost nationally. Mecklenburg County also bested North Carolina in health behaviors such as adult smoking, access to exercise and teen pregnancy. The county’s air quality is also “getting better,” though the study also found air pollution in Mecklenburg County is still worse than the state and country as a whole.

Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in North Carolina

Wake County was named the healthiest

in North Carolina in the 2023 rankings. Rates of premature death are falling in the county, the study found, and alcoholimpaired driving deaths decreased as well. At the other end of the spectrum, Robeson County finished last in the rankings. Upticks in sexually transmitted infections and child poverty pulled down its overall health outcomes, the study said.

To see the full study results and compare counties across the country, visit countyhealthrankings.org.

This article appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. ::

— Mary Ramsey

Boone Town Council most recent to pass NDO, but will it be the last in NC with new GOP supermajority?

This house in Nashville, Tennessee is listed as Audrey Hale’s life-long place of residence.

CREDIT: Screen Capture

— David Aaron Moore

‘Park View’ focuses on the murder of Talana Kreeger, shown here. CREDIT: Courtesy Tab Ballis

Kid Rock shoots cases of beer over Budweiser LGBTQ outreach

Fanatical far right-winger used an AR-15 to make his point

Greg Owen | LGBTQ Nation

Disney pulls a fast one on Ron DeSantis

just got out-negotiated by Mickey Mouse,’ a Trump advisor reportedly said

Arecent social media clip from middleaged 1980s rap/country/rock musician Kid Rock showed him using an AR-15 to blast away four perfectly drinkable cases of Bud Light beer. His point, assumedly, was to demonstrate his contempt for the beer manufacturer and his hatred and intolerance for the LGBTQ community with an emphasis on the T, for Trans.

The day before, trans influencer Dylan Mulvanvey announced a partnership with the legacy beer company, with a pic of custom beer cans featuring her image

and celebrating the 26-year-old’s “365 Days of Girlhood.” The beer cans aren’t being widely distributed; they were for her to show on social media.

Rock was not pleased.

Sounding tired and hoarse – and looking remarkably orange like his now-indicted hero – the once-popular rocker played his angry middle-aged white guy role with conviction in a 35-second video posted to his Twitter account Monday.

Wearing a white MAGA baseball cap backward and turning slowly toward the

camera, Rock, 52, glares like he wants to punch someone’s lights out.

Or kill a trans person.

“Grandpa’s feeling a little frisky today,” Rock intones through weary eyes.

“Let me say something to all you, and be as clear and concise as possible.”

With that, the camera steps back and Rock raises an AR-15 into

view, pulls the safety, and obliterates the four cases of Bud Light on a table over two saw horses.

Along with the beer cans, Rock’s head looks like it might explode.

“Fuck Bud Light, and fuck Anheuser Busch,” Rock seethes, while throwing the finger for emphasis. “Have a terrific day.”

The menacing message has been viewed over 32 million times.

The MAGA-popular troubadour has a long history of trans- and homophobia, racism and provocative allusions to sex with minors.

Like the former president who gave Rock a second life on stage, far-right fans both embrace and ignore the performer’s provocations as long as they own the libs.

In the 2001 Warner Bros comedy Osmosis Jones from the Farrelly brothers, Rock’s song “Cool, Daddy Cool” featured the lyrics, “Young ladies, young ladies, I like them underage, see. Some say that’s statutory, but say it’s mandatory.”

In 2021, Rock berated the audience at a bar in Tennessee, yelling, “You fucking fa***ts with your iPhones out!” He also sings in the video published by TMZ, “You can post this dick right here!” while grabbing his crotch. He responded to the controversy saying, “If Kid Rock using the word fa***t offends you, good chance you are one.”

In 2019, Rock was thrown out of another bar in Nashville when he went on a tirade over Oprah Winfrey, declaring she could “suck a d**k sideways.” Rock was dropped from a Christmas parade in Music City following obscene remarks he made on Fox & Friends about View host Joy Behar.

Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse in Nashville had its beer license suspended in 2021 when the restaurant and bar flouted COVID-19 protocols.

And at a 2017 concert in his hometown of Detroit, Rock asked, “Why these days is everything so gay? Gay rights, transgender this and that.”

He goes on, “Things shouldn’t be this complicated, and no you don’t get to choose, because whatever you have between your legs should determine the bathroom that you use.”

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

It appears the battle between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is far from over. Disney remained eerily quiet as DeSantis worked to strip the company of its long-held power over its own tax district, but it has now been revealed that it had its own plans in the works to strike back.

Disney and DeSantis have been feuding since the entertainment company spoke out against the governor’s anti-LGBTQ+ Don’t Say Gay law, which bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in lower grades and restricts them in higher grades, using language that LGBTQ+ activists say effectively ban mentioning LGBTQ people in the classroom.

After that, DeSantis not only continuously criticized the company in public, but he also oversaw the Florida legislature’s revocation of Disney’s decades-old special zoning agreement to punish them.

Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District was established in 1968 and granted Disney World the power to tax itself to pay for water, power, roads and fire services on the 25,000-acre property near Orlando. Abolishing it significantly reduced Disney’s autonomy. Many Floridians are worried that the move will create a massive tax burden for the local governments that will take its place.

DeSantis signed the bill abolishing the district in February and declared that “the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end.”

The bill also allows him to create a fivemember board (appointed by him) to oversee government services in Disney’s district.

“There’s a new sheriff in town,” DeSantis continued, “and accountability will be the order of the day.”

But Disney didn’t take this lying down.

Members of DeSantis’s new board began their tenure by discovering that the previous board snuck in a last-minute development agreement with Disney that allows the company to maintain much of its autonomy and renders the new board pretty much powerless.

Under the agreement, Disney can reportedly build whatever it wants on the property as well as grant others developmental rights. It also bans the board from using Disney’s name or characters. It then invokes a royal clause stating that the agreement is valid until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England,” essentially meaning it never expires.

At the first meeting of the new board, DeSantis appointee Brian Aungst said they would “have to deal with it and correct it,” according to NPR.

Aungst then claimed, “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”

Disney, however, released a statement declaring that not only was the agreement accomplished legitimately, but it was also done so publicly.

“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law.”

According to a tweet from Florida Politics

publisher Peter Schorsch, an unnamed staffer on Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign mocked DeSantis for Disney’s move, saying, “President Trump wrote ‘Art of the Deal’ and brokered Middle East peace. Ron DeSantis just got out-negotiated by Mickey Mouse.”

Of course, many also then mocked this statement for claiming Trump brokered Middle East peace, and others pointed out he used a ghostwriter for “Art of the Deal.”

Earlier this month, Disney also announced it will host a massive LGBTQ+ rights conference in September, which seemed like another intentional rebuke of DeSantis.

DeSantis opposes LGBTQ+ rights on several levels.

In addition to signing the Don’t Say Gay law and retaliating against those who speak out against it, DeSantis has repeatedly spoken out against “transgenderism” and “woke gender ideology.” He opposed the Respect for Marriage Act and signed a law that allows parents to sue if any public school or college allows trans -

Large and in charge: despite Fla. Gov. DeSantis’s efforts to punish Disney for their pro-LGBTQ support, the company’s pre-existing by-laws have allowed them to maintain autonomy and render the DeSantis’s Disney governing board relatively powerless. CREDIT: Facebook • Qnotes Staff

gender females to play on sports teams matching their gender identity.

In 2021, DeSantis vetoed his state’s budgetary funding for LGBTQ+ programs, including mental health support for survivors of the 2016 Pulse night -

club shooting, housing for homeless Queer youth, and funding for Orlando’s LGBTQ+ Community Center.

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

Trans social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney plugs Bud Light, while a fired up Kid Rock gives Budweiser the middle finger after shooting up several cases of the product.

CREDIT: Facebook/Twitter Screen Capture

‘DeSantis

Molly Sprayregen | LGBTQ Nation

Working at Starbucks: Are benefits worth it?

by Tonya Jameson Qnotes Staff Writer

One former barista has only good things to say about his time at Starbucks.

Another endured nasty customer comments and a co-worker who intentionally misgendered him.

A third wants guaranteed hours.

Three different trans individuals, different Starbucks and unique experiences. They shared their stories with QNotes at a time when Starbucks is in the news for allegations of union busting. However, Starbucks has become a haven for LGBTQ individuals thanks to its progressive health benefits and advocacy for LGBTQ people.

Walk into any Starbucks and it isn’t unusual to be greeted by a barista who is out and proud.

Stephan, 33, a former Starbucks employee remembers the freedom he felt when he worked at a Charlotte store. After spending his high school years as a lesbian, Stephan embraced his identity when he began working at Starbucks. At first, it was just a job, but it quickly became life changing. He met other LGBTQ people who were older, open and out.

“It was very new to me,” he said. “I was able to understand myself more.”

While working at different stores in the company, he transitioned to male. He met others who were transitioning, and he learned that he could change his name at the store.

“That was pretty neat,” he said.

Mikey, 20, wanted to join Starbucks because he thought it would be a cool place to work. They had pins so people could address employees by their preferred gender, and the pay was good.

“I had never had a job where I was comfortable being out before,” said the New York native.

He only worked at a Charlotte

Starbucks for eight months after moving here. While there he endured nasty comments about his scars from self-harm and a co-worker that constantly misgendered him despite being corrected multiple times. Mikey felt helpless. His managers brushed off his co-workers misgendering, he said.

“People who aren’t trans or aren’t part of the LGBTQ community, they don’t understand that it does really hurt,” Mikey said.

Although some baristas may experience the harmful side of being out, the Seattle-based company has a long history of working with and advocating for the LGBTQ+ population. That allyship goes beyond Pride celebrations and has taken the company around the world as well as to the Supreme Court in support of civil rights protections. The company has consistently received top scores in

the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.

“Our culture has been built with a long line of partners (employees) who have contributed to making Starbucks a different kind of company. With each era, we’re proud of the contributions of our partners and the progress we’ve made together. We are continuing to improve the partner experience so our partners can thrive – at work, individually and together,” said spokesperson Danielle Winslow by email. “Core to this is ensuring that Starbucks is an inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible company – a place where all are welcome, and our partners feel a sense of belonging”.

The statement continues: “For more than three decades, Starbucks has stood as an ally for the LGBTQIA2+ community.

Starbucks is proud of its long history of supporting LGBTQIA2+ partners, from advocat-

ing for LGBTQIA2+ rights to the Supreme Court to providing broader healthcare coverage for procedures and services that support gender affirmation.”

Still, what happens on a corporate level doesn’t always translate to the retail stores as Mikey shared. And progressive health benefits don’t mitigate the need for other employee protections. Starbucks has experienced a rash of stores unionizing and last month the former CEO appeared before a Congressional committee to answer accusations of union busting.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, employees at nearly 300 coffee shops have voted to join Starbucks Workers United, about 3% of the chain’s company-owned locations in the U.S. Starbucks has shuttered some unionized stores and fired some workers involved in organizing, citing misconduct.

Ian Miller, 25, began working at Starbucks in Olney, MD in 2019. Miller, formerly of Wilson, N.C., spearheaded the unionization of the Olney Starbucks store last year. He initially began working there because he needed a job and wanted the benefits.

“It started off as a good job,” he said. “It pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

He hasn’t endured mistreatment by colleagues, but he says the work is grueling and fast-paced especially because the stores are often understaffed. After, Miller’s store voted to join the union, tensions have decreased, but nothing has changed, he said. There’s high turnover and the company still has not provided employees with guaranteed hours, he said.

Unlike Stephan and Mikey, Miller still works for Starbucks, and he says the LGBTQ experience varies by location.

During Stephan’s 14-year career at Starbucks, he transitioned from a woman to a man to a mentor.

He appreciates the support he received at Starbucks during the beginning stages of his transition. There was a private phone line to help employees navigate the process from insurance to surgery. His managers gave him time off for the surgery and were patient when he missed work due to his changing hormones. Transitioning isn’t easy. It’s a lifetime of getting checkups with blood work.

“When it comes to insurance, that’s life or death,” he said.

Stephan eventually began helping other transitioning employees and he guided trans employees through the range of emotions that come with inter -

acting with insensitive customers.

“You gotta be sure and confident within yourself,” he said. “It’s not you, it’s not personal. It’s their unfortunate ignorance.”

Stephan left Starbucks after deciding that his career was stagnant. He works as a delivery driver now but knows eventually he’ll get another job. That’s worrisome.

“It’s always in the back of your mind: How are they going to understand my journey?” he asked.

At Starbucks, Stephan wasn’t alone in his journey and was kind enough to assist

others in their journeys. His time there created a stronger man than the high schooler who began working at the coffee chain more than a dozen years ago.

Due to the sensitive nature of this story, QNotes did not fully identify Stephan and Mikey or the store locations they previously worked in Charlotte. Ian Miller has been featured in various news outlets.

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. ::

Significant Starbuck policies that offer positive support for LGBTQ employees:

• Health insurance coverage to domestic partners for more than 30 years

• Broadening health insurance options for transgender partners to not only include gender affirmation surgery (which has been covered since 2013), but also a host of procedures that were previously considered cosmetic, such as breast reduction or augmentation surgery, facial feminization, hair transplants and more.

• Ensuring our partners have access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live or what they believe. In May 2022, we announced the expansion of our U.S. healthcare benefit to further protect the personal health decisions of our partners by offering reimbursement for eligible travel expenses when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures when those services are not available within 100 miles of a partner’s home.

• Creating Workplace Gender Transition Guidelines to support partners who are transgender or considering transitioning.

• Updating technology systems to ensure that documentation in stores reflects a partner’s known-as name to assist transitioning partners in self-identification.

• Starbucks has made donations to the Human Rights Campaign and the National Center for Transgender Equality to aid in their support for vulnerable members of the LGBTQIA2+ community.

Starbucks workers rally and march in Seattle, Wash. On April 23, 2022.

CREDIT: Photo by Elliot Stoller, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

CREDIT: Photo by Asael Peña, Unsplash

Nonbinary and seeking a job

New reports highlight challenges facing transgender and nonbinary workers

by Chris Rudisill Qnotes Staff Writer

There are various examples of best practices for more inclusive workplaces, but there has been little research that tells the story of transgender and nonbinary people at work.

When QNotes surveyed the community on the biggest issues facing them in the workplace, one in four said they faced homophobic or transphobic environments. Nearly 30 percent identified gender bias in the workforce as their most pressing issue. And, at our January QNotes Connect event, we heard additional stories about the challenges nonbinary people face in applying for jobs – about applications that do not acknowledge an identity other than male and female or the fear of background checks in the hiring process.

A recent study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England highlights some of these barriers and shows how the experiences of trans and nonbinary workers can help companies be more receptive to diverse gender identities.

“Our research does not point to the need for trans workers themselves to subvert gender norms,” said Dr. David Watson, associate professor in organizational behavior at UEA’s Norwich Business School. “But rather we need to challenge binary gender norms in the workplace to enable all individuals to freely express their gender identity,”

Greyson Simon came out as nonbinary in 2009, when they were 20 years old. Looking for jobs was more difficult back then for nonbinary people and shortly after coming out, they moved from Pennsylvania to Seattle in hopes of a safer community to be themself.

Simon has made the choice not to update legal identification with their gender identity, even today.

Washington became the 17th state in the country to present the option for “X” on driver licenses and identification cards in 2019, recognizing nonbinary gender identities.

“That’s a choice that I’ve made to not pursue because I’ve never gone by my legal name,” they say. But the way people interact with them has changed based on their physical perception at a given time.

For years, Simon went by a nickname based off their middle name. “And then as soon as came out as trans and started telling people, ‘Oh, I don’t go by this name, go by this other name’ –suddenly it became like a big issue for people,” they say.

Their confidence today doesn’t slow them down, but that wasn’t always the case.

“In 2009, when was applying for jobs with very little professional experience and this lack of documentation, it was very difficult to kind of navigate that conversation.” They would often end up interviewing under their legal name and then only disclosing when they got to the point of having to do background checks. “I really only had to disclose once we got to the point where was in the door, was already pretty much hired,” says Simon.

Now, they go by the first name Greyson, not a name that’s going to show up on background checks. After going through one, maybe two inter -

views and things looked promising, they say that they feel like it’s pretty much assumed at that point. It just becomes kind of a procedural thing, says Simon.

“But I know for a lot of people who are newly out or people who are, you know, our community is kind of chronically underemployed, um, that that can be a very contentious conversation,” reflects Simon. A lot of people are unsure when they should disclose.

Before they had a lot of professional experience, Simon found support from an online group called The Facebook Transgender Alliance. They helped administrate the group for several years

and it became a place to turn to for advice and experience.

“Thankfully, we’re getting to a place now where employers have a lot more understanding of the fact that trans people simply exist so there’s a lot more HR people that are navigating those conversations in more productive and less stigmatizing ways,” says Simon.

Computerized applications and software create additional barriers. “It’s a problem for everybody at the end of the day,” says Simon, who now has a job in human resources. “You will have people that have relevant experience, but because their job titles don’t match what you are looking for,

then you are going to miss them.”

For trans people, it often means outing yourself. Computerized systems take out a lot of the benefit that can come from antibias training and more robust equity programs. “Chances are they’re going to end up falling into some sort of bias category,” continues Simon.

The way that many job applications gather demographic information is not particularly equitable.

One LinkedIn user in Boston posted on the social media network that they started tallying the number of applications that list “Male” and “Female” as the only gender identity options as they were applying for jobs last year. “Some of them include ‘choose not to say’ but want to say!” expressed the job applicant who preferred to remain anonymous “Also, my gender is not ‘other’ or ‘x.’”

They stated that out of approximately 25 applications, only three included ‘nonbinary’ as an option. Out of those three, one asked for pronouns, including ‘neo-pronouns’ as an option. “But even this handful are missing options for genderfluid, agender and two-spirit individuals,” they wrote. “I know a lot of companies use thirdparty hiring software that may just not have those options. No one should have to opt out of sharing their gender when it’s as simple as adding more options or adding a way for folks to self-identify.”

Carrie Moran lives in Asheville and identifies as genderqueer, another identification option that is not often found on job applications. “I’ve been out as Queer for over 20 years and finding inclusive workplaces has always been an extra layer of challenge in the job-hunting process,” stated Moran via email. They were laid off from their job in October and had been applying to upwards of 10 jobs a day before finding a job at a nonprofit organization with other nonbinary staff. “I’d estimate that at least 80 percent of the jobs I applied for asked me to identify my gender, and I can only remember a handful that gave me an option other

and warehouse work where transgender people sometimes get stuck and more professional positions.

There’s also responsibility for cisgender people. Simon says that cis people need to understand that the culture wars of today have made trans existence into this big issue. “Cis people can choose to have it not be an issue. Asking people their preferred names is something that is going to benefit cis people too.”

“It is an especially overwhelming time to be Queer,” said Moran. “I feel less safe today than did when first came out in 2022, and that breaks my heart.” Language is so powerful and can create safer spaces for people to accomplish their goals.

“Whenever I encountered an application form that allowed me to express my true self, it made me feel ethically better about that organization and more willing to go through the interview process.”

than Male/Female.”

Something heard repeatedly is this feeling of having to lie on a job application. “It also makes me hesitant to want to work at a company that doesn’t recognize the existence of the many genders on the spectrum,” said Moran.

Finding a job can already be stressful. You may be struggling to pay rent or keep up with your bills. Facing the gender question adds another element to an already taxing situation.

“It felt disheartening at times and frustrating at others,” reflected Moran. They were out of work for only six weeks before finding a new job, but for periods they say that they felt invisible. “It added a layer of exhaustion on top of an already tiring process.”

A new report from Business.com found that approximately 1.2 million LGBTQ+ adults in the United States identify as nonbinary in terms of gender, and that nonbinary job seekers are facing “clear bias.” Most of these individuals are under 30 years old, which means many are embarking on their professional careers.

In a phantom test, they sent resumes to 180 job postings. “The resumes were identical, except the test resume included they/them pronouns, and the control did not.” According to the report, resumes with pronouns received less interest and fewer interview invitations.

Community Support

When asked about the biggest thing that trans and nonbinary people need, Simon refers back to that community support system. “So much of the job search is individual and from a hiring perspective, very esoteric and fussy,” they said. Reviewing someone’s resume to see if it is the right style or best reflects their experience is going to help make sure that trans and nonbinary people get into a position that suits their skillset and builds opportunity for professional growth. For Simon, it can mean the difference between a job in areas like retail

Simon sees glimmers of hope in the future as more and more people come out and break down gender stereotypes and labels. “We’ve always had people invested in our destruction,” they say. “Is it egregious and is it disgusting? Absolutely. But they can’t get rid of us.”

“Kids that are coming out now, you know, they are bringing new understandings of gender.”

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. ::

Greyson Simon came out as nonbinary in 2009 when looking for jobs was more difficult for the LGBTQ community. CREDIT: Courtesy of Greyson Simon

According to a report by Business.com, “the vast majority of people in our research believed that identifying as nonbinary would hurt their job search and limit their professional opportunities. Many felt they had to hid an essential part of their identities to simply earn a living.” CREDIT: Business.com

Coming soon to a theater near you: a bevy of Broadway tours inspired

by beloved movies

Blumenthal’s upcoming season offers first runs and beloved b’way classics

Theoden James | The Charlotte Observer

There are two key themes to note when considering the lineup of Broadway tours just announced for Blumenthal Performing Arts’ 2023-2024 season. The first is exclusivity: Blumenthal president Tom Gabbard says six of the 17 shows set to be staged in Charlotte between this October and October of 2024 won’t be seen by audiences anywhere else in our region (which he is defining as the Carolinas and Tennessee) until 2025 at the earliest.

On top of that, two of the tours announced by the Blumenthal on Tuesday morning haven’t even opened on Broadway yet. “I’m proud,” Gabbard says, “that we’re able to aspire to do things like that, that are very unique, that are absolutely wonderful, and are only being seen in a handful of cities.”

The second theme, meanwhile, relies heavily on Hollywood. Which is to say: Get ready to see a surprising number of musicals inspired by beloved movies.

Gabbard says the trend of reimagining films as Broadway spectacles started with “The Lion King” in 1997 and has been growing ever since, but thinks theatergoers are more prone than ever before to gravitating toward stories that offer familiar comforts — stories that they view as sure things.

“The risk that some people were ready to take (on unknown quantities) pre-pandemic is maybe a little bit less right now,” he says. “Hopefully, we get back to a time when people are just more curious about these things. But I think right now, people want to be together, but they want some certainty that it’s gonna be a great experi-

ence.” Hence the growing demand for and popularity of Broadway-musicalsbased-on-movies like “Moulin Rouge!,” Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Back to the Future,” “Beetlejuice,” “The Lion King” and “Mean Girls” — all of which are coming soon to a theater near you. Here’s Blumenthal’s full schedule for next season, along with some additional thoughts from Gabbard on the most notable shows.

PNC Broadway Lights Series

What it is: Generally, it’s where shows that are having their first engagement in Charlotte will be found.

“Funny Girl,” Oct. 17-22 at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.: The revival of the musical inspired by the unlikely success story of Fanny Brice — a comedienne who became a Broadway legend — has been enjoying a successful NYC run, with “Glee” star Lea Michele in the role made famous by Barbra Streisand almost 60 years ago. Who’ll play Fanny in Charlotte? “We don’t know,” Gabbard says. “For the most part, with shows that go on tours, star casting has a limited role to play. But it’ll be really top-quality. … I mean, people have been waiting so long to have a first-class production of ‘Funny Girl’ on Broadway, and it’s been over 25 years since we’ve had a firstclass tour of it. So a lot of prayers have been answered with this.”

“The Wiz,” Nov. 7-12 at Belk Theater: Much will be familiar to fans of the original 1975 production; it remains a reinterpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” that features an all-Black cast. But much will be updated for this revival, including the choreography — which is being overseen by North Carolina-born JaQuel Knight, director of the dancing in Beyoncé videos “Single Ladies” and “Formation,” among others. And some aspects may yet change. Its national tour will come before its limited engagement in New York City, set for spring 2024, and as in all the planned preBroadway cities: “There will be people in Charlotte listening more carefully than ever to people’s reactions, because they want to know what’s working,” Gabbard says, “and what’s not working.” This, by the way, is one of those regional exclusives. Nov. 21-26, at Belk Theater:

Another regional exclusive, and yet another revival, this time of a Steven Sondheim musical-comedy about the prospect of finding a mate, settling down and starting a family. The twist with this one? “They did a brilliant job of taking the Bobby character, which was written as a man, and making it into a woman,” says Gabbard. “And think in many respects, the role actually works even better. In the original, Bobby’s clock is ticking. He’s getting older and so he needs to get married. Put that in the context of a woman and her biological clock is ticking ... that is a whole different beat, and even more compelling.”

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” March 19-31, 2024, at Belk Theater: The 2001 film — which starred Ewan McGregor as the poet who falls in love with a cabaret actress played by Nicole Kidman — wasn’t merely licensed to the makers of the musical and sent off with well wishes. In fact, the movie’s famous director, Baz Luhrmann, was intensely involved

in the creative process. So, it’s still “very true to the film,” Gabbard says, but “they wanted the playlist to really be much more current, and they’ve done a beautiful job of weaving in a lot of new songs.”

“Message in a Bottle,” April 2-7, 2024, at Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St.: This dance-theater show is inspired by and set to songs by Sting — the famed frontman for The Police who penned

“Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Walking on the Moon” and scores of other hits. It centers around a family that has to flee their home country after war breaks out and go searching for a safe new place to live. Says Gabbard: “When was at the debut in London in February of ’20, I knew that that kind of story resonated with Europeans because they’ve had such a big problem with immigration from war-torn countries. But wondered, will U.S. audiences get it? Well, now, with Ukraine, of course U.S. audiences realize there have been millions of people displaced because of war.” This, too, is a regional exclusive. It’s also positioned as an “add-on” show for the Broadway Lights Series, meaning theatergoers can choose to include or exclude this particular show from their ticket package “Mrs. Doubtfire,” April 30-May 5, 2024, at Belk Theater: It is, of course, based on the hit 1993 tear-jerking dramedy that starred the late Robin Williams in perhaps his most

iconic film role (that’s what cross-dressing and pretending to be a Scottish nanny will do for a comedic actor). Says Gabbard: “To see a father that loves his children so much that he’s willing to do whatever he has to do, that’s what is the heart of this story. Yeah, he dresses up as a woman. But this is all about a man who is just so dedicated to his kids. How can you not feel good about that kind of character?”

“Back to the Future: The Musical,”

July 9-21, 2024, at Belk Theater: Of all the movie-inspired musicals in the lineup, this may be the most hotly anticipated because of the deep affection so many Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers have for Marty McFly (made famous by Michael J. Fox) and flying DeLoreans. This is another regional exclusive, of a show that doesn’t open on Broadway till this summer — and that has a unique appeal. “Men really are excited about it. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s the woman in the household

that makes the purchase decision” when it comes to the theater, Gabbard says. “But this is one of those shows where men in the household are saying, ‘We have to go see Back to the Future!’”

To Be Announced, Oct. 22-27, 2024: Right now all the Blumenthal is saying about this one is officially, “Trust us, you’re going to love it!” But lest you think they don’t have a plan yet and are just plying its customers with lip service, trust us: We know what it is, and you are going to love it.

Equitable Bravo Series

What it is: A “secondary” series, named “Bravo” because these are all shows that have already been to Charlotte at least once, sometimes multiple times.

“Beetlejuice,” Dec. 26-31, at Belk

Theater: The stage version of the cult-classic Tim Burton movie adds a slew of songs to the macabre, madcap story — about an eccentric teen girl, a dead couple and a spirit with a thing for stripes. It’ll be its second run here in 2023; it actually is opening Tuesday for a five-day run at the Belk as part of the current season’s Broadway Lights Series.

“Peter Pan,” March 5-10, 2024, at Belk: Return to Neverland with the boy who can fly, his fairy sidekick Tinker Bell, and one of the most well-known children’s stories ever.

“Hadestown,” May 7-12, 2024, at Belk: A hell of a good reimagining of two Greekmythical love stories — that of Hades, king of the underworld, and his wife Persephone, and that of young lovers/ dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice.

“Mamma Mia!,” June 18-23, 2024, at Belk: This was a movie, too, with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. But it’s easy to forget it was a musical first. What’s not so easy to forget are the show’s ABBA songs, which will stay stuck in your head long after you leave the theater.

“Disney’s The Lion King,” Aug. 8-Sept. 1, 2024, at Belk: Return to the African savanna with the lion cub named Simba, his sidekicks Pumbaa and Timon, and another one of the most well-known children’s stories of all-time.

“Clue,” Oct. 8-13, 2024, at Knight: This

musical-comedy is also based on a movie, from 1985, but the movie itself was of course inspired by the board game that challenges players to figure out whodunit. That’s also the hook in the show — the audience, at each performance, will actually play a key role in figuring out who killed Mr. Boddy. (It’s another regional exclusive.)

Broadway Extras

What it is: The third tier of shows coming to Charlotte.

“Jesus Christ Superstar,” Oct. 13-15, Belk: See the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Judas, and hear them through award-winning music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.

“Cookin’,” Nov. 3-5, Knight: This is what you get when you combine martial arts, a type of Korean drumming known as salmunori, and — yes — cooking. (Also a regional exclusive.)

“Mean Girls,” Feb. 13-18, 2024, Belk: Writer Tina Fey’s teen comedy started as a movie, became this Broadway musical, and now is in the process of being turned into a movie based on the musical. How the Series Subscription Works Season subscriptions are on sale now, with details about sales for tickets to individual shows to be announced at a later date. Broadway Lights Series packages range from $220 to $951, and come in seven-show and eight-show flavors (depending on whether you want to include “Message in a Bottle” or not). There is an option for a 12-month payment plan. Bravo Series packages range from $185 to $692, with an option to pay over six months.

Subscribers to the Broadway Lights Series and Bravo Series may swap some of their season tickets for Broadway Extras, or for non-Broadway shows. Broadway Lights season ticket holders can swap out up to four shows; Bravo season ticket holders can swap out up to two. For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit BlumenthalArts.org/Broadway or call 704-335-1010.

This article appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. ::

“Funny Girl” stages October 17-22, 2023, as part of the PNC Broadway Lights series. CREDIT: Courtesy Blumenthal

The Equitable Broadway series presents “Beetlejuice” Dec, 26-31, 2023, at the Belk Theater. CREDIT: Courtesy Blumenthal

At the Belk Theater June 18-23, 2023: “Mamma Mia.” CREDIT: Courtesy Blumenthal

“Mrs. Doubtfire” comes to the Belk Theater April 30-May 5, 2024.

CREDIT: Courtesy Blumenthal

Broadway Extras presents “Cookin’” at The Knight Theater Nov. 3-5, 2023.

CREDIT: PMC Productions

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” comes to the Belk Theater March 1931, 2024. CREDIT: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

“Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears” Out in Print

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Qnotes Staff Writer

“Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears” by Michael Schulman c.2023, Harper $40.00 608 pages

You’ve often wondered what ended up on the cutting room floor.

What Easter eggs or tiny secrets never made it into your favorite movie?

Which budding star’s debut role will you miss because someone decided it wasn’t worthy? What will never be seen onscreen? So much celluloid, so many scripts slashed, plots mashed, dreams dashed, as in “Oscar Wars” by Michael Schulman, careers trashed.

Nearly a year ago, you almost couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about The Slap. Everyone, it seemed, had an opinion about both action and Academy.

As for the latter, says Schulman, the Academy Awards are “a vaunted tradition celebrating a great modern art form. They’re an industry party... the closet thing America has to royalty... a marketing ploy...

the Gay Super Bowl.” And “they’re something else, too.”

The Oscars, in a way, are a battlefield where “it can take years to see what the real battle lines were.” There’s conflict in the Awards, cultural upheaval, and politics.

The movies hold up a mirror to us and our society, but what happens behind-thescenes with the Awards is rarely known by the public.

The first Awards were held quietly, because that’s how the Academy began: members at the first meeting were carefullychosen VIPs, bona fide stars, directors, and powerful studio owners. It’s possible, Schulman suggests, that the first Academy Awards process was “rigged.”

Through the years, there were many times when the Academy was almost disbanded and the Awards show deleted. And yet, it always rallied because who didn’t want that statue gracing their mantle or bathroom shelf? Frank Capra did everything imaginable to get one. So did Bette Davis, even going so far as to have an abortion. Judy Holliday narrowly missed getting the role that gained her an Oscar. Dennis Hopper didn’t care if he had one or not, though, and Dalton Trumbo got his very, very late.

In the near-century of the Oscars, there

were comebacks and come-from-behinds, a Red Scare and Snow White. Indeed, the ceremony has thrived despite a ratings system, racism, rock & roll, 1969... and a Slap heard ‘round the world.

As addictive as a large popcorn, extra butter, and more fun than a trailer for that next big flick, “Oscar Wars” is a star-powered fan’s book, all the way – but it also has something for not-particularly-avid sometimes-watchers, too.

With a heavy tip toward Hollywood, author Michael Schulman adds history and pop culture to his stories, showing how world events affected the movies and vice versa. The Academy hasn’t always follow along, though, leaving fans screaming “WHAAAT??” at their televisions once a year on a Sunday; on this, Schulman subtly explains the unexplainable, in a way that anyone can appreciate. His anecdotes put the shiny, sparkly “tinsel” in these Tinsel Town tales.

This is a hefty tome but don’t let that be daunting; “Oscar Wars” is so much fun to read that you’ll barely notice its size. If you’re truly mad for movies, Hollywood, the Red Carpet, or cultural history, this book makes the cut.

It’s a natural question that everybody asks about the movies, and in “But Have

a&e

you Read the Book?” by Kristen Lopez, you’ll learn about the stories that inspired the movies. What ones have been true to the original? How much has changed? This is a great companion to the Schulman book, and it’ll enhance your streaming and at-home watching, too. ::

Rolling in retro Q-Music

by Gregg Shapiro Qnotes Staff Writer

The sonic transformation of Queer, pop music legend Elton John (who officially came out in 1988) was in full swing with the release of 1972’s “Honky Chateau” (Rocket/Mercury/UMC), newly reissued in expanded 180-gram vinyl double LP and double CD editions. This evolution would play out to even greater effect on 1973’s double-whammy of “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” but the roots of it can be traced back to “Honky

staying power of an established artist such as Elton John, they managed to make a lasting impression both musically and visually at a time when music videos were essential.

Front-person Mike Score’s hairstyle became the stuff of legends inspiring both praise and parody (A Flock of Haircuts, anyone?).

Regardless, the self-titled debut album by A Flock of Seagulls deserves a place in music history, as well as in your music collection.

In between Elton John’s 1970s chart domination and the arrival of new wave music, yacht rock came sailing in on the airwaves. Australian outfit Little River Band was at the forefront of the scene, even sharing radio and chart time with both Elton John

DRAG in a Modern World

by Liless Case, AKA Victoria C. Von Dahlia, Ms. Charlotte Pride, NC Drag Performer

For this month’s column, Victoria C. Von Dahlia, the current Ms. Charlotte Pride, shares her thoughts on the importance of drag and addressed the current political attacks on the art form.

Drag and its effect on the youth of the world has been a huge topic in the media

gown, and performed the song “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman. This is the night Victoria C. Von Dahlia was born. Drag gave me an outlet to express myself, let my creativity flow, and just have fun. don’t think she is going anywhere soon.

Chateau.” The hit singles “Rocket Man” and the title tune, as well as a popular album cut such as “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” sound like a concerted effort to enter a new phase. Even the presence of legendary fiddler Jean-Luc Ponty (listen to him on “Amy”) is a kind of musical signal to his growing fanbase that Elton John was having a creative growth spurt. The generous helping of bonus material on the double disc set includes the “Honky at the Chateau (Session Demos)” – also on the double vinyl – in addition to eight live tracks from a 1972 London concert at Royal Festival Hall.

It might be hard to believe it, but Elton John and new wave forebears A Flock of Seagulls were on the same pop charts in 1982. Elton for his album “Jump Up!” (containing the singles “Blue Eyes” and “Empty Garden”) and A Flock of Seagulls for its eponymous debut album now reissued by BMG in an expansive triple CD version that includes the original album as well as two discs featuring singles, B-sides, session, and live recordings. By this point in time, A Flock of Seagulls’ singles, including “I Ran,” “Telecommunication,” and “Space Age Love Song,” were far outpacing those of Elton’s. While A Flock of Seagulls didn’t have the

and A Flock of Seagulls in 1982. The 25-track double-disc compilation “Ultimate Hits” (Universal). LRB first came to prominence stateside via the 1977 hit single “Help Is on Its Way” (with its light disco beat and bass line). Over the course of the next couple of years, catchy singles “Reminiscing,” “Lady,” “Lonesome Loser” and “Cool Change,” would help the band maintain its popularity. But by the early 1980s, after the hit “Take It Easy on Me,” LRB lost some footing. However, this compilation is a pleasant reminder of its musical contributions.

The early 2023 passing of David Crosby not only reminded us of the aging of the musicians who played a part in their formative years, but also the considerable impacts of Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young, briefly) the supergroup he performed with from the late 1960s and into the 21st century. Like CSNY bandmate Crosby, Stephen Stills also enjoyed a successful solo career. “Live at Berkeley 1971” (Omnivore), a previously unreleased Stills album includes his huge hit single “Love the One You’re With,” as well as “For What It’s Worth” and “Bluebird Revisited,” songs he recorded with Buffalo Springfield, among others. Speaking of Crosby, he joined Stills on “You Don’t Have to Cry” and “The Lee Shore.”::

lately, but before we get into that, think it’s important to talk a little bit about its history. Many previous cultures didn’t allow female individuals to publicly entertain, so female characters in stage productions were young men dressed in drag. Some examples include ancient Egypt plays, Greek and Roman theater, even Shakespeare’s Juliet was played by a man. In today’s world, drag has expanded way beyond the scope of a man dressed as a woman; drag performers get to live whatever fantasy they see fit. Drag is open to all no matter your race, gender, sex, style, or more we welcome you to the stage.

Drag has become an internationally renowned form of entertainment found in all kinds of venues from your local LGBTQIA+ bar with a rotating cast of amazing performers to the ally restaurant down the road that hosts drag brunches. Then you have your local, state, regional, national, or world pride events that host a variety of drag performers to keep the party going. Drag has even joined mainstream national television with the success of RuPaul’s Drag Race and all its subsequent spinoffs. Drag is alive and well throughout the entire world. started drag one day for fun when participated in a turnabout show. This is a show where people who don’t normally do drag or don’t normally do a certain type of drag put on their best attire, go out and have fun. volunteered because was good friends with some of the cast and had always been curious. I slapped on way too much makeup, a bad wig, six-inch stilettos, a way to long of a

Despite drag’s mainstream popularity, lawmakers all over the United States have decided that drag is not okay. New laws are being created, which threaten the art of drag. Tennessee was the first to create such a law that equated drag performances to that found in an adult only venue; drag performers would now be no longer able to perform at events in which children may be present, like Pride and drag story hours. These lawmakers claim that drag in all forms and venues are unsafe and damaging to children, which isn’t the case. Drag performers gauge their audience when deciding their performance materials. If there are children in attendance, they will choose family friendly songs and costumes. If they are in a bar or venue in which attendance is required by law to be 18 or older, then the sky’s the limit. This is to ensure that they are creating a safe environment for all people in attendance. Drag is not designed to harm; it’s designed to entertain and that comes in all varieties for all audiences and can change as needed.

Drag is not a crime. We are simply wanting to live our lives and entertain the crowd. If you support drag, then please use your voice. Contact your local politicians in support of drag performers. Visit your local LGBTQIA+ establishments. Buy a ticket to that local drag brunch, bingo, or production event. Follow local drag entertainers on social media. Tip your drag entertainers at these events so that they can continue to provide quality entertainment for you and your children. If nothing else, a simple compliment can make their day. It takes nothing to practice compassion and understanding.::

CREDIT: Adobe Stock

Victoria C. Von Dahlia

Charlotte Pride announces 2023 scholarship and internship program

Program supported by funding from the Principal Foundation

Qnotes Staff

Charlotte Pride is excited to grow its scholarship program and introduce an all-new summer internship opportunity this year. Both are funded by the Principal Foundation – a philanthropic arm of the Principal Financial Group – and aim to improve economic mobility for LGBTQ and ally college students from the Charlotte metro area. Recipients will be eligible for up to $10,000 for the 2023-2024 school year at an accredited two or fouryear college.

“Charlotte Pride is so thrilled to have support from the Principal Foundation to grow our scholarship program and have a summer internship opportunity for students for the very first time,” says Liz Schob, Communications Manager for Charlotte Pride. “In addition to our annual festival and parade, film festival, and magazine, being able to offer this program to the community is something we are incredibly proud of. We are so grateful to

Principal Foundation for their generous support in making this happen.”

Ideal applicants are high school seniors or college students from the Charlotte

metro area (including Mecklenburg, York, Union, Gaston, Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, Cleveland, Lancaster, Lincoln, Stanly, Chester, Catawba, Chesterfield, Alexander,

or Anson Counties) with a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must be LGBTQ or ally students who have demonstrated service to the LGBTQ community or strong desire to serve the LGBTQ community.

The Charlotte Pride Scholarship Program has eleven scholarships available: one Champion of Pride Scholarship ($10,000 award), one Legacy Scholarship ($5,000 award), two Empowerment Scholarships ($2,500 award), two Leadership Scholarships ($1,250 award), and five Visionary Scholarships ($1,000 award).

The Charlotte Pride Internship Program provides a $5,000 summer stipend and a $2,500 scholarship for the 202324 academic year to the internship recipient. The summer intern will spend eight weeks working with Charlotte Pride staff. For more details, visit the Charlotte Pride website. ::

Ideal applicants are high school seniors or college students from the Charlotte metro area. CREDIT: Stock Adobe

Our

Wilton Manors is one of America’s great gay villages. Every day and night, hordes of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people and allies, whether residents or visitors, can be seen walking, running, skating, riding, driving or just standing still in the miracle mile we know as Wilton Drive. In this gayborhood, same sex couples hold hands without fear of repercussion and people of all ages, races and genders feel free to be themselves. Though Wilton Manors is not without incidents of crime or hatred, all in all it is as close to a Queer paradise as we have on this earth.

Sadly, as good as the Island City is to us and to those who like us, it is but an oasis of tolerance and acceptance within a state that is rapidly becoming less tolerant and less accepting. On Wilton Drive, gay or lesbian couples can kiss and hold hands with impunity. Only a few miles

Living in a bubble

Jesse Monteagudo | Contributing Writer

and New Orleans face the same dilemma: being blue cities deep within red states. Even when the blue cities are state capitals, as is the case with Atlanta, Austin and Nashville, their people live with the harsh reality that most citizens of their respective states hate them and everything they stand for.

The dictionary defines a bubble as “a good or fortunate situation that is isolated from reality or unlikely to last.”

north or south or west, same sex kissing or hand holding is not recommended.

Wilton Manors is not unique in this reality. Cities like Atlanta, Austin, Nashville

In Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox’s 2006 movie The Bubble Tel Aviv’s gay village is described as a bubble of religious and ethnic harmony far from the political discord, terrorism and war that is the norm in the Middle East. Of course, sooner or later reality comes by and bursts the bubble, both in this movie’s explosive end and in the violence that remains a way of life in the Promised Land. There is a lesson to be learned from this, even in Wilton Manors. do not write this to be a downer, but a reminder. Like you, enjoy my visits to Wilton Manors, my second hometown. like to visit with my friends and spend time with them in the bars, clubs, restaurants, shops and parks of the Island City. appreciate Wilton Manors-based groups that improve my life, like the Pride Center, Congregation Etz Chaim and Plays of Wilton. But while we enjoy the pleasures of Wilton Drive, Dixie Highway and nearby neighborhoods we need to remind ourselves that what God gave us Ron DeSantis threatens to take away, if we don’t watch out. It will take all our efforts in order to keep our bubble from bursting, taking away the rights we take for granted. ::