QNotes, July 10, 2020

July 10-23, 2020

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July 10-23, 2020

July 10-23, 2020 Vol 35 No 06

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contributors this issue

Mykah Buff, Brian Falduto, Tonya Jameson, Jack Kirven, Lainey Millen, Jesse Monteagudo, Zachary Portis, Chris Rudisill, Candelario Saldana, Gregg Shapiro, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Trinity

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charlotteobserver.com/1166/ a local news partner of The Charlotte Observer

inside this issue feature

Charlotte’s LGBGTQ Choruses Use Tech to Stay Connected

9 Gil Croy Addresses COVID-19

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte and One Voice Chorus Charlotte have found ways to keep their organizations moving ahead, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic that is wrought with self-isolation, among other challenges for choral groups.

news 5 New York, Kentucky Primaries Held Despite Previous Cancellation 6 Court Blocks Graham Ban 6 Zillow Displays ND Laws 6 News Briefs 8 ‘It’s All Of Us Or None of Us’

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a&e 10 Staying In, Singing Out 14 Out in Print: ‘Confessions of a Gay Priest’ 16 Tell Trinity 18 ‘War’ Hero

life

A History Man

Author Eric Cervini has used his love of history and research to pen ‘The Deviant’s War’ which tells the story of such personalities as Frank Kameny and others who led the charge in the early days of the Gay Rights Movement.

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15 Health & Wellness: Community Financial Wellness 19 Our People: Quen Williams

views 4 Coronavirus Journal 5 Queering the Dream 13 Legal Eagles: Bostock v.

Clayton County 5 Ask Brian: Anxiety

events

Our People: Quen Williams (aka Minx)

Queen Williams, a Queen City queerartist uses poetry and spoken word to express her pro-feministic views.

SheMinx tackles tough subject matter, as well as delving deeper into herself to shape the verses she writes.

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Our calendar will return once events begin again.

July 10-23, 2020

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Coronavirus Journal Jesse’s Journal

By Jesse Monteagudo | Guest Contributor

S

doing them, I found out that I was ince I wrote my last good at it. One such task was house “Coronavirus Journal,” hucleaning. Before the pandemic, I would manity has re-emerged from its hire someone to come in and clean self-imposed isolation, though my condo while I was out doing other sadly not enough to prevent new things. When this became impractical, outbreaks of COVID-19. Some I began to do my own cleaning and states, like New York, reopened found out that it wasn’t as onerous slowly but surely while others, like as I thought it would be. Working for Florida, burst out of their collective myself, I realized that I didn’t have shells without regard for the conto clean the whole unit in one day, sequences. Like everything else, as people who clean other people’s our response to the pandemic homes for a living must do. I can has become a political issue, with spread my cleaning over one or two progressives advising caution and weeks, doing the kitchen the first day, Trump and his devotees rejecting cleaning the bathroom the second day, face masks as signs of weakness. vacuuming the rug the third day and As for me, I always make sure to so on. I have since devised a plan to have a face mask with me and clean my whole condo in a fortnight, wear it whenever I go into a public doing the same task every other week place. This is a small sacrifice to (except the kitchen, which needs to make so I may enjoy the things be cleaned weekly). Cleaning my own that I took for granted in the old (Photo Credit: Jesse Monteagudo, Facebook) home, something that many have days; like shopping, eating out or done for years, turned out to be a very going to the gym. satisfying task. And it saved me money.

The media have been busy Another necessary task that I learned during the panposting stories of people doing things that they would not demic was cooking. Though I have fixed food before, it was have done before the world went into lockdown; things like limited to simple items like boiling water, making a sandlearning to play the trombone or building play areas for wich or a salad. For years I depended on the cooking skills their children. Though I never took up anything so techniof my partner, the late Michael Greenspan, who was an cal, I began to do things that I had to do, if only because excellent cook (and we had the extra pounds to prove it). there was no one around to do them for me. Once I started

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After Michael got sick and died, I ate out more often, but I couldn’t do so forever (and it was expensive). With the new reality staring at me in the face, I had to learn to make my own food, and fast. As time went by and boredom set in, I learned to cook certain items, recipes I found online. You can find everything online, including some activities no human being should ever be allowed to do. I did nothing too complicated, simple items like baked potatoes, omelets, cheese grits, coleslaw, pasta with marinara sauce, sautéed spinach, and key lime pie, among others. Now every time I want to eat something I go online, see if making it is worth the effort and, if it is so, buy the ingredients and do it. This hasn’t stopped me from ordering take out and even dining out now that restaurants are open again.

Another thing I discovered during my so-called quarantine was Facebook. Though Mark Zuckerberg’s invention is something that the rest of humanity has used for over a decade, I have been trying my best to avoid it, considering it to be a nuisance. One day, having grown tired of watching television documentaries about Bigfoot, I decided to give Facebook a try. I signed up, created my own page, posted some photos, and waited to see what happens.

The rest is history. I soon discovered that Facebook can be addictive. I also discovered that it was easy to gather a bunch of Friends, some of whom I have known for years and some of whom I only met through Facebook. Living alone without a partner or a pet, I found it delightful to go online and join a community of people who shared a wide range of interests, or at least were kind enough to put up with me. Though Facebook might eventually bore me (like Bigfoot) for the time being it keeps me entertained. : :

news

New York, Kentucky Primaries Held Despite Previous Cancellation Primary Watch: Biden wins New York and Kentucky Primaries, Celebrates LGBTQ Victory in Landmark Supreme Court Ruling

BY Mykah Buff | QNotes Staff Writer

Former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidate now has the delegate numbers to win the Democratic Party nomination at the convention in August. (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

CC-BY-SA GENERIC 2.0 license)

It has been nearly a month since Former Vice President Joe Biden secured enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, which resulted from early voting last month that took place in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Despite Biden’s lack of need for more delegates, on June 23 he won the Empire State’s 2020 Democratic presidential primary elections as well as Kentucky, who also voted that day. Biden led by 56 percent of the vote in Kentucky compared to Sen. Bernie Sanders who won 12 percent of reporting precincts. In New York’s primary Biden led with 67 percent of the vote, while Sanders held the 19 percent, less one percent of precincts unreported.

New York’s Democratic primaries had been scheduled to take place on April 28 and were canceled as a result of health concerns over the coronavirus, but were reinstated by a court order following certain legal challenges. Like New York, Kentucky’s May 19 primary had been canceled, and like many other states, has seen a substantial increase of mail-in voting.

Scheduled to take place in August, the Democratic Party will formally nominate Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisc.

The presumptive Democratic nominee celebrated the landmark Supreme Court ruling that the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes LGBTQ people in its prohibition against employment discrimination based on sex.

The decision was announced on June 15, calling it “a momentous step forward for our country.”

“Before today, in more than half of states, LGBTQ+ people could get married one day and be fired from their job the next day under state law, simply because of who they are or who they love,” Biden said in his statement.

“Today, by affirming that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Supreme Court has confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity,” Biden said. “That everyone should be able to live openly, proudly, as their true selves without fear,” he said. : :

Queering the Dream Op-Ed

BY Candelario Saldana | Guest Contributor

O

n June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program. For about 700,000 immigrants, often called Dreamers, and immigrant activists this was a sigh of relief and even a moment of joy. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts, rejected Trump’s decision to end DACA. Although the court’s opinion was narrow, it was a strong rejection of the steps that Trump’s administration took to end DACA. In his decision, Roberts wrote, “We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. ‘The wisdom’ of those decisions ‘is none of our concern.’” What the Supreme Court addressed was “whether the [Administration] complied with the procedural requirements that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.” Finding that the Trump administration had not met the requirements, the Supreme Court found that the decision to rescind DACA was “arbitrary and capricious.”

What we must remember is that this decision left the door open for Trump to end DACA with a better explanation of his rationale. In fact, the day after the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump tweeted stating “The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA nothing was lost or won. … We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly in order to properly fulfil the Supreme Court’s ruling & request of yesterday.” Therefore, we know that the Supreme Court’s decision only buys Dreamers time. Congress must act and pass immigration reform that puts DACA into law with a path to citizenship and hopefully fixes our broken immigration system. However, in an election year, this is highly unlikely, and Dreamers as well as millions of other undocumented immigrants must continue to wonder when action will be taken and live in a state of uncertainty and even fear. The impact that Trump’s decision has on LGBTQ+ Dreamers is dire, and that’s why I believe the LGBTQ+ community must queer the DREAM. Recently, the University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review published my article titled “Queering the Dream —

The Impact Trump’s Decision has on LGBTQ+ Dreamers” (bit.ly/31TPX7d ). In the article, I discuss the historical context of DACA and its creation. Then I analyze the country conditions of the top eight home countries of DACA recipients (Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, the Philippines, Columbia and the Dominican Republic), which allows me to demonstrate the risks that LGBTQ+ individuals face if they are deported back to their home countries. I also explain the forms of relief available if someone were to fall out of DACA status. I compare the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals to their heterosexual counterparts to demonstrate the unique experiences that LGBTQ+ DACA recipients face. If LGBTQ+ DACA recipients are deported back to their home countries where few protections are in place, or if in place lack enforcement, they will face discrimination, beatings, and possible exile.

As a Latino gay male, who was undocumented for 27 years of my life, I empathize with undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients as we must remember that DACA recipients continue to be undocumented. When I was two years old, my mother decided to immigrate to the land of opportunities to give me a better life. She believed in the American Dream. I was enrolled in school and pushed to become the best I could. One day I came home and told my mother that we had discussed career paths in school and that I had decided that I wanted to be a lawyer. I saw tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong. She said, “Hijo sientate, nunca dejes que nadie te diga que no puedes alcanzar tus sueños. Sin embargo…” (Son, sit down, never

let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve your dreams. However…”).

At that moment, my mother began to tell me about my undocumented status and that it would be hard, almost impossible, for me to go to a university. All these limitations were new to me. I knew I was born in Mexico, but I had no clue that I was different from my peers. I had dreams just like they did, and although my mother told me that I should not let anyone discourage me, it felt like my goals were unachievable.

Fast forward several years. After graduating from the University of Utah, I was forced to take six years off because of my undocumented status. Without federal financial aid, my dream of going to law school was hindered. During this time, I received DACA status. However, even then, DACA status did not allow me to apply for federal financial aid. About three years later, I was able to adjust my legal status to permanent resident. It was at that point that I began preparing to go to law school.

Today, I am grateful to say that after graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 2019, I am an attorney with a global law firm in Charlotte today.

I tell my story to remind other Dreamers, that you can put your dreams on pause, so long as you don’t stop dreaming. For now, let us work together to push Congress to act so that others can achieve their dreams. : : Candelario Saldana, Esq. is an associate with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP and is a board member for the National LGBTQ Task Force.

July 10-23, 2020

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BRIEFS

news Court Blocks Enforcement of Graham’s Protest Ban Ordinance

RALEIGH, N.C. — In response to a lawsuit and motion for a temporary restraining order filed on July 3 by civil rights groups, a federal judge granted a consent temporary restraining order on July 6 following an agreement reached by the City of Graham, the Alamance County Sheriff and plaintiffs. The order states that the city’s ordinance requiring two or more people who want to protest to obtain a prior permit, “shall have no force of effect pending further orders from the Court.”

“This ordinance’s only purpose was to suppress the rights of protestors.

People have a right to express dissent against racism, police brutality, and white supremacy,” said Kristi Graunke, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina. “The order issued … upholds their right to do so without fear of harassment or arrest.” She added, “It is appalling that Alamance County officials would trample on the First Amendment rights of their own constituents for the sake of a monument to white supremacy.”

“Our clients are relieved that they can now engage in peaceful protest in Graham without having to ask the Chief of Police’s permission,” said Elizabeth Haddix, managing attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “What remains now is to get rid of the unlawful restriction of protestors’ rights to exercise their First Amendment rights on the courthouse grounds at the Confederate monument site.

“I sought to gather with others to express support for Black lives, advocate for the removal of the monument, and for equally representative government, and I was denied that right,” said Tenae Turner, a plaintiff. “It sends a clear message that racist monuments are valued more highly than Black lives and our constitutional rights.”

The ordinance, which mirrors a law the U.S. Supreme Court struck down more than 50 years ago, is one of the most speech-restrictive laws nationwide. It makes it illegal for two people to be outside together, and even one person to walk alone, without a permit for the purposes of protesting or “making known any position or thought.”

“Any mayor, police chief, or governor who imposes such draconian restrictions on the right to protest should understand that they will be sued,” said Vera Eidelman, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “The ACLU will hold accountable any government actor who violates the First Amendment.”

“Peace and justice should belong to everyone, everywhere and all the time,” said Barrett Brown, president of the Alamance Branch of NAACP. “The city’s permit requirement and periodic protest ban violate our most fundamental rights to peacefully assemble and petition our government for redress.”

“This site represents the very racist past and present these protestors want to speak out against,” said Elizabeth Haddix, managing attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “The community is trying to reckon with its own racist history in the midst of police violence against citizens across the country; at the same time, sheriff’s deputies restrict the most basic rights of its citizens to protest while threatening to arrest anyone for simply wearing anti-racist clothing.”

The emergency lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, the ACLU of North Carolina, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Scott Holmes and the Lockamy Law Firm, and the Law Office of Thomas W. Cadwallader, on behalf of Alamance NAACP Branch and eight individuals against the City of Graham and Alamance County officials, in federal court for the Middle District of North Carolina. It sought preliminary relief blocking the city from implementing the order while the underlying First Amendment challenge proceeds. City and county officials had been enforcing the ordinance in response to recent protests against the city’s Confederate monument. The temporary restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days, pending the court’s decision on plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. A hearing on that motion is scheduled for July 20th at 9 a.m. info: acluofnorthcarolina.org. Photo Credit: Warren LeMay via Wikimedia Commons. CC SA-4.0 International.

— Compiled by Lainey Millen

Zillow Now Displays LGBTQ NonDiscrimination Laws on All Homes

SEATTLE, Wash. — Zillow recently unveiled its LGBT Local Legal Protections, a data-powered resource to help people see whether for-sale and rental listings are in communities where state and local regulations explicitly protect individuals who identify as LGBTQi individuals from discrimination.

All property listings on Zillow, including homes on and off market, now include information about the home’s jurisdiction and the local laws in place that protect fair and equal treatment in housing, employment, as well as public accommodationsii based on sexual orientation and gender identityiii.

“It’s 2020, and yet, unfortunately, in many parts of the United States, LGBTQ+ home shoppers still face housing discrimination,” said Dawn Lyon, Zillow chief corporate relations officer. “That’s why we strongly support federal-level protections as part of the Equality Act. In lieu of federal law and in the spirit of ‘turning on the lights,’ we want to give people the most information possible when buying, renting and financing a home, including which communities provide equal protection under the law for all.”

Currently, only 22 U.S. states and the District of Columbia offer statewide laws explicitly prohibiting housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and those laws can vary significantly by jurisdiction.

In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled that an existing federal law forbids job discrimination by most employers on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status.The ruling stated that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides protection against workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, and national origin, among other factors, now also covers sexual orientation and transgender status.

While the SCOTUS ruling is an important step forward for equal treatment of the LGBTQ community in the workplace, explicit housing and lending discrimination protections for LGBTQ people do not exist at the federal level. The Equality Act, which would add these important protections to federal law, is still awaiting consideration in the Senate.

According to the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, only 28 percent of LGBTQ buyers and 29 percent of LGBTQ renters completely agree with the statement “I feel accepted for who I am by those around me where I live,” compared to 51 percent of cisgender heterosexual buyers, and 40 percent of cisgender heterosexual renters.

More information on Zillow for Good is available online.

Most laws are written to cover only LGBT because “Q” (“questioning” or “queer”) is not consistently defined from a policy perspective. Therefore, the data provided by the Movement Advancement Project does not include specific references to people who identify as “queer” or “questioning.” ii Protection from being unfairly refused services or entry to or from places accessible to the public (retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, etc.). iii Zillow’s LGBT Local Legal Protections feature is powered by data from the Movement Advancement Project, an independent nonprofit organization that provides research on equality for LGBT people. i

info: zillowgroup.com.

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— Compiled by Lainey Millen

July 10-23, 2020

CBP goes ‘net in its celebration

Charlotte Black Pride announced the presentation of its Virtual Pride Week 2.0, where Facebook viewers will have digital access to celebrate Pride from the safety of their own homes live. From July 12-18, the organization will host a live stream for viewers to partake in celebration, discussions, activities and more.

The schedule is listed here: •S unday, July 12, 7 p.m., DRAG-A-THON SHOW: The virtual Drag show LIVE from Chasers Charlotte •M onday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., Get Your Body Right! with sound therapy, meditation and cardio exercise •W ednesday, July 15, 7 p.m., CENTERSTAGE: Highlighting Black LGBTQ Singer/Songwriters •T hursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m., What’s the “T”? town hall meeting discussing from Genderqueer to Transgender •F riday, July 17, 7 p.m., Friday Night Live w/ DJ Fannie Mae •S aturday, July 1, 1 p.m., Virtual Pride Expo 2.0: Showcasing Black LGBTQ and Affirming Businesses

info: bit.ly/3gyi3sR.

Arts educator nets top award

Northwest School of the Arts’ musical theatre department head Corey Mitchell has become the recipient of the inaugural Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year Award which was presented by The ASCAP Foundation and the Educationaal Theatre Association.

The award comes with a $5,000 cash prize. Mitchell has been teaching for 25 years. He was nominated by a former student, “Mean Girls” star Renee Rapp who recalled her former teacher as someone who drove for excellence. Mitchell previously received the Excellence in Theatre Education Award at the 69th Annual Tony Awards.

info: ascapfoundation.org.

Org founder featured by Reebok

The OUT Foundation founder and fitness trainer Will Lanier was featured on Reebok’s site where Reebok shared his story of cultivating a thriving LGBTQ fitness community. Through his life and work he has created an athletic mentorship program, conquered cancer and continues to support champion inclusion and visibility.

info: reebok.com. theoutfoundation.org.

Pridelink celebrates birthday

Upstate South Carolina’s Pridelink marked a milestone in its young life by celebrating its second birthday. The organization which serves a 10-county area provides support for the LGBTQ community through a variety of programs such as a youth group and summit, host home program, as well as a mobile community center.

info: pridelink.org.

Former collegiate coach comes out A former University of North Carolina at Wilmington assistant men’s basketball coach has revealed that he is gay, WECT News reported. Matt Lynch was originally hired as a video coordinator for the team and had worked his way up to the coaching position.

info: bit.ly/31KfqzW.

Therapy ban stalled in U.K.

Peter Tatchell, a human rights activist, has called out the U.K. government’s commitment two years ago to outlaw

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conversion therapy, saying that no legislation had been brought forward to accomplish that aim. Prime Minister Theresa May said in 2018 that the government would entertain proposals to “end the practice of conversion therapy” as a priority.

Health Program has laid out that North Carolinians can receive better healthcare.

They are: educate healthcare providers; guarantee gender-affirming care; change requirements for surgery; and ensure comprehensive coverage.

references to black female and a black magistrate judge as a “N-word,” gay slurs and an expressed desire to “go out and start slaughtering them (expletive) Blacks,” TechDirt reported. The officers are Kevin Piner, Birian Gilmore and Jessie Moore.

Man breaks closet door at 90

Driftwood podcast launched

Point recognizes scholarship recipients

info: ptfoundation.net

Kenneth Felts, who at 90 years old, has made the decision to come out. Reflection during self-isolation brought him back to memories of the love of his life, LGBTQ Nation reported.

That was in the 1950s. Felts attempts at finding “Phillip” have so far proven unsuccessful.

info: bit.ly/31Tl5Ue.

Vendor fair resorts to online option Out! Raleigh, now Out! Raleigh Pride, was forced to move its May 30 vendor fair online due to COVID-19. From now through Aug. 9, a virtual option is available for those who wish to make purchases, with some of the proceeds supporting the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

info: outraldighpride.org/2020/vendorfair.

Martin resigns from Raleigh seat

Allegation of sexual misconduct have been levied against and led to the resignation of out Raleigh City Council member Saige Martin from his governmental position. Four men accused Martin of misconduct and two of the men claimed Martin sexually assaulted them, WTVD reported.

info: abc11.tv/3gs9JuC.

US

info: imfromdriftwood.com/podcast.

Soulforce founder celebrates 80th birthday

Mel White, Soulforce co-founder, celebrated his 80th birthday on June 26 and is taking time in looking back at his life and the work of the organization he and his husband, Gary Nixon, created. Soulforce challenges fundamentalist doctrine by speaking out for the rights of LGBTQ individuals and others.

info: soulforce.org.

Org names Cumming to campaign post Superbia Services, Inc. has announced that its honorary board chair, actor, humanitarian and social activist Alan Cumming, will lead the social media campaign #PrideNeverStops.

N.C. cops fired over racism

Blue Ridge Public Radio reported that the health of transgender and gender non-conforming patients improves when healthcare providers follow a four-step protocol. The University of North Carolina Transgender

THROUGH

The I’m From Driftwood Podcast made it to the air in late June, just in time for Pride Month. The 12-episode first season aisr every Thursday and covers a variety of topics for the LGBTQ community. Production is headed

by Anddy Egan-Thrope and hosted by Alex Berg and Phil aka Corinne.

info: superbia.org.

Outcomes better with four-step process

BUILD

info: bit.ly/2ZUlKT9.

Three Wilmington, N.C. police officers have been fired for racist and bigoted comments they made while being recorded on their incar cameras that were accidentaly activated.

During an audit of the footage, a supervisor heard the cops make statements such as

info: bit.ly/3e6epov.

The Point Foundation announced its 2020 scholarship recipients. The organization also announced that they will be creating a new scholarship fund specifically for black, indigenous and people of color who are LGBTQ. One Carolinian received the Alfred A. Cave Scholarship. Tyler McDougald, a Clemson University English and History major, was raised in Greenville, S.C. He serves as president of Clemson Rainbow Fellowship, South Carolina’s only LGBTQ collegiate mentorship program, according to Point. McDougald hopes to attend law school upon his graduation.

info: pointfoundation.org.

Ally study launched

Out Leadership launched its AllyUp: Ally is a Verb. This first-of-its-kind research study was completed over the past 18 months in collaboration with Out Leadership member firm FCB with support from Ernst & Young LLP. The launch was a core component of Out Leadership’s month of Pride events, “Proudly Resilient.”

info: bit.ly/3e6Y8PW.

GFF commits to anti-racist steps

The Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center have announced that they are taking the necessary steps to become an anti-racist organization. Some of these steps include a commitment to conducting anti-racism training using consultants of color; increase diversity on its board; accelerate percentages of

funding to black, indigenous people of color programs (BIPOC); create a consultant payment scale to ensure BIPOC people are paid equally for foundation trainings, panels and events; and provide free space for BIPOCcentered meetings and events. There is a long list of other ways that the organization is moving their future forward in inclusion and representation.

info: guilfordgreenfoundation.org.

Apps join forces to fight stigma

In the first ever cross-site collaboration of this kind, Building Healthy Online Communities and dating platforms for gay and bisexual men (Adam4Adam, Bro App, Daddyhunt, Grindr, POZ Personals, SCRUFF and Jack’d) have teamed up to make their online communities “nicer ﹘and kinder for everyone,” the NiceAF collaboration shared.

info: niceaf.org.

Dreamers identified in research

There are an estimated 81,000 LGBTQ Dreamers in the U.S., including 39,000 who have participated in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), according to an updated report by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. The majority of LGBTQ DACA recipients live in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Florida.

info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu.

CMI releases annual survey results

Community Marketing & Insights have unveiled their results from the 14th Annual Community Survey which highlights brand expectations, pressing political and social concerns, key purchasing motivations and more in this large study of LGBTQ consumers. This year’s LGBTQ tracking study included 34,000 respondents from 130 countries.

info: bit.ly/2O0sKbh.

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July 10-23, 2020

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news

‘It’s All Of Us Or None of Us’ Black LGBTQ Community’s Call To Action

By Tonya Jameson | QNotes Contributor

A press conference was held at Camp Northend to observe Pride, along with a call to action by the larger gay community.

brown individuals to be liberated and free.”

Typically, the last Sunday in June ends a weekend of revelry, but this year’s Pride Day had a more somber tone in the wake of the pandemic and protests against police brutality unleashed upon African-Americans nationwide.

Charlotte Pride recognized the seriousness of this moment and issued a statement a couple of weeks ago banning participation of law enforcement in the gay Pride parade.

The organization’s decision garnered mixed reaction, but Charlotte Pride wanted to send the message that it stood in solidarity with African-Americans in the fight to change policing in America. On Sunday, an additional 40 or so other Charlotte gay organizations showed their solidarity as well.

At the press conference, Fulton outlined what it looks like to support black lives as indicated in the open letter: •C ontinuing or creating new opportunities for our organizations’ boards, staff, or volunteer teams to learn more about ending systemic racism, police brutality, transphobia and white supremacy.

•C ontinuing or creating new ways to diversify our organizations’ boards, staffs and volunteer leadership teams.

•C ontinuing or creating new and intentional changes to our marketing and communications efforts to ensure the voices and faces of all people in our community are represented in our work.

•C ontinuing or creating new efforts to identify ways that our organizations’ services, programs and projects can be more directly accountable to and receive input, direction and leadership from the people we serve, including black people.

• Creating or utilizing existing and new sources of funding to ensure that we are generating accessible, intentional and uplifting programs for the black community.

Fulton said the next step is to create an accountability team to look at what areas need to be improved within organizations to achieve the goals outlined above.

On June 28, there was a particular call to help black transgender women, many of Charlotte Black Pride Chair Shann Fulton spoke at the solidarity gathering in whom were The June 28 press conference representatives issued a call to action.

Charlotte, N.C. some of the earliest activ-

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Members of Charlotte Black Pride and representatives from nearly 40 other gay organizations gathered at Camp Northend to celebrate gay Pride with a call to action to the larger gay community — Black Lives Matter.

Organizers of the June 28 press conference picked the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots to make a statement that the fight for black liberation is entwined with the struggle for gay and transgender rights. At least 30 people stood behind the featured speakers holding signs that read “There’s Still Hope” and “We Stand in Solidarity.”

The sign holders wore T-shirts representing the 40+ organizations that supported a community letter, released at the start of the press conference, expressing support for black lives. They were black, brown, white and other shades of the race rainbow.

This was a wake-up call for the larger gay community, said Charlotte Black Pride chair Shann Fulton.

“We want to make sure we are holding everyone accountable and everyone is standing up for black lives.

What better place to start than within your own community?” Fulton added. “By us starting in our own community that will bleed out to the rest of our community.”

The Sunday event was born out of a conversation between the two Pride groups, Fulton said. From there they reached out to other local LGBTQ organizations to garner support for the open letter (bit.ly/2NT1QCp) and a commitment to root out systemic racism within their individual groups.

The press conference was a powerful statement by entities that have not always worked well together — at least not publicly. Since the start of the pandemic, however, the gay community has seen collaborations that have been quietly building in recent years come to light. The statement of support around Black Lives Matter is the strongest to date.

“We cannot fight queerphobia and transphobia without simultaneously being committed to fight racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia and agism. These things do not exist in a vacuum,” Nada Merghani, Charlotte Pride programs associate said during the press conference. “We can not claim to have a world where LGBTQ individuals are liberated and free without that world also including black and

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ists in the Stonewall Riots, and even before that. It is a call that is being echoed nationwide. Refinery 29 published an article during the week of June 21 detailing the black queer community’s role, especially black transgender women, in fighting for LGBTQ liberation. (See “The Queer Black History of Rioting” by Jonathan Borge at r29.co/3eKvRzZ.) These days most stories about the fight for gay liberation have all but erased the black queer community.

Google the Stonewall Riots and the images are mostly of white people protesting. Marsha P. Johnson’s life is memorialized in a Netflix documentary rather than a theatrical release like that of Harvey Milk.

News coverage of the Charlotte protests also tends to render the black LGBTQ community invisible, but they have been on the front lines along with white queer people as volunteers helping to keep protestors safe.

“Do not stop showing up,” Merghani said. “These symptoms of oppression and the bodies and the buildings that enforce them will continue to abuse us. White supremacy will continue to break us down. Capitalism will continue to violently dig into our pockets. Police will continue to brutalize and arrest us for continuing to fight for justice.

That is going to happen. Know that, and still show up… It’s all of us or none of us.”

Pay close attention in the coming months and years.

There are a crop of young leaders fighting to make sure Charlotte’s black queer community is integrated, not assimilated, into the larger gay community. It is not going to be easy or comfortable. But it is work that many say is long overdue. : :

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July 10-23, 2020

life

Gil Croy Addresses COVID-19 The Artist Draws Connections Across Pandemics

BY Jack Kirven | qnotes contributor I personally felt these masks served three warnings simultaneously: Infection, anonymity and censorship. Obviously the masks are meant to protect people from each other (much like condoms), but many of the ominous figures are bedecked with symbols of white supremacy. These masks hide the identity of violent bigots, while other figures look as if they’re being silenced or gagged. With this in mind, I wanted to know more about how Croy compared and contrasted today’s pandemic from the crisis 40 years ago.

this time. Older, straight white men are affected by this disease, so the response has been much faster.

QN: It’s becoming very clear that black people in particular are being especially hurt by COVID-19. Do you think there’s a risk of losing momentum or urgency if the powers-that-be feel they are not endangered?

GC: Yes. I suspect that as people see it not affectqnotes: Could you tell me more ing rich white folks the about the impetus of this series of Artist Gil Croy. (Photo Credit: Facebook) sense of alarm will abate works? as the marginalized continue to die disproportionately.

Gil Croy: During the AIDS crisis, the public response was totally different. I was outraged QN: How have you taken all this and translated it into by what I saw in the general public now, so I a visual language? decided to put on paper what I was thinking.

GC: I wanted to place the diseases within familiar, intimate It was terrible to see how differently people spaces. I might set a scene in the home, and try to make treat disease when they think it can affect it look like a stage set. By way of collaged layers of mixed them personally. And I began to wonder what media, I wanted the entire story to play out in one mothe pandemic would look like from the perment. The symbolism is both overt and covert. The style spective of the satirical, or the symbolic. isn’t as pop arty as my other work, but I am still using saturated colors. They heighten the emotional impact. But I QN: So you are comparing and contrasting didn’t focus so much on the LGBT Pride colors specifically. the two crises?

GC: Yes. Both pandemics are similar in a QN: It occurs to me that the politics of health are invariety of ways. There was a rush to fear, but separable from the politics of the body, how we define many wouldn’t try to understand the plight of what we can’t or won’t talk about concerning the body others. The responses to both were disorgaitself. As with much Queer performance art, many of nized. Rumors about transmission and treatthe people in your collages are nude. That isn’t gratument varied wildly then and now. itous. These images are about vulnerability.

In the ‘80s, people wouldn’t go into examiGC: Yes, and as with both pandemics, all 25 of these pieces nation with each other. Nurses would pass tie back to a pandemic of bigotry. These works are about out when doctors told people they were HIV the injustices in the world. : : positive. It was a different type of isolation in hospitals, but both diseases have caused it.

Croy’s exhibition ran through the month of June at Healthcare workers were terrified, but this The ArtsCenter in Carborro, N.C. For more information, visit time they are stepping up in a big way. bit.ly/2YqIA3M. Readers can also view Croy’s work and projects Then there was a Republican president on his website at gilcroydesigns.com. who wouldn’t admit anything was particularly wrong, now there’s a ‘First Time? We Have Been Through It Before.’ Mixed media collage, digital.

Republican president who (Art/Photo Credit: Gil Croy) wouldn’t admit the situation was especially serious. Then people didn’t il Croy is a North Carolina visual artist known for his care about gays, addicts, prostitutes saturated palettes that pull from the colors of the or Africa. Now they don’t care about traditional Pride flag. He has done many canvases, the poor or immigrants. In both it has posters and murals, and has a reputation for examining been gays and people of color forcing the politics of LGBTQ bodies. This manifests itself in many the public to take notice, and both ways, but especially as full body painting. Croy turns bodies pandemics disproportionately affect themselves into art. It is not only a way of acknowledging LGBT and minority communities first. the creative potential of the human form, but also a way of simultaneously reveling in diversity while also practically QN: We definitely cannot say now obliterating ethnicity. Each body, regardless of the person that the general pubic doesn’t care beneath the paint, is equally compelling as a canvas. One of about this pandemic. People in his works that will be very familiar to the Charlotte LGBTQ general are complying with wearing community is the mural he painted all over White Rabbit in masks and social distancing.

Plaza Midwood on Central Ave. The mural moves around GC: Yes, people in general actually the building, like paper wrapping a present. care this time: It affects THEM potenIn response to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, Croy has tially. Most didn’t think they’d meet made a series of collages that will be on display throughor deal with AIDS — straight people out June for Pride month. He was immediately inspired didn’t think they knew anyone gay. upon hearing the news of a coronavirus making its way As before, there was denial by the through Wuhan. His initial canvases in this collection government at first, but people were are replete with upsetting images evoking the virulent proactive about not getting this new homophobia that served as the nation’s response to AIDS virus. Something that is very differ‘Bitch You Ain’t in Kansas Anymore, What a Drag.’ Mixed media collage, digital. (Art/ in 1984. Subsequent pieces in the series have evolved to ent this time around is the push for Photo Credit: Gil Croy) look more like familiar domestic spaces crammed full of effective treatment. It is vastly quicker references to masks.

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Staying In, Singing Out Gay Choruses Keep Singing During COVID-19

By Chris Rudisill | QNotes Contributor

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avid Boraks with WFAE recently reported how local entertainment venues like Blumenthal Performing Arts in Charlotte are looking to Asia as they plot ways to reopen. “Big musical productions and baseball are back — and seats are filled,” says Boraks. In fact, the only production of Andrew Lloyd’s Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” which typically plays multiple venues around the world at any given time, is currently running in South Korea.

While theatres may be open, gay choruses like South Korea’s G-Voice have not returned to in-person rehearsals or public concerts just yet, however. In a country where discrimination remains widespread against LGBTQ people, G-Voice has offered much-needed community and has continued to offer a message of hope during the pandemic — one that is being repeated by choruses here in Charlotte. “Our love and songs can’t stop — see you again with song soon,” states a recent post on a group’s social media.

In China, the Beijing Queer Chorus had started singing together in person in late May only to return to virtual rehearsals as of June 16, due to new outbreaks of COVID-19 in the city. Similarly, cities across the U.S. are scaling back reopenings and increasing mask mandates to contain a new surge in cases. After some reopenings here in Charlotte, the county faced its second highest daily increase in cases

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on July 1 — a troubling sign for anyone hoping live performances will return anytime this year.

“For all of us striving to maintain frequent connections for rehearsals and performances, the threat of COVID-19 is profound,” says Miriam Davidson from the Anna Crusis Women’s Chorus in Philadelphia, the longest-running feminist women’s choir in the country. In an online resource center for “quarantined choirs” put together by the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses), she points out the coronavirus’ implications on the community’s health, finances, artistic sensibility and social justice missions. The organization’s GALA Festival was supposed to kick off in late June in Minneapolis, Minn. but has been postponed to July 2021.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte (GMCC) faced the realities of the pandemic early on. GMCC had to cancel its annual fundraising event, “After Dark,” scheduled for March 14, just one day after the Executive Order by Gov. Roy Cooper banned gatherings of more than 100 people in North Carolina and closed public schools.

“Because we are just at the onset of this health crisis, it’s not possible to predict when we’ll be back to ‘business as usual,’ but we are already exploring innovative ways of bringing our programming to the community,” read a press statement from GMCC at the time.

“We immediately went into lockdown mode and tried to figure out how we were going to continue virtual rehearsals,” says John Quillin, managing artistic director of GMCC. Zoom and other platforms makes that extremely difficult because of audio delays, background noise and cancellations, according to Quillin and Cory Davis, the

artistic director of One Voice Chorus Charlotte. “Singing together is really difficult,” says Quillin referring to the online platforms.

He recently contributed to the “Choral Singing in the Time of COVID-19” user guide released by Dr. Timothy Seelig of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. The guide provides research around transmission of the coronavirus and how choruses can be safe.

“The most important factor here is the safety of our singers,” states Dr. Seelig. The GMCC is exploring new avenues to sing and realizes that other concerts this year, including its cherished holiday performance at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, will have to be canceled. Alternatively, the chorus is planning a TV broadcast on WCCB-Charlotte called “Santa Will Find You” from Dec. 5-7. They will be the first LGBTQ chorus in the country to create a made-fortelevision broadcast.

Other projects include a virtual choir project expected to to have appeared in early July, a collaborative virtual choir project with the Charlotte Children’s Choir in August, pop-up “Drive-in Movie Musicals” later this summer, a virtual fundraising gala on Sept. 12 and a virtual holiday cabaret. In addition, GMCC is partnering with see next page u

other gay men’s choruses in the U.S. in support of Black Lives Matter with a composition

by Steve Milloy, expected to premier in October.

NEW WAYS TO MAKE MUSIC

“To sing, to get ready to sing — we’ve got to figure out how to do that,” says Quillin. The chorus regularly rehearses at St. Martin’s and the church is still only in Phase 1 of reopening which allows a maximum of 10 chorus members at a time based on social distancing requirements by the Diocese of North Carolina. The group is looking at options for driveup rehearsals, something other choruses have utilized, using a low wattage FM transmitter and individual microphones that are sanitized after each use. In addition, small group rehearsals using isolation booths might be put into place, and the chorus is planning on using a recording studio to create its upcoming virtual concerts.

For One Voice, Davis says the group has been more focused on social activities to keep members engaged and supported during the pandemic. “I see the rehearsals as a means to an end usually, and there’s no end right now,” he says. The chorus is preparing a virtual performance that will include archival video and some new virtual “live” components. This past spring would have been Davis’ first big show since joining the chorus in May of last year.

On June 13, One Voice released a virtual performance of “Rise Up” by Andra Day on its YouTube and Facebook pages. “While we can’t gather in person, we are finding new ways to make music together and serve our mission to increase acceptance and understanding of LGBTQIA+ people,” stated the post. “It’s a technological feat,” says Davis.

Using a guide track, he had each member perform using their mobile phones. Then, he aligns each video into one media file, separating the audio out to make it appear like it was performed in real time. “It took between 80 and 100 hours to pull together,” says Davis.

One Voice is also hosting virtual karaoke events and has had impromptu singalongs on Zoom, despite the difficulties in using the platform. “Everything we’re doing now is mostly just for the chorus, and very little is for the ‘audience,’” says Davis. “It’s more about engagement.”

The organization is focused on ensuring the health and safety of members, citing the mass infection of 53 people in early March following a choir practice in Washington state.

While both the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte and One Voice Chorus are finding ways to connect, the loss of revenue is also problematic. Each organization relies heavily on ticket revenue and is having to navigate difficult licensing fees and procedures for online performances.

Quillin hosts a weekly meeting online of artistic directors from the GALA Choruses

network. “We’re really leaning on each other,” says Quillin. He hopes that after the pandemic is over choruses from across the country can come together to perform “Requiem” by French composer Maurice Duruflé. “It’s one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard,” says Quillin.

“It would be amazing, and also a nice way to acknowledge all of the people who have died.”

“There’s no real substitute for the type of choral singing that we’re used to,” says Davis.

“We’re not going anywhere; we’re just trying to navigate all of this like everyone else. We’re going to put on whatever music we can and support our community, which includes singers and audience, as much as we can even if it’s not in the normal way.” : : To learn more about the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, visit gmccharlotte.org.

To learn more about One Voice Chorus Charlotte, visit onevoicechorus.com.

July 10-23, 2020

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views

Bostock v. Clayton County

Legal Eagles: What the Landmark Ruling Means for LGBT Rights

BY Zachary Portis, attorney | guest WRITER

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new, expansive definition of “sex” as a n the landmark case, Bostock v. Clayton protected class.

County, the Supreme Court of the Outside of these limited BFOQ excepUnited States ruled on June 15 that tions provided for by the RFRA; employdiscrimination on the basis of sexual ees who face potential discrimination orientation or gender identity constibecause of their sexual orientation or tutes discrimination “because of … sex” gender identity now have an avenue to under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of pursue Title VII claims. Just like with other 1964. Almost 56 years after this legisladiscrimination cases, those subject to tion was first enacted, the highest court adverse action in the workplace must still of our land has officially interpreted provide evidence of discrimination beTitle VII’s protected class, on the basis cause of LGBT status above and beyond of “sex,” to include and protect LGBT some legitimate nondiscriminatory reaemployees from unjust discrimination in son to meet their burden of persuasion. the workplace.

Besides obviously intentional Before the Supreme Court’s ruling discrimination, Title VII should still also in Bostock, sexual orientation or gender protect employees from unintentional identity were not always included as a discrimination if a policy or practice has protected class — essentially leaving an adverse effect on LGBT employees, room for discrimination against LGBT now a protected group, overall. Even individuals to take place. While the Title if an employer can demonstrate that a VII standard “because of sex” could policy is job related and consistent with potentially be satisfied by showing that a business necessity, LGBT employees an employer’s conduct was sexual in now have an opportunity to show under nature, or that a company treated one Title VII that alternative policies or sex with hostility or one sex better than practices exist that have a less discrimianother, or that discrimination ocThe recent landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in LGBTQ cases ended when a majority of the justices voted natory impact on the employees but still curred on the basis of one’s pregnancy, for equality in the workplace. serve the employer’s business goals. or sufficient leave to care for oneself Additionally, Title VII should now also or a family member was not provided; sequences have become more apparent over the years — protect employees from harassment in discrimination on the basis of one’s including its prohibition against discrimination on the basis the workplace because of their LGBT status. sexual orientation or gender identity was not explicitly of motherhood or its ban on the sexual harassment of male Practically speaking, employees should consult with an prohibited. Although some states may have formerly employees. In the eyes of the Supreme Court, the limits of attorney as soon as possible if they feel they have been dispassed laws banning discrimination against sexual orienthe drafters’ imaginations at the time of enacting Title VII criminated against because of their sexual orientation, gentation or gender identity, previously, there was no federal are not a reason to ignore the law’s, and society’s, current der identity or some other protected class under Title VII. law protecting private workers from such discrimination. demands and necessary protections needed to ensure fair To abide by Title VII, employers should ideally work to adopt Fears of discrimination, rejection, harassment, punishtreatment in the workplace, regardless of sexual orientation and effectively implement non-discriminatory employment ment, limited opportunities or other adverse effects in or gender identity. policies which provide for protections of LGBT employees. the workplace may have contributed to many individuals’ The Supreme Court seems to recognize Bona Fide Societal views have shifted since 1964 when LGBT hesitance to personally accept or publicly announce their Occupational Qualifications (BFOQs) which might still status was historically unpopular. Ultimately, the Supreme own LGBT status. The official interpretation of this proprovide for exceptions of LGBT status that employers are alCourt has now made it clear that all persons are entitled tection, such that it now includes sexual orientation and lowed to consider while making decisions about hiring and to the benefit of Title VII’s protections within the clear gender identity, will empower many LGBT people to live retaining employees if the qualification is related to an esmeaning of the statute as it is written on its face. This does authentically and pridefully as their full selves without sential job duty and is considered necessary for the operanot require new legislation. In Title VII, Congress adopted fear of workplace discrimination. tion of the particular business. These BFOQs reflect alleged broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on As the Supreme Court points out in the Bostock opinion, societal concerns to preserve our Constitution’s promise an employee’s sex when deciding to fire that employee. when the Civil Rights Act was first adopted in 1964, legislaof free exercise of religion and could potentially provide The Supreme Court no longer hesitates “to recognize tors may not have had sexual orientation or gender identity loopholes for discrimination in the workplace to occur. The today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: specifically in mind when drafting statutory prohibitions First Amendment to the Constitution can bar the applicaAn employer who fires an individual merely for being gay of discrimination against employees on the basis of race, tion of employment discrimination laws, such as Title VII, to or transgender defies the law.” : : color, sex, national origin and religion. However, in its caclaims concerning the employment relationship between a pacity to interpret our nation’s laws, the Supreme Court has religious institution and its ministers. Only time and future Zachary Portis is a family law attorney with Sodoma Law, now answered those questions about the scope of Title VII cases will show how the Religious Freedom Restoration Act based in Charlotte, NC. He is a member of the Bar in both and the breadth of its protections in its latest ruling on the of 1963 (RFRA) may be interpreted in correlation with the North Carolina and South Carolina. subject. This is not the first time the Act’s unforeseen con-

July 10-23, 2020

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‘Confessions of a Gay Priest’ Out in Print

BY terri schlichenmeyer | CONTRIBUTING WRITER “Confessions of a Gay Priest”

by Tom Rastrelli ©2020, University of Iowa Press $19.95 328 pages

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Author Tom Rastrelli. (Photo Credit: Frank Miller)

ou spent days examining your life.

Sins: that’s what you were looking for. How had you displeased God? How many lies, covets, dishonors? What have you done since — oh, when was your last confession, anyhow? They say the sacrament is good for your soul, and in “Confessions of a Gay Priest” by Tom Rastrelli, there’s a lot to tell.

Though he’d always known that he liked boys, little Tommy Rastrelli pretended the opposite when he was in gradeschool because marriage was what good Catholics did. His family was devout and Rastrelli never questioned God’s love. Not even after, he says, he was repeatedly molested by a doctor in his Iowa hometown.

For several reasons, he never told his parents about the abuse, enduring it for years until he’d convinced them that he was too old for a pediatrician. That God hadn’t saved him from a predator made Rastrelli slowly lose his faith and his self-respect. He stopped attending Mass and began questioning the Church’s teachings.

But then God called a shocked Tom Rastrelli to the priesthood.

It happened while he was at college, and the whole idea quickly consumed him. Gone was the plan to major in theatre; instead, Rastrelli began to explore a world

steeped in mystery and ritual, but overlaid with fear.

Believing that testimony against the doctor could save others from the same abuse, Rastrelli took legal action, knowing that scandal could ruin his chance to attend seminary.

There were many things undiscussable, in fact, and the court case was only half of it. As he progressed in his journey to ordination, the secrets included priestly kisses, caresses, and soft lies that a “backrub” was just a backrub. At nearly every gathering, Rastrelli was approached for sex or touched inappropriately, led to believe that celibacy had wiggle-room, plied with alcohol or favors, and left to deal with it alone.

He fell in misguided love.

And then he fell into a deep depression, with only one real way out...

“The Confessions of a Gay Priest” is a hard, hard book to read — it’ll make you squirm, it’ll make your eyebrows raise, you’ll want to toss it on the street and let semis run it over and yet, it’s stay-up-all-night compelling.

Beginning with his ordination (so you know-don’t-know the end of the story), author Tom Rastrelli tells a tale that will further shock Catholics already reeling from churchrelated scandals. This book, however, is not written in the same manner as is a diocesan document: Rastrelli is sometimes extremely graphic, both in the bedroom and in his various emotional states. He doesn’t pull back the curtains on his experiences, he rips them down and burns them.

He used pseudonyms, but tells details before softening his harshness with beautiful language, strong faith, and poetic distractions that play with a reader’s sympathy.

You can’t beat a book like that, though its graphic nature needs to again be underscored. For a reader who can endure a panoply of squirms, “Confessions of a Gay Priest” is worth deep examination. : :

Ask Brian

What are the Best Ways to Handle Anxiety

BY Brian Falduto | Guest Contributor

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ne of the things that has been interesting during this time is the almost completely opposite counterbalance of struggles that I think people would generally identify with. For example, I suffer from chronic anxiety and have found a lot of my symptoms of that alleviated during this time because, in a way, a lot of the variables of day-to-day life have become more fixed and controlled.

My peers who would not normally call themselves anxious are struggling to cope with all the uncertainty and risk. In a similar parallel, I consider myself to be both an introvert and a master at disassociation at times, and my extroverted peers, who seem to seamlessly integrate themselves into the flow of things as their standard, are now coming up against some new territory that require skills that to me have always felt very familiar and, perhaps, even commonplace to how I function.

A point I want to make (and I’m not sure everyone who suffers from this will agree with me) is that I wouldn’t trade my anxiety for the chance to not be anxious. I’ve done the work — and I mean a lot of work — on my relationship with that voice inside my head that contains all the doubts, the worry, the frustrations with myself, the paranoia of others; all the “wonderful feels” that come with anxiety that are honestly too many to name. And also, scratch that — I haven’t done the work, I’m doing the work. It’s a constant battle. But even before COVID-19 showed me the benefits of the survival tactics I’ve picked up over the years, I knew that there was a sensitive, creative and vulnerable part of me that my anxiety came about to protect.

Sometimes, I need to gently ask my anxiety, whom I call Justin, to step into the next room so that I can be present with whatever I’m doing. But Justin is just a part of me as

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everything else I hold dear to who I am, and I’m well aware he’s not going anywhere. so it benefits me more to create space for him.

If you’ve stopped reading because you’re convinced I’m a schizophrenic, that’s fine.

If you’re still with me, I shall stop bragging about how many surprisingly adequate tools I’ve found in my toolbox for dealing with the global pandemic, and I want to instead move on to sharing some of what I practice with you because it’s never too late to start building your toolbox. After all, toolboxes are filled with items meant to help with starting a project or fixing up an old one and it’s certainly true that the world needs some fixing up at the moment and perhaps even a restart.

Justin is an example of a tool. Even just naming that voice that fills you with fear is a massively productive way of bringing awareness to it. Awareness is the greatest agent for change because it takes a problem that you’re facing and it stops it from creating a tornado of thought inside your head, and it instead allows you to hold the problem in your hand and look at it with some perspective. Right now, the entire world is experiencing a tornado of negative information, doubt and uncertainty, so one can only imagine what is going on inside someone’s brain. What should be understood about anxious individuals is that at any given moment on any given day and sometimes even for no particular reason, a tornado of worrisome thought can appear out of nowhere. Fishing into that toolbox in response to that hurricane of thought becomes a necessity.

My suggestion for those who are not used to the presence of their Justin in their lives would be to stop fighting him. This is the first time any of us have experienced something like this. It is unprecedented.

Of course, a Justin is going to try and swoop in and protect us with all these fight-or-flight thoughts inside our brain. Protectors don’t just go away when we ask them to.

Ever heard of an overbearing mom or a cop who gives out too many speeding tickets? Sometimes they overstep and similarly, everyone’s Justin is probably getting a little carried away with his attempts to protect them. But just like the world needs moms and the world needs cops, you need your Justin. So stop fighting him and instead create some space for him.

If you do not have a mindfulness practice or a way to create space around the thoughts that are taking over your head during this time, find your anxious friend and ask them to help you start building a toolbox. I guarantee they know your struggle, and they want to help. Choosing to stay in the eye of a tornado of thoughts seems peaceful momentarily but really you’re just trapped. : : Brian Falduto is an ICF certified LGBTQ Life Coach but he is best known for his child actor days as “that gay kid from ‘School of Rock.’” Visit brianfalduto.com for more information.

life

Community Financial Wellness

Health & Wellness: Pyramid Schemes versus a True Su Su

BY Jack Kirven | qnotes contributor some “grandchildren,” or else why would your “children” each pay $500 to join?

Then all those “grandchildren” must be covered by their own recruits as well.

Getting your eight “great-grandchildren” to pay $500 each yields your $4,000. But at any time, if any of those steps is incomplete, you Keeping a keen eye on one’s money when involved in pyramid schemes is don’t advance of the highest importance, as well as selecting a reputable one, so as not (and then neither to lose site of one’s expectations from the challenging experience. do your recruits on down the line). hen uncertainty runs amok — esAnd where pecially while so many workers are does it end? My friends began groaning furloughed, underemployed or unemwhen I pointed out they needed eight ployed — people tend to gravitate toward directly recruited people to pay them. But easy solutions, even when those choices that isn’t true either: Your two, plus their would seem unwise during less volatile four, plus their eight means you have 14 circumstances. Money is becoming an opportunities to lose your $500. And even even worse stressor than it already was, if you get to the center and opt out, what and now a pyramid scheme is making its about those eight new people who just timely way around the Internet. paid you? Now they are on this same path.

Blessing Looms, Cooperative Economic Funds, Friends and Family Savings Clubs, Money Sharing Groups, Money Flowers.

Whatever brand they choose, these are fraudulent money structures. They claim to be Su Su, but they are not. A Su Su is a closed system that moves money around within a group without each recipient taking out more than they contribute. Open systems can be recognized immediately when they promise to multiply your initial investment upon you recruiting new people to join after you. Dealing with fraud is the last challenge you want to add to your wellness plan during uncertain times, so let’s look at open and closed community financing.

Money Share Flowers take many forms; however, the one that has been gaining traction among my friends — and the YouTube channels they frequent — is promising to turn your initial $500 “investment” into $4,000 in one month. It is a tiered system (a pyramid scheme), wherein you pay $500 directly to that week’s recipient via PayPal, Venmo or CashApp. You then recruit two people to join the following week.

In Week 1 you have paid into the “Fire” phase. By bringing in your two “children,” you advance to the “Air” phase in Week 2. For you to advance to the “Earth” phase in Week 3, both of your recruits have to bring in their two recruits each (your four “grandchildren”).

In Week 4 you enter the “Water” phase and get your $4,000, presuming that your four “grandchildren” have brought all eight of your necessary “great-grandchildren.” Each of your eight “great-grandchildren” has paid $500 directly to you via PayPal to start their own Week 1 “Fire” process. You can choose to take out only $3,500 and put in $500 to go again, but it isn’t required.

You see the problems, yes? These groups claim you have to bring in only two recruits. But how can that be true? You need to make sure your “children” can find you

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For you to gain $4,000, 14 people have to lose $500. It’s geometric expansion that cannot be sustained.

Closed Su Su are very different. They do not grow money, but rather move it from person to person. Each participant pays a little into the pot on a regular basis, which is why the system is closed. No new recruits pay in. To keep the numbers simple, let’s look at a Su Su with a dozen members and an annual payout of $1,200 per participant. Of the 12 people, one is the constant organizer, and all money passes in and out through their trusted hands. All 12 people pay $100 per month, meaning each participant puts in $1,200 over the course of the year. Each month one participant takes out the $1,200. Over the course of the year, you get a one time payout of exactly what you put in.

How does that help? Proper Su Su move money within a community to fund each person’s infrequent, large ticket items.

If you know you want to buy a house in a year, you will have access to your big payout just in time to make the down payment. But in the meantime, you are helping your 11 friends with their own singular purchases. Maybe your sister needs a new car, but no single person can gift or loan her the money? So long as she keeps making her small monthly contribution, she

will have her turn at having a big chunk of cash when she needs it. Yes, you could save the same amount of money on your own in the same amount of time; however, by participating in a Su Su you can help people without burdening yourself.

Another example: Say your Su Su has 10 people, and that it pays out $5,000 every month. Each of the 10 members would pay $500 per month, and you would get your $5,000 back once within 10 months.

Your Su Su needs only this: 1) A constant number of people (this gives you the number of payouts by which time you will have your return), 2) A constant contribution from each person for each payout period, and 3) A trusted organizer. Whether you have four, nine, 13, or 28 people, you can all help each other bear the burden of your large, infrequent obligations by making much smaller contributions consistently across the allotted time. You make no direct profit, but your money helps your community, and the Su Su provides financial discipline and accountability. : : Jack Kirven completed the MFA in Dance at UCLA, and earned certification as a personal trainer through NASM. His wellness philosophy is founded upon integrated lifestyles as opposed to isolated workouts. Visit him at jackkirven.com and INTEGRE8Twellness.com.

July 10-23, 2020

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Men: Mineral, Vegetable or Just Plain Horny?

Tell Trinity

BY Trinity | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Dear Trinity, Why are men always so endlessly horny and promiscuous? Sometimes it gets in the way of everything.

Yours, Horny To Know, Detroit, MI Dear Horny To Know, Men have a built-in primitive instinct to spread their seed. Whether they like it or not, they get horny and sometimes end up doing primitive things to fulfill that instinct, like promiscuity. Also, honey, I’m not even sure if the modern male species of today realizes how primitive they are when it comes to sex and/or chasing after sex!

Hugs, Trinity

I did go to Montreal’s Black & Blue and Miami’s Winter Party the eye candy was unbelievable, yet the drugged-out men were a hard reality. Now, pumpkin, is it ruining gay culture or/and is it just a part of it? That’s yet to be determined. (Whatever situation you find yourself in, like my cartoon shows, make smart choices.)

Hello Trinity, I’m having an affair with a guy who has

1. A fter two months of Internet dating, he flies across country to finally meet you,

space starting at $22: call qnotes for details 704.531.9988

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Dearest Trinity, My girlfriend of 10 months is deeply in love with me, but I don’t love her anymore. I’m afraid to tell her to her face, so I’m thinking of just vanishing. I know it’s cold, but I’m afraid.

Help! Vanishing Act, Tulsa, OK

Trinity’s Evil Scenarios For Dumping Someone Inhumanely

Hey Circuit Wonders, Circuit parties and drugs are not my forte. While I pray gay culture moves away from drugs, I’m aware that they are part of that party scene. I’ll admit, though, when

connections

Hello Crazy, A lover, a boyfriend and you! I smell addiction everywhere. If you’re thinking of him as a future “anything,” then start tying the knot, around your neck. However, if you’re simply having an adventurous affair, then have fun and keep plenty of bandages close by. Oh, and, pumpkin, if on your 80th birthday you look back at this affair and laugh yourself right out of your wheelchair, then yes… it was worth it!

Kisses, Trin.

Dearest Vanishing Act, There are good and smart ways to dump someone, but…vanishing is definitely not one of them, unless your life is in danger. Otherwise vanishing is just evil, pure evil. But… even better, darling, try reading:

Hey Trinity, Not too long ago you expressed an appreciation for the circuit party phenomenon.

Are you advocating drugs and sex? Don’t you think circuit parties are ruining gay culture?

Sincerely, Circuit Wonders, LA, CA

Q-mmunity

confessed to having a lover for the past seven years who he doesn’t live with, and he sees a guy he calls his “boyfriend,” plus he’s an escort. Am I crazy for having this affair?

Man Crazy, Provincetown, MA

but… you never pick him up and leave him stranded at the airport.

2. Just as you’re starting to make love, you blow out the candles and whisper, “I... don’t… want to be with you anymore.”

3. It’s your third date. She gets out of the taxi, and you… run away, for good!

4. He throws a huge party, so all his friends can meet you. Everyone shows up… except you!

5. Without communicating anything, you suddenly stop answering his phone calls, his emails or your front door.

6. In the middle of Grand Central Station you yell, “I hate you” and leave her crying!

7. You’re at your boyfriend’s family reunion, and everyone’s drunk. Suddenly, you stand up to announce, “I’m a… lesbian!”

8. Her dog just died, and she got COVID-19, but you decide to sit her down anyway and tell her that, “it’s not working out!”

9. You ask her to meet you at her favorite restaurant for a surprise! But the surprise is a big bouquet of flowers with a card that says, “It’s over!”

10. L astly, you’re having an affair with your date’s best friend. You’re all three at dinner when you announce, “I want to live as a threesome couple!”

With a Masters of Divinity, Reverend Trinity hosted “Spiritually Speaking,” a weekly radio drama performed globally, and is now minister of sponsor, WIG: Wild Inspirational Gatherings, wigministries.org, Gay Spirituality for the Next Generation! Learn more at telltrinity.com.

Send emails to: trinity@telltrinity.com.

July 10-23, 2020

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‘War’ Hero

An Interview with Gay Historian and Writer Eric Cervini

BY Gregg Shapiro | Guest Contributor

T

human condition. These are fully formed human beings with complexities and flaws, just like Frank Kameny who’s a very flawed hero. So, I hope it shows students who may be taking their very first Introduction to Queer History, that it doesn’t just have to be memorization of facts.

These are characters, human beings who changed over time and were confronted with extreme difficulties and still resisted. I hope it compels them, like I said, to study other figures within the movement who may have been forgotten. But, also, to paint them in a very human light.

he COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, despite what the POTUS says, or the cities and states that have chosen to reopen, endangering everyone. In other words, we will all be better off if we continue to shelter-in-place, at least until there is a vaccine. With that in mind, anyone looking for a compeling and juicy queer history read need look no further than “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. The United States of America” (FSG, 2020) by Eric Cervini. Cervini, who received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge, took it upon himself to introduce readers to Frank Kameny, a legendary figure in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Kameny, a prominent force in the early days of the Mattachine Society, bravely took on the United States government’s policy regarding homosexuals when he was fired from his job with the United States Department of Defense for being gay in 1957. “The Deviant’s War” is a perfect summer read, an informative alternative to a Pride parade, if you will.

Gregg Shapiro: Eric, what does it mean to you to have your first book, “The Deviants War,” featured in a “13 Books to Watch For in June” column in The New York Times?

Eric Cervini: It was quite an honor. I’m so excited that my publisher, FSG, in the middle of a pandemic, miraculously was able to get it out in time (for June), which is, as you may know, the 50th anniversary of the world’s first Pride march. I think as people are wondering how to celebrate Pride without parades, I hope the book reminds readers that the very first Pride was about resistance. I hope people can be reminded of that fact once again.

GS: When did you first become interested in history and by extension gay history?

EC: In college, I thought I was going to law school. I thought I was going to study government and had a very straight path ahead of me, so to speak [laughs]; then I realized after watching the film “Milk,” like so many people of my generation, who were not taught in high school or even college about LGBTQ+ history. I didn’t know the first thing about Harvey Milk when I was 20 years old. That signaled to me that if I didn’t know Harvey’s, then what other stories are out there that have not been turned into Oscar-winning films, which stories are out there that deserve to be told? Very soon thereafter in undergrad at Harvard, I was searching for other gay activists who I might be able to research. Frank Kameny’s name came up, and I saw that he had just recently passed away. I saw that he had donated, I believe, the largest individual LGBTQ+ collection of personal papers to the Library of Congress.

No one had written a book about him. I went down to the Library of Congress and started thumbing through his daunting number of documents and realized that I was staring at the secret history of gay rights in America. I’ve been hooked ever since and that was seven years ago.

GS: Early in the book, you write about the social data gathering work of Laud Humphreys, Alfred Kinsey and Frank Kameny. Do you see yourself and your book as a continuation of that legacy?

EC: That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure I want to follow Laud Humphrey’s footsteps [laughs]. He’s primarily taught in sociology courses as an example of unethical research [laughs]. But I think what Kinsey did was start a conversation. I hope that, like Kinsey, I can prompt a larger discussion in the media, in the public, and especially in academia, about the stories that we’re forgetting when we teach queer history. I’ve made certain to make sure that, yes, the story is primarily about Frank. But every chapter, as I’m sure you saw, begins with a different character who influenced or was influenced by Frank. That includes people like Bayard Rustin, Ernestine Eppenger and Sylvia Rivera. These are people who also deserve their own books. I hope people read Frank’s story, recognize how important he was for our movement, but also recognize

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Author Eric Cervini. (Photo Credit: Jakub Koziel) the less discussed figures that are equally important parts of our community who deserve to have their own stories told. I hope just as Harvey Milk compeled me to search for other stories that are hidden in the archives, I hope Kameny does the same to other scholars, students and members of the general public.

GS: Absolutely! Can you please say something about the process of chapter titling, such as “The Astronomer,” “The Letter,” “The Panic,” “The Crusader” and so on, in the way that you did?

EC: All of them are nouns. They’re all similar to these secondary characters I introduce who influenced or were influenced by Frank. These are objects or people that represent not just Frank’s life, but America in the 1960s. You have to tell Frank’s story to understand the pre-Stonewall homophile movement. But you also have to understand everything else that was occurring in America. You have to understand the Black Freedom Movement, Women’s Liberation, the Daughters of Bilitis. After Stonewall you have to understand organizations like STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries) in New York City. All these different aspects of American politics and culture were essential to influencing Frank and to the creation of what we now celebrate each June.

GS: “The Deviants War” has many examples of important history being made, such as in September 1962, when Congressmen Nix and Ryan voted against H.R. 11363, and the April 1965 picketing protest at the White House. What would it mean to you to have the book become part of a syllabus for college-level history courses?

EC: It would be a dream come true. I’ll never forget taking my first history class at Harvard and realizing that history, unlike what we’re taught in high school — don’t get me wrong, my history teachers in high school were heroes, but they’re also given a daunting list of facts indeed that they needed to teach and that was it — and it wasn’t until college that I realized that history is also about storytelling and the

GS: Since the beginning of 2020, the LGBTQ+ community has lost significant voices such as Larry Kramer and Phyllis Lyon, both of whom you write about in the book, as well as Mart Crowley and Terence McNally. From the perspective of a historian, are there people to whom you would like to speak while you have the chance?

EC: Absolutely! There are so many people, especially in the second wave of activists within the Gay Liberation Front. Especially women, lesbians in particular, who were really struggling with a movement, especially within the Gay Liberation Front that was so male-dominated and so misogynistic that they were confronted with having to choose between a male-dominated gay liberation movement or the women’s liberation movement.

I think that struggle is something that needs to have a lot more books written about it. Many figures are still alive, like Eva Freund, who’s a veteran of the Mattachine Washington. Martha Shelley, who was one of the founding members of the Gay Liberation Front. Nancy Tucker, who created The Washington Blade. They’re all around and so happy to talk [laughs]. I’m so happy I got to talk to them for this book, but they also deserve their own books. Martha Shelley was in the same biology class at Bronx Science with Stokely Carmichael! You can’t make that up. These stories need to be written.

GS: With that in mind, have you started to think about your next book project?

EC: I have a few ideas. I’ll be honest, I’m currently living in Los Angeles, so I have a passion for making history entertaining and accessible rather than staying within academia.

I’m very grateful that I was trained as an academic, but I think now I want to use those tools of research in rigor and bring them to the masses. Especially sharing archival materials is a big passion of mine. Open sourcing materials that are otherwise held behind paywalls or institutions. One thing I’m working on with a non-profit in D.C. is open sourcing all the digitized documents that formed the backbone of my book. If you go to thedeviantsarchive.org you can access over 100,000 pages of documents ranging from Frank’s papers to FBI files. I hope that people read the book and become inspired by Frank’s story, and everyone else who’s in the book. A lot of these archives are closed now because of the pandemic. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in doing the research for themselves — you don’t have to have a Ph.D. to start researching history. Anyone can do it.

Anyone can write an article or highlight a certain document, and it should be open and accessible to all.

GS: Finally, we started the interview with your mention of the movie “Milk.” If there was a movie made of “The Deviant’s War,” who would you want to play Kameny?

EC: [Laughs] that’s a very difficult question. He had a very distinctive voice; very loud and nasal. Very staccato as Jack Nichols would describe it. It really would depend. It would have to be a classically trained actor. It would take months of dialect training of some sort in order to be able to capture his New York accent, plus just his style of speaking. So. I really can’t even begin… but I would say I think it’s so important that if it is ever adapted, and for any LGBT story that is adapted, it needs to be someone who is within our community. Someone who is LGBTQ+. I think that’s non-negotiable. : :

life

Our People: Quen Williams Artist, Healer, Activist

BY Mykah Buff | QNotes Staff Writer

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I use my poetry to overcome hatred and intolerance of racial injustice by expressing all perspectives, with raw emotions and words that cut deep which speak directly to the issue.

harlotte native Quen Williams, better known by her persona and preferred name Minx, is a Queen City queer-artist who uses poetry and spoken word to express her pro-feministic views. Williams began writing poetry at the age of nine by composing haikus (short-form Japanese poems) about nature, which she says was the first style and genre of poetry that she was initially drawn to.

Minx, now 37, says the majority of poetry that she has written in the last couple of years is a unique genre she refers to as sensual poetry. “In the last two years, I’ve become more sensually expressive,” says Minx. “It became a kind of artistic realm that allowed me to feel liberated,” she added.

Minx says that by using poetry as an outlet to talk about the things that made her feel happy, free, comfortable and relaxed, she was able to experience a type of freedom. “I would write about sensual things that would ordinarily tip-toe around in my head,” she says. qnotes had the pleasure of sitting down with Minx to learn a little more about her poetry and what kinds of things she draws from for inspiration. The poet also shared a few other details about her life outside her art as well.

Can you describe your persona ShesMinx and what it means to you?

Minx is my sensual alter ego. She is about liberation through freedom of expression and stimulating the mind to think outside the ordinary and the soul to seek the unfamiliar by pushing the envelope through poetry and the art of spoken word.

What are some of your favorite venues for spoken word performances?

I have performed at a few places in Charlotte, N.C., however, La’wans Soul food restaurant is a local, and black-owned establishment which I’ve performed at that also has spent a lot of energy and resources serving the community and the youth of our community during the stress of the coronavirus. Lit Lounge is another space I’ve performed in; the staff was very welcoming and kind to every artist performing, and I didn’t have to pay a dime to perform or get in. I will say that there aren’t enough LGBTQ+ safe venues within the Charlotte community that host spoken word for artists like myself, so I am still looking for that special place, and I’m hoping to connect with an establishment soon for an LGBTQ+ sensual spoken word night!

What medium do you primarily use to showcase your poetry?

I usually use IG (Instagram) to showcase my poetry. I’ve also, due to the lack of the type of venues I’d like to host shows in and financial resources, curated a sensual spoken-word podcast called, Wordgasms Podcast, which you can find on anchor.fm through GooglePlay and App Store! The link is in

What are some significant themes or messages conveyed in your poetry?

The themes conveyed in my poetry are self-love, healing, survival, lesbian sex, spirituality, perspectives of society through the eyes of a black lesbian woman and religion.

Can you explain your use of the portmanteau “Wordgasms?”

My use of Wordgasms is to place emphasis on how words can stimulate you sensually and mentally. It’s about a mental climax, a peak in the sparks communicating to create brainwaves to open your train of thought and clear your tunnel vision. It is a play on words that works so well.

my IG BIO! Wordgasms Podcast has become my new haven of expression. I have taken full power by creating a safe space for all creatives on a remote level which showcases not only poetry by myself but by other spoken word artists like myself along with indie music artists.

What initially inspired you to start writing poetry?

I was initially inspired to write poetry because I was an imaginative, introverted child who wanted to express herself in ways that, hopefully, people could understand. I’ve been writing since I was nine years old.

Has the Black Lives Matter movement influenced your poetry at all? If so, how?

Absolutely! Poetry has always been a way of expressing my fear, hurt and pain. Black lives being taken away unlawfully with no justice served not only inspired me to write a poem which you can find on my poetry page, shesminx, called “Fed Up,” but you can also find it on Wordgasms Podcast along with an entire episode called “Hear Us,” which is dedicated to the struggle by black people experiencing the struggle.

How do you use your poetry as a tool to overcome the hatred and intolerance of racial injustice?

Can you tell me about your poem related to the death of Ahmaud Arbery?

My poem “Fed Up” speaks specifically to the social climate by speaking in the first person initially and addressing how I feel that “white America” loves black culture, black hair, black booty, black lips and all that makes us cosmetically fashionable but do not love black people as a whole. I break it down all the way to the harassment in stores and purposely ignoring the racial injustice done to us and our cries for change. It speaks also directly to “Black America” reminding us how beautifully strong we are, regardless of the seemingly purpose oversight of a pattern of murder and injustice, a society who loves everything about us but us.

Do you prefer to type or handwrite your poetry?

I actually speak my poetry into an audio app and then edit the text. It seems that the pen and pad or keyboard and screen creates a disconnect and get in the way of my thoughts. I try to stay away from writing or typing poetry to keep it in its rawest and most authentic form.

What do you enjoy doing for fun?

For fun I love to spend time with family, read books, walk in nature alone, meditate and long rides with people who calm me. I love things that keep me grounded. Peace means so much to me, my peace is my fun.

What are some of your favorite places to dine or have a drink in the Charlotte area?

My favorite places to dine, well a few, because I’m such a foodie: Portofinos, La’wans Soul Food, Pinky’s, Jack Beagles, Bad Daddy’s, Chicken King on West Blvd., and Mert’s! I guess my favorite place to drink is anywhere that has good drinks.

I’m definitely a Jack and Ginger kinda gal. : :

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