QNotes, August 7, 2020

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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Aug. 7-20, 2020

inside this issue

Aug. 7-20, 2020 Vol 35 No 08

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feature 10 Community Calls for Investigation of MeckPAC

contributors this issue

Mykah Buff, Jack Kirven, Dr. Mehri McKellar, Matt Martin, Lainey Millen, Jesse Monteagudo, Chris Rudisill, Trinity, Jessica Yañez

front page

Graphic Design by Chris Rudisill Photograph: qnotes staff

news

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

Actor and social action advocate Phillips Keene uses his time and talents to help others in need.

5 The 2020 Democratic Primaries 6 Protections After Bostock 6 HUD, Trans, Shelters 6 Bi Reproductive Health 6 News Briefs

Mission:

The focus of QNotes is to serve the LGBTQ and straight ally communities of the Charlotte region, North Carolina and beyond, by featuring arts, entertainment, news and views content in print and online that directly enlightens, informs and engages the readers about LGBTQ life and social justice issues.

An Interview with Phillip Keene

a&e 14 16

Interview: Phillip Keene Tell Trinity

life 8 Lunch Boxes of Love 13 Airports and Travel During the Pandemic 17 Health & Wellness: Fruit is Nature’s Candy 19 Our People: Matt Davis

views 4 COVID-19’s Impact on Ending the HIV Epidemic 7 Coronavirus Journal 15 Legal Eagles: From the Softball Field to the Supreme Court

events Our calendar will return once events begin again.

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Navitating the World of Travel During COVID-19

Careful planning, diligence to following protocols are what’s needed in taking to the skies while the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

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Aug. 7-20, 2020

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COVID-19’s Impact on Ending the HIV Epidemic Op-Ed

BY Dr. Mehri McKellar & Matt Martin | Guest Contributors

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hese days are indeed scary and unpredictable, yet there is hope. People are leveraging their skills at innovation and adaptation to find ways to work safely and stay well at home. We are connecting in new ways and with new people as we endeavor to get through this together. These responses illustrate our ability to face crises with determination, compassion and creativity.

And yet, we cannot overlook COVID19’s negative impacts. Disparities in access to medical care are more visible now, and the need for policies to ensure equitable access to healthcare and treatment are required. Compensation of essential workers, especially in healthcare, is inadequate and must be addressed. And research, harm reduction programs and treatment options have been disrupted, putting Americans at risk of developing these conditions, requiring more and more expensive care for them, or dying.

We’re closer than ever to ending the HIV epidemic by ensuring all people living with the disease have access to the medications and services they need, and ramping up prevention efforts to make sure HIV-negative people stay that way. We have the tools to end HIV and we cannot allow the pandemic to threaten this progress. In fact, long-term survivors have told each of us that the situation right now feels similar to the beginning of the HIV epidemic.

Treatment for people living with HIV

To continue the momentum of innovation and creativity in a post-COVID world, we’re going to have to look at treatment and prevention strategies with new insight and new policy.

Keeping people living with HIV healthy is a crucial component. WIth proper treatment, we can keep a patient’s viral load suppressed so that the amount of HIV in their bodies is so low they can’t pass HIV on to another individual.

Yet for many patients, restrictions related to the novel coronavirus have disrupted their managed care plans required to ensure suppression. Some people living with HIV are at higher risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2, and staying at home reduces the chances of exposure. Unfortunately, this means that people living with HIV or those at risk of HIV may not be attending medical appointments, and many hospitals and clinics have reduced in-person visits to safeguard staff and patients.

While telemedicine provides great advantages, its benefit is severely limited in a rural state like ours where

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a large number of people don’t have a computer, access to the Internet or reliable mobile phone service.

And phone-based visits, while better than nothing, rob providers and patients of things such as non-verbal cues and physical contact that add richness to patient-provider encounters and helps build trusting relationships. In addition, maintaining access to safety-net programs like state-funded and pharmaceutical medication assistance programs often requires patients to have access to email, printers/copiers and fax machines — services they often access during medical encounters. This includes enrollment in services like the state HIV Medication Assistance Program (HMAP), a state program that helps provide folks with low income with their HIV medications. Moving to an online enrollment process for these programs would eliminate many barriers both in accessibility and safety.

Finally, we cannot ignore the mental health impact of the pandemic. Isolation and worry over access to care or paying for it can lead to more serious conditions like anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. These mental and emotional health issues can worsen physical health and the body’s ability to stay healthy, and decrease adherence to medical treatments like medication regimens.

Prevention and harm reduction

The pandemic is also affecting our ability to prevent new cases of HIV. We must continue to ensure access

to medications that help HIV-negative people stay that way. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a once-daily pill that reduces the chances of becoming HIV positive to almost zero. PostExposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is taken after an encounter that may have led to HIV transmission (think of it as the Plan-B of HIV.) Keeping PrEP accessible is particularly important for reducing new HIV diagnoses for adolescents, who make up 1 in 5 of all new cases in 2018 (the most recent year data is available). A scant 1.5 percent of eligible young people nationally are currently using PrEP. Access to these drugs was challenging for some people even before the pandemic because they had difficulty finding PrEP prescribers in their area.

With reduced access to healthcare providers — whether because of disruptions to clinic operations or patients’ fears about engaging with the medical system at this time — some people will undoubtedly forego getting a prescription. For those with adequate technology, telemedicine services may be an adequate solution but we also need new and easier ways for people to access PrEP and PEP services and must think strategically and thoughtfully about how at home STI testing (both blood and extragenital samples) are administered.

Several states have approved or are exploring options to train pharmacists to prescribe PEP and PrEP. Pharmacies are well-positioned in most North Carolina communities and would make it easier for people to secure these important interventions. Pharmacies could play a key role in reducing burden and barriers for folks who may not be able to see a provider due to the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond).

We have seen the strain that COVID-19 has put on our medical system. It is time that our policy makers at the North Carolina General Assembly and Department of Health and Human Services write a standing order for the state for PEP to increase access to these critical services through pharmacist distribution.

We have the tools to end the HIV epidemic in North Carolina. Our efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic can work in tandem to address the HIV epidemic as well. : : Dr. Mehri McKellar, M.D. is associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine, and infectious disease specialist at Duke University Medical Center. Matt Martin is grassroots advocacy manager at NC AIDS Action Network.

news

The 2020 Democratic Primaries Primary Watch: Recapping the Primary Season of Biblical Proportions

BY Mykah Buff | QNotes Staff Writer

The 2020 Democratic primaries for the U.S. presidency have been a series of contests that resulted in an unprecedented primary season of biblical proportions. The majority of the competitions this year were carried out while the United States was also fighting against the threat of a virus that has already claimed the lives of thousands of Americans, as well as creating a surge of adverse situations across the country.

Overall, there were 29 major Democratic presidential candidates in the 2020 election, and for six weeks around July 2019, 25 of these had active campaigns simultaneously. On April 8, Former Vice President Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee after Sen. Bernie Sanders, the only other major candidate left, suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden a few days later. In early June 2020, Biden passed the threshold of 1,991 delegates to gain the nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention to be held later in August in Wisconsin.

April 7, Wisconsin: The Cheese State received a great deal of backlash after holding its scheduled in-person primary, which was advised against for health concerns related to COVID-19. Gov. Tony Evers made efforts to postpone the state’s primary until July 9 and to extend the deadline for mail-in and absentee ballots but was rebuffed.

Among other things, accessibility to voting polls was a major issue, according to Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David.

He noted that transgender and black voters were at a significant disadvantage due to the limited access to voting polls in urban areas, as well many voters not having received their absentee ballots despite requesting them in a timely manner.

Former Vice President Joe Biden secured the necessary delegate count during primary season to capture the Democratic Party nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY-SA Generic 2.0 license)

Feb 3, Iowa: While the 2020 Democratic primary elections have been shaken by the threat and devastation of COVID-19, the primary season commenced by marking a significant moment in history for LGBTQ America, as Pete Buttigieg became the very first openly-gay candidate to win the Iowa Caucus. This represents how far the LGBTQ community has come in recent decades. Even before Buttigieg’s victory, to simply have an openly-gay individual run for president shows that attitudes in the U.S. toward diversity and the idea of having diverse presidential candidates are changing.

Feb 11, New Hampshire: New Hampshire’s primary was a semi-closed primary where only Democrats and independent voters were able to cast their votes. The state provided 33 delegates to the national convention, 24 of whom are pledged delegates based on the outcome of the primary. The remaining nine delegates are unpledged delegates (super delegates) pre-selected independently of the primary results. Sanders won the New Hampshire primary with 25.6 percent of the vote.

Feb. 22, Nevada: Looking back now, the idea of Sanders suspending his race so soon did not seem very likely at the time. The Nevada Caucus was the third contest to take place where Sanders won against the now-presumptive Democratic nominee Biden, despite irregularities following the release of the caucus results.

Sanders won by a substantial margin, as no other candidate had crossed the 15 percent vote threshold within the entire state.

Feb. 29, South Carolina: Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, which was the fourth competition and netted him with 39 of the 64 delegates in his climb to the his party’s nomination. Sanders received 15.

Super Tuesday — March 3, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia: Super Tuesday has traditionally played a significant role in the primaries by allotting the highest number of delegates (1,344) to the Democratic party’s National Convention, as well as also being an opportunity for candidates to win up to one-third of the total number of delegates (4,765). The smorgasbord of competitions this year resulted in Biden securing his position as the new frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primaries by winning 10 out of the 14 states who participated in contests that day.

March 17, Ohio: Ohio’s primary elections were originally scheduled to take place on March 17 but were postponed just hours before voting polls were to open in response to the public health crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus threat. Gov. Mike DeWine changed the date for all in-person voting in Ohio to be carried out on June 2 but this was eventually changed to a mailin-only voting system as a result of a statewide stay-athome order.

March 17, Arizona, Florida, Illinois: The process of the Democratic nomination continued on March 17 with three Democratic primaries and caucuses being held in Arizona, Florida and Illinois. In the midst of the current crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the exception of Ohio postponing their primary, the Democratic primaries scheduled for March 17 were carried out on schedule. Biden took all three, with 41 percentage points in Florida, 28.4 percentage points in Illinois and 23.8 percentage points in Arizona, and winning at least 239 delegates compared to Bernie Sanders winning 102. Following his wins of all three of the primaries held on March 17, Biden spoke from his Wilmington, Del. home, saying, “his campaign had a very good night,” and also spoke on the coronavirus crisis, telling Americans that, “it’s important to get through this crisis protecting both the public health and our democracy.”

April 4, Wyoming: The Wyoming caucuses were originally scheduled to take place on April 4 but were canceled and held using ranked-choice mail-in voting. The ballot drop-off and mail-in due dates were originally April 4, but with the threat of COVID-19, the state removed the ballot drop-off option and changed the caucuses to mail-in-only voting. An extended deadline of April 17 was also provided to allow more voters the opportunity to participate in the primaries. When the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries began in Iowa on Feb. 3 there were 24 candidates, and by the Wyoming caucuses, there was only one candidate left in the race to the Democratic nomination for U.S. president.

April 4, Alaska: The Alaska Democratic primary was scheduled to take place on April 4 but moved to April 10, but like Wyoming, canceled all in-person voting opting to mail-in-only voting. Biden also took Alaska’s Democratic primary winning 55.3 percent of the vote to 44.7 percent

by Sanders.

May 2, Kansas: Kansas held mail-in voting from March 20 through April 24, but also held an in-person primary on May 2, which was also the state’s very first primary, as the state had previously held caucuses. Biden took the Kansas Democratic primary at 76.9 percent.

Sanders, who suspended his campaign and was now endorsing Biden, won the remaining 23.1 percent.

May 12, Nebraska: While primaries had become a challenging endeavor amid the state of emergency the U.S. is currently under, Nebraska demonstrated fortitude in the face of a global pandemic by holding a successful and record-breaking primary election. Biden won the state’s Democratic primary at 76.9 percent.

May 22, Hawaii: Voting for the Hawaii primary was done entirely by mail with the final day being May 22. The state’s primary was originally scheduled to take place on April 4 but was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Biden won the Aloha state’s primary with 63.2 percent of the final vote. Sanders took the remaining 36.8 percent of the state’s vote.

June 2, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington D.C: In the midst of nationwide hysteria with sprees of protests ensuing all over the country, the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries for seven states and Washington D.C. were in the works. Coined as the second Super Tuesday, seven states and the District of Columbia carried out contests which some states had already postponed in response to COVID-19. After the results from the competitions were released, it was announced that Biden had become the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election.

June 23, New York, Kentucky: Despite Biden’s lack of need for more delegates, he won the Empire State’s primary as well as Kentucky’s. Biden led by 56 percent of the vote in Kentucky compared to 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.

July 7, Delaware, New Jersey: The Delaware Democratic primary was originally scheduled to take place on April 28 and then June 2. At this point, Biden had already received 2,144 delegates and only needed 1,991 delegates in order to qualify to win the party nomination. The New Jersey Democratic primary is a semiclosed primary, with the state awarding 147 delegates, of which 126 are pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the results of the primary. Biden won Delaware’s primary against his two opponents — Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. : :

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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Briefs

news More Anti-Discrimination Protections Possible After Bostock

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A new report by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law finds that millions of LGBTQ individuals could gain additional non-discrimination protections if courts interpret state laws consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County.

In Bostock, the court held that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Courts have often looked to Title VII case law when interpreting similar provisions in other federal and state laws that apply to housing, public accommodations, education and other settings.

In the current study, researchers analyzed state sex non-discrimination laws in states without statutes that expressly bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They also estimated the number of LGBT people in each state who stand to gain protections under these laws.

“State laws remain an important source of protection for LGBT people even though Bostock guarantees federal protections in employment,” said lead author Christy Mallory, the legal director at the Williams Institute. “Many state non-discrimination laws are broader in scope than Title VII, and many of them protect people from discrimination based on sex in settings where federal law does not, such as public accommodations.”

“There are six states in the country where LGBT people stand to gain comprehensive state-level protections, as these states already have laws that expressly prohibit discrimination based on sex, but not sexual orientation and gender identity, in all five of the settings we analyzed,” said co-author Luis A. Vasquez, the Renberg Law Fellow at the Williams Institute. “These states include Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.”

The full report is available online at bit.ly/30mQQnM. info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu.

— Compiled by Lainey Millen

HUD Aims To Reverse Protections for Homeless Transgender People Accessing Shelters

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released a proposed rule that aims to revise the Equal Access rule, which requires HUD-funded housing services to be provided without discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The new rule, if finalized, would allow homeless shelters to deny transgender people access to single-sex and sex-segregated shelters that align with their gender identity.

“Poverty and homelessness disproportionately impact transgender people, particularly transgender people of color and youth. This rule, if finalized, would negatively impact an already vulnerable population during a period of economic downturn,” said Luis Vasquez, Renberg Law Fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. “In addition, the rule authorizes shelters to consider a list of physical characteristics when determining an individual’s sex for admission into a sex-segregated or single-sex facility—an approach that could seriously impact people who don’t conform to gender stereotypes, even if they aren’t transgender.”

“Research shows that there is a cumulative effect of experiencing multiple minority stressors, such as discrimination, economic insecurity, and violence, which is associated with dramatically higher prevalence of suicide thoughts and attempts among transgender people,” said Jody Herman, Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “This rule may increase minority stress and related health impacts for those who are already facing challenging circumstances.” info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu.

— Compiled by Lainey Millen

Reproductive Health of Bisexual Women, Girls Needs Greater Attention

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Over 48 million people of reproductive age who were assigned as female at birth currently use contraceptives, including up to 3.9 million cisgender sexual minority women and transgender adults, according to new analyses by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. More than one in 10 (13.1 percent) of high school girls and 6.2 percent of women ages 18-49 selfidentify as bisexual. Research shows that unplanned pregnancies are more common among bisexual women than their heterosexual peers. Among women ages 15-44, the odds of an unwanted pregnancy are 1.75 times greater for bisexually identified women than their heterosexual peers.

“Comprehensive sexual health assessments that ask all patients about partners, practices, and protections are critical to prevent unplanned pregnancies for many in the LGBT community,” said lead study author Kerith J. Conron, the Blachford-Cooper Distinguished Scholar and research director at the Williams Institute. “Access to free or low-cost contraceptives is particularly important to groups within the community that disproportionately experience poverty — including bisexual women, transgender people, and LGBT people of color, as well as LGBT youth who are economically dependent on caregivers.”

The Supreme Court recently found unconstitutional a law requiring doctors who provide abortions in Louisiana to have hospital admissions privileges.

Researchers estimate that the recent court decision ensured access to abortions for an estimated one million people of reproductive age assigned female sex at birth (15-49) in Louisiana, including approximately 86,000 cisgender sexual minority women and transgender adults — the majority of whom are bisexual and people of color.

An estimated 2.7 million cisgender sexual minority women and transgender adults live in the 21 states that require doctors to have admissions privileges at local hospitals; have enacted requirements for admitting privileges that are not currently in effect, or have a governor and legislature opposed to abortion. info: bit.ly/2Pn3eO9.

— Compiled by Lainey Millen

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In Memoriam: Sarah Belk Gambrell

The Charlotte community is mourning the death of philanthropist Sarah Belk Gambrell who died on July 30 at the age of 102, The Charlotte Observer reported.

She was the only daughter of Belk retail chain founder William Henry Belk. In 2017, Gambrell lent her family’s name to the cause of Charlotte’s LGBTQ community and announced a $1.5 million foundation gift to help build North Carolina’s first homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth.

The money helped Time Out Youth Center to buy and renovate an office building as a support hub, including the shelter, for LGBTQ youth.

info: bit.ly/3a3t5EB.

Grant program awards partners

The City of Charlotte is in the process of awarding $30 million Access to Capital Small Business Recovery Program grants through the federal CARES Act. Recipients are getting awards through the Foundation for the Carolinas as the grant-making partner in the amount of $10,000-$25,000 depending upon the number of individuals that are employed by a business. Applications are being reviewed randomly each day as opposed to a first-come, first-served basis. Eligibility is based upon a number of factors such as the affects from the COVID-19 pandemic on the business, among others. Those receiving the grants fall into the following demographics: Race/Ethnicity — black or African-American (60 percent), white (24 percent), Asian (5 percent), Hispanic or Latino (8 percent), other (2 percent), American Indian or Alaskan Native (.8 percent) and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (.3 percent): Sex — Male (51 percent) and Female (49 percent); Micro/ Small — Micro (94 percent) and Small (6 percent). Partner grantees receiving funds were: ASPIRE Community Capital ($30,000); Carolina Small Business Development Fund ($250,000); Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce ($146,525); Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce ($200,000); Grameen America ($250,000); Historic North Charlotte Neighborhood Assoc. ($150,000); Historic West End Partners ($250,000); Latin American Chamber of Commerce ($244,840); National Black MBA Association ($113,528); Prospera ($150,000); Small Business & Technology Development Center ($50,000); and Women’s Business Center of Charlotte ($161,500).

info: fftc.org/CLTcitygrant.

Musical grants to assist arts programs

Music Everywhere CLT in partnership with FAIR PLAY Music Equity Initiative and Tosco Music have announced the expansion of the Charlotte Music Community Relief Fund. This grant program was designed to help members of the Charlotte music community, with an emphasis on independent performing or recording artists, with loss of income due to COVID-19. Now, with the help of United Way/Foundation For the Carolinas COVID-19 Response Fund and a successful community campaign, additional grant-making capacity is available. Since its launch in April, the campaign has amassed a combined $69,000 and has made 79 grants totaling $39,500. Applications are available online at bit.ly/2BTGFgW. A similar program to support artists is being offered in the Triad area through ARTS Greensboro.

Visit their website to learn more.

info: musiceverywhereclt.com/relieffund. bit.ly/30oZhPr.

see next page u

Bezos opens donations for anti-LGBTQ groups

Metro Weekly reported that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has opened the door through Amazon Smile to receive contributions from antLGBTQ groups. The news organization also shared that Amazon implied that they would seek other options for gaining information other than the Southern Poverty Law Center when questioned by Rep. Matt Gaetz during a recent antitrust hearing on Capitol Hill.

info: bit.ly/2PnIAxA.

S.C. community continues engagement With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aiken, S.C.’s PFLAG chapter has maintained its service to the LGBTQ community by making available online forums. It is part of the Central Savannah River Area which also serves Augusta, Ga. and others in the geographical areas.

with HIV in our state,” said Lee Storrow, executive director of the network. “The program provides access to HIV medicine for thousands of residents of our states, and serves as a gateway to PrEP for low-income residents of our state who want to make sure they stay HIV negative.

As our state debates further opportunities for Medicaid, we should also celebrate its success in keeping our residents healthy for more than 50 years.” Medicaid is the number one health provider for people living with HIV in the United States. Medicaid provides people living with HIV in North Carolina access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, which leads to higher viral suppression rates and better health outcomes.

Recent studies have shown that people living with HIV that have comprehensive health coverage have better viral suppression rates than people just accessing their HIV medication, the organization shared.

info: bit.ly/30nbRi0.

info: ncaan.org.

NCAAN celebrates Medicaid birthday

Affinity offers free curbside COVID-19 testing

The North Carolina AIDS Action Network celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Medicaid program on July 30 with an online celebration featuring statements from Greenville residents and medical providers applauding the importance and successes of the program throughout the community. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments into law on July 30, 1965, creating Medicaid as the bedrock program providing health access for lowincome people across America. “The Medicaid program is a critical safety net for people living

Affinity Health Center is now offering free curbside COVID-19 testing throughout York County.

The center will test at First Baptist Church in Clover on Aug. 7 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It will also continue testing in Clover on the first Friday of each month and in York at Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church on the 3rd Friday of each month, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Updates on testing sites and schedule are available online at facebook.com/ affinityhealthcenter.

info: affinityhealthcenter.org.

Sheriff’s deputy denied survivor’s benefits

Broward Sheriff’s deputy Shannon Bennett’s family has been denied insurance benefits covering his death in April from COVID-19, Queerty reported. AIG denied the accidental death claim in the line of duty. The Sheriff’s Office joined the family in protesting the claim denial. “According to AIG, Bennett’s death didn’t occur in the line of duty; ‘rather, his death was caused in whole or in part by, or resulted in whole or in part from sickness or disease, specifically excluded under this policy,’” Queerty added.

info: bit.ly/3fsu5D7.

Crowdsourcing campaign targets minorities

The Where Freedom Grows GoFundMe campaign was launched to raise monies to create a safe space for “Queer, Black and Brown folks” in the Whitakers, N.C. area. A N.C. native named Carlin created the fund in order to acquire a patch of land that had fallen out of their family’s possession 48 years ago. “The history of the land is one of slavery, of Black resiliency, and of the bittersweet fight for freedom,” Minerva shared.

Over $100,000 was raised in the original funding solicitation. “We are looking forward to creating a safe space for our people (TGNC, Queer, BIPOC organizers, artists, teachers, healers and those who might just need to get loved on for a while) to come rest, dream, and strategize.,” organizers

added. A cash offer was presented to the bank and was countered by a higher price.

So far, the tract has not been secured.

info: bit.ly/2Dg1YtP.

Foundation expands scholarship outreach

Driven by its commitment to diversifying the video game industry, Entertainment Software Association Foundation announced scholarship awards to 25 women, minority and LGBTQ college students earning a computer science or video game arts and science-related degree. Scholars receive financial and non-monetary support, including access to influential industry figures and mentors. Among the recipients was Sloane Miller of North Carolina A&T State University.

info: esafoundation.org.

Is it really ‘gay’ ice cream?

The daily.LGBT reported that there was a “panic” in Russia due to Chistaya Liniya’s new rainbow ice cream flavor. The Union of Women’s chair was accused of “promoting homosexuality” after it launched the product.

Now it appears that there is backlash and a call to Vladimir Putin to ban it. The company that manufactures the product shared that the flavor was created to showcase sunshine after rain and not an association with the LGBTQ community, adding that the company was pro “traditional values.”

info: bit.ly/31ipVsf.

Coronavirus Journal Jesse’s Journal

BY Jesse Monteagudo | Guest Contributor

A

few weeks ago, my boyfriend Ron and I left town and spent a weekend at Vitambi Springs, the popular wilderness resort and campground near Clewiston, Fla. for rest and relaxation. Not surprisingly, Vitambi Springs had changed to fit the new normal. The once-popular Bolo Café and Bongo Bar were closed; and Vitambi discouraged its guests from treating the resort as a party or a playground. The few of us who were there kept our social distance from each other, even at the clothing-optional swimming pool and at the Saturday night bonfire. But there is a pandemic going on and sacrifices must be made, for our sake and the sake of our fellow campers. Even so, Ron is my favorite person and Vitambi Springs is my favorite place and a weekend with Ron at Vitambi makes me happy no matter what the circumstances are.

Back home, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc with our lives, our economy and our culture. Personally, I have much to be grateful for. Not only was I fortunate enough to avoid the virus (thus far), but I have been able to lead a close-to-normal life, unlike some of my friends. Though

much of my social life is virtual (thanks to Zoom), I still go out to shop, to exercise at the gym, visit friends, eat at restaurants and spend time with Ron. In each case I try my best to obey the protocols; to wear my face masks and observe social distance. Speaking of face masks, there are so many unusual and colorful masks out there that it is hard to keep up with them. Even so, I will try my best to collect as many of them as time, money and common sense would allow. I will be a face mask model; and each time I acquire a new mask I will take a selfie and post it on Facebook. (It sure beats dancing in my underwear for Tik Tok.) I await your suggestions.

Meanwhile, my home state of Florida has become the new epicenter for COVID-19, which is nothing to brag about. Misgoverned as we are by our Trumpist Gov. Ron Desantis, Floridians came out of hiding all too soon, crowding our beaches and bars and clubs and restaurants

and swimming pools. Local efforts to restrict unsafe behavior do not seem to do much good, and it is only a matter of time before the Sunshine State goes back into lockdown.

(We might be in a lockdown by the time you read this article.) I hope not. A second lockdown will damage our economy and drive most small businesses out of existence.

But life goes on, and the United States of America is headed towards a momentous election, if not a second civil war. The American people are divided on virtually everything, even the way we deal with this pandemic. Most of our leaders from the White House to the doghouse seem woefully inadequate to do their jobs in a year when we face multiple troubles: economic crisis, racial unrest, climate change and, of course, COVID-19. We need leaders who will guide us through these and other disasters. So, stay healthy, put on your face masks and VOTE. : :

Aug. 7-20, 2020

qnotes

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life

Lunch Boxes of Love

Raleigh LGBTQ Church Supports Those in Need During the Pandemic

By Chris Rudisill | QNotes Contributor

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in 10 LGBTQ people were reportedly unemev. Vance Haywood welcomed ployed and the overall LGBTQ population is congregants during a livestreamed more likely to live in poverty than straight service on a Sunday. In a green chaor cisgender people. suble, he spoke about the challenges of St. John’s MCC has a strong relationship coming together during a pandemic and with the LGBT Center of Raleigh because of welcomed viewers even beyond North that need. Case managers and peer supCarolina. “We’re in this work together,” he porters help people get housing support said before sitting quietly, hands crossed when those resources are available, and at a distance behind Rev. Paully Adams the two regularly reach out to each other by who delivered a sermon about reclaiming phone to help members of the community. the power of prayer.

Transgender people have been especially hit “Pastor Vance” or just “Vance,” as hard by the pandemic. “Our trans commuHaywood prefers, became the fifth pastor nity typically gets escalated rather quickly,” of St. John’s MCC in February 2018. He’s says Haywood. “We know, particularly for never been big on titles. The church, situattrans people of color and the numbers who ed in the Southern Gateway of downtown are killed each year for simply being who Raleigh, began as a small group in 1976. they are, we have to try to make sure they Across the street, large historically-inspired get what they need.” The church has also homes are being built and three bus recently partnered with another organizastops are just a short distance away along tion that addresses substance abuse to help Maywood Ave. people who need those services.

As the coronavirus has shuttered They’ve seen an increase from the shelters throughout Wake County, St. church side as well, noting that several John’s has stepped up their services with LGBTQ people have had to return to homes their partners at the Love Wins Community that may not be supportive environments Engagement Center. Their mission reads because of lack of income or university and “using a mind, body and spirit approach, college shutdowns. St. John’s continues to we provide day shelter, hot meals and offer pastoral care to people as the need peer support for people experiencing increases. Most of the people connecting homelessness.” According to the National with the church for support services are Alliance to End Homelessness, 970 people Volunteers work to fulfill food pantry and meal options for the Love Wins Community Engagement from outlying areas, at least a 40-minute are without a place to sleep on any given social action project. (Photo Credit: St. John’s MCC) drive outside of Raleigh. For some in outlynight in Wake County. With rising uneming rural areas — the church and center are ployment and limited resources brought the only lifeline left. on by COVID-19, that number is expected people who identify as high risk have been placed in hotels.

Before COVID-19, Haywood did a survey of individuals to increase.

At one point, they were serving between 70 and 80 people based on individual conversations and found that about 67 Five days a week, the center serves hot meals and every night. In addition, about 80-90 families receive grocerpercent of the people served identified as LGBTQ. “I was abkeeps its building open for people in need. “The first ies from a food pantry each week that is meant to provide solutely astounded,” says Haywood. recommendations early on were to shut down,” says them with a couple of weeks of food.

“I never would have imagined that it Haywood. “If we shut down then, suddenly, we would stop Showers and computers are available on an was that high.” On several levels, it food services for folks who come up here every week.” The appointment basis. A peer support specialist at makes sense. As Haywood explains, church hoped to fill the gap left by others who had made the church and volunteers help guide people people often go to the first stereothe decision to close for one reason or another. Many of through the process of accessing services or type they hit, in a lot of cases that’s those locations donated food to St. John’s. checking benefits like the federal stimulus prothe homeless stereotype. “They The center follows strict guidelines. With a Coronavirus gram or Supplemental Security Income. After didn’t take time to realize this is also Task Force in place, they made the decision to take the each appointment, they clean the area, wiping someone who is queer,” he says. guidelines put out by the Centers for Disease Control down and sanitizing all surfaces to prepare for “That is likely one of the reasons (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services the next person to come in. that they are homeless, because (DHHS), then amplify them to make sure they were followthey faced great adversity or didn’t ing the best practices and protocols. have a support system there.” These “Let’s figure out how we do this and do it the right way,” conversations have enabled him says Haywood who offers to share what the church has Metropolitan Community Church, fondly and others at the Center to create learned to other communities that want to do the same. “I known as MCC, was founded in 1968, a year St. John’s MCC pastor Rev. a more open dialogue with people wish we’d had someone to talk to when we started this thing.” before the Stonewall Uprising in New York. A Vance Haywood shares his throughout the community. “This is The task force trains all volunteers and staff, and conseries of events in Southern California resulted compassion by caring for those something you need to be thinking tinues to update based on new information. Since the panin the birth of the world’s first church led by who have been affected by the about,” says Haywood. demic started, they’ve and for LGBTQ people, with COVID-19 pandemic.

St. John’s and Love Wins have had to stop dining in Rev. Troy Perry at the helm. recently brought on a volunteer options, offering to-go Today, 43,000 members in grant writer to seek additional support for their work. meals instead. They pay almost 300 congregations are a part of While they haven’t received any federal support yet, they close attention to the MCC in 22 countries. did apply for the federal SBA loans once they opened for bus schedule, realizing While St. John’s serves anyone in the non-profits. All the support has been from the community that people come in for community, redardless of their identity, and Haywood is centered around that approach to build a a hot meal and need a Haywood says that added stressors of different form of support for people. place to eat before the the pandemic have caused an increase “We get caught up looking at how much food we give next bus arrives. They in the numbers of LGBTQ people they out, or how many meals we serve, but the most imporset up tables outside are seeing throughout the day. More tant part of all of it, is creating a community and building and volunteers clean than five million LGBTQ people work in relationships with people,” he says. “That part is the most them after each use. jobs that are more likely to have been critical. By the time people are experiencing homelessness Haywood estimates impacted by COVID-19, according to a they’ve had all that taken from them.” that they are serving policy brief released earlier this year According to the church’s website, they’ve served 16,384 about 600 meals every by the Human Rights Campaign. This meals in 2020, compared to the 8,925 served in all of 2019. week, with dinner being includes those working in restaurants As of press time, Congress had yet to approve a second the busiest time. The and food services, hospitals, K-12 and coronavirus relief bill, as enhanced unemployment for milnumbers have gone Love Wins’ Billy cooks out to help feed those in need. higher education, and retail industries. lions of jobless Americans expired at the end of July. : : down a bit as some Even before the pandemic, nearly one

AN LGBTQ CONGREGATION

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qnotes

Aug. 7-20, 2020

Aug. 7-20, 2020

qnotes

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news

Community Calls for Investigation of MeckPAC Chair Matt Comer at the Center of Reporting Scandal

By Chris Rudisill | QNotes Contributor

Matt Comer. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On February 13, the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement sent a termination letter to Mecklenburg LGBTQ, otherwise known as MeckPAC or Mecklenburg LGBT Political Action Committee. The notice states that a 2018 fourth quarter report has yet to be filed.

The report in question is typically due on Jan. 15 each year and covers the time between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 of the previous year.

The certified letter addressed to MeckPAC’s treasurer was returned undeliverable or unclaimed as of March 21. No additional documents have been filed according to a public record search. qnotes staff spoke with the organization’s treasurer and has purposefully omitted his name from this article out of safety concerns that the paper feels are warranted. “There’s a lot of confusion in the community because people think that MeckPAC is gone — that it doesn’t exist anymore.

So, the termination status does not mean the organization is gone; it only means that we cannot receive funds or donations and we cannot spend any funds until everything gets filed.”

The treasurer went on to say that MeckPAC has had numerous conversations with the State Board of Elections and that they are working to get caught up. “We were just late on some filings,” he says. According to our interview, all records including the organization’s financials will be made public following a request from the state.

“We know what mistakes were done and we’re just going to correct them.”

The active status change has stirred up ongoing rumors about mismanagement of funds and the organization’s leadership. Community members have called for an audit, release of financial documents, and even for MeckPAC chair Matt Comer’s resignation.

On July 20, MeckPAC put out a statement apologizing for the “issues regarding our filings” and saying they have heard the concerns and questions from the community. The statement cited difficulty in balancing personal, work, and familial obligations with those of the organization among the remaining board members. MeckPAC has had a difficult time maintaining board members over the past few years. Its board is currently made up of only Comer, the treasurer, and Kadean Maddix. Art Hartsell, Ryan Morrice, and Emily Plauche’, resigned from the board in 2018 and Jamie Hildreth left the board in December 2017 to run for public office.

UBER EATS?

MeckPAC’s statement was quickly met with responses from local activist Janice Covington Allison and Charlotte City Council member LaWana Mayfield, who has been repeatedly endorsed by the organization. Covington Allison, who see next page u

was elected to serve as the Transgender Caucus statewide chair for the North Carolina Democratic Party, told qnotes that she has filed for an investigation into MeckPAC with the Board of Elections.

Holly Newton and Lucille Puckett are the co-complainants. qnotes acquired 2018 bank statements for MeckPAC through an anonymous source and found $183.94 expenditures between May 11 and Dec. 6, 2018 that were questionable. Those included at least 14 Uber trips, two Uber Eats charges and three additional restaurant charges. These expenses have not been reported on any documents filed with the N.C. Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement.

According to the Wells Fargo bank statements, there are two card accounts tied to spending of the organization. All the non-disclosed charges in question are tied to one of those accounts, which Comer has confessed to.

“I’ve called for his (Comer) resignation, not only from MeckPAC, but from all community activities,” says Covington Allison.

North Carolina’s Campaign Finance Manual has very few restrictions on how a PAC may spend its money, but all expenditures must be reported, along with the specific purpose of the expenditure. PACs can incur penalties for late-filed reports and “a report that does not affect a statewide election would be penalized at $50 per day not to exceed $500.” Since 2016, MeckPAC has been penalized a total of five times due to failure to report. All those penalties were appealed except for one that was paid in May 2019 for $50. qnotes also found several inconsistencies with reporting from the time between May and December 2018.

While MeckPAC failed to file a fourth quarter report for 2018, leading to the termination of its active status, they continued to file in 2019 including a mid-year semi-annual report on July 6 and paid the $50 penalty previously mentioned on May 2.

A report filed by MeckPAC on Oct. 29, 2018 lists dates of reporting as July 10 through Oct. 20 of that year. It includes one expenditure, but according to the bank statements that qnotes acquired, there were $118.73 in additional expenses during that time, including some of these questionable charges.

A report filed by MeckPAC on July 11, 2018 lists dates of reporting as April 22 through June 30 of that same year. The only expenditure, listed as a sponsorship to Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce, did not take place until six months later in December 2018, according to the filed report and confirmed by bank statements.

Several expenses during that time were also never disclosed.

Former board member Hildreth first discovered the expenses in December 2018 when he noticed that he had not been removed from MeckPAC’s electronic bank account. He took the information to the remaining board members at that time, along with a request to be removed from the account. They did so in that same month, but never made Hildreth’s inquiry public.

IT WARRANTS A RESPONSE

“We are fully confident that these issues can be appropriately addressed and resolved,” reads the July 20 statement on MeckPAC’s Facebook page.

After qnotes emailed MeckPAC over the weekend, the organization posted another statement to its Facebook page.

“In the reports filed this week you will discover that in 2018, there were some charges drafted from our account made by mistake,” says Comer in the statement.

“Immediately upon discovery by the cardholder, myself, the other Board members were notified, the charges immediately reimbursed, and a CPA consulted to ensure they were accounted for appropriately.”

Comer admits that reports acknowledging these transactions were not filed.

If board members knew, why did they do nothing about it for over a year? As shown above, MeckPAC reported one expenditure during December of 2018, but reported zero contributions.

The reporting period dates also did not match the expenditure.

A mid-year semi-annual report for the first half of 2019 also shows no contributions.

If Comer reimbursed the funds, why fail to report?

According to the documents that qnotes has uncovered, there are a total of 22 charges that come into question.

A PATTERN EMERGES

Comer is well-known in the Charlotte community and has made a history of calling out lack of civic responsibility in the Queen City. He served as editor of qnotes during two periods between 2007 to 2015.

“Matt, as an editor of this newspaper, was known for calling out people and organizations that seem to have lost their way; whether it was financial issues, not filing required documents or losing their 501(c)3 status,” says qnotes publisher Jim Yarbrough. “Now look at who is in the spotlight for the same type of concerns.”

Comer has been the chair of MeckPAC since 2018 and has volunteered or worked for over 14 organizations, according to see MeckPAC on 18

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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life

Airports and Travel During the Pandemic What to Expect When You Fly

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ecently I flew to Houston from Charlotte. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as it was my first trip on American Airlines since COVID-19 began impacting travel. In case you have a trip coming up, and you aren’t sure what is going to be different, here are some observations about that particular experience.

BY Jack Kirven | Contributing Writer they take masks very seriously on board. Everyone was compliant during my flight.

Houston versus Charlotte

Let me be frank: I was afraid for weeks ahead of my trip. At the time, Texas was making some kind of point about not wearing masks or social distancing. My friend there reminded me the day Traffic before my flight that I needed At the end of June going into to wear a mask, “just because Independence Day, there was it’s what you have to do these practically no road traffic. This days.” That dismissive attitude might have changed since then, was disturbing. but my commute from home to Depending on where you Charlotte Douglas was incredibly go, you may find the locals at quick. It actually surprised me; your destination to be more however, I was in for another or less rigorous about taksurprise that I could not have ing precautions against the anticipated at all. And I had heard coronavirus. My experience absolutely no one mention it in in Texas was such that I self conversation or in media. quarantined for two weeks when I finally got home. Do Parking not take for granted that All the long-term parking was people in different places will completely closed. I came around treat the risks as seriously as the bend and faced huge fields of you might. After my isolation, empty pavement. Here and there I returned to work and have were singular vehicles dotting the Air travel in the time of COVID-19 has plenty of challenges as well as unexpected situations which all require careful planning had no problems; however, landscape as if they’d been abanin addition to adherance to personal protection protocols. the way people there treated doned for an episode of “The (Photo Credit: verbaska via Adobe Stock) precautions with anger and Walking Dead.” I had not considcontempt was startling. ered this, and feared I would have aware that small children do not have to wear masks, in Be aware that states may to drive all the way back home, case you are sensitive to being around them. I cannot acclose their borders to each other. From Houston I went to schedule an Uber, wait for that, then come all the way count for it (perhaps it was all the strange people wearing Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Louisiana was finally coming back. That would have cut it dangerously close to boardmasks?), but the children were even more distressed than down from its peak, just as Texas was beginning to crest. ing. At first it looked like Daily Parking was also closed or usual. Small kids don’t generally like airports as it is, but My return flight was out of Houston, but while we were in full, but when I asked a security guard he told me to loop something that day was particularly worrisome for them.

Louisiana we heard Louisiana was going to stop the flow of around and try that anyway. Long Term parking is $7 per traffic in and out of Texas. As a precaution I spent the extra day. Daily is $10. But I didn’t have time for the other op$200 to switch my flight home out of New Orleans. The Boarding tion. I was so relieved that I decided to just pay extra for border closure did not happen, but consider getting two oneAll social distancing is out the door. Just forget it. the 10 days I would be gone. way tickets if you will be traveling between states during your People always make a mad rush for the gate, as if we journey. You might want to plan to fly home from wherever aren’t all going to the exact same place at the exact same Security Queue your last outing takes place, rather than making a circuit all time. If you are sensitive to this proximity to others, be I am happy to say that nearly 100 percent of the people the way back to your point of arrival. aware that you will not be able to avoid the crowding at in the terminal were wearing masks. There were clearly this point. delineated spots spaced out for waiting in line. The person behind me wearing a MAGA hat was purposefully standing Self Quarantine Seating closer behind me than he was supposed to, but I finally cut The journey home was uneventful, and nothing on the If you have heard that American Airlines is keeping him a hard enough look to make him relent. Otherwise, return was different from the departure. I did notice that middle seats open, you can just let go of that expectation everyone was complying with social distancing. Despite people were far more polite at both airports than I had right now: My flight was packed to the gills. I remember the extra spacing, the line wasn’t any longer: Practically anticipated. I think everyone was aware of how additionnow that the gate agents were asking people to take later no one was flying that day. People were coming in slower ally stressful it might be, and so I perceived that everyflights (because the flight was oversold, as per usual). through the scanner, so I was not crowded while recollectone was on their best behavior. It was very considerate.

However, the language was subtly adjusted. They didn’t ing my property from the bins.

Given my trek through Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi announce the flight was full, they said, “This is a busy (places where people “don’t believe in coronavirus” and flight.” Busy. Not full. Busy. “don’t believe in masks”), I felt it was only fair that I stay ID Check and X-Rays There is absolutely no way to socially distance in flight. home for two weeks. If you are traveling to hot spots, When you get to the security agent, they will ask you That will not happen. If you cannot tolerate being close to perhaps you should also plan for that when making your to scan your documents yourself. Once your information people right now, then you should plan for a different mode arrangements? North Carolina generally, and Charlotte comes up, they will ask you to pull your mask all the way of travel. I cannot speak for other airlines, but Charlotte Mecklenburg in particular, have done a comparatively down long enough to check your face. You then immeDouglas is a hub for American Airlines, and all of those good job at keeping our numbers low. It would be a shame diately replace it. The process of taking out electronics, flights are being oversold as if it were any other time. to do anything that would undermine the effort to get us liquids, shoes, phones and everything in your pockets is There is no in-flight service. As you come aboard the all back to whatever our new normal is going to be. exactly the same. flight attendant will hand you a paper bag with single use All in all, I would suggest finding a different mode of items inside. There is a small bottle of water, some single travel where possible. It isn’t that my experience at airports Gate wrapped portions of snacky stuff and a wet nap. I could be was any better or worse than usual, but if you can skip the Despite there being no traffic driving to the airport and mistaken, but I don’t remember First Class being offered crowds you should do so. I have postponed most of my other relatively quick security screening, the gates themselves any alcohol. If that is a perk you expect, check first before upcoming trips; however, I do have one coming up soon for were absolutely stuffed full of people. I imagine it must be you pay more for the ticket.

Portland, Ore. And although that state and city have done a because fewer flights force people to funnel themselves Masks are required by everyone on American Airline particularly good job of controlling coronavirus, they are havinto the remaining options. I would put mask compliance flights. If you refuse to wear a mask, you could be expelled ing other struggles right now. Wherever you may be going, at nearly 100 percent; however, people did take their from the plane and permanently banned from future flights please take good care of yourself and others. It is the best masks up and down to eat and drink. I did not see anyone with American. Or maybe the ban is for a year? Either way, way to do your part in getting COVID-19 under control. : : making political statements about not wearing them. Be

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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Interview: Phillip Keene A Conversation About Abandonment and Compassion

BY Jack Kirven | QNotes CONTRIBUTor

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PK: Now, my husband has also volunteered there, too. He is a writer/director/show runner, and he developed a writing program… He would go in and have the kids start by each writing a sentence for themselves. And the sentence became a paragraph. That led to telling a story. My husband encouraged them to write about what they knew… and after about six weeks he invited a bunch of the actors from our show to go in and read the kids’ scenes.

If you had seen these kids’ faces: They just light up. Their eyes sparkled. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever, ever been to…

hillip Keene is an LGBTQ actor and activist. He played the ongoing roll of “Buzz Watson” on the TV series “The Closer” and its spinoff “Major Crimes.”

He has been with his husband, James Duff, since 1993, and they married in 2013. Duff is credited as being the creator of “The Closer” and “Major Crimes.” Keene is involved with many non-profits, including the PanAm Museum Foundation. He worked for the organization before exploring acting, and wants to maintain the legacy of an entity he enjoyed working for. The museum is located on Long Island near the point of departure taken by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 for his historic flight to Paris. The foundation also functions to give students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) classes an opportunity to learn in realtime with professionals and engineers in their chosen subject areas.

Another interesting program Keene works with is called Project Wingman. The goal of the organization is to provide some respite and pampering to doctors, nurses and other support staff at hospitals. These front-line workers strive diligently throughout the coronavirus pandemic to help as many patients as possible, and Keene wanted to support them in return. Project Wingman set up first class lounges in various hospitals in New York City, and the hope is to eventually add locations in other metropolitan areas. The lounges were staffed by flight personnel who had been furloughed.

QN: Sure, and people need to see themselves represented in a positive way. And to see it done with empathy that way — I bet that was very overwhelming for some of them.

This type of compassion for people runs through Keene’s work on television as well. During the narrative of “Major Crimes,” a young boy abandoned by a drug addicted mother is discovered in Griffith Park. He is a material witness to a murder and then becomes a ward of the state. He is eventually adopted by the squad’s Captain.

The character arc for him examined the way in which the boy is brought by his new family into a more normal life. The story was based in part on true events about a young man whose mother and her boyfriend dropped him off at a park and never showed up again.

Phillip Keene: But since the numbers in New York have gone down so much, there’s not so much a need for it anymore.

And so that program has just ended I found out last week.

QNotes: Well, I guess it’s good it’s not needed, right?

PK: Exactly!

QN: Yeah, it’s a good sign if they don’t need that kind of reprieve.

PK: I’m sure they could use it in California right now.

QN: Will you try to establish something out there?

PK: It has not happened yet, but I am in contact with the person who started the program, and another guy who was working on it as well.

Right now Keene has quite a bit more free time than usual, because shooting for television and movies has largely been paused due to COVID-19 closures. To make good use of the time, Keene works with a variety of charities. Another organization Keene has dedicated his time to is called Homes for Families.

The project builds houses for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces that only they can purchase and touches only the surface of what building “for” them implies.

PK: Homes for Families builds housing developments called Housing Enriched Communities. The veterans are able to buy a home in an established community… and the homes are built specifically FOR them.

All the drawers close softly, because often-time loud noises can trigger PTSD responses. The outlets are 18 inches high off the floor, so they don’t have to bend down so much. This is to ease any injuries from carrying heavy packs for so long; many have back issues. There are no fluorescent lights, because those can trigger seizures.

I didn’t know about these things until we went out there helping to build the homes. I worked for a few days mixing cement in wheelbarrows to pour driveways. Another day I was digging holes to put in fence posts. I helped to build walls… I got to be supervised by actual contractors.

QN: It sounds very enriching.

PK: Definitely. We did get to meet a few members of the families whose houses we were building — they themselves are volunteering as well — and it was interesting to get to work side by side with them like that.

QN: I had never considered that a house would need

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Actor and social action advocate Phillip P. Keene.

(Photo Credit: Kei Moreno) to be customized for a vet, but it makes absolutely perfect sense.

PK: It never crossed my mind either, because I’m not a veteran.

At this point we discussed a canceled program that had required returning combatants to undergo intimacy training as they transitioned back into civilian life. As funding priorities have changed, support systems like these have disappeared. This was the first point in the conversation where the topic of abandonment came up. The way in which we abandon our soldiers, and the compassion required to bring them back to as normal a life as possible — something they have earned and fully deserve.

This caused Keene to bring up another charity that he assists. It is called Convenance House, and it has various locations in places like New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles to name a few. This organization functions as emergency shelter for homeless teens and foster kids (a vastly disproportionate number of whom are LGBTQ).

The network of locations serves to relocate the young people from their current abusive or neglectful environments, and very specifically removes them from any sex trafficking to which they have often been subjected. It puts the children out of reach of their traffickers. Once the kids graduate out of the rehabilitative program at around age 18-21, they continue to receive outreach programs (so long as they continue to participate in the programs designed to keep them safe, sober and thriving). This is important, because it would make little sense to abandon a recovering young person into the world simply for turning a certain age.

PK: The boy was 15, and found himself out on the streets.

Most males of that age who are homeless end up within 24-48 hours selling themselves for sex, because they have no other means to procure shelter or food. So that was a story that needed to be brought out.

We received a lot of backlash actually from a lot of groups saying we were pushing a gay agenda. But we thought of it as a human agenda. This was a person who had been mistreated and thrown away by society. Some people stepped in to help, and I think that is the core of the story. For our detractors: It’s not about sexual identity. It’s about the need for human compassion, but that does not take away from the fact that he was gay.

QN: Looking at the broader culture, and LGBTQ people specifically, what is it do you think that leads people to have so little empathy that they can just abandon others?

PK: On the face of it I would say financial interests, selfishness and addiction. These are three causes I would attribute to that.

QN: Addiction is an interesting one. I wonder if these instances of abandonment aren’t worse in areas that have suffered an onslaught of opioid crises. Are instances of abandonment worse in places that experience epidemics of addiction?

PK: I would have to think, yes. Having known a number of people with substance abuse issues, everything goes out the window, except that next fix. Whatever it is that that person needs to do to get that, they will do, even if that means abandoning a child or other loved one, family or friends.

And it isn’t the person you know who is doing it. In my mind, the person you know and love is not present. They have become an addict… they are being controlled by their addiction… The person we know and love is still there inside, but we are not able to see them while they are pursuing destructive behavior.

QN: So there’s always redemption?

PK: Yes, I definitely think so.

QN: I can see why you would use your platform to raise awareness for all these issues. It’s very commendable.

PK: Thank you. Whatever little attention that my career has afforded me, I think it’s important to bring light to these situations. It’s important to carve out little inroads to begin the process of making bigger changes. : :

views

From the Softball Field to the Supreme Court

Legal Eagles: Getting to Know the People Behind the Recent Supreme Court Decision Protecting LGBTQ Individuals from Employment Discrimination

BY Jessica L. Yañez, attorney | guest WRITER

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er. In 2012 the EEOC, under the Obama Administration, made it clear that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ individuals based on sex. In 2017, former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, changed the Department of Justice policies and instructed the EEOC to reverse its stance that Title VII protects LGBTQ individuals based on sex. This shows the importance of the executive branch’s interpretation and application of the law.

Stephens passed away of kidney failure in May 2020, just weeks before the Supreme Court would rule in her favor. She was only 59 years old.

Gerald Bostock, Don Zarda and Aimee Stephens fought similar fights. There were personal, professional and legal setbacks, but they never gave up. Their efforts must be recognized and appreciated, as we stand on their shoulders in continuing the fight for LGBTQ rights.

n June 15, 2020, in the middle of Pride Month, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision holding that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ individuals from employment discrimination. The decision was widely celebrated, offering a rare glimmer of hope as the country was gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing racial injustice and economic insecurity.

As an immigration attorney, I know how easy it is to reduce a complex legal matter into a soundbite.

I had to dig deeper, to learn the procedural history of this case, its true legal implications and the impact it will have on our nation moving forward. In the days and weeks that followed, I learned all that I could about the individuals who were brave enough to take their fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, two of the three plaintiffs in this historic case died before the Supreme Court issued its decision. It is important to take time to learn about each of these individuals and to never forget how ordinary people can be called on to do extraordinary things.

The People Behind the Fight to Protect LGBTQ Workers

Gerald Bostock worked for Clayton County, Ga. as a child welfare advocate. Despite his dedication to his career for more than a decade, he was fired because he joined the Hotlanta softball league, a gay league. The official reason provided for his firing was that his conduct was “unbecoming of a county official.” Bostock was escorted out of his office building and left reeling after losing his livelihood as well as health insurance coverage, which was important as he was recovering from a battle with prostate cancer.

That day in 2013 would set Bostock on a legal journey that would last more than seven years and ultimately reshape the legal landscape for LGBTQ workers. After he was fired, Bostock took his case to the courts, arguing that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against him, and he and his legal team then took the fight to the highest court in the land.

When interviewed in the fall of 2019, while his case was still pending at the Supreme Court, Bostock said, “I’m willing to be the one to stand up so that anyone that wants to work or has the ability to work can do so without living in fear of being fired for who you are or who you love.”

By June 2020, when the decision was released, Bostock was the only plaintiff still alive to celebrate.

Don Zarda was a skydiving instructor with Altitude Express in Long Island, N.Y. To make one of his female clients feel more at ease in being strapped to him for a skydiving jump, Zarda remarked casually that he was gay.

What Does the Decision Really Mean?

U.S. Supreme Court trailblazing plaintiffs (from top left, clockwise) Don Zarda, Gerald Bostock and Aimee Stephens left a legacy for employment non-discrimination wins upon their deaths. (Photo Credit: Zarda, Facebook; Bostock, Evert Barnes, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 2.0 license; Stephens, ACLU) That would be his last jump as a skydiving instructor at Altitude Express. His employer fired him, and he sued them for employment discrimination. Four years later, the District Court ruled in his favor based on a New York antidiscrimination law, which emphasizes the importance for strong state laws to protect LGBTQ individuals.

In 2014, Zarda died tragically while BASE jumping.

His younger sister, Melissa Zarda, stood in for him as his case made its way to the United States Supreme Court. It took courage for Zarda to bring the discrimination lawsuit against his former employer, and it took courage for his sister to carry on after he passed away. While Zarda did not live to see his fight for justice realized, his legacy will live on for generations to come.

The same is true of Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman originally from Fayetteville, N.C. Stephens worked at Harris Funeral Homes in Garden City, Mich. She was employed in the funeral home industry for more than 20 years and was passionate about her work. In 2013 she wrote to her employer to inform them that she would present to work as a woman and no longer as a man. Just to compose and send that email showed an extraordinary amount courage. Her dedication and success in her field made no difference to her employer and Stephens was fired because she was transgender.

Stephens turned to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to file a claim against her former employ-

While the underlying decision holds that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ employees from discrimination, the decision leaves open the possibility of employers to claim a religious exemption. In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that businesses can discriminate against LGBTQ customers in its Masterpiece Cakeshop v.

Colorado Rights Commission decision. While the Bostock decision is a giant step in the right direction, there will be many legal challenges to come.

Where Do We Go from Here?

All major legal decisions must be taken in context.

While the Bostock decision is a key victory for LGBTQ rights, it comes in a sea of anti-LGBTQ actions taken in recent years. In January 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the ban on transgender military service. In June 2020, a mere three days before the Supreme Court issued the Bostock decision, the Trump Administration announced its plans to eliminate the portions of the Affordable Care Act that protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in healthcare. More recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced its plan to allow homeless shelters to turn away transgender people, in direct violation of the Equal Access Rule established in 2016.

Justice — and its antithesis, discrimination — occur all around us, from our places of employment, to our local, state and federal governments. Bostock, Zarda, and Stephens serve as an example that we can never stop fighting for LGBTQ rights on every front and at every level. : : Jessica Yañez is a North Carolina certified specialist in immigration law.

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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a&e

How Tidy is Too Tidy?

Tell Trinity

BY Trinity | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Hey Trinity, My roommate’s very anal retentive. She likes the kitchen and bathroom a certain way, and everything in alphabetical order, and so on and so on. How do I get her to mellow out?

Thanks, Anal Pains, NYC, NY Hey Anal Pains, Very successful people are usually dedicated to detail, like a good lawyer or architect. Also, anal retentiveness is only a problem when someone ELSE wants to have things done THEIR way. Nonetheless, pumpkin, whoever is the main owner, lease holder or first roommate makes the rules. So if that’s not you, try to communicate, negotiate and compromise. That’s all you can do. Otherwise… start packing.

Best of Luck, Trinity

then seek help. Then, confront him in a peaceful semi-public setting, like a park.

However, sweetie, before stirring up the pot, make sure you’re ready to discover that he a) may have fallen out of love with you, b) is having an affair, c) doesn’t know how to communicate well or d) needs to be tied up, drugged and made to talk. Be aware, be careful and take action before a bomb gets dropped… on you! (And, be wary of how you approach all of this as you don’t want to get caught in a precarious position like my cartoon shows!)

Many kisses, Trinity

Dearest Trinity, My live-in partner of three years hardly talks to me anymore. Now I found out he has mail sent to his mom’s house. I feel like he’s hiding something. How can I get him to talk?

Sincerely, Speak No Evil, Savannah, GA

connections

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Aug. 7-20, 2020

Hello Trinity, Recently, at a party, the hostess pulled me aside and told me to stop asking her guests so many personal questions. She said, “You’re embarrassing everyone, including yourself!” Trinity, what’s so horrible about being inquisitive?

Sincerely, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Reno, NV

Trinity’s Party Tips for Questions Never to Ask in a Crowd

1. K yle, we’re all dying to know, after you

space starting at $22: call qnotes for details 704.531.9988

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Dear Underwear Blues, In most homes of taste and style, what he’s doing is a big faux pas, a no-no, a virtue confined to hillbillies and trailer trash!

However, nowadays, you can buy tastefully bi-useful underwear that passes for acceptable day wear, even nicer. So, buy some, and fill his “draws” with them while slowly over bleaching the uni-undies. And, honey, if that doesn’t work, put him on steroids, place web cams everywhere and make some money off him!

Say “Cheese,” Trinity

Hello Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Nothing is wrong with it, except when you’re in public there are questions that are not appropriate! But, darling, just in case you’re still clueless here’s,

Dearest Speak No Evil, For peace of mind you need to compile more clues and more evidence first, but if you’re not a “CSI” or “Law and Order” fan,

Q-mmunity

Dear Trinity, My boyfriend likes hanging around the house in his underwear. I hate it, for many reasons. How do I keep him dressed?

Yours, Underwear Blues, Miami Beach, FL

were on “America’s Most Wanted,” how did you get out of that kidnapping and murder charge?

2. Lindsey, you look great! But can you show my friends your face lift and liposuction scars?

3. When you’re at the gym, Johnny, do you still lock yourself in the toilet stall and do... you know what?

4. I know you stopped having sex, Jeffrey, because of all the arrests, but why’d you stop hiring escorts?

5. Do you still cheat on your taxes, Terry?

And where on earth do you hide all that money?

6. Eddie, is it true that when you have extramarital activities your partner likes to watch?

7. Andy, I heard you’re an illegal alien.

Why don’t you tell everyone how you slipped past immigration?

8. Now remind me again, Dave, when you have sex, are you a dominant top or a submissive bottom?

9. Danny, do you have any marijuana to sell me? I heard you’re a dealer now.

10. B y the way, Leslie, you look so androgynous lately! Are you still taking hormones and thinking about having “the” surgery? : : 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.

life

Fruit is Nature’s Candy

Health & Wellness: Except that isn’t a Fair Comparison

BY Jack Kirven | qnotes contributor

O

ne of the ironies about nutrition is that so much information is readily available and known about it, that almost no one outside of specialists knows anything about it. That’s including most doctors. If you were to look at the amount of time most doctors focus on nutrition over the courses of their educations, you would see you learned nearly as much about it over the years combing through Google for articles pertaining to your particular questions. It’s quite shocking, given how important food is to health. I have found that one of the reasons food is so confusing to people is that many articles are very narrow, and thus, cannot necessarily place particular assertions within a broader context.

Let’s look at sugar for a moment. For how many decades we were told to avoid all fat at all cost to the preference of carbohydrates? And now the backlash against sugar has been just as strident and overly broad. Sugar itself is not your enemy. First off, there are multiple types of sugar, and each is treated differently by your body.

Processed, refined and added sugar is the type of carbohydrate you want to limit within your diet. Especially insidious is high fructose corn syrup. Fructose: We’ll come back to that.

Sugar, of itself, is your body’s preferred source of energy. The type you use to live is called glucose when it is dissolved in your blood, glycogen when it is stored in your muscles and liver, and dextrose when it is in your food. Dextrose is made from corn, and its chemical composition is identical to glucose. The problem with sugar by itself in the diet is that it immediately spikes your insulin levels and creates a cascade of potential health risk factors. One type of sugar is fructose (fruit sugar), and it has to be processed in your liver. Your liver can store 25g of it, and the rest of any unused fructose is stored as fat. (This is where the theme music for “Jaws” starts.)

Now suddenly you have people telling you to avoid fruit. Fruit is nature’s candy. I have made that quip. As with many people, I learn as I go. I also used to train people on wobble boards, but I abandoned that 16 years ago. It was 2004, and everyone was doing it. Mea culpa. I can admit when I am wrong. Back to fruit, fructose, sugar and candy.

When a plant is processed in such a way that all its fiber is removed, the remaining juices are generally stripped clean of most of the nutrition and anything of redeeming quality that kept the negative impacts of sugar at bay. In whole grains, complete starches, and fresh fruits and vegetables, the peels, stalks, husks, fleshes and pulps are where the largest portion of the nutrition reside. It is also the source of the fiber that slows down the digestion, absorption and onset of effects of sugar. Generally speaking, a piece of candy is a naked fruit painted in gaudy colors. And that can be fabulous for lip synching on television, but in large doses it’s not good for your health.

But fructose in its natural state is not naked. It comes fully dressed in an outfit of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients

and water. The hugest part of fruit is water. Compare grapes to raisins, or fresh blueberries to dried ones. The dehydrated examples are tiny by comparison. That’s how much water there is in fruit. I’m not sure that dehydration itself increases the sugar content of fruit, but what I am certain of is this: with so much water removed, you can eat far more dried fruit before you feel full. Perhaps, it’s more helpfully specific to say that DRIED fruit is nature’s candy? That I might get behind.

Fruit is a beautiful and healthful food.

You really must eat it, unless allergies or medical contraindications prevent it. I love grapefruit, but I cannot eat it anymore, because it can cause my medications for Bipolar Disorder to become too strong and potentially fatal. That is a valid reason not to eat that particular fruit. “Fruit is nature’s candy” is not a valid reason. Even when some fruits score “poorly” on Glycemic Index charts, I would push back and point out that by that measure ice cream is better for you than watermelon. Fruit, for the most part, is not going to cause the typical person to gain weight. But please don’t go eat six watermelons and then email to complain to me that you can no longer fit

in your pants. That isn’t what I said to do.

Portions. Portions, portions, portions.

One caveat: Avoid or restrict drinking fruit juice (even when labeled “no added sugars”), as it is very easy to swallow a vast amount of sugar very quickly. Rather, eat an orange as opposed to drinking a glass of orange juice.

You will feel fuller, get a great kick of nutrition, mitigate insulin spikes and save yourself room in your meals to eat other foods instead. : : 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.

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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news MeckPAC

continued from page 11 his personal website. He currently works as Communications Director at Charlotte Pride, a position he has held since 2017.

Before joining the staff there, Comer had previously served on the Pride board of directors for several years.

Richard Grimstad served on the Pride board with Comer. He told qnotes that during his time as treasurer he had to revoke Comer’s access to a debit card after several occurrences. “As an organization, there were credit and debit card usage policies that were implemented and in

place that all board members, or anyone that had access to a card was presented with the policy to read and acknowledge the terms of usage for the card,” says Grimstad. “After repeated violations of those terms, Matt’s card privileges were revoked,” referring to Comer. qnotes has not been able to confirm if Comer has spending responsibilities with Charlotte Pride in his current staff role.

The organization held its annual festival and parade virtually on Aug. 1-2 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

qnotes has also discovered that Charlotte Pride let their charitable solicitations license expire on May 15, 2018 raising additional questions about its connection to Comer. A call to the Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the license has been expired for this duration, and any solicitation or fundraising done during this time would be unlawful. The Secretary of State’s office confirmed that Pride has recently filed for a renewal, but one has not been issued yet. Any charity that has a license to solicit contributions in North

Carolina must file financial information on an annual basis. Grimstad pointed out that his name is still listed as the contact for the state, due to their lack of reporting since he left the board in 2017. He has made requests that it be updated.

Former board member for MeckPAC, Connie Vetter says the allegations against MeckPAC are grounds for concern and need to be addressed. “I’m not sure the current board is who should address it,” she says. “It may be time for them to step aside and let some new people come in.”

COMER RESIGNS

Comer resigned from his role as chair of MeckPAC in a statement sent to qnotes on Monday and stated that he would not serve in any volunteer capacity with the organization. He also confirmed using a MeckPAC debit card to make purchases that were not associated with the organization.

“These mistaken charges were made on the organization debit card issued to me,” stated Comer. He confirms $129.60 in expenses in June 2018, July 2018, November 2018 and December 2018 — a number slightly less than the totals qnotes questioned. Comer says he repaid the amount on Dec. 12, 2018. qnotes has not been able to verify that transaction.

“At the time, the full board was notified and a CPA was consulted to ensure these mistaken charges and their reimbursement were accounted for appropriately,” he continued.

MeckPAC was founded in 1998 as an organization to advance the issues of the LGBTQ community in Mecklenburg County, following a desire to oust the “Gang of Five,” a group of five Mecklenburg County Commission members who stripped public funding of the Arts and Science Council after its support of the controversial play “Angels in America” in Charlotte. qnotes will continue following this story.

connect to goqnotes.com

Jim Yarbrough, qnotes’ publisher, contributed to the investigative work and additional research for this story.

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life

Our People: Matt Davis

Local LGBTQ Young Person, UNCC Finance Major

By Mykah Buff | QNotes Staff Writer ine, an LGBTQ store attracts a variety of eclectic customers with interesting stories and needs that I need to respect and serve the best way I can. It helps to have a queer place to work because it’s a nice exposure to the community in Charlotte. I really enjoy my coworkers, and I have made some great friends that I have met as customers.

M

atthew (Matt) Davis is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), as well as a customer service associate at White Rabbit located in Charlotte.

On one of his first days on campus during his freshman year, Davis said he attended an event where a crush he had on the president of an academic fraternity ultimately influenced his decision to major in finance with a concentration in risk management.

Davis was born and raised in Greensboro, N.C., and comes from a non-traditional family dynamic. He spent much of his adolescence having two places he called home. This arrangement began after his parents divorced when he was 14 years old, when he began spending half of the year with his dad in Greensboro and the other half with his mom in the neighboring town of Trinity, about 40 minutes from his high school.

Davis would sometimes have to take on the role of an adult. He said this fostered independence and self-sufficiency for him and feels that those times of heightened maturity have helped him be more able of handling certain situations he’s faced with today.

Can you describe your position at White Rabbit?

I am a part-time cashier at the White Rabbit; I have worked there for almost a year. It works well while I am in school because during the downtime I can do my homework at the register. The management is very understanding that my education and future career are my priority.

They support me when I need them. I have even sharpened some soft skills, such as the ability to conform to different or uncomfortable situations. Being able to stay professional under unprofessional circumstances is a challenge, but it will transition nicely into any career. As you can imag-

What was your high school experience like?

I went to Page High School in Greensboro.

It is an intercity school with a very diverse population. I was a member of 10 extracurricular programs and three honors societies.

Being gay was not easy but growing up going to school with a lot of the same people helped being accepted. I developed a great sense of humor to challenge any homophobic discomfort from my peers. My high school also had a handful of gay teachers that made me feel secure. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of the male population kept a distance from me. Thankfully, I was a stereotypical gay best friend (GBF) to several girls in high school. So if the guys wanted to have a chance with any of the girls, they had to be cool with the token gay boy.

Can you tell me about your experience of coming out?

I never officially came out to my family.

They are very open-minded, and I was always pretty obviously gay, even at a young age. My oldest sister came out as gay when she was in college. Around the same time, I started realizing and accepting that I was also gay. Thankfully none of my relatives have any opposition to gay people; I also have a lesbian cousin who is married, and they have several foster children.

During our interview, you discussed your experience with substance abuse in your late teens. Tell us about that.

For me, I succumbed to two different things, the need to draw attention to myself and peer pressure. My story differs because I had a conversation with myself that having a “party” phase was acceptable as long as it was temporary, and I knew that I was responsible to acknowledge when it needed to end. There were definitely times that I was dependent on drugs. I found myself replacing meals with drugs, selling clothes for drugs,

and worst of all, coercing my family to give me money. I had alcohol poisoning at 13, and I was arrested for underage drinking at 19. It was depressing to me how dependent I was becoming on this artificial high, and I realized that it was time to cut this “party” phase out of my life, and I quit. Being queer, I think, adds this additional need for acceptance that contributes to peer pressure. As you get older there is definitely a huge drug problem in the gay community that exposes you to the party scene even as an adult — hello, look at these circuit queens.

What are some of your career aspirations?

I would love to work in philanthropy. After I graduate in December, I will probably go corporate for 5-10 years, at a company that has a Master’s degree reimbursement. Then move to the private sector where I can reduce my workload and do something meaningful like work along with non-profits and fund management. Maybe even own a business such as a coffee shop or a restaurant. Maybe become an adjunct professor. Maybe spend the extra time with my future husband and kids!

What’s your romantic/love life like?

I have been on Grindr since I was 16, yes you need to be 18 to be on the app. Growing up in suburbia, I wanted exposure to what gay life was. So for a year, I talked to several people just to understand what it was going to be like when I was an adult. I never was reported for being underage because I never really did anything sexual on there.

However, I wish I had been banned from using the app at a young age. On a daily basis, I was told that I was not worthy of anything more than sex. All I wanted was to have a conversation, potentially a boyfriend, and shocking... maybe a real date. This bullying led me to have a lot of doubts, so I really only ever dated much older men because they gave me affection. I lost my virginity right around graduation, I was 17. He was in his 30s. I had sex before I had a real first kiss. It wasn’t until I came to college that I saw a possibility with men closer to my age.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t until I turned 21 that I stopped having trolls tell me that I wasn’t good enough for a relationship. If you see someone underage, please guide them and answer their questions about the world, no strings attached!I am a bottom that has only recently owned my sexuality and my body.

I partly attribute the online bullying to accepting behavior from men that is not okay.

I reluctantly consented to have sex on many occasions. Then there were times when I did not consent: laying there like a dead fish or even regaining consciousness after being drugged. Getting over that was hard, all I can tell people is if you’re changing your behavior because of any other person, you are still allowing them to have power over you. I am not letting anyone have negative control over my voice and definitely not my future.

How do you juggle being a full-time student with work and other obligations?

I try to live in the moment and just do as much as I am willing and able to do for each day.

What’s the best thing about living in Charlotte?

Trying all the new restaurants.

How do you cope with adversity or times of high stress or anxiety?

I try my best to stay calm. I think it’s easiest to analyze the situation and each piece before proceeding. Sometimes you need the time to just breathe and then move forward. : : Read more about Davis online at goqnotes.com/67007.

Aug. 7-20, 2020

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