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Wesley Mancini Wins Pinnacle Award for Fabric Design

Wesley Mancini is a well-known and successful artist and businessman, not just in Charlotte and North Carolina, but around the globe and, more specifically, in the field of textile design for furniture fabrics.

Just this past Oct. 18, Mancini attended the International Society of Furniture Designers Pinnacle Awards Ceremony, where two of his designs were chosen as finalists for the first time fabric design was included as a category. Of the four nominated, his Bauman fabric design was chosen as the winner.

Alongside a beaming photo on Facebook of Mancini with his award, he posted the following:

“At the 25th anniversary of the International Society of Furniture Designers Pinnacle Awards ceremony [with] the inaugural inclusion of fabric design as a category, two of the four finalists for our industry were mine. I’m happy to say I won!” Hundreds of Mancini’s friends and acquaintances offered words of support and congratulations on his profile.

That comes as no surprise, especially because he’s been so actively involved with arts and culture (both here and around the country) and the local LGBTQ community for many years.

His devotion to support of both likely grew out of a response to the controversy surrounding the 1996 Charlotte staging of “Angels in America,” a play with gay and HIV/AIDSrelated themes. In a strikingly anti-gay response to the presentation, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners voted in 1997 to strip public funding from arts groups they deemed as inappropriate.

In response to the local government sanctioning of bigotry and intolerance, Mancini founded the Wesley Mancini foundation in 2000. Over the next decade (and then some) the foundation funded multiple LGBTQ-related nonprofits before bringing the successful project to a close in 2013.

Among a multitude of endeavors he has been involved in to improve and empower the impact of arts and culture in the community, Mancini has served on the boards of the McColl Center for Art and Innovation, The Mint Museum of Craft and Design and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, among others.

He is currently serving on the Arts and Science Council Board. info: bit.ly/3Bh2Kik — David Aaron Moore

Wesley Mancini with his Pinnacle Award. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

Raleigh Joins Wake County in New Non-Discrimination Protections

The Raleigh City Council unanimously voted to join in a new, LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance Tuesday, the day after the ordinance was passed by Wake County.

The move makes North Carolina’s capital city the 15th local government in the state to pass such an ordinance since a ban on local non-discrimination ordinances expired late last year. The ban was one of the legacies of 2016’s brutal fight over HB2, the controversial law that excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from statewide nondiscrimination protections. Though House Bill 142 partially repealed HB2, it locked in place a ban on new LGBTQ protections – including nondiscrimination ordinances for employment and housing. In January the town of Hillsborough became the first local government to pass new local protections. The ordinance in Raleigh and Wake County offer protections against discrimination based on “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” as well as national origin and ancestry, color, ethnicity, religious belief, disability and things like veteran status or the wearing of natural hair or hairstyles. The protections apply in places of public accommodation like restaurants and hotels as well as in employment.

State law continues to govern access to multiple occupancy restrooms, showers or changing facilities. They are not covered by any of the new local ordinances and religious organizations continue to be exempt.

“I’m proud to see the Raleigh City Council come together to take action and ensure our city is a place where all people feel protected, respected and safe,” said Raleigh City Council Member Jonathan Melton in a statement Tuesday, “As an LGBTQ person myself, it’s so meaningful to know that my city is striving for inclusivity and dignity for everyone, and as an out elected official I’m grateful to work with colleagues committed to doing the right thing.” With the addition of the state capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina’s five largest cities – including Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem – all offer such protections.

“We’re so pleased to see Raleigh take this historic step to expand nondiscrimination,” said Kendra Johnson, executive director of Equality NC, “Nearly 30 % of the state’s population is now covered by LGBTQ inclusive ordinances, and this represents a great change for the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina. Raleigh has taken a big step forward to protect LGBTQ people, especially for folks with multiple layers of marginalization, and this only grows momentum for non-discrimination on the local, state and federal level.”

Equality NC and the Campaign for Southern Equality have led the charge for new nondiscrimination ordinances, though the NC is Ready for LGBTQ Protections campaign. The groups point to polling that shows 67 percent of North Carolinians support protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination.

Polling shows that 67% +of people in North Carolina support protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. Studies have shown that one in three LGBTQ people – including 3 in 5 transgender people – have experienced discrimination in the past year. This article originally appeared on the website ncpolicywatch.org info: bit.ly/3GfDAEk

— Joe Killian

Waiting for an Apology: Faith Leaders Pressure Lt. Gov. Robinson For Anti-LGBTQ Remarks

In Raleigh on October 11 and again on October 15, faith and community leaders representing more than 20 organizations and more than 380,000 LGBTQ North Carolinians came together to make three simple demands of North Carolina’s Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. 1. Apologize for the hateful language and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. 2. Begin face-to-face meetings with impacted persons, community, and faith leaders. 3. If the aforementioned requests aren’t met, resign. Organizers of the effort have yet to receive a direct response from Robinson. However, in a recorded message released Tuesday, October 12, Robinson stated he would not resign and was dismissive about the harmful nature of his remarks by claiming that he was speaking about books, not people. In response to the Lieutenant Governor’s deflection of hate speech and saying the conversation is about books, Rev. Vance Haywood, Senior Pastor, St. John’s MCC offered the following reply: “We are not yet there in the conversation. We cannot get to the point of discussing books until we get rid of the language used to disparage, harm and attack... “So today, we are only addressing what has been said, how it has affected people, and what needs to be done to make it right. After that, if Mr. Robinson wants to have a civil conversation about books, we can have it.”

Over the past three days, additional video has surfaced of Robinson speaking at 4 qnotes Oct. 29 - Nov. 11, 2021

churches and referring to transgender and homosexual people as perverts, unholy, and the antichrist.

According to a report in the Fayetteville Observer, as recently as October 1 at a celebration for the far right wing North Carolina Values Coalition, the Lieutenant Governor told the crowd that school boards are “pushing these perverted agendas, to try to teach our children that they’re really not boys or girls, or they’re shoving this homosexuality garbage down their throats.”

“There is no question in my mind that Lt. Gov. Robinson intends to hurt and malign people,” says Haywood, “Not only has Mr. Robinson placed countless lives at risk by fanning the flames of ignorance, hate and bigotry of the LGBTQ+ community; he has done it from locations that could imply he is speaking on behalf of the greater Christian community, or possibly even God. Let me be clear; he is not.”

Following the October 15 press conference at the Old State Capitol Building in Raleigh, protestors and faith leaders marched past the Legislative Building to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and then on to Governor Cooper’s office before joining a Freedom Friday Vigil led by Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, President of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP.

According to the FBI, hate crimes are rising nationally in 2021, and incidents directed toward the LGBTQ community make up roughly 17 percent of those reported. So far, 2021 is on track to be the deadliest year yet for transgender and gender non-conforming people, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13-24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the United States.

“From this day forward, the blood is on Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s hands for every LGBTQ+ person in North Carolina that dies by suicide, is violently attacked or murdered,” says Haywood. info: bit.ly/3C43NmN

North Carolina’s Wake County passed a non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) October 18 to protect the LGBTQ community. More than one million people live in Wake County, which is home to the state capitol of Raleigh, as well as other municipalities and towns such as Apex, Cary. Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Raleigh, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon.

A crowd of supporters of the ordinance, many carrying placards with the message “All Are Welcome Here,” gathered to show their appreciation for the county commission’s unanimous vote.

The ordinance will protect both people who live in Wake County and visitors from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and natural hairstyle. The county-wide legislation applies to employees in the workplace and all individuals in public areas, like eating establishments, hotels, rental properties and retail stores. While the ordinance doesn’t yet apply in specific language to religious organizations, the recent landmark ruling Billard v.Charlotte Catholic may have a much larger impact on religious institutions than expected. For now, however, any employer or business that is not a religious institution in Wake County that violates the ordinance could face local government mediation and legal charges from county officials. According to a report from the news department of local Raleigh TV station WRAL, teens like Harrison Casey Garcia, who was the target of gender-related bullying during high school, confirm the belief that the ordinance will protect other teens from similar circumstances. “It makes me very happy that I can fight for the younger generations and my siblings,” Garcia said in the interview. “I think [my] whole situation would have gone so much differently if there was something in place for me.” At deadline, the Raleigh City Council The Wake County Commission met at the Justice Center October 18 to approve a county-wide NDO. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons) planned to pass the same NDO at their next meeting, adding yet another county and city to take such an action. info: bit.ly/3pq47sC — qnotes Staff

For three consecutive weekends during October and November, Moonlight on Main will bring a warm glow to chilly nights in historic downtown Belmont in neighboring Gaston County. Museum of the Moon, an international touring exhibit from U.K. artist Luke Jerram, features a seven-meter detailed NASA image of the lunar surface.

Traveling across global public spaces, the riveting presentation of artwork will take center stage at the Stowe Park amphitheater Thursdays through Sundays, October 22 to November 7. “We hope the exhibit will be an educational experience of a lifetime, and inspire the next generation of scientists, artists, poets, writers and musicians from Gaston County,” says Phil Boggan, downtown director for the City of Belmont.

“The evenings and weekends will evoke passion and exploration as the ethereal blue light cast by the full moon serves as the perfect environment for art exhibitions, theater performances, and a variety of musical concerts.” In addition to the glowing and gleaming moon itself, lunar-inspired events unfold throughout the three-weekend presentation.

A free opening night art Exhibit and Downtown Art Tour will take place October 21, 7-9 p.m., ushering in Moonlight on Main with original art pieces and a guided outdoor walking tour. Other festivities include the kid-friendly Boo Fest on Oct. 23, a Halloween Bar Crawl on Oct. 30, Howl at the Moon for furry friends on Oct. 31, and a Moon Educational Program on Nov. 7, presented by The Schiele Museum of Natural History. Live music iicludes the Charlotte Jazz Band, Noel Freidline and Maria Howell; Villains Cabaret and the Pink Floyd Experience. For the full three weeks of the exhibit, downtown Belmont will radiate as an outdoor art gallery with projected art and lights around Main Street. Additionally, nine outdoor mural installations representing the moon’s role in the Underground Railroad will be displayed daily in Stowe Park with guided tours available on Oct. 22.

According to the local Tourism Development Authority, Moonlight on Main is an opportunity for visitors across the Charlotte region and well beyond to explore the art and architecture of downtown Belmont, as well as restaurants, local businesses and small town charm.

For the uninitiated, Belmont is 15 minutes west of Uptown Charlotte. Once a place where textile industries served as the driving economic force of the community, the town now represents a destination for architecture and history fans, foodies and antique shoppers. Belmont offers a scenic view of historic homes and storefronts, vintage streetlamps and red brick sidewalks. It’s a community that boasts entertainment, the arts, unique local retail, destination restaurants and a variety of special events. info: visitbelmontnc.org

Photo Credit: Courtesy Belmont Tourism

— Melinda Skutnick