Charlotte Pride

[1979Heel]

To digress a bit...I'm thinking about buying a house in Beverly Woods, Beverly Woods East, Huntingtowne Farms, Barclay Downs. Can't afford Dilworth and although Midwood itself is lovely, I feel a bit uncertain about it. Midwood has the reputation of being very gay friendly. Any thoughts? I know of one gay couple who bought in Beverly Woods. This is not a real estate question; rather it is asking if the SouthPark neighborhoods are gay-friendly, or at least friendly enough for gay folk.

[BobbyDav]

To digress a bit...I'm thinking about buying a house in Beverly Woods, Beverly Woods East, Huntingtowne Farms, Barclay Downs. Can't afford Dilworth and although Midwood itself is lovely, I feel a bit uncertain about it. Midwood has the reputation of being very gay friendly. Any thoughts? I know of one gay couple who bought in Beverly Woods. This is not a real estate question; rather it is asking if the SouthPark neighborhoods are gay-friendly, or at least friendly enough for gay folk.

I live in SP and I'll have to say there are deffinitely more pro-gay places, but on the other hand the South Park neigborhoods are generally freindly to all people in their own right. So the whole idea is perplexing, I doubt anybody would harass a gay couple and certaintly not a gay single, but at the same time I can't claim that places like F-croft will be all warm and fuzzy. A quick tip though, the most accepting people I know in the South Park area live in Governor's Square and the far side of Foxcrof East. Still, its entirely straight white Christians minus one Asian couple, one black family, and the occasional Jewish family. Thats also not to mention how expensive housing is right their.

I hope you do move to a SouthPark though, we could really use some diversity.

*Quick After the Fact Edit: Sorry if I implyed that being Chrisitian, white, or straight is a bad thing. I was just trying to bring to light the relative absence of other groups. Again apoligies to anybody who feels I may have demeened their lifestyle.

Edited October 2, 2007 by BobbyDav

[monsoon]

To digress a bit...I'm thinking about buying a house in Beverly Woods, Beverly Woods East, Huntingtowne Farms, Barclay Downs. ......

I don't think you would have any problem at all in Beverly Woods or any the neighborhoods around there.

[monsoon]

There was another gay bar on Central at the time as well. Not a dance club. All I can remember is that it was a lounge kind of place with only a few customers, most of whom were regulars. I don't think it lasted long. I used to go there because it was the only place I knew that I could sit and talk without shouting to be heard over blaring music (not that there's anything wrong with blaring music ).

I believe you are referring to the bar that opened in that strip of stores near present day Nova's bakery and which was called The Alternative. The reason that it did not last long was because it was a place that did not serve alcohol. The owners of that place wanted to create a non-dance, non-booze type place for Gays and Lesbians to meet, but as you noted, it was not well attended, and they were forced to close it.

I was a student at UNCC at the time, and not a drinker at all, but when I went there a couple of times I remember thinking, this just isn't going to work. The concept probably wouldn't work now either.

[voyager12]

Thanks for that interesting factoid Metro ^ I did not know about that former bar. The idea would not seem to be a successful venture to me either but I like the name. I also don't think one would face a problem being openly gay in the SouthPark area and in the surrounding neighborhoods. If you are a bumper sticker freak like myself you will certainly get double takes In general I find the Beverly Woods area to be family oriented and conservative but more in the country club republican libertarian live and let live vein. This is in marked contrast to what one may find farther out in Matthews which to me has a more fundamentalist bent. And where I have heard reports of "friendly" neighbors welcoming the gay by knocking on the door and offering to "save" them. Charming.

On the political front....I cannot believe I am actually typing this but I have encouraging news on the gayfront coming from local Republicans of all places

Meckpac's ( Meck's gay political action committee) voter guide has endorsed At Large Republican Edwin B. Peacock III for City Council. Endorse means Meckpac strongly encourages a vote for this person and Receptive means candidates met some but not all the criteria for endorsement and showed openess for future contact. On the district level Republican Tariq Bokhari was receptive to our concerns but not fully supportive. Republican Andy Dulin was also "receptive" but not fully aligned. On School Board races Trent Merchant and Liz Downing were both endorsed.

The usual suspects received warnings : McCrory, McGarry,...you know the drill

To be fair all the Democrats contacted were not totally onboard with us either but since in broad terms Republicans tend to be anti-gay and Dems pro I thought it was more revealing to focus on the former's positive progression. These glad tidings are almost enough to make me change my bitter,jaded, partisan heart. Almost but not quite..old habits die hard.

Edited October 2, 2007 by voyager12

[elvigy]

Yes, The Alternative. That was the place. And I agree the concept was interesting but probably doomed to failure from the start. Gay or straight, I think people like the option of having some kind of alcoholic beverage available when they go out. Even if it's just a beer or glass of wine.

And I also agree on positive feedback for our misguided Republican leaders . Just recently the conservative mayor of San Diego changed his stance on gay marriage. He now supports it whereas in the past he opposed it. Of course, it helps that his daughter is a lesbian and was probably pressuring him somewhat. But it does go to show that progress is possible, even in areas that are widely considered to be socially conservative such as San Diego (and Charlotte).

[voyager12]

Transgender activist Kate Bornstein is giving a talk at UNCC tomorrow night. "Kate Bornstein on Men, Women, and the rest of us" will start at 7:00 at Storrs Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

[Charlotte_native]

Tomorrow night there is a party at The Visulite in Elizabeth called Glitterati. Though not an exclusively *gay* party, it is the site for Takeover Friday for the evening and there will be a drag show around 11:00. There will also be dancers all night on podiums throughout the crowd and DJ Wiiz Kid will be spinning. They have this party once a year -- last year it was a blast. Theme this year is Neon -- neon dress is encouraged but certainly not required.

[voyager12]

I found out today that White Rabbit will be moving next month. Down Central Avenue to a space right near Intermezzo. I don't know the exact location but one of the smaller now vacant storefronts. Their current space is underutilized and too large so they are looking forward to the move. No word recently on the Community Center's plans. I think they are taking their time and not jumping on the first opportunity.

Edited October 7, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

While not directly tied to Charlotte I think this news is relevant because it has a statewide impact. BlueNC, a progressive blog has a statement from Chapel Hill resident Jim Neal. He is an investment banker and is going to run on the Dem ticket for Senator against Elizabeth Dole as an openly gay man. I think this is very exciting news. Does he have a great chance of winning in all honesty? No. Either way though the process will serve as great opportunity to advance recognition and acceptance toward gays in NC outside of the liberal enclaves. Similar to Boseman in Wilmington, Neal is running on the issues and not his personal life. How great it would be if he won. Stranger things have happened. This is politics after all...

[voyager12]

"As a city employee I do know that the City of Charlotte does not extend benefits to same sex partners nor does it say anything about discrimination in the workplace toward homosexuals in its employee policies. I think that for a city this size that it is a shame that the city does not take a more progressive stance toward GLBT employees that work for the city. We pay taxes too just like everyone else. "

Unfortunately we are never going to see any progress on this front primarily because of McCrory's stance on this issue. Gay friendly business and religious leaders in this town have talked to him about it. I have contacted him several times about it. He refuses to change his views and will veto anything related to giving gay Charlotteans equal standing. Whether this stems from personal conviction or political calculus it's still wrong. The Democratic majority on City Council is not united on gay rights either and those that do support us are too timid to fight for progress. But they will go to the Meckpac fundraisers to get patted on the head get reelection money and take pictures so they can feel good about themselves and still do nothing. That's politics for you.

Edited October 29, 2007 by voyager12

[monsoon]

^I honestly don't know why there is such support for McCroy from those who would like to see Charlotte be a more progressive city given this mayor's stance on the issues. And the beotch of it is, he's not really that good of a mayor, though I admit he is an excellent politician. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, the nation did re-elect GW Bush in 2004.

[voyager12]

I already voted for Beverly Earle last week. Not that she would lead a big gay pride parade through Uptown or do any kind of grand gesture..but she did tell Creative Loafing that she would support a sexual orientation non-discrimination policy for city employees. She would be a marked improvement over McCrory. I give Beverly Earle a lot of credit for the statement. The current Democratic City Council members that are not onboard with local gay rights are primarily black. This conflict is a microcosm of what Barack Obama has been dealing recently with the brouhaha over his refusal to drop a homophobic gospel singer from his SC tour in trying to bridge the divide. Polls have shown that a majority of African-Americans don't support gay rights, see homosexuality as immoral and are insulted by comparisons to the civil rights movement. Many of Foxx's, Woodard's, and Coleman supporters that live on the East and West sides of town are religious and socially conservative. There would be definite backlash from the majority of their constitutents in the neighborhoods and churches for supporting gay rights.

Edited October 29, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

Regarding employment and housing discrimination against gays in Charlotte,I don't think it's a widespread problem among most of the major players. It does happen though. It's just not reported because discriminating against gay people is perfectly legal in this state so what's the point? All one would get would be a media circus and ridicule. Not too long ago a restaurant owner refused to allow a Takeover Friday event at their establishment. There is no recourse to that. It's an extreme idea but he could hang a "No Gays" sign on his front door and be perfectly within his rights. Last year a gay couple in SC pulled off the interstate and were refused rooms at a hotel for being gay. Again perfectly fine legally. In contrast Atlanta has a human rights commission that enforces these type of ordinances and while it does not stop all discrimination it does make a difference.

[voyager12]

DCMETRORALEIGH from Perception Thread "AS someone born and raised in the Charlotte area, I monitor it's climate for gay issues as a barometer for whether I would like to return there one day. As others have alluded, for many, not just gays or bisexuals, the gay issue is an indicator of a city or region's progressiveness, modernity, and cultural sophistication. For many, anti-gay has become synomous with backward or unenlightened. Charlotte really needs to work overtime to eradicate its homophobic reputation, perhaps first by adopting an anti-discrimination law that includes "sexual orientation" and by adopting domestic partnership legislation. ALmost every major city in the entire county did this years ago? I can't think of one major city that has not."

Mecklenburg County has a non-discrimination sexual orientation ordinance for their employees on the books. The very divided and partisan County Commission that has a narrow Democratic majority barely pushed it through a few years ago. Rembert,Helms, and Roberts were all publicy castigated by the local right wing for it and were damned to hell in person by these opponents who showed up to protest the vote. Wihelmenia Rembert lost her seat in the next election, Helms was targeted also and barely held on, their majority is even narrower now. I don't think we are going to see any more leadership on gay issues from County Chair Jennifer Roberts for some time. Charlotte Public Library System has a similar ordinance to the county. We will never see progress on the city level with Mayor McCrory in charge. The current Republicans on the council won't support it either and the Democrats that do support us are too scared to take a principled stand. It's worth noting Republican At Large City Council Candidate Edwin Peacock was fully endorsed by Meckpac. Having a more moderate Republican on City Council may help if he is willing to actually speak up. He did not show for the Meckpac fundraiser. For now Charlotte will continue to lag behind on this measure of acceptance and inclusion.

Edited November 1, 2007 by voyager12

[uptownliving]

The last time that MeckPac got Sexual Orientaiton put on the City Council agenda they made the mistake of pairing it with Domestic Partner benefits. I was part of the efforts to get both of these passed but beleived from the very begining that MeckPac was asking for too much politically. I think they should have done just the Sexual Orientation non discrimination clause and that by itself would have gotten passed. Even the most conservative member of the Charlotte City Council at the time (Don Lochman) said he was in favor of adding Sexual Orientation to the Non Discrimination clause but could not because they tied the passage of the Non Discrimination clause to Domestic Partner benefits. these discussions were all held at a public meeting televised on tv. So its not like this was a back room deal gone bad. The votes were there to add a non discrimination clause...but MeckPac messed up their chances.

I think after the election if they put some effort into it they could easily have sexual orientation added to the City's non-discrimitation clause.

[voyager12]

Thanks for background information Uptownliving. I did not about that it all. Might have been before my time here. I agree that perhaps there would have been more success if the proposal had been done in stages. Like many approachs in politics it always seems to be "everything" or "nothing".

[monsoon]

..... The votes were there to add a non discrimination clause...but MeckPac messed up their chances.

Seems to me this is blaming the wrong set of people for there not being equal protection and benefits for the City of Charlotte employees. I would put the blame on those who voted against said benefits.

[uptownliving]

I wasn't blaming anyone in my post. Just pointing out the failed political strategy of MeckPac with the City Council years ago. A strategy they did not repeat with the Mecklenburg County Commision in the good work they did to get the Non-Discrimination policy passed. If the world were perfect we would not need MeckPac around to help persuade and lobby our elected officials. Unfortunately thats not the world we live in.

[voyager12]

Well, from my perspective I think gay charlotte fared relatively well last night. McCrory's landslide was expected. Aside from the pathetically lopsided mayoral race Meckpac backed City Council Candidates Burgess, Kinsey, and School Board member Merchant all won handily. The highlight of the night was Republican Edwin Peacock's At Large victory. He is the first Republican candidate to be endorsed by Meckpac and now he has a voice at the table. I hope we can work with him to further our cause for equality in Charlotte.

Edited November 7, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

The latest edition of "Out in Asheville" which sometimes covers Charlotte gay issues has a story on our community center. The search committee is still well "searching"for a new home. The one paid employee of the center says the new owner of the building is being nice and not kicking them out immediately. They don't think it's an issue of the new property owner being anti-gay. The situation is simply a realization of the neighborhood's rising value and the center can't afford the rent in the future new building. There is no definitive date on when they have to be out. A local realtor is searching out potentials for them gratis. Ideally, staying in PlazaMidwood is the goal because of the neighborhood's welcoming and diverse reputation. NoDa would also be a good spot I think but I imagine that decent rental space has got to be very pricey in both of these districts. As a side note the employee representing the center in the article said he moved here from Boston. He is pleasantly surprised about how welcoming Charlotte has been to him as he expected a much more conservative vibe coming from Boston. The article also points out that there have been no reported attacks against the our community center while acts of vandalism against gay owned businesses in Asheville have occurred.

[voyager12]

Myers Park Baptist Church is going to be officially cast out of the NC Baptist Association on Tuesday for being accepting of homosexuals. Before the vote officials from the church will speak. One of them is an out lesbian. She has a lot of guts, I would love to be a fly on the wall. The NC Baptist majority has a right to their opinion and so does Myers Park Baptist. They have been an unofficial pariah church for years because their progressive interpretation of theology does not mesh with The NC chapter at large. When this story first broke I contacted Park Road, Myers Park, St. John's, and Sardis Road Baptist churches to express my thanks for their support and I received thanks in return. I am Jewish but I think it's critically important to thank people and organizations that take public stands for gay acceptance ,they need to know that they are appreciated and needed, especially in the South.

Edited November 12, 2007 by voyager12

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

^^It's actually the NC Baptist Association that's going to kick out Myers Park Baptist. They left the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) many years ago. From the stories I've heard, it was sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s and it was due to conflict over integration. Someone might be able to clarify that, however. MP Baptist has always worn the fact that they left the SBC as a sort of badge of honor, and something tells me they will do the same with the split from the NC association. They've always marched to their own drummer and I say "GOOD FOR THEM!"

[voyager12]

Ooops Thanks for the clarification PM Guy. I edited. It's great to hear that they have a long progressive history on equal rights. Their stance seems to be out of sync with Country Club Republican Myers Park but one cannot always judge a book by it's cover.

Edited November 12, 2007 by voyager12

[Charlotte_native]

My stepdad attends Park Road Baptist. They are also being considered to be booted from the Baptist Convention -- earlier this year they voted and decided to accept gay marriage and perform ceremonies for members if they are gay.