Charlotte Pride

[voyager12]

Pride Charlotte is now listed on CCCP's Calendar. Glad to see that's not a big deal anymore. I was at Manifest on South yesterday ( bought Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, and Weezer's Red both awesome btw ) A guy knocked on my window and I rolled it down. He proceeded to preach to me to save me from hellfire. I guess he got a gander of my car. I am used to this so I just politely told him we will have to agree to disagree. He kept on rambling so I just gave up and drove off. I guess it's good practice for the protestors next week. They were an annoyance last year but the official peacekeepers kept things pretty mellow and the roller girls did a great job running interference and will again this year.

All in all organizers say the city agencies and management company at Gateway have been very cooperative and helpful. Not shocking that McCrory won't be there to rally us To be consistent it's not surprising that Bev Perdue won't have a presence there either. Meck Cty Dem Party does have a table.

Edited July 18, 2008 by voyager12

[voyager12]

I think Pride was a great success this year. The weather was much cooler and there were more vendors. The protestors were fewer in number. Always empowering to see the variety of people that make up Charlotte's GLBT community.

[davidclt]

I think Pride was a great success this year. The weather was much cooler and there were more vendors. The protestors were fewer in number. Always empowering to see the variety of people that make up Charlotte's GLBT community.

Were there protesters? I didn't see any! I think it gets better every year. It had a good vibe this year and I'm with you, it's a great place to people watch.

[voyager12]

I saw one earlier in the day. I think their declining presence yearly correllated with the lack of media coverage. Like so many issues it's a two edged sword. Great interest is shown when there is conflict which is helpful but not as much when things go calmly. The expanded layout was great, and I agree about the great laidback vibe.

[InitialD]

I saw one earlier in the day. I think their declining presence yearly correllated with the lack of media coverage. Like so many issues it's a two edged sword. Great interest is shown when there is conflict which is helpful but not as much when things go calmly. The expanded layout was great, and I agree about the great laidback vibe.

Yeah, I didn't see any either. Maybe because when I was there it was raining a little, and they didn't want to melt?

Anyway it was pretty fun. I must say it is the first time I've ever had a cheesesteak sandwich with nacho cheese. Anyway, here's my little photo set from Pride:

http://flickr.com/photos/bz3rk/sets/72157606411510009/

[voyager12]

Thanks for the

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

I'm not much of a rainbow flag waver and I'm not typically all that into Pride festivities (in Charlotte or any other city for that matter) but I agree that it was better this year. Of course, part of that for me may have just been that it wasn't as hot as the surface of the sun like it was last year. I liked the fact that it was more spread out and that they expanded the tents/booths into Trade Street, so it really felt like a larger event and didn't feel so claustrophobic.

I only saw one protester and he was at the corner of Trade and Cedar, holding a sign that said the usual stuff - something to the effect of how much God hates us. But he wasn't talking or yelling and he almost looked a bit lonely and bored, since he was being COMPLETELY ignored, which is always the best way to deal with those people.

[monsoon]

^Back in the day when I used to march in Gay Pride parades and then attend the resulting rally, I remember thinking they really need to move these things to a cooler time of the year. Two notable ones was one held in the parking lot of The Scorpio in 1986 in June. It must have been a million degrees down there on that asphalt and people just didn't want to stay long. They had brought a beer truck down there in hopes of selling the beer, and instead gave it all away for free. Mix that with the heat and everyone was instantly drunk. lol

The other was at the NC GP march in Durham in the summer of '91. Again it was a million degrees, high humidity and miserably hot during the march. There were a ton of protesters at this one, and the heat even slowed them down too. There was a rally afterwards in a big field but we didn't stay. It was just too uncomfortable.

[voyager12]

Gay Bingo tix are selling out fast for the October 18th show. A friend of mine bought ours yesterday and reported a long line at Paperskyscraper. So get them before they are gone. They are just doing games once a year from now on.

[voyager12]

Last evening the gay Charlotte Business Guild gave the yearly Don King Community Service awards at The Van Landingham House. Kelly Doherty won for being instrumental in getting CMS School Board to pass the gay inclusive anti-bullying policy. Frank Kalian won for community activism with a wide variety of groups. Rev Deb Warren of Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN) Tom Feldman of Tyvola Design for helping to market Gay Bingo to a diverse audience thereby increasing public AIDS awareness. And Rev Shoemaker of Myers Park Baptist Church and Rabbi Schindler of Temple Beth El won the first "Bridgebuilder" Award to straight allies. Next month the owners of Paperskyscraper are going to discuss the history of their successful business.

Edited August 20, 2008 by voyager12

[voyager12]

I came across this tidbit while searching for info regarding Bev Perdue's positions on gay rights. It's a copy of a post from Democratic Underground and of course should be taken with a grain of salt like anything else found online. But I am encouraged. Certainly stands in stark contrast to McCrory's unblemished record of ignoring and insulting Charlotte's gay community.

Dear Sir,

I spoke with Bev and this is what she had to say about gay rights:

Edited September 5, 2008 by voyager12

[voyager12]

I read in Qnotes yesterday about Richland County SC's Police Dept ( which I believe encompasses Columbia) liason to the gay community. It has been a success and helped to improve relations. It's the only one in the state. Not too surprising given the diverse population a large school like USC would draw. Has there ever been discussion of a similar approach in Charlotte? I have not heard of too many troubling incidents between the police and the gay community here but of course that does not mean none have occurred. It's still quite acceptable for police to detain a gay couple for showing affection in a park or a car for example and ignoring the same actions by straights. This is quite different than loitering or cruising in public areas which is wrong regardless of orientation. Does anyone know if there are openly gay cops in CMPD?

[Charlotte_native]

Does anyone know if there are openly gay cops in CMPD?

Yes, I know at least two the live in Wilmore -- not sure if there are others, but one is a Lesbian, the other gay. Both are friends of mine and say they are open with no issues in the force. A couple others that live in the neighborhood and one that is the Segway patrol guy in Southend are good friends with a lot of the gays in the area and hang out with everyone on off hours.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Charlotte_native

[voyager12]

^ Thanks for that info, good to know.

[Charlotte_native]

A couple others that live in the neighborhood and one that is the Segway patrol guy in Southend are good friends with a lot of the gays in the area and hang out with everyone on off hours.

Just realized I should clarify this -- these above aren't gay but are quite gay friendly!

Edited October 7, 2008 by Charlotte_native

[voyager12]

Duly Noted Gay friendly cops help to convince other officers that may be uncertain that there is nothing to be afraid of. Police culture has historically been influenced by a type of machismo that viewed homosexuality with disdain so it's good to hear that this is changing, albeit slowly overall.

Edited October 7, 2008 by voyager12

[voyager12]

Interesting factoid I learned recently..the current President of UNCC was head of The University of Wyoming in Laramie when Matthew Shepard was killed.

[voyager12]

On the local level it's been nice to see that the meck rep party has not done any gay baiting in this year's county commission race. The tactic backfired when anti-gay mailers were sent out against Parks Helms in the past.

Can't say the same on the senate level. The flailing Dole campaign sent out mailers falsely linking Hagan to support of gay marriage. When asked her position on gay rights Hagan aligned herself with Obama. Equal rights to marriage but under the title of civil unions. Which is inherently separate and unequal when compared to the societal validation given to the word "marriage", as the CA, MA, and CT Supreme Courts have clearly found. Such logic unfortunately is electoral poison in NC and too much of the country still, which explains Obama's tortured position on the issue.

Edited October 28, 2008 by voyager12

[voyager12]

I have been so angry since Prop 8 passed. I updated my gay pride stickers on my car and am going to replace the faded rainbow windsock on my porch. Visibility is more important than ever now. What I really want to do is make a statement as part of a group...so I was happy to learn that the 15th has been chose as a day of national protest against Prop 8.

Charlotte's spot is at 600 East Trade. Isn't that the gvt ctr? The gay community here does not have a sidewalk activist bent but I was heartened to see that South Meck GSA has gotten involved and their Facebook page has dozens of people committed to showing up. Making the statement is the important thing but I just wish this locale had more traffic going by on weekends. It can be dead around there on Saturdays.

[Charlotte_native]

Charlotte's spot is at 600 East Trade. Isn't that the gvt ctr? The gay community here does not have a sidewalk activist bent but I was heartened to see that South Meck GSA has gotten involved and their Facebook page has dozens of people committed to showing up. Making the statement is the important thing but I just wish this locale had more traffic going by on weekends. It can be dead around there on Saturdays.

I sent the invite out to 57 people, gay and straight. I plan on being there and hope at least hundreds will. Invite everyone you know!

[voyager12]

I had a great experience at the Prop 8 protest today We had a good but not a great turnout. The size of the crowd was a little dissapointing but not surprising to me, Charlotte is not an activist town. Especially when it comes to liberal issues. We made our voices heard though! Nice songs from the gay chorus and energizing chants. The event was mostly run by students from local GSA's. The crowd was diverse. After the speakers were done we lined the street and waved signs. The traffic was light as it usually is on Saturdays near the government center. So, I circled the block three times to help keep the cheers going. That was fun! I felt like the pace car in a gay nascar race. Whether the crowd is large or small I always get a great charge out of joining together with others in a just cause. This case was no different

Edited November 16, 2008 by voyager12

[InitialD]

Yeah, it was pretty cool. I tried to cover it but it ended up I had to leave a little early. Here's my report on the rally.

[voyager12]

Thanks for the great winds of change were definitely blowing yesterday!

[voyager12]

Today is Transgender Remembrance Day. We had an event at the Community Center tonight. The crowd was small but we heard from local transgender leaders and Elke Kennedy, the mother of Sean a gay teenager who was killed in Greenville in 08. The GLBT spectrum is an unwieldy mix with differences and disagreements and the need for unity was reinforced tonight. Every diverse community has arguments but in the end we all need to move forward together.

While society overall is making slow progress toward acceptance of homosexuality, those who are transgender face even more entrenched ignorance and hatred. Especially for those that choose to be completely out in their true identity which goes against conventional gender norms. The bravery of these people and their stories tonight really inspired me. We ended the evening with a candlelight vigil and recitation of those killed for being Transgender. And also remembered all those who are gone and whose names we don't know.

Tomorrow Takeover Friday is celebrating their beginnings at Tutto Mondo and Pewter Rose. Not a partier or drinker here but have enjoyed going to some of these parties. The visibility to the larger community is a great thing and it's important to support businesses that support us. Apparently, Out Magazine will be there tomorrow night to do a story on Takeover Friday's great success.

[voyager12]

Bit of a bummer that after this year The HRC Carolinas Dinner is moving to Raleigh. With McCrory on the way out I think we have a good shot of electing a Mayor who is more openminded and would not ignore this annual event. Well perhaps in a few years when it cycles back, Charlotte will have a leader who will give the welcoming speech! Here's hoping

Edited December 12, 2008 by voyager12