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Charlotte Pride


voyager12

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I have definitely indugled my activist addiction this week. Wayne Besen's presentation about the ex-gay industry on Thurday night was very informative and there was a pretty full house.

Went to Takeover at The Westin last night and found it funny that the conservative John Locke Foundation based in the Triangle was having a conference at the same time. I don't think either side got too confused. The differences were rather apparent :lol:

This afternoon I participated in the protest in front of The Central Church of God on Fairview. They hosted Exodus Intl. The turnout was not large but we got mostly supportive beeps from motorists. A few attendees came over and were trying to be all "christian" or their version of it. I suppose it was a civil thing to do but I could not be nice in return. I just get so enraged inside when they start speaking their poison and I can't hold back. I so went off on a few of them. I grew up in a very accepting environment. My parents yawned when I told them and we went out to dinner. I guess I know of and have heard about too many horror stories so I let loose. I suppose it made me look bad today but I just can't deal with it. This is why I stay grassroots based and can't be part of a leadership or formal dialogue. I can't be politic and respectful of such moronic idiocy. Not going to repeat what they said here because it will only anger me again.

Danngit I wish I had gotten by there to take some photos. If I had better planning skills I could have photographed both the Pray Away the Gay and the Love Won Out & protest. Please continue to update this thread with future LGBT events & protests.

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Went to Takeover at The Westin last night and found it funny that the conservative John Locke Foundation based in the Triangle was having a conference at the same time. I don't think either side got too confused. The differences were rather apparent :lol:

You've got to be kidding!! Awesome. Did they take their heads out of the sand long enough to notice the liberals surrounding them??

A couple of years ago there was a Takeover at the Westin, same night as large numbers of hotel patrons were arriving and checking in...for the Black Southern Baptist Convention! Interesting part of that though, many of them joined us at the bar and the vast majority of the rest didn't seem to care about the festivities around them. It was fun seeing all the gaiety of the Takeover outfits and the Sunday best worn by the Baptists mixing and mingling.

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^ They were down the hall in one of the conference rooms mainly,but going back and forth it was quite a contrast of style :shades:

Did you and your partner attend the Dinner? I did not, especially interested in what Kay Hagan said and what attendees thought of the evening overall. I am also glad that Community Center Chairman Denise Palm Beck was given The Equality Award. She does so much good work.

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Did you and your partner attend the Dinner? I did not, especially interested in what Kay Hagan said and what attendees thought of the evening overall. I am also glad that Community Center Chairman Denise Palm Beck was given The Equality Award. She does so much good work.

No. I would have liked to have heard Kay Hagan. This is the first one we've missed in a few years. My partner does styling and styled Morgan Fogarty from Fox News (Local!!) for another even uptown last night so we were there. It was actually really fun -- the Guys and Dolls fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. It was fun being the token gay couple there -- and obvious since we didn't wear suits that looked like we were going to work.

I like these type of events for many reasons -- but one part was typical last night. At first we get looks like 'who are the guys wearing color? Not wearing tux's or suits? Pink Tie??? Jeans and stylish jacket?? Feathered Fadora?? Then by the end of the night all their girlfriends are chatting my fella down and trying to get him to dance with them :whistling:

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  • 2 weeks later...

My sister works for a law firm Uptown and she brought me a new magazine she found (to be honest I don't know where). It is called the Charlatan and this month is their premier issue. While a quick read, I am pretty sure it is free and has some good articles. The general gist of the magazine is to "celebrate the Gay Communities of The South." I also looked up the website and you can check it out at www.charlatanmagazine.com

The magazine looks pretty promising and I hope that it will be able to thrive in an ever-decreasing magazine/newspaper market.

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^ Thanks for the link. This is news to me. They seem to aiming for something similar to David magazine in ATL. While Q-Notes does a good job of covering mostly hard news in the GLBT community I can see the appeal of a glossy. Hopefully it will not pigeonhole us all as wealthy white males that party all the time. Although that is the segment of the community that will support their adverts the most. In general our visibility in this town continues to be far too lowkey and this helps. Tough time to launch any kind of magazine though. Good luck to them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Interesting news from the guild meeting last night. Owen Zachowski (guessing on his last name) is running for City Council from District 1. I don't know him. The seat is currently held by Patsy Kinsey. She is very popular overall and gives good lip service on our issues. And would be highly favored to win. Win or lose it's visibility that badly needed in this town. I look forward to learning more about his platfom.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I heard last night that Liasons was not a gay bar anymore. Did not make sense to me at first. But then I remembered wondering a few weeks ago why their rainbow flag was gone. I go to Einsteins in South End for breakfast a few times a week and drive by the bar. This was very distressing to me as I love rainbow flags :w00t: ! < The White Rabbit does not fly a rainbow flag anymore either. One of the greatest things about the old Community Center location was the lineup of flags along a busy throughfare, ideal visibility. Now there is only one, enveloped behind The Music Factory. There are bunches of gay couples in Dilworth but no flags. I have windsock on my apt porch, I would have a flag if I had the space. I have only noticed one house in NoDa with one. Come on people, I moved here thinking Charlotte was just like The Castro :lol:

I digress ....back to Liasons... in their ads lately they call themselves alternative with no mention of gay. I know this all goes back to the "do we need gay bars or is assimilation the answer" debate. I still think gay bars play an important role as safe places where we can completely let our guard down. I don't like bars in general but if I wanted to meet someone on a Saturday night, Charlotte and the country overall is not evolved enough yet for me to go to Dixie's Tavern and try and make eye contact....my gaydar sucks anyway :dontknow: Especially in conservative areas of the country. Q-Notes did a cover story on this issue a few weeks ago. Liasons has been getting less popular for awhile now so maybe going the more mixed route is the answer for them.

Edited by voyager12
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  • 4 weeks later...

Elevation Church is bringing Ted Haggard and his wife to speak about his "sin" on Sunday. Interesting how Elevation paints itself as hip and open to diversity. Steven Furtick dresses like a party boy and they go to great lengths to draw in new members. I guess Furtick does not care how this "success" story will hurt closeted members of his congregation.

I think it's a shame that a church that attracts a younger demo is complicit is perpetuating the myth that homosexuality is shameful and can be discarded in the same fashion as changing one's hairstyle. In the end this event shows that while Elevation may play rock music and dress down they are simply a front for the same moronic crap that passes for being a good "christian" these days.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Traditionally Gay Pride celebrations take place at the end of June on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. However I do agree that it makes for a very difficult celebration, if outdoors, in the South. I went to a fairly large one that was held in the parking lot of The Scorpio in the late 80s in the midday where it must have been close to 100. They ended up giving away free beer off a beer truck and that combined with the thirst and the heat made for a very drunk crowd very fast.

However about Stonewall, and I suggest that everyone read that link who isn't familiar, I would say that it is good to keep the celebrations where they are. 40 years after those events the history is still not well known, certainly not taught in the Charlotte Mecklenburg school system, and even younger Gays and Lesbians don't know it. (though they should) I can see the argument for keeping it at the end of June despite the heat. Seems like a small price to pay for what we have now compared to then. It's also a reminder as to how far we have left to go.

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Agree, it is a good read. PBS in Chicago has a few good documentaries about the gay rights movement and even had a 2 hour special recognizing those in Chicago who transformed the city.

I do think most southern cities have moved their events to the Fall, which seems like the right thing to do. I went to the Pride Festival in Chicago last year and I was surprised how many people were at the parade. The parade went on for 2-3 hours. It was crazy how many floats there were.

Anyway, it is nice to see a new festival in Charlotte.

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I have not heard anything about this event in NoDa at any recent community meetings. The Center oversees the Pride Festival and I don't they want to spearhead anything else. Maybe it grew out of an idea that neighborhood residents had. In the past I have attended Stonewall events in Asheville and Chapel Hill. Glad that Charlotte is doing some to mark this important milestone in American civil rights history.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just read on my favorite GLBT blog... "Pam's House Blend" that Owen Sutkowski is kicking off his bid to knockout Patsy Kinsey on the 28th at 6:30pm @ Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. A great step forward having an openly gay candidate running for the first time in Charlotte.

I don't think his sexuality will hinder him in the District 1 primary, Kinsey is a very popular incumbent with deep roots. Although with Burgess and Carter, et al she has taken our support and done nothing for us in years and years. Perhaps there will be enough discontent swing it Owen's way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Reminder about tomorrow.......Owen Sutkowski will announce his candidacy for Charlotte City Council District 1 on Thursday, May 28th, 6:30p.m., at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, 911 East Morehead Street, located at the corner of East Morehead and South McDowell Street

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Important events coming up, help to spread the word and join in!

Protest for Marriage Equality

Friday, May 29, 5:30 p.m.

Rally at Marshall Park (5:30 p.m.)

March through Uptown to gvt ctr (6:15 p.m.)

City Council Marriage Resolution

Monday, June 1, 7:00 p.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center

(Meet in Lobby at 7 p.m.)

On June 1, a resolution in support of marriage equality in North Carolina will be presented to the Charlotte City Council. This same resolution has already been approved by Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham. We want you and your friends, family and colleagues to be there to support the resolution as it is presented. Join us at the City Council

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So our marriage equality march through Uptown last Friday was a big success! We had a great turnout and walked from the gvt ctr and down Tryon to the Square past Epicentre and back. Got several beeps of support. Most people on the street and those in restaurants looked more confused than anything else. This town is not much into such activism but I am glad that with CRANE that this is beginning to change.

Tonight at 7pm the City Council has to address the marriage equality resolution placed on the agenda. I hope we get at least a vote or two, Foxx and Lassiter won't touch with a ten foot pole and the rest will probably be just as cowardly. But we shall see.

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They picked a very bad night to roll out the Marriage Resolution to City Council since this is their "workshop" meeting where they dont vote on anything. It is held in Room 267 (not the Council Chamber) and media coverage will be very minimal. You will be lucky if you get 1 tv station to show up to tonight's meeting.

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You are right about that. They only gave the spokesman 4 minutes. Well 3 because they were so benevolent and gave him an extra one. At the end of the speech he asked for feedback and no one on Council said anything. So McCrory ( in interests of full disclosure I don't like him so this is biased) gave his usual smarmy " I appreciate your time". I said " sure you appreciate, sure you do" and everyone shushed me so I left and walked out. It was such BS. They are all such cowards. I really wanted to go on but decided to save my breath. I don't expect them to ever bring this up for a vote in formal session regardless of who is Mayor or the composition of Council. Glad that we have made progress on the school board and county level but City Council is just a pathetic joke that never changes.

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I agree and realize that this request was purely symbolic. Our Council has not been able to muster even rudimentary protections, I know they are not going to become traliblazers on marriage. And the only NC towns that have approved it so far are very liberal and different from Charlotte. But I still always go to these meetings hoping against hope that there will be a breakthrough. And come away invariably disillusioned and angry.

Employee non-discrimination does seem like a good starting point. Appeals to basic fairness I think. But the City Manager and City Atty are implacably opposed to it and DP's because the NC constitution does not explicitly allow for such laws. They think our only recourse is to lobby Raleigh. Whjich is a non-starter and an excuse to ignore us I think.

Much of the Triangle, Guilford County, Winston Salem etc have had these ordinances on the books for years and years. These metros and counties have taken the view that there is no law in the state explicitly against these laws so they moved ahead with passage and have never been challenged.

City Manager Morgan also threw in Syfert's lame "we can't afford" it excuse for good measure. Maybe there is support on Council but they never seem to be willing to stand up to the City Manager. And I don't see Foxx or Lassiter being advocates for us after the election.

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