Charlotte Pride

[monsoon]

Indeed. It's where the pink triangle came from. Gays were sent to the gas chambers too so I would think the man either doesn't know his history or he is a hypocrite. It's probably both.

[Justadude]

If he's complaining about a lack of response, then the good guys must be winning. He's not started the fight he wants, so he's going to the editorial columns instead. Let's hope he just keeps hearing crickets chirping.

[Charlotte_native]

There is an opinion on the editorial page of the Observer today from Michael Brown, director of the Coalition for Conscience" where he complains about the generally frostly response that he got from Charlotteans from his lectures at the Blumenthal. It's well worth a read because he compares the negative response to nothing more than mind control put forth by the liberal and homosexual agenda in this country. LOL It's good to see that Charlotteans don't automatically accept stuff like this anymore.

I read into this as you did, his thinly veiled dissappointment that hardly anyone paid any attention to him and no one attended his "lectures". There were protesters at the HRC event (outside) but the paper made it sound like there was something substantial. There were two people at the college street entrance, one who strangely didn't say much religion though his placard had some verse on it, but he just insulted people about their clothes (?). I guess the religious police are now the fashion police also.

Then there was a microphone preacher across the street of MLK Blvd with no one else and three or four people handing out literature and holding signs. Strange again, much of their literature was about ABORTION. Do they know much about reproduction? If I were to get pregnant I wouldn't abort since that miracle of science would likely make me a wealthy and well taken care of man! I doubt that many of the 1500 at the event are likely to be aborting any babies...

Overall, very successful dinner, very very little protest OR attention to protesters.

Edited February 26, 2007 by Charlotte_native

[voyager12]

a bit but it does relate at least tangentially so humor me....I went to the first anti-war protest that Charlotte Action Center for Justice sponsored soon after the Iraq War began. We were all waving anti-war signs but several motorists still yelled out "Stop Abortion" and "Save the Babies" I guess similar to Homosexuality it's a hot button issue and with the tradition of picketing Abortion clinics and waving signs, passersby assume it has to be about abortion. Anyhow, where does the HRC Dinner move next? Charlotte's run is over is it not? Back to the Triad or Triangle? I have always thought it should go to Charleston but people have told me that Charleston is not central enough for all Carolinians to get there easily. Edited February 26, 2007 by voyager12

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

Anyhow, where does the HRC Dinner move next? Charlotte's run is over is it not? Back to the Triad or Triangle? I have always thought it should go to Charleston but people have told me that Charleston is not central enough for all Carolinians to get there easily.

They announced at the dinner on Saturday night that the 2008 HRC Gala would once again be in Charlotte. Our location on the state line is just too convenient, since our chapter is both NC and SC combined. I'm sure the folks in Greensboro or the Triangle would like to have it back there, as well. I suspect, however, the national HRC office really likes the fact that the Charlotte gala has grown into THE largest individual gala in the country (second only to the National HRC Gala in DC) and probably prefers to keep the Carolinas' dinner right where it is!

[voyager12]

Thanks for the info! It is wise not to mess with success. And hopefully next year we will have a new Mayor who will act like a responsible public official and welcome the event

[Charlotte_native]

Thanks for the info! It is wise not to mess with success. And hopefully next year we will have a new Mayor who will act like a responsible public official and welcome the event

Agreed completely, but he seems hell-bent on ignoring an event that gets national attention and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars. The mayor of Columbia was at the event again -- if it were to move, and it won't this next year, I really wish it would go there as a nod of thanks for him showing up and speaking at th last two.

[CLTNative]

The event was incredible! We had an RV convention next door and ONLY 6 protesters outside the convention center. I am still amazed at the volume of people that "took over" the Westin Bar Friday night. The Takeover boys have generated quite a crowd the last two years. It would be nice to have more city leaders involved to support such events where, like you all said, people come from all over two states (for the most part) to participate. The city obviously makes a little money and a jump in tourist activity through the process.

[voyager12]

There is a rather nasty anti-gay letter to the editor in the O today. The letter writer was " repulsed" by the love story of a gay couple profiled on Sunday. The men have been together for over 20 years,battled cancer and won then were married in Canada. But Suzanne can't deal with this and ends her letter with "sin sin sin". What's repulsive and sad is how hate filled Suzanne is.

[uptownliving]

Yes, that letter to the editor is rather self contradictory:

While gays and lesbians have the right to do whatever they want, why would the Observer greet its Sunday morning readers with such a repulsive "love story"?

Is she feels we have the right to do whatever we want it would make sense for the Observer to cover it...they are a newspaper after all.

[voyager12]

NoDa is mentioned in the current issue of The Advocate as an up and coming gayborhood. I have always considered PlazaMidwood to be the closest thing Charlotte has to a gayborhood but this is the second time I have seen NoDa listed in a national publication. I was also surprised that Asheville did not make it on to the gay friendly cities list.

Edited March 24, 2007 by voyager12

[Miesian Corners]

This from the US Airways employee website:

The diversity department is looking for interested participants to represent US Airways in the Phoenix Pride Parade, Saturday, April 14 at 11 a.m. The annual parade is sponsored by Phoenix Pride Inc., established primarily for charitable, educational and social purposes to promote unity, visibility, and self esteem in the Valley of the Sun and throughout Arizona.

Anyone know if the airline is doing anything for CLT Pride?

[voyager12]

That is interesting MC...In the two CLT Prides I have been to I have never seen evidence of US Airways participation. One would think they would be more involved in a hub city. Bank of America and Wachovia have booths and sponsor the event. I think an email is in order The Community Center was the main sponsor of the successful Pride last year. With all the turmoil going on there I hope an event can be put together this year. I hear that it's definitely happening but like last time no firm date has been set.

Edited March 27, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

I read the latest issue of Southern Voice today and they had a list of gay restaurants in Atlanta. There are a wide variety of bistros, lunch and breakfast places and everything else in between. I wonder if Charlotte's gay community will ever grow to a large enough extent to support such places. I know there are several gay owned and gay friendly places here but they don't amount to the same vibe of the places in Midtown Atlanta. Having specific haunts would be a nice change from the bar scene.

[monsoon]

Honestly, I have yet to eat in a "Gay" restaurant where the food was actually good and reasonably priced.

[Charlotte_native]

Honestly, I have yet to eat in a "Gay" restaurant where the food was actually good and reasonably priced.

But I bet they had a cute waitstaff! That seems to be more important than the food.

[voyager12]

I was prescient when I posted about gay restaurants I just got back from bagels with Frontrunners at Brueggers on East. Jolina in Uptown is going to start having gay nights in May They will hang flags outside and run gay popular shows on the TV. So it's not Blake's on the Park yet but this is progress and also high visibility for all Charlotteans to see driving or walking by

Edited April 1, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

F Bomb Ann Coulter will be in Matthews to speak at conservative Christian Seminary on May 10th. She will feel right at home in Bill James territory

[metropolitan]

I was prescient when I posted about gay restaurants I just got back from bagels with Frontrunners at Brueggers on East. Jolina in Uptown is going to start having gay nights in May They will hang flags outside and run gay popular shows on the TV. So it's not Blake's on the Park yet but this is progress and also high visibility for all Charlotteans to see driving or walking by

Don't mean to be uninformed, but where is Jolina's? Would love to attend..I'm sure a splash of color would be a good thing.

[voyager12]

I have been several times and I still get lost They are along College St on The Green across from The Convention Center. I should have more definitive dates for May later this month. Please do come, we may use rainbows as symbols but most gay gatherings in this city are too vanilla.

[voyager12]

Last year the Rowan County School Board enacted a ban on all Gay-Straight Alliances in the district because they considered them "sex clubs". Actions such as these have been consistently overturned by courts across the country as unconstitutional. The ACLU of NC is confident that a lawsuit would succeed but many of the plaintiffs have been scared into silence or graduated and moved away from this very conservative area. The ACLU of NC, Salisbury PFLAG, and several GSA's from area colleges are holding a protest at the next Rowan County School Board Meeting on April 16th. Everyone is invited to participate. The school board meeting starts at 7pm at 110 S. Long Street in East Spencer.

Edited April 5, 2007 by voyager12

[voyager12]

Sardis Baptist in Charlotte has joined Park Road, St.John's and Myers Park Baptist in leaving the state convention over their rule prohibiting acceptance of homosexual congregants. Good for them. It was refreshing to me personally to see a report that shows a mainstream Christian denomination showing love towards all their members, as opposed to the usual railing against gays that accompany so many news reports discussing Christianity and homosexuality these days. Four churches out of the dozens and dozens of Baptist churches in our region is not a big number but it's definitely progress. I thought the earlier three were the only ones that were going to break with the convention. Demographically I was surprised by Sardis Baptist's actions as they draw from a suburban area that is majority Republican and conservative. I suppose my partisan stereotypes don't apply sometimes

Edited April 30, 2007 by voyager12

[mallguy]

As a mainline person (Presbyterian), I don't view the Southern Baptist Convention as a mainstream denomination; I see it as a religious right group. Come to a church beloning to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Lutheran, Episcopalian, American Baptist, United Churches of Christ or a few other strands of Protestantism. All are welcome in them.

Edited April 30, 2007 by mallguy

[voyager12]

Thank you for the invitation I am Jewish. Although a very lapsed Jew at that, spiritually I am all over the place. Beth EL at Shalom Park on Providence is a very progressive gay supportive Reform Temple with a gay social group but I just don't feel any connection or motivation to go there.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Although the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., outside of the South, it is not considered very mainstream. The SBC's numbers are greatly inflated, and outside of the South, its membership drops precipitously. Even in Northern Virginia and DC, it has a scant cultural presence, and is viewed as a cultist or rightwing group.

Edited April 30, 2007 by DCMetroRaleigh