Qnotes April 1, 2022 by QnotesCarolinas

LGBTQ Local News, Voices and Community

APRIL 1 - APRIL 14, 2022|VOL 36 NO 25

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Writers: Joey Amato, Reuben Evans, Kendra Johnson, Joe Killian, L’Monique King, Johnathan Limehouse, Chad Mackie, David Aaron Moore, LGBTQ Nation, Chris Rudisill, Gregg Shapiro, Qnotes Staff, Trinity, Ginger Walker

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The focus of QNotes is to serve the LGBTQ and straight ally communities of the Charlotte region, North Carolina and beyond, by featuring arts, entertainment, news and views content in print and online that directly enlightens, informs and engages the readers about LGBTQ life and social justice issues. Pride Publishing & Typesetting, Inc., dba QNotes P.O. Box 221841, Charlotte, NC 28222 ph 704.531.9988 fx 704.531.1361 Publisher: Jim Yarbrough Sales: x201 adsales@qnotescarolinas.com Nat’l Sales: Rivendell Media, ph 212.242.6863 Managing Editor: Jim Yarbrough, x201, editor@qnotescarolinas.com Digital & Audience Engagement Editor: Chris Rudisill chrisrudisill@qnotecarolinas.com Sr. Content Editor: David Aaron Moore, specialassignments@qnotescarolinas Copy Editor: Bailey Sides Production: Tommie Pressley, x205, production@qnotescarolinas.com

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13 Stonewall Sports ‘Kicks Off’ Spring Season 14 Pro Sports Brings Noteoriety, Excitement and Big Revenue to NC

The Time is Now to Push Back

There has been over 255 anti-LGBTQ+ bills since mid-March. Many of which are targeting trans individuals in the area of health care and participating in school sports. In this article, we take a closer look at this topic.

news 7 Illinois Professor Examines Intellect of Trump Supporters 8 Anti-LGBTQ Legislation 10 One Voice Chorus Performs World Premiere of ‘Songs of the Phoenix’ 10 Gay Mens’ Chorus Announces Creation of the Women’s Chorus of Charlotte 10 Blumenthal Announces 2022-23 PNC Broadway Lights Series 11 Charlotte’s Newest Music and Event Facility Opens 11 Dog Has New Home After First Owners Told Shelter He Was ‘Gay’ 11 SC’s Hate-Filled Anti-LGBTQ Bills 12 Swimming Upstream

a&e 16 Hometown Tourist 17 NC Native Ariana DeBose Makes History with Academy Award Win 19 Q-Music

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Illinois Professor Examines Intellect of Trump Supporters

Illinois Professor of Sociology sheds some light on cognitive skills that someone who would vote for Trump possess. In this article, it is often referred to as low level cognitive sophistication.

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4 Importance of the Judiciary and How the Judges We Elect Directly Affect LGBTQ+ Lives 6 The Time is Now to Push Back Against Anti-Trans Bills

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Importance of the Judiciary and How the Judges We Elect Directly Affect LGBTQ+ Lives OP-ED

BY GINGER WALKER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER In part one of the two-part series on the Courts, Judge Arrowood gave you an excellent non-partisan understanding of the nuts and bolts of the Courts. In this article, I hope to convey why the courts matter to you and the importance of doing your part to make sure fair and impartial jurists are elected or appointed to the bench. For those who know me, as you’d expect, this article will have a partisan slant because I am extremely partisan and as history has shown us over the last few decades, it is by far the jurists who are Democrats that we can count on to be fair, impartial and recognize that LGBTQ+ citizens have the same rights and protections under the law. In fairness, there are a few Republicans Judges who do the right thing some of the time, like U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch who joined Democratic Justices to rule in favor of extending employment protections for LGBTQ+ citizens. At the end of this article and the twopart series, our hope is that you’ll have a better understanding of the courts, the importance of the courts in your daily lives relative to who is elected or appointed to sit on the bench(es) and that you’ll be more energized and committed to do your part to support the Judicial candidates running at every level of the judiciary, as well as other offices that control the appointments of federal and state judges, including the President of the United States (who appoints U.S. Supreme Court [SCOTUS] Justices and other Federal Courts), the U.S. Senate (who confirms SCOTUS and other Federal nominees), the Governor (who appoints state justices) and the state Senate (who confirms state nominees). You’ll also recognize that the Attorney General is important, as well, and finally this article will give you ways that you can engage and participate to make a real difference. The Judicial Branch is the third and co-equal branch of our government along with the Executive and Legislative Branches, each of which is designed to provide checks and balances to the others. The judicial branch decides the meaning of laws, how they’re applied and whether a law breaks the rules of the U.S. or State Constitutions. Here are a few examples that demonstrate the power and impact of the courts in our lives: Same-Sex Marriage In 1996 the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was passed by Congress and signed into law. It defined marriage for federal purposes as the union between one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. Many states that didn’t already have prohibitive laws started passing legislation banning “gay marriage” and defining marriage between one man and one woman. In 1975, Virginia amended its Code to

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April 1 - April 14, 2022

Southern Equality for hiring Chris Brook, Attorney and former NC Court of Appeals Judge (one of the judges who lost their 2020 bid for re-election) to provide assistance in municipal attorney discussions. To date, 16 North Carolina Municipalities have passed NDOs, with more underway. The relevance in this article is that should there be legal challenges to an NDO, it would be decided in the courts. 2020 False Election Fraud Claims

prohibit same-sex marriage and in 1997, a bill was approved banning recognition of same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. In 2012, under a Republican majority in the North Carolina General Assembly, a constitutional amendment, Amendment One, was put on the ballot that defined marriage between one man and one woman as the only valid and recognized domestic union. The language was very confusing by design and unfortunately in May of 2012 the voters approved the amendment 61 percent to 39 percent, with a voter turnout of only 35 percent. In 2013, United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision on same-sex marriage and held that Section 3 of DOMA, which denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages, was a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment and that the federal government must recognize samesex marriages that had been approved by states as legitimate. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. Also in 2013, a lawsuit was filed in federal court, Bostic v. Schaefer, which challenged Virginia’s law banning same-sex marriage. The plaintiffs won in U.S. district court in February 2014. It was challenged and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in July 2014 in a 2-1 vote. On Oct. 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a writ of certiorari letting the Fourth Circuit’s ruling stand, pending the outcome of further litigation. Some state officials refused to defend their state’s constitutional and statutory bans, including Governor Roy Cooper, who was the NC Attorney General at the time and on the day the Fourth Circuit decision was announced, Cooper issued a statement that he would no longer defend his state’s ban on same-sex marriage because North Carolina was bound by the Fourth Circuit precedent. Interesting note, South Carolina is also one of the states that is in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and their Attorney General, Alan Wilson’s spokesperson at the time said that he would continue to defend his state ban

and encouraged people not to rush to act or react until a decision was made by the highest court of the land. Which, as we know, occurred on June 26, 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued their decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, ruling that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Employment Non-Discrimination In Title VII, Congress banned discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin and on June 15, 2020, SCOTUS handed down another landmark victory for our community with their decision on Bostock v. Clayton County, holding that federal law prohibits employment discrimination against LGBTQ workers. This law applies to all employers with greater than 15 employees. So, what about employers with less than 15 employees? This is where state law comes into play and since there is no state law in North Carolina, it falls under local municipality jurisdiction to enact non-discrimination ordinances. Non-discrimination Ordinances. The Dec. 1, 2020, sunset of HB142’s law prohibiting municipalities from passing nondiscrimination ordinances in public accommodations and private employment, gave municipalities in NC the opportunity to pass broad non-discrimination ordinances. The NC is Ready Coalition led by Equality NC and the Campaign for Southern Equality, joined by the LGBTQ+ Democrats of NC, and many other LGBTQ and Ally organizations, had already been preparing and working with elected officials and attorneys in cities, towns and counties to pass NDOs. In the beginning, many municipality attorneys and elected officials were afraid of being sued or facing retaliation from the Republican majority legislature, but many proceeded forward. Thanks goes to ENC and the Campaign for

Of course, the reports of election fraud in the 2020 election were unequivocally false. Many state election officials and experts confirmed the 2020 elections were the most secure elections in our nation’s history, but that didn’t stop the former President from challenging the elections, even after his then U.S. Attorney General publicly stated there was no substantial voter fraud. The more than 60 cases in 12 states came before judges of all types, elected and appointed, Democrat and Republican, rural and urban, state and federal, northern, southern, eastern and western. The federal judges who heard the cases or denied hearing the cases were appointed by presidents of both parties over decades and all came to the same conclusion that there was no widespread voter fraud and rejected the allegations. SCOTUS also rejected to hear the cases. 2022 NC Congressional Maps New political maps are drawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census and they’re drawn by the state legislatures based on the new population. Why should you care? The location of district lines decides which voters vote for which representatives. Here in North Carolina, we’ve been dealing with grossly unfair and gerrymandered maps since the Republicans took control of the General Assembly in 2010, which in essence means they are packing districts and stacking the deck to win more seats, where in essence they are trying to choose the voters rather than the voters choosing their representatives as it should be. Many of you may be asking if the Democrats did the same when they were the majority party? The answer is, they certainly drew maps to their advantage, but they were fairer and never so grossly gerrymandered, nor were they challenged in court at the same levels that the maps drawn by the Republicans have been challenged. For purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the maps drawn most recently following the U.S. 2020 Census. In typical form, the GOP drew grossly gerrymandered lines that likely would have created a 10-4 advantage for Republicans in NC’s Congressional delegation and would ensure that the GOP would hold its majority in both houses of the NC General Assembly. The maps were challenged in the courts. In February 2022, the Democratic majority NC Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional and ordered the NCGA to redraw the maps.

The new maps drawn by the legislators were provided to the NC Supreme Court. As required, the Chief Justice appointed a three-judge panel to review. The Chief Justice is a Republican and appointed a trio of GOP Justices. The panel accepted the newly drawn versions of the NC House and Senate maps the legislators had drawn, but not the new congressional map. Instead, the justices had a group of outside experts draw a new congressional map. Both sides challenged the new congressional map and the Democrats challenged the NC legislative map, however all attempts were struck down by the panel. The GOP Legislative leaders took the congressional map to SCOTUS, who decided not to hear the case at this time, but four of the Justices said they’d be open to considering it for 2024. The NC House and Senate maps remain gerrymandered, and the new congressional map is not great, but better than the original map drawn by the legislators. Case in point, if Chief Justice Cheri Beasley had won and other Democratic candidates had won in 2020, the panel appointed would have been Democrats and the outcome would likely have been different. Of note, Chief Justice Beasley lost by only 300 votes. Despite losing three Democratic seats on the NC Supreme Court in the 2020 elections, the NC Supreme Court still has a 4-3 Democratic majority, otherwise the initial ruling of the maps would likely also have been different, and the gerrymandered maps for the congressional districts and state House and Senate would likely have been approved the first time, just like we’ve seen in other states where Republican majority legislatures drew maps and their Republican majority courts blessed them. So, is voting for Judges important? YES! The people should choose their representatives and not the other way around! LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence The Democratic majority North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Friday, March 11, 2022 that victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships can obtain emergency restraining orders and domestic violence protections, which nullified the state law that prohibited domestic violence protection for same-sex couples who were not married or divorced. It took four years after the break-up and domestic dispute between two women before the case made it to the North Carolina Supreme Court. The plaintiff, only known as M.E., appealed after a Wake County

district court ruled that she was ineligible for a domestic violence protection order because the couple had never been married and were in a same-sex relationship. The March 11 decision was written by Associate Justice Robin Hudson for the four-member Democratic majority, including Associate Justice Samuel Ervin IV, Associate Justice Michael Morgan and Associate Justice Anita Earls. Thanks goes to LGBTQ advocacy organizations, like ENC and the Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein for submitting friend-of-the-court briefs in the case. Of extremely notable interest, the three Republican Justices dissented. Associate Justice Phil Berger, Jr., son of NC Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger, Sr., wrote the dissent and was joined by Chief Justice Paul Newby and Associate Justice Tamara Barringer. Once again, I point out to you that it was the Democratic Justices who decided this case in favor of the LGBTQ+ community. Associate Justice Robin Hudson is retiring and Associate Justice Sammuel Ervin IV is up for re-election in 2022. I’m sure you now have a better understanding of just how critical it is that we maintain a Democratic majority by helping to re-elect Justice Sammuel “Jimmy” Ervin IV and electing Judge Lucy Inman to fill Justice Hudson’s seat! Transgender Name Change To obtain a legal name change in North Carolina, an applicant must submit a petition to court and under NC law, the Clerk of Superior Court (one elected in each county) has jurisdiction over name changes. In North Carolina in 2012, two trans women, Síle Kelleher and Hadassah Chayim, were denied legal name changes in the counties of Wake and Durham. They challenged the ruling in court and on Feb. 10, 2014, they won their case. Today, the process of obtaining a name change is much easier for our trans siblings. That doesn’t mean that trans people don’t face discrimination in the courts. Unfortunately, there are many stories of discrimination against transgender people in the courts, especially those who haven’t gone through a name change yet but find themselves in a North Carolina court for various reasons, such as they are being purposefully misgendered and treated in hateful and blatantly cruel ways, making an already stressful situation of being in a court room even more uncomfortable. There are many other areas where the Judicial Branch impacts our daily lives

today and will in the future. Today, for example, reproductive technology has given same-sex couples a better opportunity to have children, but the parent not carrying the child needs to go through an adoption process to ensure they will be legally recognized as the parent, even though they are already listed on the birth certificate at the time of birth. The adoption process we have now is the same process used by stepparents and often requires a report written by a social worker who visits the home and makes a recommendation on the adoption. None of this is required for opposite-sex couples because people can easily assume the husband is the child’s biological father. In the future someone may challenge this in court and of course, the law needs to be changed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Some other examples of what may come before the courts in the future will likely be book banning, and with all the anti-trans legislation being passed in this country, there will likely be cases before the courts involving denial of trans healthcare, trans individuals in sports, “Don’t say Gay” and much more. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that marriage equality could be challenged again in the future and with a conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court the outcome may not be favorable. Just look at what’s happening with Roe v. Wade where there’s been a 50-year precedent that’s now in jeopardy of being overturned. So, in closing, I hope you see the importance of the Judicial Branch of our government and how critical it is to vote for the judges and those who appoint our judges. The year 2022 is a critical election, perhaps even more so than 2020. We must do our part to: Re-elect Associate Justice Sammuel “Jimmy” Ervin IV and elect Judge Lucy Inman to the NC Supreme Court and elect pro-LGBTQ candidates in all other judicial races. Elect Cheri Beasley to the US Senate (to protect and expand the Democratic majority) and Elect LGBTQ and Ally candidates to the US House of Representatives (to protect the Democratic majority, who passed the Equality Act), the NC House and Senate (gaining seats or maintaining enough seats to sustain the Governor’s veto) and local municipal elections. When speaking with Connie Vetter, Attorney at Law and a recognized and honored LGBTQ+ activist in Charlotte

about this article, she said, “LGBTQ people need to vote because our lives depend on it!” I couldn’t agree more. Our voter turnout in 2020 was extremely poor, so let’s change that in 2022. Every Vote Counts! If more of us had voted, we would likely have made the difference in the 2020 election results, especially in the judicial races. As I stated above, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley lost her race by only 300 votes. To protect your own self-interests and that of the LGBTQ+ and marginalized communities, I hope you’re energized to get engaged and that you’re asking yourselves “what can I do?” Here are a few things you can do: You can vote! You can give money to candidates, particularly judicial candidates who have a harder time raising money than other candidates. One of the other detrimental things the GOP has done in North Carolina after taking control of the NCGA was to make the judicial races partisan and eliminate public financing for judicial campaigns. You can host fundraising events for candidates to introduce them to your circle and/or put up yard signs. You can give of your time by volunteering on a campaign or with the Democratic Party. You can talk to your family, friends and neighbors about the importance of voting and how critical it is to go all the way through the ballot to vote for the judges. And finally, as soon as you have the opportunity, pass on the links to qnotes electronic copy of this two-part series, or have them pick up a hard copy. Ginger Walker has been an activist for the LGBTQ community and the Democratic Party for over 25 years. She has served on numerous boards and committees on a local, state and national level. She was appointed by the Biden Campaign and elected to represent NC as a Delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She has also served with the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County and is the immediate past President of the LGBTQ+ Democrats of NC. Walker has also worked in the healthcare field for years. She is the president of Avanti Medical Technologies and has served as the Board Chair of Carolinas College of Health Sciences.

Connie J. Vetter, Esq. Attorney at Law, PLLC

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The Time is Now to Push Back Against Anti-Trans Bills Political Voices

by Kendra R. Johnson, Equality NC Executive Director Contributing Writer

nly a few months into 2022 and already we’ve seen record numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation advance around the country. By mid-March, over 255 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, many of them targeting trans individuals, had been introduced in legislatures across the nation. Much of the legislation blocks access to healthcare for trans youth and prohibits trans kids from participating in school sports. According to recent reports, more than a third of trans youth are at risk for losing healthcare due to anti-trans bills that have been signed into law or are under consideration. In 2021, Arkansas lawmakers passed a bill that banned gender affirming care. The law has not been implemented due to a lawsuit, but its future is uncertain. This year in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for trans youth and directed child protective agencies to investigate supportive parents who provide gender-affirming care to their

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trans children. His order was based on a non binding legal opinion that defined such support as child abuse. While investigations of families have been temporarily blocked, the order is subjecting parents and their children to unimagineable terror and imposes a substantial toll on mental health. At least 13 other states are considering similar legislation, with many measures likely to be signed into law soon. Some of the most egregious anti-LGBTQ bills are coming from swing states, as well as from the home states of presidential hopefuls for the 2024 elections, and that’s no accident. The anti-trans agenda being pushed by conservative lawmakers is shaping up to be a key part of their strategy ahead of midterm elections and will likely continue here in North Carolina, when the NCGA reconvenes. Fundraising and base building at the expense of trans youth is unconscionable.

Providing gender affirming care to trans children is life saving. And the support of loving parents should be celebrated, not vilified. Nationwide, LGBTQ+ advocates and allies have been working hard to push back against this dangerous agenda. There are reasons for hope amidst all this discouraging news. At the end of March, conservative lawmakers Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb vetoed anti-trans sports ban bills. In his remarks to GOP lawmakers, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox pointed out that the harmful bill was aimed at only a handful of students. “Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few. I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do. But I want them to live.” The future of these bills is unclear, but we are encouraged to see this push back, especially from conservative legislators. Additionally,

Freedom for All Americans noted that for every anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has passed this year, 10 have been defeated. Organizing works, and we must keep pushing to defeat these attacks. In this time of political backlash, we need to create space for trans self-expression and joy. In the face of a hostile political reaction on the right, we must keep a clear eye on the truth. Trans people are themselves. The trauma from transphobia is a policy decision. Our nation is facing several very real challenges, including tremendous strain on our health care system, a growing mental health crisis, affordable housing shortages, poverty and worsening impacts from climate change, all of which disproportionately impact LBGTQ+ and BIPOC communities. We need our politicians to address this nation’s critical needs, not fabricate ‘solutions’ in search of a problem. We hope you’ll join us as we continue to fight for lived equality! Get ready for the upcoming legislative session by becoming a member of ENC Crew. You’ll get early access to breaking news and information on how to help. Join us today! We can’t win this fight without you. : :

news

Illinois Professor Examines Intellect of Trump Supporters

Exam uncovers Trump’s core base more likely to be victimized by financial fraud and conspiracy theories

t turns out there’s science to support the idea that those who supported and/or continue to support Donald Trump likely possess substantially lower intellectual capacity than those who don’t. Southern Illinois Professor of Sociology Darren Sherkat used a 10-point vocabulary exam to evaluate the cognitive and political decision-making skills of white Trump supporters. While controlling for education, gender, geography, income, age and more, Sherkat found that almost 73 percent of people who didn’t get any of the questions right would vote for Trump, compared to 35 percent of people who got all ten questions right. Fifty-one percent of those who got an average score would vote for Trump. “While non-college whites certainly turned out more heavily for Trump, the smart ones did not,” Sherkat wrote in a guest essay for the blog Down With Tyranny. “Only 38 percent of those with perfect scores are expected to go for Trump, and only 46 percent of non-college graduates who scored a standard deviation above the mean. The same is true for college graduates – low cognition college graduates were more likely to vote for Trump.” Other research from Sherkat explains that there is a difference between education level and “cognitive sophistication,” and it is the latter that more greatly affects our political leanings. “Low levels of cognitive sophistication may lead people to embrace simple cognitive shortcuts, like stereotypes and prejudices that were amplified by the Trump campaign,” Sherkat wrote in a 2021 article for Social Science Quarterly. “Additionally, the simple linguistic style presented by Trump may have appealed to voters with limited education and cognitive sophistication.” Sherkat added that the Trump campaign may have appealed to people “with low cognitive sophistication and a preference for low-effort information processing” because “Trump’s speeches were given at a much lower reading level” than other candidates. At the same time, he said a preference for Trump does not necessarily equal a vote for him, as those with college degrees are still more likely to actually vote. “While much of Trump’s campaign rhetoric and orientation may have resonated with the poorly educated and cognitively unsophisticated, those overlapping groups are less likely to register to vote or to turn out in an election,” he said. Sherkat also found that fundamentalist Christians and “those who embrace identifications with sectarian Protestant denominations” were more likely to have voted for Trump in 2016. He told Salon that cognitive sophistication is not only about education level, but education quality and content, and that

BY LGBTQ NATION | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Vote for Trump? Chances are you’re suffering from low levels of cognitive sophistication. (Photo Credit: Facebook) “generations of white Christian Americans” have been taught “a radically skewed version of American and world history” that encourage “a continued segregated society. ” “White fundamentalist Christians distrust mainstream social institutions like education and print media, and they actively seek to eliminate public education and to provide alternative sources of information,” Sherkat explained. “As a result, people who identify with and participate in white Christian denominations and who subscribe to fundamentalist beliefs have substantial intellectual deficits that make them easy marks for a wide variety of schemes — from financial fraud to conspiracy theories.” Sherkat’s diagnosis of Trump supporters is serious. He emphasized that their low intellectual capacity doesn’t mean they can’t have a vast influence on the future of this country. He espoused the dangers of over a million children being homeschooled every year by uneducated, white fundamentalist parents in a society where “spouting off obvious untruths is no longer a mark of shame.” “We seem to have a stable set of about 30 percent of Americans, 35 percent of white Americans, who are oblivious to political realities and incapable and unwilling to come to terms with any of our key social problems. The increasing control over public education by rightwing fanatics is entrenching ignorance and intellectual laziness in future generations. It does not bode well for the future of American democracy.” This article appears courtesy of our media partner LGBTQ Nation. : :

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Will NC Get Swept Up in the National Rising Tide of Anti-LGBTQ Legislation?

For the moment, NC remains the ‘voice of reason’ in a firestorm of anti-LGBTQ legislation throughout the South BY JOE KILLIAN | GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

t a recent Wake County Republican Party convention, John Amanchukwu, a youth pastor with Raleigh’s Upper Room Church of God in Christ, gave the opening prayer. “There is a war in our public schools,” Amanchukwu said. “Our children are being turned out [slang t erm – in this case baselessly – meaning to be made gay or lesbian] at an alarming rate. Our public education system is in shambles, and our children have now become expendable. They are being taught that Heather has two mommies and Jodie has two daddies. Our children are being taught to hate our country and hate our flag.” The rhetoric is not new. The language of “spiritual warfare” and the painting of LGBTQ families as shameful and any discussion of them in public schools as corruptive and un-American is now commonplace on the political right, from some of the state’s most prominent conservative activists to the highest GOP elected officials. For advocates and state lawmakers who have long fought anti-LGBTQ legislation, it is less a dog whistle than a full scale storm warning. It also feels like a dangerous backslide. “It felt like we made some progress on these issues in the last five years,” Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) told Policy Watch in a recent interview. “And this really feels like that’s being rolled back. The constant demonizing of families and children who are just trying to live their lives as part of the society is unacceptable.” Last April, as bills targeting transgender people made their way through state legislatures across the country, North Carolina seemed to sidestep the wave. First state Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said a bill limiting medical treatments for transgender people under 21 had no path to becoming a law and wouldn’t get a vote in his chamber. A week later, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said the House would not take up a bill that would have banned transgender women from women’s school sports, calling it a solution in search of a problem. “A wise legislature does not go out looking for social issues to tap,” Moore told Raleigh’s News & Observer. On the same day, LGBTQ-friendly Apple Inc. announced it had chosen North Carolina for its first East Coast campus, an investment expected to total more than $1 billion and create 3,000 jobs over the next 10 years. It all seemed a world away from the 2016 firestorm over HB2, the controversial law that excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from anti-discrimination protections and prevented communities from enacting their own. International backlash to that law cost North Carolina thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars as companies, conventions, and entertainers boycotted the state in protest. Partial repeal of HB2 helped pave the way for last year’s Apple announcement, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said after talking with Apple CEO Tim Cook, a gay man who continues to denounce anti-LGBTQ laws. An end to a moratorium on antidiscrimination protection in North Carolina also played a role in the company’s decision-making. “I think HB2 chapped a lot of peoples’ behinds,” Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake) told Policy Watch. “There was good and bad that came from HB 2 and [that bill’s successor] HB 142. The bad was what they did. The good was that it really put a stink on our state, it showed people we aren’t going to put up with that and a lot of people aren’t willing to go back to that. I think that’s what we saw last April.” Since then, Dahle said, more out politicians like her have been elected and kept equality and non-discrimination prominent in political conversations. But nearly a year later, new and more far-reaching antiLGBTQ laws are passing in states like Texas [15], Florida [16] and Idaho [17]. They seek to regulate mentions of LGBTQ people and relationships in classrooms, ban transgender women from women’s sports, and criminalize doctors and

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parents who help their transgender children transition. GOP lawmakers in North Carolina want the state in on this new wave. High profile elected Republicans in the state are stoking their political base with anti-LGBTQ rhetoric ahead of the coming elections. The GOP hopes to increase its majority in the North Carolina General Assembly and again make it possible to overturn vetoes by Cooper, paving the way for bills considered too extreme to become state law under divided government.

‘I think HB2 chapped a lot of peoples’ behinds.’ – Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake).(Photo Credit: Courtesy NC General Assembly

Robinson, the state’s highest Republican elected official, has repeatedly vilified LGBTQ people, proclaiming their relationships inferior to heterosexual relationships, characterizing them as “filth” children shouldn’t learn about “anywhere in America,” and comparing them to maggots and flies. His comments have stirred controversy and earned him condemnations from Democrats from the state level to the White House. At Tuesday’s Wake County GOP convention, he was given a standing ovation. As a society, we’re living through more than a state-bystate battle over specific laws, said Rebby Kern, director of educational policy with LGBTQ advocacy group Equality NC. “We’re in the middle of a massive culture war that is also impacting our young folks in schools and turning into a pretty slippery slope when it comes to teaching about history and LGBTQ identity and experience,” Kern said. “When we look at the state right now, we know we saw anti-LGBTQ bills filed in North Carolina. So did tens of other states across the country, many of which have passed into law. And 2022 is no different, in terms of what we’re seeing trending.” North Carolina is still healing from the scars of HB 2, Kern said, both emotionally and economically. Advocates are working tirelessly to keep people aware of and educated on the issues, Kern said, whether or not individual bills come to a vote in the state. As HB 2 proved, Kern said, discriminatory bills have wide-reaching effects. “We’re doing our very best to center the experiences of LGBTQ people on the ground but also to educate people about how this is impacting not just queer and trans people but everybody across the board,” Kern said. That means having conversations about these issues not just when a discriminatory bill is filed or nearing passage, but well before that when it’s apparent they’re in the offing. Corporations may be spurred to action in these fights, Kern said, but the on-the-ground work of LGBTQ people organizing and educating in every state sets the stage for that and is the strongest defense. The current vogue of “protecting children” from LGBTQ people and LGBTQ issues is just the latest refrain of a historically popular tune, said Craig White, supportive schools director for the Campaign for Southern Equality. “This sort of legislation has two main purposes,” White said. “The first is to motivate the political base, which is why I think we’re seeing such a wave of this in a midterm election year. The second is to create a hostile environment for LGBTQ people, particularly transgender and gender nonbinary people and particularly young people who are being targeted by these bills, which would deny them access to things like sports and life saving medical care.” The bills purport to “save women’s sports” or support “parental rights in education,” White said. But they’re transparently a reaction to a society shift reflected in multiple studies showing LGBTQ identification in America at its highest levels ever. That shift is being driven by an increasingly accepting society, young people who feel more comfortable coming out and doing so at earlier ages, and parents who make it clear they support them, White said. This month a new ABC News/Ipsos poll found six in 10 Americans oppose legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons or discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary schools. The most prominent of those proposals is a recently enacted Florida measure derided by detractors describe as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. A similar bill in Tennessee would ban discussion or materials that “promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender issues or lifestyles.” Support for this sort of legislation increased with age, the ABC News/Ipsos poll found, but didn’t reach majority support in any of the age groups polled. Forty-three percent of respondents 65 and older supported the legislation, but

that number fell to about a third for those under 50. “Our young people are so resilient,” Kern said. “No matter what the headlines say, our young people are so certain and clear about who they are. As a community we need to move forward and address the inequities that exist and address these ideas, as we’ve seen in Texas, that supporting a young person’s gender identity is somehow child abuse, which is completely ridiculous.” Framing even the discussion or acknowledgement of LGBTQ people as “sexual grooming” or fraught with the potential for abuse is a long-standing tactic embraced by social conservatives that traces back to battles over whether teachers and coaches should be fired for being LGBTQ, White said. “We’ve seen it throughout the history of the movement for rights and equality, unfortunately,” White said. For Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) the issue isn’t just a political one – it’s deeply personal. “I left my hometown because I knew I couldn’t come out in a small town in central Illinois,” Morey told Policy Watch this week. At the time LGBTQ people and their lives weren’t openly discussed, Morey said. She feared embarrassment, harassment and subjecting her family to shame. “I had to come here and find my identity and start a new life,” Morey said. “It worked out for me but there was a lot of heartache

because we didn’t have conversations, there wasn’t support. I’m so glad we’re no longer where we were 40 years ago.” Watching the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation in other states, Morey said she hopes North Carolina learned its lesson with HB 2, but acknowledges that the enduring political appeal of demonizing LGBTQ people means that there is always the possibility of new, discriminatory laws. “The harm this does to young children is apparent,” Morey said. “This is not an issue we need to be spending any energy on.” Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover), another out lawmaker, said she was lucky to have the support of friends and family when she came out. Not everyone is so fortunate, she said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen that Republicans will put forward these bills as raw meat to the base, even though we know there are people struggling and harmed by the environment they create, that LGBTQ young people are at risk of suicide,” Butler said. “There’s no question in my mind that if they have the capacity to do it, to pass these things, they’ll do it,” Butler said. “They’re willing not just to fight adult members of the LGBTQ community but children in order to pursue their rear view mirror image of America.” This article appears courtesy of our media partner NC Policy Watch. : :

‘Our young people are so resilient. No matter what the headlines say, [they] are so certain and clear about who they are.’ – Rebby Kern, director of educational policy, Equality NC. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

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Qnotes

news One Voice Chorus Performs World Premiere of ‘Songs of the Phoenix’ One Voice Chorus of Charlotte (OVC) Artistic Director Cory Davis and Board President Brian DuBois announced March 9 the debut of “Songs of the Phoenix,” a world premiere musical presentation. The event will take place Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, at 7 p.m. at Providence United Methodist Church (2810 Providence Road). Tickets are on sale now at onevoicechorus. com. Tony Award nominated Broadway composer Andrew Lippa brought together the much-anticipated world premiere of the musical collection “Songs of the Phoenix” and Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen produced. This monumental choral work features 10 movements created by 13 different composers and lyricists, representing a myriad of musical genres, personal identities and cultures: Indigenous people, Black, Pacific Islander, Chinese and white; women, men and trans; gay, straight, bi and pansexual; opera, theater, perfor-

mance art and pop; and ages spanning more than four decades. They are (in alphabetical order): Ty Defoe, Alexandra Elle, Siedah Garrett, Joriah Kwamé, Patrick and Daniel Lazour, Andrew Lippa, Melissa Li, Ingrid Michaelson, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Diana Syrse and Kit Yan. Weaving together each movement is spoken narration, contextualizing the drama of the various pieces. OVC and local community leaders will organize talkbacks immediately following both performances,

Gay Mens’ Chorus Announces Creation of the Women’s Chorus of Charlotte The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte (GMCC) is excited to announce that beginning in March, 2022, the organization will undertake a project to demonstrate the support among singers, audience and donors for a soprano/alto ensemble (tentatively called the Women’s Chorus of Charlotte). According to The Chorus Impact Study (Chorus America, 2009), “choral singing continues to be the most popular form of

participation in the performing arts.” Yet despite the popularity of choral singing, there is currently no treble ensemble in Charlotte for adult soprano and alto voices. GMCC seeks to change that by creating the Women’s Chorus of Charlotte. The ensemble will increase the impact and exposure of its unique and powerful voice, especially surrounding issues specifically of concern to women. Additionally, it will serve as a place of support and inclusion

Blumenthal Announces 2022-23 PNC Broadway Lights Series Blumenthal Performing Arts announced March 20 an exciting collection of Broadway hits taking center stage for the 2022-23 season, including 2020 Tony Award nominees for Best Musical, ‘Jagged Little Pill’ and ‘Tina: the Tina Turner Musical,’ Broadway’s newest smash, ‘Six,’ 2020 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play, ‘A Soldier’s Play,’ starring Tony nominee Norm Lewis; Broadway hit ‘MJ’ and a host of returning musical theater classics and beloved new favorites, including the winner of nine Tony Awards, ‘The Book of Mormon.’ “Charlotte audiences welcomed Broadway back this past season with open arms. Next season, we’re going all out and bringing even more shows for our audiences to enjoy,” said Blumenthal President and CEO Tom Gabbard. “The lineup coming to Charlotte next season offers something for everyone, but what all of these shows have in common is the transcendent entertainment of theater. We are so excited for our audiences to experience the best and brightest of Broadway with

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these spectacular productions.” The PNC Broadway Lights Series, Blumenthal’s premier Season Ticket, will feature an eight-show package, including: “Jagged Little Pill,” Nov. 29 – Dec. 4, 2022 “TINA—The Tina Turner Musical,” Dec. 27, 2022 – Jan. 1, 2023 “A Soldier’s Play,” Jan. 10 – 22, 2023 “Beetlejuice,” March 28 – April 2, 2023 “9 to 5,” April 18 – 23, 2023 “1776,” June 6 – 11, 2023 “SIX,” July 4 – 16, 2023 “MJ,” Sept. 27 – Oct. 8, 2023 PNC Broadway Lights Series tickets range from $300–$984. The Equitable Bravo Series offers a package of five shows: “Dear Evan Hansen,” Oct. 25 – 30, 2022

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providing space for dialogue about the themes presented. The phoenix has been emblematic of the spirit and determination of the human race, and the LGBTQ population at large. The legend of the Firebird teaches us that, while no community is immune to tragedy and loss, we may rise above our shared struggle and find joy. Through individual songs with powerful messages, each creator brought multifaceted cultural, spiritual and emotional experiences to life. The music tells the stories of hardship, rebirth and victory – perfect for our times. One Voice Chorus (OVC) is the LGBTQ+ and allies chorus of Charlotte. Always striving towards artistic excellence, OVC

works to increase understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Our achievement in choral music enables us to reach diverse groups to overcome misperceptions and to grow personally, both as performers and as leaders in our community. Since 1989, when five Charlotte residents met to form the chorus, OVC has grown into an important source of strength for our community. The 25 singers at our first rehearsal in January 1990 have become a joyous and dedicated group of more than 70 singers, support members and paid musical staff. All are welcome in this non-auditioned group, which exists to present a public face and voice of the LGBTQIA+ community as we work toward social justice. One of the pioneering gay-affirming choruses in the South, OVC is also one of fewer than a dozen choruses in the national LGBTQIA+ choral community where all members along the gender spectrum perform together. info: bit.ly/3uyDceX — Chad Mackie

for all soprano/ alto singers, and encourage diversity and inclusion. While championing existing works by women composers, lyricists and arrangers, the WCC will commission new works and arrangements from women, especially those from marginalized communities. The first rehearsal will take place Tuesday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and will be held at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church,

located at 1510 East 7th Street in Charlotte. The ensemble’s initial performances of “Steppin’ Out” will take place at the same location, with one evening performance June 17 at 7: 30 p.m. and two performances June 18 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For more details visit the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte. info: bit.ly/3DimF2J — Qnotes Staff

“Les Misérables,” Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, 2023 “Come From Away,” March 7 – 12, 2023 “The Book of Mormon,” Aug. 8 – 13, 2023 “Chicago,” Sept. 12 – 17, 2023 Equitable Bravo Series tickets range from $192–$648. As well as the offerings in its two main Broadway series, Blumenthal will present additional shows during the year. Currently slated Broadway Extras include: “Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show,” Feb. 14 – 19, 2023 “Disney’s Aladdin,” April 4 – 9, 2023 “Annie,” May 30 – June 4, 2023 “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” July 25 – 30, 2023 Subscribers to the PNC Broadway Lights Series and Equitable Bravo Series may choose to swap some of their season tickets for these Broadway Extras or any additional special attractions added during the year. The ability to

swap shows is one of the many exclusive benefits offered to season ticket holders, who enjoy guaranteed seats for all of the shows in their season package. PNC Broadway Lights Series tickets are renewable annually, guaranteeing season ticket holders the best seats at the best prices each year. PNC Broadway Lights Series season ticket holders also have the ability to swap up to four PNC Broadway Lights season shows for anything coming the following season and the option for a 12-month extended payment plan. Equitable Bravo Series seats are not renewable, but subscribers will have first priority to purchase individual tickets to PNC Broadway Lights Series shows next season. Equitable Bravo buyers may also swap up to two season shows for anything else coming to Blumenthal theaters, including PNC Broadway Lights Series shows, and have the option of a six-month payment plan. For more information or to make a purchase, visit BlumenthalArts.org/ Broadway or call 704-335-1010. info:bit.ly/36tJRPS — Qnotes Staff

news Charlotte’s Newest Music and Event Facility Opens A former west Charlotte strip club made famous by rappers like Drake will now be the site of a music venue called QC Soundstage is now scheduled to open in late March after a two-year wait because of the coronavirus pandemic. The site was formerly Club Cameo, where rapper Drake caused a stir in 2013 by throwing $50,000 worth of bills in the air, the Charlotte Observer previously reported. Rapper Young Dolph’s “In Charlotte” track also talked about the club in his “Bullet Proof” album and J. Cole mentioned Drake’s Cameo incident in “Cole Summer.” The inaugural concert at QC Soundstage will be the Femme It Forward

tour with Queen Naija and Grammy-Award winner Seyvn Streeter on March 26. Two other shows also are scheduled next month at the new venue at 3049 Scott Futrell Drive. Local entrepreneur group ECMONT had planned to open QC Soundstage in spring 2020 after purchasing the property in January that year for $3.19 million, Piedmont Properties/CORFAC International told the Observer at that time. The proximity to the airport and growth in the area make it an attractive location, said Chris Babilonia, principal of ECMONT, in a recent interview. ECOMONT planned to turn the 20,000-square-foot Club Cameo building,

Dog Has New Home After First Owners Told Shelter He Was ‘Gay’ Steve Nichols and his partner, John Winn, were sitting on their couch over the weekend when they saw a news story about a North Carolina dog facing the same ignorance and bigotry they’ve encountered as an openly gay couple for 33 years. Fezco’s previous owners had surrendered him for humping another male dog, according to WCCB, which cited a Facebook post by Stanly County Animal Protective Services. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We got to do something,’” Nichols told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday. He drove from the couple’s home in Indian Trail to Albemarle, about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte, to adopt the dog. “It was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard,” Nichols said about Fezco’s previous owners. “That’s just pack behavior.” Shelter officials did not respond to an Observer request for comment. Once

Fezco’s adoption paperwork was completed, the couple renamed him Oscar, after Oscar Wilde, a gay Irish poet and playwright in the early 1890s. Oscar’s Health Problems Nichols and Oscar spent just an hour together at the Albemarle shelter Tuesday because the five-year-old mutt wasn’t feeling well. “What is almost as concerning as the idea that he’s gay, and that the person gave him up for that reason, is the fact that the owner apparently didn’t do anything to take care of this dog,” Nichols said. Oscar apparently had never been to a veterinarian, according to Nichols. The dog had heartworms and wasn’t neutered. “It was pretty apparent to me that he has not seen a good meal or a groomer in his life either,” he said. Although feeling unwell, Oscar was “extremely sweet” and well behaved, Nichols said.“He obeyed commands just like he had been listening to me all of his life,” he said. “I told him to

SC’s Hate-Filled Anti-LGBTQ Bills On Thursday, March 10, organizers and protestors from LGBTQ and allied groups around South Carolina came together to protest a slew of anti-LGBTQ legislation set for debate in upcoming meetings of the South Carolina House. The list of bills reads like a list of directives put forth by a totalitarian regime hell-bent on a societal cleansing: H.4608/S.531 would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports. S.811 is a safeguard measure to protect potential methods of “conversion therapy” (a wholly unsuccessful “procedure” dismissed by all responsible and educated practitioners in the field of mental health) which seeks to modify an individual’s LGBTQ+ sexual orientation or gender identity to strictly cisgender and heterosexual. H.4776 would allow medical providers, healthcare workers and just about anybody carte blanche to discriminate. Receptionists, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, counselors, insurance companies and others can cite their personal beliefs to justify turning away or denying service

to LGBTQ+ people, women, people of minority faiths, people of color and more. Then there’s the state’s multiple versions of its own “Don’t Say Gay” bills: H. 4325, H. 4343, H. 4605, H. 4392 and H. 4799 are efforts to censor curriculum in schools related to LGBTQ+ identity and racial justice among other areas. Some bills completely prohibit discussion of the LGBTQ community altogether. As of March 15, the South Carolina Senate Education Subcommittee continued its hearing on S.531, the bill that would prohibit transgender students (including those in middle school, high school and college) from participating in student sports. Even after powerful testimony from community members opposing the bill, the subcommittee voted 3-1 to advance S.531 to the full committee with a favorable ruling. This was the second subcommittee hearing on S.531, following the first in May of 2021 when no action was taken. A companion bill, H.4608, was heard in a House subcommittee on Thursday, March 10, but no action was taken. Powerful testimony was heard from

with capacity for 1,100 people, into an upscale music event center booking entertainers from across the country. Then the COVID pandemic shut businesses down and music venues weren’t able to reopen until a year later under restrictions and many artists still not touring. “It’s been a rollercoaster to say the least,” said Babilonia. He said manufacturing and shipping delays also pushed the opening date out. QC Soundstage expects to host all music genres, Babilonia said, from R&B to rock country and gospel, as well as comedy. The venue can accommodate 25 to 1,400 people for corporate events, private concerts, weddings, receptions or business meetings, according to QC Soundstage’s website. Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology magnet high school has already booked its prom there, Babilonia said. Inside QC Soundstage, everything

from the bar, stage and floors and walls has been updated. The biggest changes were made to the equipment for sound and lighting, Babilonia said. “Anything that relates to the strip club is gone,” he said. The venue also will have a full bar and concession foods. Babilonia is a veteran in the restaurant and event industry, including owning the Press Box Bar and Grill at UNC Charlotte. He and his father Ed, a native of Puerto Rico who died in September, had originally planned to open QC Soundstage together with Lamont George, a national event coordinator who helps book the talent. “I’ve always had an interest in entertainment and in business with sports bars and nightclubs for years,” Babilonia said. This story appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. info: website.com — Jonathan Limehouse

jump in the car, he jumped dogs will get along fine, but in and sat down on the Harry will definitely be the seat.” boss, Nichols said. “My little Oscar is scheduled to dog used to hump an Old be neutered and receive English sheepdog that was heartworm treatment at five times his size just to Pressly Animal Hospital, show him he was boss,” he according to Nichols. The said. The former owners of this Greater Charlotte SPCA Dogs are not a spedog claimed he was gay. took in Oscar on Tuesday cies that have intercourse (Photo Credit: Courtesy and will care for him durfor pleasure, according to Steve Nichols) ing his procedures, he Melissa Knicely of Charlottesaid. “He’s been through Mecklenburg Police Animal an awful lot,” he said. Care and Control. The hump“But we have high hopes, and the vet is ing that people often see is considered a very confident that he’ll be able to pull dominance behavior, and both male and through.” female dogs demonstrate it, she said. Nichols called the Stanly County shelter The couple is going to “take it nice and workers “real heroes” for taking care of easy” and give Oscar a “loving home” when Oscar. “This was just a one time thing for he’s done with his procedures, Nichols us, but they do this stuff every day and said. “I know it’s silly to think that a dog is deal with it all the time,” he said. “They gay, but if he wants to be gay as hell, he don’t get the attention they deserve for can be gay here,” he said. “We’ll still love what they’re doing.” him and take care of him.” Oscar is expected to be at his new This article appears courtesy of our home by the end of the week, where he’ll media partner The Charlotte Observer. be welcomed by the couple and their info: website.com Chihuahua-terrier mix, Harry. The two — Jonathan Limehouse supporters of transgender equality from all walks of life – including parents, medical providers, mental health experts from The Trevor Project and advocates. SC United for Justice & Equality, a coalition of more than 30 organizations comSC United for Justice & Equality, a coalition of more than 30 orgamitted to LGBTQ equality in nizations, is mobilizing against the advancement of anti-LGBTQ South Carolina, mobilized legislation.(Photo Credit: SC United for Justice & Equality) against the bill and spoke out against its advancement. Ivy Hill, a leader of the and a safe, friendly environment. SC United for Justice & Equality coalition, “S.531 will not solve any real problems, who also serves as Executive Director of but it will create – and is already creatGender Benders and Community Health ing – a flood of them,” Hill continued. Program Director of the Campaign for “New research has illustrated the extreme Southern Equality, said after the hearing: damage that bills like this have on the “Let’s be clear about what happened…a mental health of transgender youth, with bill that lawmakers know is unnecessary 85 percent of trans or non-binary youth was advanced to full committee to score saying anti-transgender bills negatively political points with anti-transgender impact their mental health. That’s why I forces around a manufactured issue. want transgender and queer youth across Transgender youth have played sports South Carolina to know that we love them, consistent with their gender identity for we support them, and we will never stop a long time, and the South Carolina High fighting alongside them for dignity, respect School League already has a reasonable and inclusion here in South Carolina” policy in place to protect transgender info: website.com youth while ensuring a level playing field — David Aaron Moore

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Qnotes

news

Swimming Upstream

Trans Athletes in the News and in Hot Water… Again BY L’MONIQUE KING QNOTES STAFF WRITER

rom bathrooms to swimming pools, it seems that whenever the trans community is talked about in the news or even general conversation, the discussion is brought up because of some hot button topic relating to their rights or discriminatory practices against them. The transgender community often seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to affirmations or positive recognition. As the 2022 Pride Season approaches, the world is gearing up for the return of in-person pride parades, festivals and other related events. What better time to remember and celebrate how much we owe the trans community – and the important role they have and continue to play in our struggle for equality, safety and empowerment? Had it not been for the mix of gay and lesbian folk, many of whom were angry drag queens and pissed off gender benders (yet to identify with terms such as LGBTQIA+, transgender and non-binary), who were weary of the police raids, arrests and beatings routinely taking place at the Stonewall Inn (and other gay and lesbian establishments of the era) leading up to what has become known as the Stonewall Riots, we might not be celebrating the gains we’ve made over the last 53 years. Our opinions today on what the fight has achieved and how those gains should manifest across the LGBTQ spectrum are as diverse as we are. While we struggle to find equity, we don’t always offer it to each other.

Not all cisgender lesbians agree with sharing the court, field or swimming pool with trans women they believe have a biological advantage. (Photo Credit: AdobeStock)

reported, “Lia Thomas took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle to make history Thursday as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) swimming championship,” not everyone in the LGBTQ community cheered. Some were angered by what they considered a miscarriage of Title IX legislation while others weren’t quite sure how to feel. Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the United States that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives funding from the federal government. Quite possibly, some of our fears, opinions and concerns might be based upon not having enough information on the journey of becoming the person we were meant to be and how that informs upon our understanding of what it means to be a trans athlete. As you might imagine, every journey of transition isn’t the same. For some, transitioning Swimmer Lia Thomas beat two Olympic medalists amid protests might mean changing to make history as the first trans athlete to win an NCAA title. names, identification (Photo Credit: Facebook) and daily attire. For others, the final step in When it comes to our feelings and transition might be surgery to feminize beliefs about trans athletes competing or masculate. Somewhere in the middle alongside cisgender athletes, for example, – there’s also Hormone Replacement the LGBTQ community can often be split Therapy (HRT). between not wanting to appear to ostracize HRT is the process of using anti-androand oppress members of our own comgens to block male or female hormones. munity and what we inherently believe Taking estrogen and progestin helps to be fair. Simply stated, not all cisgender you develop breasts, softer skin and lesbians agree with sharing the court, field rounder hips for trans women. For trans or swimming pool with those they think men, it’s testosterone that’s being given might have a biological advantage. and estrogen that’s blocked, resulting in So, when Sports Illustrated recently greater muscle mass, a lower voice and

Qnotes

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hair growth. Why is all this important to communities outside of the LGBTQ community? Here’s some food for thought: How much testosterone or estrogen one possesses has been connected to how well one fairs in physically strenuous activities – though it’s just one factor and may have much more to do with appearance than it does strength and ability. For greater clarity on the issue of trans athletes competing with cisgender athletes, qnotes spoke with Charlotte’s Wesley Thompson. Thompson is a Physician Assistant at Amity Medical Group, an independent family medicine practice with three locations in the Charlotte area that treats many trans patients. He has been dedicating his time to practicing transgender healthcare and HIV medicine for 35 years. “There are cisgender woman who are muscle bound and can blow their cisgender male counterparts away,” says Thompson. “When a trans woman competes with other women, [as a result of HRT] she has shut down her testosterone. Her muscles begin to soften and her fat increases so that she takes on the curva-

ceousness of a cis woman. If she chooses to push herself in the gym, she may still be very strong. “However, I have a cisgender woman who trains me in the gym and she could whup my butt on any day. So, when we look at a transgender woman [it’s important to recognize] she no longer has an advantage edge against her cis opponent, even if she has broader shoulders and her legs are longer. HRT alters her muscle mass and strength and that’s the intent, [to use hormones to assist] trans women and trans men in assuming the gender they realized they were meant to be.” Now, before you get your panties, boxers or whatever in a bunch over that “meant to be” part, consider the fact that no matter what you believe, who and how you are is a personal decision and your life is a journey that only you can define. “It’s unfair to exclude [transgender athletes] from any form of Olympic or other competitive sporting event. That… trans women have an unfair advantage because they started with a male body [at birth] and…will always outperform cis women, is a fallacy. “Hormonal changes begin within the first week of HRT…and those changes continue for about a year.” To be fair, most of these [cis/trans athletics] conversations center trans women. No one seems to be too upset about competing against trans men – in sports or otherwise. Tatenen Corbett, a trans male and resident of Columbia, N.C. has some thoughts on why that is. “Because we live in a misogynist world,” says Corbett, “people with XX chromosomes, assigned female at birth people, are perceived as less capable and less opposition. Fortunately for me, I have a partner who doesn’t judge me [as less or inferior]. I get to be as masculine, or feminine, or flamboyant as I want to be, without it diminishing my manhood in any way” – something that trans and cis individuals can equally spend a lifetime hoping for. As for where we go from here and what should happen next, we might consider starting with overall respect and acceptance of those that are different from us, with a little less focus on what may or may not have been in their underwear. : :

‘That…trans women have an unfair advantage because they started with a male body [at birth] and…will always outperform cis women is a fallacy,’ says Amity Medical Group’s Wesley Thompson. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Wes Thompson)

feature

Stonewall Sports ‘Kicks Off’ Spring Season

The nonprofit sports league has been supporting LGBTQ communities across the country since its founding in 2010 child advocacy nonprofit helping victims of physical and sexual abuse in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender Counties. For more information on North Carolina chapters of Stonewall Sports, visit their websites below. On March 14, the coalition of Stonewall Sports announced its National Tournament and Summit would return this year post-pandemic with an event in Cleveland July 8–10. The executive team includes Monica Gustin, Matt Williams, Ryan Clopton-Zymler and Patty Hace. “The vision for the 2022 Summit is one that expands on previous years; our hope is to recruit experts from within Stonewall and outside of, to lead discussions on the everevolving nature of community organizing,” says Stonewall Sports’ leadership. The theme will be “Exploring the Intersection of Sports & Advocacy.” For more information, visit www.stonewallproud.org.

by Chris Rudisill Qnotes Contributor

o you miss the days of kickball on a warm, sunny afternoon? Does the idea of friendly competition, followed by a few beers at the local pub or bar sound like the best possible way to spend a Sunday? Well, you are definitely not alone. With the arrival of spring comes the “kick off” of Stonewall Sports kickball leagues across the country. The organization’s name has grown to represent more than just our gay rights history, but a community of friends and sports enthusiasts who are part of the LGBTQ community in 23 cities. The original Stonewall Sports league was created in Washington, D.C. in 2010 by Martin Espinoza and Mark Gustafson. The idea was to create a community-based sports organization for LGBTQ and allied individuals. It started as a Sunday kickball league with 90 players. Four years later, they had maxed out at 450 players and the idea was starting to grow into other cities. Here is a quick primer on the sport that started it all. A full game of kickball is five innings, or 45 minutes. The visiting team kicks first while the home team takes the field. Captains play “rock, paper, scissors” to decide who’s who. There is a maximum of eleven players allowed on the field: six in the infield and five in the outfield, but rules allow you to play with as few as eight. Some leagues require you to wear the official Stonewall jersey somewhere on your body. In order to pitch a strike, the ball must bounce at least twice and roll through the strike zone, a foot above and around all sides of home plate. Kickers stand in the “batter’s box” and must wait for the ball to cross the plate before placing the kick. The rest is pretty much as you remember from grade school. Espinoza pointed out the key components that have led to the success of the Stonewall Sports model in a Washington Blade story in 2014. “Any of the Stonewall sports are an easy entry into the gay community for someone who is shy, new to the area, just getting over a break-up or even someone who is recovering from an addiction,” Espinoza said. “It’s a chance to be outside the bar scene and to build a new network of friends.” There are important characteristics in the Stonewall Sports ethos – low cost, philanthropy, diversity, competition and fun. All the individual leagues share a common mission statement, “To provide an inclusive, low-cost, high FUN sports league that is managed as a non-profit with a philanthropic heart.” In addition to kickball, the “OG” of LGBTQ sports leagues now has leagues for billiards, bocce and climbing, and sports vary even more broadly across the country. Today, Stonewall Sports has over 20 chapters in 14 states, including Carolina leagues in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Wilmington and Asheville. The first group to launch outside of Washington, D.C. was Stonewall Sports Raleigh. Inspired by what his friends had

Stonewall Sports Raleigh was the first expansion league which launched in 2013. (Photo Credit: Facebook) created, Raleigh City Council member Jonathan Melton founded the expansion league in 2013. Ask any member of the group and they will agree that Stonewall Sports has a way of building community. It creates opportunities for friendship and leagues help the larger community through fundraising and charity. The Raleigh chapter has donated money to LGBT Center of Raleigh, the Tammy Lynn Center, Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Interfaith Food Shuttle, to name a few. By design, leagues are set up as a fundraising model so that teams have the ability to raise money for their chosen charities. Stonewall Sports Raleigh offers kickball, dodgeball, indoor and outdoor volleyball, bowling, football, tennis, softball and a Stonewall Run Club which launched in 2017. On Monday, the organization announced a billiards league led by Joe Lyons. After talking with Melton in Raleigh, Jason Boone took a day trip from his home in Charlotte to see what the league was doing. He founded the Charlotte chapter the following year. “It was a warm spring day in 2014 when I witnessed my first post middle school kickball game,” states Boone on the organization’s website. With over 2,000 annual sports players each year, Stonewall Sports Charlotte now holds the title for the largest LGBTQ+ sports organization in the Carolinas, according to its website. In January, board president Bryce Moffett shared their vision for 2022 with qnotes. “Our goal is to re-engage with our community, expand our offerings and league sizes and focus our donations and giving to organizations that reflect our diverse community,” he said. Charlotte’s league includes bowling, cornhole, esports, dodgeball, kickball and volleyball, both indoor and outdoor. In addition, since its

founding, Stonewall Sports Charlotte has donated over $150,000 to local charities. That charity does not stop at the state line either. In March, Stonewall Sports Charlotte, along with several other leagues, passed on donations to Equality Florida in response to the passage of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would ban “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in primary schools. Further east, Stonewall Sports Wilmington still focuses on the origins of being a kickball league. This spring’s “Kickball Remix” starts on April 3 with seven teams. Clever names include the “Shady Pitches,” “Shaka Laka Boom Boom” and “The Sydney Prescotts.” The league is also displaying their non-athletic talents as they take part in a community-wide lip sync competition on April 30. The annual Making Legends Local Gala and Lip Sync Battle benefits the Carousel Center, a

Stonewall Sports National https://stonewallsports.leagueapps. com/ North Carolina Leagues Stonewall Sports Raleigh, established 2013 https://stonewallraleigh.leagueapps. com/ Stonewall Sports Charlotte, established 2014 https://www.stonewallcharlotte.org/ Stonewall Sports Greensboro, established 2014 https://stonewallgreensboro.leagueapps.com/ Stonewall Sports Wilmington, established 2015 https://stonewallwilmington.leagueapps.com/ Stonewall Sports Asheville, established 2019 https://stonewallasheville.leagueapps. com/ : :

Stonewall Sports Raleigh was the first expansion league which launched in 2013. (Photo Credit: Facebook)

April 1-April 14, 2022

Qnotes

feature

Pro Sports Brings Notoriety, Excitement and Big Revenue to North Carolina Multiple teams play across the state in different professional sports

by David Aaron Moore qnotes Staff Writer

by Reuben Evans Quest Writer

t’s a fact – when combined – that North Carolina and the state’s largest city of Charlotte have a pretty extensive roster of professional sports teams. Overall, they bring in an impressive amount of revenue (currently estimated at over two billion dollars in total) from local residents and fans throughout the region who often travel to enjoy the sporting events and amenities found in cities like Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham area. Here’s a list and some general information on North Carolina’s professional sports teams. Some of the teams

have designated LGBTQ community outreach events. All teams have seasonal schedules. Check out their websites and Facebook pages for general full scale event dates and specific LGBTQ-related programs. The Carolina Panthers proudly compete in the National Football League (NFL). They played in the historic Super Bowl 50 in 2015 against the Denver Broncos, who defeated them 24 to 10. Previously they had played against the New England Patriots in 2003, when they lost Super Bowl 43 to the New England Patriots by just three points. Over the years the team has recorded seven winning seasons, 14 losing seasons and three eight to eight seasons. They have reached the playoffs a total of eight times. The regular season for the NFL has recently ended, but will begin again in September 2022. Of special note, there are two openly gay cheerleaders in the Panthers’ Top Cats cheering team: Tré Booker and Chris Crawford. The two made history in 2021 when they made the decision to live and work out loud and proud. The Charlotte Hornets pro basketball team has a lengthy history with the Queen City. The original Charlotte Hornets NBA team was based in the city from 1988 to 2002, before it moved to New Orleans. Two years later, the city managed to establish another NBA team, but was not able at the time to recapture the Hornets name and ended up calling the team the Bobcats. As both the Bobcats and the later renamed Hornets, they have experienced some

Qnotes

April 1 - April 14, 2022

success under the guidance of basketball legend and part owner Michael Jordan. In 2016 when North Carolina passed the anti-LGBTQ House Bill 2, the Hornets boldly released a press announcement denouncing discrimination: The Hornets are opposed to discrimination in any form. We have always sought to provide an inclusive environment.” The Charlotte Knights is a minor league baseball team that is affiliated with the International League. They’re also a Triple A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Currently they play home games at Truist Field. They

previously played at Knights Park beginning in 1976, Knights Castle later in 1989 and Knights Stadium from 1990 to 2014. Previously known as the Charlotte Orioles or just the Charlotte Os, they won the Southern League Championship twice in 1980 and 1984.The Orioles were rebranded as the Knights in 1988, which was later followed by the Triple A and International League affiliation. The Knights have won two International League Championships, the first in 1993 and the second in 1999. A quick glance at their upcoming schedule of events shows multiple away games and a handful of home events in late April. Check out their website for details. The Charlotte Checkers, a minor league professional ice hockey team, are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL). It may come as a surprise, but the city of Charlotte is actually recognized as the birthplace of professional hockey in the south. Back in 1956, the Baltimore Clippers were forced to find a place to play their 12 remaining home games after a fire destroyed their home base. The first game was held at the old Charlotte Coliseum (still located on Independence freeway today) and attracted a

crowd of more than 10,000 people. The following season, after record crowds and attendance in the city the year before, the Clippers relocated to Charlotte. By 1960, the Clippers became the Checkers and continued to play home games in the city until 1977 when the team finally folded. After some various wheeling and dealing between league and franchise owners, the reincarnated Charlotte Checkers (the name was chosen as tops in a contest and in historic homage to the former team) returned in 1993. They’ve continued to play in one form or another since that time. Like most sporting teams, they scaled down during the pandemic. Now they’re back, and at the time of this writing, currently playing a game against the Cleveland Monsters. The Carolina Queens is a women’s professional football team affiliated with the Women’s National Football Conference and/or the Independent Women’s Football League. It is owned by Ebony Kimbrough. Home games have been played on the campus of Hopewell High School, (according to internet sources), although it appears the impact of the pandemic has delayed the next spring opening

until 2023. More information will appear in Qnotes as it is made available to the public. NASCAR Charlotte and the southeast has had a longterm love affair with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) that began smack-dab in the middle of the 20th century. That’s when the first-ever NASCAR race was held (including a female driver) at the then-newly installed Charlotte Speedway. Off Wilkinson Boulevard and Little Rock Road on the city’s far west side, the dirt track was a long way from Charlotte’s center city. Despite the distance, NASCAR’s “Strictly Stock” race, held on June 19, 1949, attracted one of the largest crowds for any event in the city’s history up to that point. An estimated 22,000 individuals showed up, and an additional 5,000 were

Detroit Red Wings. In an exciting turnabout for fans and the state of North Carolina, the Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers, giving the state its first major professional sports championship and its only major championship as of 2021. The latest season began March 29 and continues through April 28. The North Carolina Courage is a professional women’s soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded in 2017 after Stephen Malik acquired National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York Flash. The Courage is affiliated with the men’s

turned away for lack of seating. These days, NASCAR events take place throughout the country, but the heart of NASCAR continues to beat in the Queen City with a NASCAR History Museum and corporate offices in center city Charlotte, as well as the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the neighboring town of Concord. Upcoming events slated for the Charlotte Motor Speedway include the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals April 29 through May 1; The Coca-Cola 600 May 29; and the NASCAR Cup Series throughout the month of October. The Carolina Hurricanes(often referred to as “the Canes”) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh. They compete in the National Hockey League as a member of the metropolitan division and the Eastern conference and play their home games at PNC arena. They began Life as the New England Whalers in 1971 and made the move to North Carolina in 1997, rebranding themselves as the Hurricanes. The Canes advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 2002, where they were defeated by the

league soccer as part of the Eastern Conference, the team is owned by David Tepper, who also owns the Carolina Panthers. Frequently referred to as the “Charlotte FC,” they are currently in season and actively playing games at the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium. The team holds the distinctive record for standalone match, with nearly 75k spectators present for CFC’s inaugural home game. Upcoming matches in Charlotte are slated for April 10 (Atlanta United), May 7 (Inter Miami) and May 14 (Montreal). The Durham Bulls are a minor league baseball team of the International League and a Triple A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are based in Durham and play their home games at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Originally established in 1902 as the Durham Tobacconists,they disbanded and restarted multiple times over the years. The Bulls became internationally famous following the release

team North Carolina FC of the United Soccer League and plays its home games at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. In 2018, the Courage became the first team in NWSL history to win the Shield and the Championship in the same season. In 2019, the team became the first team to win the Championship on its home field. Currently the Courage is in season, but only has one more home game coming up that will be played at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 23, when the Courage will play the Washington Spirit. The Charlotte Football Club (CFC) is an American professional soccer team. With regular competition in major

of the 1988 movie “Bull Durham,” starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Since 1991 the team has been owned by the Raleigh-based Capitol Broadcasting Company. This team is active and busy, so visit their website and Facebook page to check out what’s currently going on. ::

April 1-April 14, 2022

Qnotes

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Hometown Tourist Pride Journey: Indianapolis BY JOEY AMATO | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

he last time I wrote an article about Indianapolis was back before I was living here. Sometimes you view a city differently as a tourist, so I decided to become a tourist again to explore my beautiful city. Indianapolis is in my opinion one of the most underrated cities in the country. Its people, culture and opportunities are some of the greatest strengths of the city, not to mention, a thriving LGBTQ culture. Pride is celebrated here throughout the year. You can walk through neighborhoods and see countless rainbow flags hanging proudly from homes and businesses all year round. Indianapolis is a very gay city, especially when it comes to LGBTQ philanthropic organizations and community initiatives. There are numerous local charities here such as Indiana Youth Group, Trinity Haven, Gender Nexus, Damien Center, Trans Solutions and StepUp just to name a few. If you are looking to mingle with LGBTQ locals, you can definitely find a group that suits your interest. We like things big in Indy. The city is home to the largest children’s museum in the world as well as the largest sports venue in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the annual Indy 500 is run. The Circle City boasts some wonderful LGBTQ bars and restaurants including English Ivy’s, Greg’s Our Place, Downtown Olly’s, FortyFive Degrees, Metro, Tini and the newest drag bar Almost Famous. Animal lovers should head to the Indianapolis Zoo, home to the Indianapolis Prize, the most prestigious preservation and conservation award in the world. This May, the new Kangaroo Crossing exhibit will open in the current MISTery Park area,

Qnotes

which has been home to the Zoo’s sloths since 2019. Construction is now underway to completely transform the space with beautiful new plantings, creating a backdrop for red kangaroos that will offer a feeling of Australia in Indianapolis. Kangaroo Crossing will offer visitors a chance to walk into a large open area to mingle with the roo’s without barriers.

April 1 - April 14, 2022

One of the many gems of Indy is the Eiteljorg Museum which will present a thought-provoking exhibition of Andy Warhol’s late-career artwork that explores his interest in Western icons and his merging of the mythic West with contemporary art and popular culture. The exhibition will be on display from March 12 to Aug. 7, 2022. The traveling exhibition, Warhol’s West, presents a range of his Western imagery, including prints of Geronimo, General Custer, Annie Oakley and John Wayne. Also in 2022, the Eiteljorg Museum will celebrate its 30th annual Indian Market and Festival on June 25–26, where more than 100 Native American artists will display and sell their beautiful art. Speaking of museums, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is not just for children. In fact, they host numerous adultonly events throughout the year. This March, they will be debuting Dinosphere, an immersive experience where guests will experience the sights, sounds and smells of dinosaurs who roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous Period 65–75 million years ago. Visitors will be transported back in time under the cover of a former Cinedome that vibrantly changes from dawn to dusk and features thunderstorms to overnight meteor showers. Significant dinosaur specimens will occupy the space, including Bucky the teenage T. rex which became the first dinosaur discovered to have a wishbone linking its relationship to birds. Also located at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a tribute to Ryan White, the young man who died of AIDS in 1990. Ryan garnered international fame for his heartwarming story and was befriended by everyone from Michael Jackson to Elton John. A replica of his room is located in the

museum and his mother Jeanne WhiteGinder visits the museum numerous times per year to tell Ryan’s story. After a long day of sightseeing, head to the Conrad Indianapolis, perfectly situated in the heart of downtown. Everything you need is about a 5–10 minute walk from the property, including dozens of restaurants, boutiques, museums and entertainment options, as well as Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers and Lucas Oil Stadium where you can watch the Colts take the field. One of my favorite features of the Conrad is the lobby. The elegant, yet inviting space is welcoming and functional. A grand Dale Chihuly chandelier hangs from the center of the lobby, with other art prominently displayed throughout. Guests can also access the hotel’s two dining options: The Capital Grille and Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, as well as Long-Sharp Gallery which specializes in works on paper, multiples and drawings by modern and contemporary masters including Picasso, Miró, Haring and Lichtenstein. I stayed in the Pop Suite, a magnificent room paying homage to some of the greatest pop artists of all time including Andy Warhol, William John Kennedy and of course, Robert Indiana. Located on a private floor, the Pop Suite features a dining room table, fireplace, wet bar, soaking tub and spacious living area complete with remote controlled lighting. The furnishings in the room are modern yet comfortable, and the shower is spacious enough to have a party in. Spend the next day strolling along popular Massachusetts Avenue (or Mass Ave. as we call it), where you can visit dozens of locally owned boutiques and restaurants. Towards the north end of the street is the new Bottleworks district, which features The Garage Food Hall, Living Room Theatre and Pins Mechanical in addition to a beautiful art deco hotel. For dinner, head to Harry & Izzy’s, one of Indy’s most popular restaurants. The establishment is related to St. Elmo’s. Begin your meal with their famous shrimp cocktail. But be careful when using the cocktail sauce. It packs quite the kick. It’s fun to watch people try it for the first time. Also highly recommended are the crab beignets made with lump crab meat, mascarpone, chives and accompanied by a remoulade for dipping. Harry & Izzy’s as well as St. Elmo’s are known for their steaks, however I chose to order the pan-seared scallops served on a bed of edamame, roasted corn, rainbow carrots and pancetta. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the vegetables were equally as delicious. If you are looking for a fun and relatively inexpensive city to visit this year, give Indy a chance, and drop me a message while you’re in town. I’d be happy to show you around. To book your Indianapolis gaycation, visit www.Orbitz.com/pride. Enjoy the Journey! : :

a&e

NC Native Ariana DeBose Makes History with Academy Award Win Openly queer actress born in Wilmington, attended dance school in Raleigh

by David Aaron Moore qnotes Staff Writer

here certainly were a lot of surprises on Oscar night, but none quite as exciting as Ariana DeBose’s Academy Award win for her role in “West Side Story.” DeBose, 31, made history the evening of March 27, when she became the first lesbian woman of color to win an Academy Award. The North Carolina native, who is of African, Cuban and Caucasian heritage, won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic film “West Side Story.” When she was announced as the winner, DeBose made her way to the stage in a custom gown/tux hybrid by Valentino that had already captured the actress an enormous amount of response from paparazzi and red carpet television hosts. When DeBose arrived at the podium, she had a lot to say. “You know, what, what is this!? You know what, now I see why that Anita says ‘I want to be in America’ because even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true. And that’s really a heartening thing right now.

DeBose poses in Valentino at an after party for the 94th annual Academy Awards. (Photo Credit: Facebook) “If I took the time to say thank you to every single beautiful person who has lifted me up on this stage, you fine people would be sitting here until next Oscars, so I’m not going to do that. “But just allow me to say that it was the summer of a lifetime and I am the most privileged and grateful to have spent it with all of you. My God, thank you, Steven Spielberg. You’re stuck with me now! Yay! “Thank you Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Kushner and the divine inspiration that is Rita Moreno. You are staring at me right now and I’m so grateful. Your Anita paved the way the way for tons of Anitas like me.

And I love you so much. “I’m gonna wrap this up and talk about my family, my mother, who is here tonight. Mama, I love you with my whole heart and this is as much yours as it is mine. Some of my tribesmen, my family, my love, Sue, Jonathan, Diana, Anthony. I couldn’t do what I do without each and every one of you. “Lastly, imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus, look into her eyes: You see a queer, openly queer woman of color, an Afro Latina who found her strength in life through art. And that’s what I believe we’re here to celebrate. “Yeah, so, to anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us. Thank you to the

Academy and thank you all.” DeBose has had a stellar career, beginning with her 2009 television debut on the TV series “So You think You Can Dance,” where she made it to the top 20. She later appeared on the soap opera “One Life to Live” and played the part of Inez in the North Carolina Theater’s production of “Hairspray” before appearing in the role of Nautica in the 2011 Alliance Theater production of “Bring It On” in Atlanta. From there it was on to Broadway and roles in “Motown: The Musical,” “Hamilton” and “Les Miserables.” She has also appeared in a handful of other films and recorded a pop dance single of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune classic “Shall We Dance.” In addition to her Oscar, DeBose has won a bevy of other awards this season, among them a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild and the Critics Choice Award. DeBose was reportedly married to stage prop Master Jill Johnson, but, according to online sources, they have split and she is now dating costume designer Sue Makoo. : :

April 1-April 14, 2022

Qnotes

life

Threesomes and Escorts and the Internet, Oh My! Tell Trinity

BY TRINITY| CONTRIBUTING WRITER Hey Trinity, My boyfriend of almost two years just moved in. But before he moved in, we often enjoyed threesomes. Now jealousy over a third person has become a problem, so we’ve stopped having threesomes and we’re trying to be sexually exclusive to each other. However, he likes the extra attention and I’m afraid if he’s denied this flirtatious side then he’ll become frustrated with himself and eventually me. I don’t want him to be someone he’s not. Help! Sincerely, Jealousy Jammed Nashville, TN Hey Jealousy Jammed, I hate to stir up the martini, but now that you’re both living together and trying to be sexually exclusive, you’re going to have to find ways of chasing and scoring each other. You, my little selfless Pumpkin, are going to have to let him learn “the art of commitment.” Since you’re “trying” to be monogamous let’s allow for a few mistakes on the way! Remember every committed, long lasting, successful relationship must make room for mistakes. So until you both can have jealousless threesomes, he and you will have to choose your commitment for each other over a third delicious, sexy, hunky… damn, this isn’t gonna be easy! Good Luck, Trinity Dear Ms. Trinity, After a few months at my new job I started noticing how many of my coworkers schmooze the boss. Even my own boss plays games just to get ahead with her boss. Don’t you think manipulation is unhealthy and

ridiculous? Or should I join the real world? Work Worries Las Vegas, NV Dear Work Worries, Everyone should have morals and ethics when it comes to work, but Honey, in the real world a little healthy “over” kindness (wink, wink) wouldn’t hurt your climb up the ladder to success. Plus, schmoozing the boss is thousands of years old. DATING DILEMMA #579 Dearest Trinity, I’ve decided to use Grindr, Scruff and Adam4Adam to find a boyfriend. But how can I know if someone is telling the truth about who they really are? Any advice is appreciated! Internet New Born Raleigh, NC Dearest New Born, I applaud you for taking your life by the keyboard. Internet dating is very much like

blind dating, which means you’ll never really know who that other person is. It won’t be until you start dating that you’ll find out all the troubles, I mean challenges, that come with meeting strangers and dating. Your lesson as an internet dater is to take risks while following your intuition and being safe, doing google searches and Facebook checks while being aware that anyone can say they’re anyone. Oh, and Sweetie, if you find yourself in uncomfortable and confusing situations then don’t worry, I wake up every day that way! Good Luck, Trinity Hello Trinity, I was hoping you would answer my longawaited question, “How does someone go about hiring an escort?” Escort In Need Chicago, IL

Hello In Need, That’s easy, I mean difficult, Babie. After spending many months researching bars and street corners, I mean books and service ads, here are: Trinity’s Safe and Smart Tips When Hiring an Escort: 1. Do not look on the streets. Look on gay websites. There are many. 2. Ask questions that are very specific about your needs. You’ll be thankful later. 3. Call and talk to a few people. It’s your money, so spend it wisely. 4. Never prepay or mail money, EVER! And never pay with a personal check! 5. If you have someone home make sure it’s just as easy to have them leave. 6. Put your valuables away. Everyone has a price for being dishonest. 7. If you’re going to videotape someone, share that information first! 8. Respecting your escort always means protecting each other’s health. 9. Having all your fantasies fulfilled can be addictive, so keep your wits about yourself. 10. And lastly, easy come easy go. So make the hour last! With a Masters of Divinity, Reverend Trinity hosted “Spiritually Speaking” a weekly radio drama, performed globally and is now minister of WIG: Wild Inspirational Gatherings. Sponsored by: WIG Ministries, www.wigministries.org Gay Spirituality for the Next Generation! Send e-mails to: Trinity@telltrinity.com

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April 1 - April 14, 2022

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Q-Music

Queering the Country by Gregg Shapiro Contributing Writer

ith insane anti-LGBTQ+ laws popping up all over the land (and the world, for that matter), now’s a good time to remind ourselves (and our enemies) about the significant contributions of artists from our community. Makeover (Nonesuch), the marvelous 14-track k.d. lang remix album, was released in May of 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consisting of remixes of eight lang songs (with a few appearing more than once), Makeover could easily have been a hit with the club crowd eager to get moving on the dance floor. Still, plenty of folks found ways to move at home during the lockdown, and it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Tony Garcia’s Movin’ Mix of “Just Keep Me Movin’,” Greg Penny’s St. Tropez Mix of “Miss Chatelaine,” Love to Infinity’s Radio Mix of “The Consequences of Falling,” Junior Vasquez’s Main Mix of “If I Were You,” and Ananda’s Sweet Bird of Summer Extended Mix of “Summerfling,” aided in various home workout routines. Now that things are opening up again, and the weather’s warming up, it would be a good time to rediscover this overlooked gym as the soundtrack for your runs, long walks, or bike rides. Without k.d. lang, who paved the way for LGBTQ+ country acts with her delightful and unforgettable stage persona beginning in the mid-1980s, queer country artists including Sarah Shook and Adrianne Lenker might never

have dared to do what they’re doing today. Nightroamer (Abeyance/Thirty Tigers), the new full-length album by Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, picks up where the alt-country band left off with its 2018 album Years. The 10 songs are a showcase for Shook’s powerful and emotive voice, particularly on the songs “If It’s Poison,” “Been Loving You Too Long,” “Talkin’ to Myself,” and the title tune. Be sure to check out “I Got This,” which reveals a funkier side to Shook and her bandmates. Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief wrote 19 of the 20 songs on the hipster country-folk band’s new double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (4AD); the 20th song she co-wrote with band member Buck Meek. The otherworldly hoedown twang of “Spud Infinity” features a jaw harp and a fiddle, while album opener

“Change” is an example of the moodier side of country. A number of these songs, including “Red Moon,” “Dried Roses,” “The Only Place,” and the overtly queer “12,000 Lines,” wouldn’t be out of place on a Melissa Carper or Sad Daddy album. Big Thief also stretches its sound to encompass other styles on songs such as “Time Escaping,” “Blurred View,” “Little Things,” “Flower of Blood,” “Wake Me Up to Drive,” and “Simulation Swarm.” Joe Troop, the queer leader of the Latin-influenced American band Che Apalache, has returned with his latest solo album Borrowed Time (Free Dirt). An outstanding banjo player, and vocal musical activist if there ever was one, Troop gets things started with “Horizon,” declaring “Mother Earth is burning,” and issues the climate call to arms, “Call your friends and neighbors/What is right is right/Let us not give in to Earth’s damnation.” Amen, brother! “Love Along the Way,” from which the album gets its title, calls out the leaders in charge of the “mucked up system that don’t give a damn.” And so it goes, with the justice system taken to task on “The Rise of Dreama Caldwell,” and a “mercy is for everyone” plea on “Mercy for Migrants. Troop even takes a moment to celebrate the “greasy pride” of “two-cent queers and pork chop queers,” on the wondrous “Purdy Little Rainbows.” Rebel Songs (End Hits) is exactly the right title for the new album by pansexual Nathan Gray (of post-hardcore band BoySetsFire). The dozen tracks are a call to action, to “listen up, raise your fist in the air” (as Gray sings on “Look Alive”) by a band featuring trans guitarist Jaelyn Robinson and bi backing vocalist Becky Fontaine. A worthy soundtrack for a long-awaited revolution. : :

April 1-April 14, 2022

Qnotes

April 1 - April 14, 2022

Qnotes April 1, 2022

Articles inside

NC Native Ariana DeBose Makes History with Academy Award Win

The Time is Now to Push Back Against Anti-Trans Bills

Hometown Tourist

Swimming Upstream

Stonewall Sports ‘Kicks

Q-Music

Pro Sports Brings Note oriety, Excitement and Big Revenue to NC