Some LGBTQ+ Carolinians are redefining home and community abroad
Every morning in Atenas, Costa Rica, Susan Anderson wakes before sunrise and sits outside watching birds move across the mountains surrounding her home. The doors and windows stay open year-round. There are no screens. No air conditioning. The weather rarely shifts far beyond the 60s and 80s. By evening, the sounds of roosters, tropical wildlife…
Our People: Heidi Hemphill Samples
No matter when an individual joins the LGBTQ+ community through self-acceptance, everyone has an…
Federal appeals court blocks parts of Trump trans military ban
A federal appeals court said Monday that key parts of the Trump administration’s transgender…
Small town Pride celebrations growing across North Carolina
Small-town Pride celebrations continue to grow across North Carolina. This June, both Hendersonville and…
Patagonia v. Pattie Gonia
On Jan. 21, the clothing company Patagonia filed a trademark lawsuit against drag performer…
SC Republican candidate says no money for ‘Queers’
At the recently held Anderson County Republican Women’s Legislative Forum in South Carolina, Sherri…
LIVING ABROAD
The Donald Dash: living abroad can offer challenges you don’t expect
A lot of people want to leave the United States for a number of different reasons. Those motivational factors include the embarrassment of Donald Trump and his polarizing, extremist political behavior (no reason to beat around the bush, it actually has a name: “The Donald Dash”), discrimination, cost of living, lack of access to obtainable…
COMMUNITY
Annual Charlotte 5K to honor local runner’s memory
Q Fitness and Wellness is using this year’s annual 5K to support Charlotte Pride, help support a future scholarship fund honoring Lance Sotelo and continue growing an event that has become more than simply completing a race. The QFW 5K, scheduled for June 13 at McAlpine Creek Park, is organized by Q Fitness and Wellness,…
ARTS AND CULTURE
Your Guide to 2026 Pride Festivals Across the Carolinas
As Pride season approaches, LGBTQ+ communities across North Carolina and South Carolina are preparing for another year of festivals, parades and community celebrations. While major events in cities like Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham continue drawing large crowds, smaller towns across the Carolinas are also hosting Pride gatherings throughout 2026, reflecting the growing visibility of LGBTQ+…
QNOTES HISTORY
40 Years of Qnotes Coverage
As a newspaper, Qnotes has served Charlotte for 40 years. In this edition we’ve collected here some of the most significant stories that have appeared on our pages and online during that time. There are more, so many more. We tried to keep it to one big story a year. And we did, mostly. Although…
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As Qnotes enters its 40th year, we are inviting readers to help carry this work forward. Qnotes is the only LGBTQ+ newsroom serving the Carolinas, and our reporting remains independent and community-centered because of reader support.
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more news
‘Small Town Pride’ Returns to Chapel Hill and Carrboro
HRC’s Welcoming Schools June Book of the Month: ‘My Little Golden Book About Pride’
Soul Gastrolounge brunch returns with deep LGBTQ+ community ties
LGBTQ+ youth vaping linked to bullying and oppression
Union County Pride conference centers survival, support and LGBTQ+ advocacy
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