Black LGBTQ+ affirming spaces
Across North Carolina, Black LGBTQ+ communities have long created their own spaces for survival, celebration and care. These spaces exist not because of preference, but because of necessity. For generations, Black LGBTQ+ communities have navigated racism within mainstream LGBTQ+ spaces while also facing homophobia and transphobia within Black institutions. In response, affirming spaces emerged as…
Out in Print: ‘The Queer Thing About Sin: Why the West Came to Hate Queer Love’
Nobody likes you very much. That’s how it seems sometimes, doesn’t it? Nobody wants…
HRC leads National Day of Reading for LGBTQ+ inclusion
On a late February afternoon, children, educators and families will gather in libraries and…
Invisible Histories to host Queer History South conference
Invisible Histories, a community-based archive preserving LGBTQ+ history in the South, will host the…
Former Equality NC Organizing Director Aron Johnson dies at 30
Aron Johnson, former Organizing Director for Equality North Carolina and a Democratic Party leader…
FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Legendary inventors, artists and thinkers of the Black LGBTQ+ community
It has been said that societal constraints and oppression encourage creativity, thought and action. Most of us have heard this infamous quote: “Art is never created in a vacuum. It reflects lived realities, challenges, injustice and gives voice to stories that are often unheard.” In the case of many of the individuals included here, their…
Our People
Our People: Ali Steele
“You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.” When famed author and social justice warrior James Baldwin said that – he couldn’t have possibly known how much his words would capture many…
COMMUNITY
What goes on in a queen’s world
Squeezed into a closet-sized bathroom in the small apartment they share, drag queens Venus Wyre and Moxxxie Hexxx search through a hundred brushes and containers of makeup as they prepare for a lip-sync battle at Chasers, a local gay bar in Charlotte. Their home is highlighted in pink and neon. A blue wig is pinned…
Qnotes Democracy
Mecklenburg County experienced lower voter turnout in 2024
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency in 2024 has left many asking questions: how, after losing reelection in 2020, could Trump regain power and defeat a more than qualified candidate? While there may be many contributing factors, there may be an explanation in the number of people who turned out to vote nationwide.…
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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.
Joining or renewing the Qnotes Press Club helps sustain local LGBTQ+ journalism, amplify community voices, and preserve stories that might otherwise go untold.
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more news
Arrest of gay journalist Don Lemon raises Freedom of Press concerns
Bad Bunny plans queer-focused Super Bowl Halftime Show amid right-wing backlash
Prominent Carolina LGBTQ+ community member dies unexpectedly
EEOC rescinds LGBTQ-inclusive Harassment Guidance
Our People: A Conversation with Richard Stevens
Is anti-LGBTQ+ bias on the rise in America?
Evolving Faith: Black queer clergy and the future of spirituality
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