Heading to Charlotte Pride? Here’s how to stay safe in the heat
Charlotte Pride weekend is finally here, and for many festivalgoers, that means hours spent walking through Uptown, catching performances, visiting vendors, dancing, watching Sunday’s parade and celebrating with friends. It also means spending a lot of time outside during what is shaping up to be an extremely hot weekend. The Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade…
The Velvet Pony hopes to build community in North Charleston
When The Velvet Pony opens its doors in North Charleston later this year, owner Cat Forrester hopes visitors will find more than a neighborhood bar. She envisions a space where LGBTQ+ people can gather, build community and celebrate the generations of queer Charlestonians who came before them. The Velvet Pony will offer cocktails, wine, beer,…
North Carolina’s war on voting
For LGBTQ+ people in North Carolina, the ballot box has never been just a place to cast a vote once every couple of years. It’s where we decide who writes the laws governing our lives. It’s the place where politicians who legislatively target and attack queer and transgender people will be rewarded or rejected. It’s…
South Carolina is driving queer students away
South Carolina is an increasingly hostile place for queer people to live, especially trans youth and their parents. According to OutLeadership, the Palmetto State is one of the five worst states in the nation for LGBTQ+ people. In the fall of 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a youth identified as…
Parental rights at risk
If you are not the biological parent of the child you and your same sex spouse had together and you haven’t done an adoption, you are at risk, even if you are on the birth certificate. Although not a North Carolina case, look up Oklahoma Wilson and Williams v Vaughn. It is heartbreaking. A similar…
Support Our Journalism. Support Qnotes.
Many stories are made possible with the help of the community. If you’d like to show your support so QnotesCarolinas can provide more news, features and opinion pieces like the ones you read here, make a regular or one-time donation today.
Related Stories
health & wellness
Federal agency blocks Medicaid gender-affirming care coverage for youth
A new federal rule will end Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming hormone therapies and procedures for kids under age 18. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Tuesday a rule that prohibits state Medicaid plans from covering gender-affirming procedures for minors and using federal Medicaid dollars for such care. The rule also prohibits Children’s Health…
arts & culture
LGBTQ Destinations: your DC weekend
There is always something new to discover in Washington, D.C. This trip I found the Eastern Market neighborhood in Southeast DC (8th Avenue SE) filled with local independent shops and restaurants, including the fabulous Come as You Are gay bar and restaurant, which features a tuna melt sandwich that’s absolutely amazing. I also enjoyed the…
our people
Our People: Earl Martin
We’re living in stressful times. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation seems to be at an all-time high and most media outlets are inundating us with tragedies that just make us want to go back to bed with the covers pulled over our heads. However, there are still rays of hope and people right within our communities doing the…
