For three decades, HRC North Carolina’s annual dinner has functioned as more than a formal gala. It has served as a barometer for where the state stands politically and culturally and as a gathering point for those navigating that terrain.
On March 21, the organization will mark its 30th anniversary at The Westin in Charlotte. The theme, “30 Years Fit for a Queen,” nods to both the milestone and the Queen City. But organizers say this year’s dinner is not simply reflective. It arrives at a moment when North Carolina once again finds itself at the center of national political gravity.
“North Carolina is going to be at the center of the political universe this year,” said Cameron Pruette, a national Board of Governors member and leader with HRC North Carolina. “What happens in North Carolina will affect each of us living here, but it will also affect the country and the world.”
With competitive federal races ahead and state-level contests tightening, he added, “Every vote is going to count,” pointing to a recent state Supreme Court race decided by just 734 votes.
For an organization that operates at the intersection of national infrastructure and local advocacy, that context shapes everything.
“Our 30th anniversary is coming up on March 21,” said Sarah Castleman, steering committee chair and co-chair of this year’s dinner. “We’re super excited to celebrate. Thirty years of HRC’s impact in North Carolina is huge.”
But celebration, organizers say, is only part of the story.
A Statewide Recalibration
In previous eras, large-scale LGBTQ+ events in North Carolina have often centered Charlotte or the Triangle. This year, organizers say the focus is intentionally broader.
“The biggest change is making it more focused on everybody across the state, not just Charlotte or Raleigh,” added steering committee member and co-chair Brian Femminella. “We’re focusing on people who are on the ground doing the work that are often overlooked.”
That recalibration is not cosmetic. It reflects a recognition that visibility and infrastructure are unevenly distributed across North Carolina. While larger cities may have more established networks, smaller and rural communities often carry the work with fewer resources and less public attention.
“Our goal is to reach the mountains all the way to the coast,” Castleman said. This year’s honorees reflect that statewide lens.
The Dan Mauney Community Award will go to Asheboro Latinxs Services (ALS), a rural-based organization serving Latinx and LGBTQI+ residents as well as people living with HIV/AIDS. Operating out of Asheboro, ALS provides direct support, education and leadership development while advocating for immigrant rights, LGBTQI+ equality and language access. Its work centers on improving health outcomes and strengthening civic participation in communities where services can be limited and access uneven.
The Young Trailblazer Award will honor MacGregor VanBeurden, founding president of the LGBTQ+ Democrats of Catawba County. VanBeurden helped launch the Newton Rainbow Festival and has worked on building political infrastructure in Western North Carolina.
For Pruette, highlighting leaders outside major metropolitan areas is deliberate. He said the goal is to spotlight people beyond the state’s largest cities, “not just Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham people, but folks from across the state who are taking the fight to where our people are.”
That phrase, “where our people are,” captures the throughline organizers return to repeatedly. Geography matters. School boards matter. County commissions matter. Municipal policies matter. The daily experience of LGBTQ+ life in North Carolina is shaped as much by local officials as by national headlines.
While federal contests draw media attention, organizers stressed that local offices often determine what students are allowed to learn, how public resources are distributed and whether LGBTQ+ residents feel seen or protected in their own communities. The dinner, they say, becomes a space where those local realities share the same stage.
Balancing Strategy and Celebration
Even in a politically charged cycle, organizers are careful not to frame the evening as a policy forum.
“This is not just a night of political speeches,” Pruette said. “You’re going to have fun, you’re going to meet new people, you’re going to be in a space that is overflowing with every color of the rainbow.”
The program reflects that balance.
One Voice Chorus, Charlotte’s LGBTQIA and allies chorus founded in 1990, will open the evening. When the group began, some singers were hesitant to print their full names in concert programs for fear of persecution. Today, the chorus continues to serve as a visible public voice for LGBTQ+ communities through choral performance and community engagement.
Comedian and Out100 honoree Dana Goldberg will also perform. Goldberg’s credits include appearances on ABC, TBS and “Last Comic Standing,” along with performances at the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf will also speak during the evening’s program.
Charlotte City Councilmember JD Mazuera Arias will appear as a special guest. Representing District 5, one of the city’s most diverse communities, Mazuera Arias was elected on a platform centered on equitable investment and community empowerment.
Pruette described him as “a historic elected official locally and really across the country… an under 30 queer elected official from right here in Charlotte.”
The evening will also include a silent auction and an afterparty featuring DJ Vanna Vanity and Vanity House. A pre-event gathering will bring together community leaders and supporters, part of what organizers describe as a broader weekend of engagement.
“In order for this fight to continue in a moment like this, we’re bringing together people who have a collective mindset about how we move forward,” Femminella said.
Power, Purpose and Presence
For Castleman, the most important outcome of the night cannot be measured in attendance numbers or programming highlights.
“I want people to have hope and have a night of safe space and community to celebrate,” she said. “In a world that is so scary and terrifying right now, to come together and relax and celebrate and hear the stories of why we’re all there and why we’re collectively in this fight is so important.”
Femminella framed that collective presence as its own form of civic action.
“I think the number one message we need to get behind is the power of defiance,” he said. “Most people think defiance must look extreme. But it can be as simple as showing up to a dinner with collective minds in the room.”
When asked what he hopes attendees take with them, his answer was succinct. “Purpose.” Castleman offered one word of her own. “Community.”
Thirty years after its first dinner, HRC North Carolina’s annual gathering continues to function as both celebration and organizing space. It is a place where longtime advocates and emerging leaders share a room, where rural organizers and urban elected officials occupy the same stage, and where history and future meet in real time.
“This is an intergenerational moment,” Pruette said. “We’re recognizing the people whose shoulders we stand on, but also the leaders who are fighting right now and the future we’re building together.”
In a state where margins are tight and political stakes are rising, that convergence of recognition and resolve may be exactly the point.
For more information about the March 21 dinner, including tickets and program details, visit: https://northcarolina.hrc.org/events/north-carolina-dinner .