Charlotte Magazine has long been a stalwart culture maven for the Charlotte Metro area. While the publication has often carried well written investigative pieces and profiles on local residents, it rarely veers outside of heterosexual mainstream culture and coverage.
They’ve dipped their toe in the water with their latest best of issue, which includes a list of 2023 Charlotteans of the year. Among the picks this go round: PFLAG Charlotte, named Advocacy Group of the Year.
The magazine offered a tip of the hat to several Charlotte PFLAG members, with a portrait that includes Pamela Mefferd, Karen Graci, Lisa Dudzik, Doug Cooper, Dorie Charnin, Kirsten Wrinkle and Anne Sutton. The accompanying story takes a look at the organization’s various activities and activities, including three groups across Mecklenburg and Union county, as well as a virtual online group and a Spanish language group to connect parents with multiple resources and organizations. They’ve also hosted workshops on gender affirming healthcare for a family members and healthcare professionals since 2017.
The reason for the recognition isn’t particularly complicated: what started years ago as small meetings in workplace break rooms now fills auditoriums with an ever-increasing crowd of participants. Congratulations PFLAG!
Over at Queen City Nerve, they’re celebrating what they call the 2023 Best of the Nest Awards. QC Nerve often covers queer culture and news, so it comes as no surprise they’ve included recognition where it’s due in their latest end of the year homage.
Included in their critic’s list: the LGBTQ+ Life Center, which opened in early 2023 under the guidance of Carolinas Care Partnership and Transcend Charlotte. In the category of Best Activist/Advocate organization, QC Nerve chose the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, which offers free legal consultations to the booming immigrant community in the Queen City.
In Consumer Culture, the critic’s pick for Best Pop Up is Thick Threads. The company offers restored and reclaimed plus size clothing at easily affordable prices and promotes body positivity regardless of your size. Run by couple Beaux Bennet and Angel Medina, the idea for the consignment shop came about when Medina grew weary of the challenges plus size individuals face when looking for fun, fashionable clothing. For more details on these guys and upcoming pop-ups, check out their Instagram account.
The critic’s pick section for arts and entertainment boasts Brandon Hilton as the Best Fashion Designer. Hilton calls himself many other things, too, including singer, model, pig farmer, podcast host, drag queen, actor and the force behind the fashion line The House of Mann, which he launched in 2018. His designs have been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Paper Magazine and seen on the television series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as well as HBO’s “Max’s Doom Patrol.”
From the Nerve reader’s pick list, it comes as no surprise that Plaza Midwood would be chosen as the best area to live and NODA would be the runner up. Both are home to the largest concentration of LGBTQ+ residents between Atlanta and Washington DC.
Also from the reader’s list of best churches: Wedgwood Community Church and Myers Park Baptist Church, both affirming and welcoming churches for the LGBTQ+ faith community.
If you’re looking to get married anytime soon, readers chose the formerly gay-owned and operated Van Landingham Estate (still a popular queer crowd pleaser), and as a runner up, the Charlotte Museum of History.
In news, politics and entertainment, politician Jeff Jackson was chosen as best hero. Although he’s hetero, Jackson worked hard to repeal the anti-LGBTQ+ “bathroom bill’ known as HB2. Runner up in the same category: Candelario Saldana, an openly gay and highly accomplished lawyer known for his work as an advocate in the LGBTQ+ community. Among his accomplishments: a National LGBTQ+ Bar student leadership award and a National LGBTQ+ Bar 40 Best Lawyers Under 40 award. He is also listed as a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Task Force and president of the Pauli Murray LGBTQ+ Bar association.
Another one from the reader’s list: the best local festival. It’s Charlotte Pride. Years in the making and the largest annual festival in the city, an estimated 260,000 people crammed into uptown Charlotte for the event this year. Despite a small smattering of protesters that have hung around for years, it looks like there’s no stopping Charlotte Pride from throwing the best party in Uptown.
Then there’s the best local podcast. Nerve readers chose Dishing with Buff Faye and Fun Size. Since June of 2022 through August of this year, local drag diva Faye (aka Shane Windmeyer, founder of Campus Pride) and co-host Fun Size have (and often comedically) explored numerous topics related to the LGBTQ+ community.
In the social media category, readers chose as the winner the Charlotte Gaymers Network . Founded in 2020 by Jonny Saldana and Zack Smith, the organization offers an inclusive environment of individuals from across the spectrum of life (everybody in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies) into all things gaming. That includes board, video and tabletop games, as well as social events. Charlotte Gaymers also captured the best Instagram account and the title of Best Local Facebook group.
In the Community Engagement and Social Justice category, Cameron Pruette captured the title of best local activist, with Candelario Saldana receiving another runner up recognition. Pruette is likely one of the most busy activists in town. He’s the director of Intersectional Initiatives at the Freedom Center for Social Justice and the president of LGBTQ Democrats of Mecklenburg County.
Queen City Nerve wraps up their reader’s Best of the Nest list with the winner of the Best Event for a Good Cause captured by the Charity Drag Brunch at The Artisan’s Palette (which also captured the Best Site to hold an Event award); a Best Support Group thumbs up for Transcend Charlotte and another gold star for the Charlotte Gaymers Network: Best non-profit organization.
