Greetings Qnotes readers.
As we move forward through Donald Trump’s latest term in the oval office, it becomes more evident he is following the Project 2025 guidelines as an instruction manual to dismantle everything good and positive this country has achieved. He has taken over the John F. Kennedy Center (see below), attempted to erase Trans and nonbinary individuals and related health guidelines for both, as well as HIV care details from the internet. His actions have emboldened Utah state legislators to call for a ban on displays of the Pride flag in government institutions and will likely lead to other conservative states taking up similar actions in the near future.
In international news, it is with great sadness that we report on the assasination of the first openly gay Islamic leader, Imam Muhsin Hendricks. After his dedicated work to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ Muslims in South Africa to reconcile their faith and sexual orientation, his life was needlessly and brutally ended February 15.
Finally, as Black History month comes to a close, we learn about ways to defend our future by exploring the past in an opinion piece by L’Monique King. We’re also offering another look at both parts one and two of “25 in ’25,” a series of profiles of Who’s who in Charlotte’s Black LGBTQ+ community of today. For the weekend — if you act quickly — you still have a chance to catch the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the Blumenthal Arts Center’s Belk Theater. Don’t miss our interview with their out and proud dancer Michael Jackson, Jr.
Don’t forget, we’re always on the prowl for local topics to cover. If you’ve got an inside line on a story that needs to be told, contact us at editor@qnotescarolinas.com.
Sincerely,
David Aaron Moore
Senior Editor, Qnotes
WHEN CULTURE AND POLITICS COLLIDE
The John F Kennedy Center and the Stonewall Monument join the list of organizations affected by Trump’s administration
As the days and weeks have passed since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, organizations both inside and out of the Washington D.C. area have seen disturbingly quick changes to their infrastructures. Whether happily marching in line with the new administration’s attacks on the most marginalized in the LGBTQ+ community, or getting out of […]
RELIGIOUS BACKLASH
Religious Figure and LGBTQ+ Rights Activist Killed in South Africa
By Jonathan Golian
A prolific queer figure in the Muslim community was killed February 15.Muhsin Hendricks, a man dubbed the world’s first openly gay imam (a person that leads prayers in a mosque), was shot dead on Saturday morning. The fatality occurred in the coastal city of Gqeberha, South Africa, where the car […]
NATIONAL
Utah wants to ban Pride flags from public schools and government buildingsÂ
A bill was reintroduced into Utah’s State Legislature on Thursday, February 13, that would prohibit […]
Judge orders restoration of HIV and trans health information websites shut down by Trump Administration
On Monday, February 10, a federal judge ordered the restoration of the websites and data […]
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OPINION
Fighting the Trump discrimination agenda with lessons learned through Black History MonthÂ
Historian Carter G. Woodson has been known and referred to as The Father of Black History Month for as long as most can remember. The 28-day holiday dates back to 1926 or earlier, when Woodson began celebrating what was then called Negro History Week.  The week selected was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of […]
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
25 in ‘25: who’s who in Charlotte’s Black LGBTQ+ community
Black History Month is upon us and we’re taking an in-depth look at Charlotte’s Black […]
25 in ’25: Who’s who in the QC’s Black LGBTQ+ community
As Black History Month continues, so does Qnotes with our in-depth look at Charlotte’s Black […]
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to Charlotte: An interview with Michael Jackson, Jr.
On March 30, 1958, at the corner of 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue, at the […]
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