Join the Qnotes Press Club
40 years of LGBTQ+ journalism in the Carolinas
HELP FUND WHAT COMES NEXT
WHERE QNOTES BEGAN
Qnotes began in the early 1980s as a modest community newsletter produced by Queen City Quordinators (QCQ), a Charlotte-based coalition working to support and organize the region’s gay and lesbian community. At a time when LGBTQ+ people in the Carolinas had little visibility in mainstream media, QCQ created Qnotes to share information, connect organizations, and document community life.
The earliest issues were simple printed newsletters announcing meetings, performances, political organizing, and support resources. The publication helped residents find community groups, learn about upcoming events, and stay informed about issues affecting gay and lesbian people across the region.
From those early pages grew something much larger. Over the next four decades, Qnotes evolved from a grassroots newsletter into the Carolinas’ only LGBTQ+ newsroom, covering politics, culture, community milestones, and the ongoing fight for equality.
Today, that same mission continues: documenting the lives, challenges, and achievements of LGBTQ+ people across North and South Carolina.
WHY READER SUPPORT MATTERS
Across the country, local journalism is disappearing. LGBTQ+ publications have been among the hardest hit. When outlets close, archives vanish. Stories disappear. Communities lose part of their recorded history.
When a story is reduced to a headline elsewhere, Qnotes digs deeper to document the people, families, and community impact that are too often left out.
Qnotes has endured because we have always been grounded in community. But advertising and grants alone no longer guarantee stability.
If Qnotes is here in 2027, it will be because readers step up and support our work.
We are the LGBTQ+ Voice of the Carolinas. Nobody covers our community like us.
Join the Qnotes Press Club today and help us remain the LGBTQ+ Voice of the Carolinas for decades to come.
JOIN THE QNOTES PRESS CLUB
WHAT 40 YEARS LOOKS LIKE
Forty years is not abstract. It looks like:
- Hundreds of stories published each year
- Coverage of local elections, public policy, Pride events, and grassroots organizing
- Reporting that national outlets overlook
- A preserved digital archive of LGBTQ+ life in the Carolinas
It looks like conversations sparked, policies questioned, and communities connected. It looks like readers finding information they could not find anywhere else. It looks like being the LGBTQ+ Voice of the Carolinas, in print, online, and in the archives.
GIVE $40 FOR 40 YEARS
To honor this milestone, we invite readers to give $40 for 40 years of Qnotes. A one-time $40 gift is simple. It is accessible. It marks this moment.
The math is straightforward. If 40 readers give $40, that generates $1,600 in direct support. If 150 readers participate, that becomes $6,000.
It adds up quickly. More importantly, it signals shared responsibility.
Many supporters begin with $40, then choose monthly membership when they want to help sustain coverage year-round.
The Qnotes Press Club is a community of readers who believe local LGBTQ+ journalism should exist and are willing to help fund it. Benefits are a thank-you.
Your support sustains local reporting across the Carolinas and the national LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives that too often go uncovered elsewhere.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
$5/month or $60/year
Benefits include an “I Support Local LGBTQ+ Media” badge for social media and an exclusive biweekly member newsletter with breaking news, a peak into our archives, and upcoming community events
$10/month or $120/year
Benefit include all Community Supporter benefits plus one entry into our quarterly raffle
$25/month or $300/year
Benefits include all Amplifier benefits plus recognition on the Qnotes website, one complimentary Qnotes merchandise item, and two entries into our quarterly raffle
$40/month or $480/year
Benefits include all Champion benefits plus three entries into our quarterly raffle
$100/month or $1,200/year
Benefits include all Catalyst benefits plus a holiday thank you card and four entries into our quarterly raffle
JOIN THE QNOTES PRESS CLUB
THE STORIES YOUR SUPPORT PROTECTS
This is what you help protect when you join the Qnotes Press Club.
These stories connect communities, inform voters, and document history. They exist because Qnotes exists.
Local news connects us, holds leaders accountable, and keeps our community visible and informed. Without Qnotes, LGBTQ+ stories and events go uncovered.
HOW YOUR SUPPORT IS USED
Your support sustains:
- Reporting and editing
- Contributor compensation
- Digital hosting and publishing infrastructure
- Print distribution
- Coverage of community events
- Preservation of LGBTQ+ archives
Qnotes remains free and accessible because readers like you choose to support our work.
MARKING 40 YEARS
Qnotes has been part of LGBTQ+ life in the Carolinas for four decades. From our origins as a grassroots newsletter to our role today as a regional newsroom, our mission has remained steady: to document, preserve, and elevate LGBTQ+ lives with integrity and care.
This anniversary year is not simply a celebration. It is a moment of stewardship and communities fund what they want to see continue.
We are the LGBTQ+ Voice of the Carolinas. Nobody covers our community like us.
Join us in writing the next chapter.
JOIN THE PRESS CLUB TODAY
Frequently Asked Questions
Gifts made directly through our website are not tax-deductible. However, you can make a tax-deductible donation to support Qnotes’ journalism through our fiscal sponsor, Local Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. See below for more information.
Even small gifts add up to big impact.
Every dollar helps us tell stories that matter, lift up local LGBTQ+ voices, and keep our community informed. If a monthly gift isn’t possible, one-time donations of any amount are always appreciated and make a difference.
Your gift directly supports trusted, independent LGBTQ+ journalism across the Carolinas.
It helps us pay local reporters and staff who cover stories that matter to our community and might otherwise go untold. Every contribution keeps Qnotes free and accessible for everyone who depends on it.
More Ways to Give
Your tax-deductible donation to the Qnotes LGBTQ Journalism Program, via Local Media Foundation, protects LGBTQ+ representation in the local news ecosystem and creates a center for community where our stories are celebrated.
Donate by check
For check donations, donors should make checks payable to Local Media Foundation and include QnotesCarolinas in the memo field.
The Qnotes LGBTQ Journalism Program provides support for the work of QnotesCarolinas.com to educate and inform the public in communities in the Carolinas about LGBTQ issues and cultures. This project is administered by Local Media Foundation (LMF), a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Local Media Association. Contributions to this program are tax-deductible to the full extent of U.S. law; please consult a tax advisor for details.