The modern day LGBTQ civil rights movement, as history would view it, began at a gay bar called Stonewall in 1968.
But that’s just part of it. There are many people and efforts that came before and after and in different places.
Although it has roots dating back to 1983 as a newsletter, Qnotes officially became a publication and a significant part of Charlotte’s queer history in June of 1986.
Since that time there have been many people who have stepped up to the plate to help keep us at the forefront of Charlotte’s LGBTQ community.
Regrettably, over the past few months, we have lost friends and contributors who remain an important part of our history in some form or another.
Joel Nathan Smith
Joel Smith passed away unexpectedly Friday February 25 at the age of 60.
His involvement with Qnotes dates back to the mid-1980s. He wore multiple hats with the publication, assisting in publishing, distribution, creating copy and layout through the early 1990s.
Survived by his partner of 38 years, Jim Fetchero, the two shared a home in Charlotte and enjoyed traveling extensively throughout Europe.
He was a graduate of North Rowan High School in 1980 and later attended Appalachian State University. In recent years, his career took him to Apple computers, where he served as a senior technical advisor.
An avid car buff, he was passionate about the Mini Cooper. In 2021 he organized the first annual Mini Meetup in Spencer, North Carolina, at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
He is survived by his partner and mother and many other loving family members and friends. Donations may be made in his honor to Time Out Youth or to the American Heart Association.
Frank Edwin Dalrymple
Frank Dalrymple, aged 68, passed away February 1. His involvement with Qnotes dates back to the mid 1990s, when he offered to volunteer with the publication after returning to the city following experiences living abroad and teaching English in China; directing and acting in theater in New York for over a decade; and living and working professionally in the field in Boone, North Carolina, Kansas City, Missouri, and Savannah, Ga.
At Qnotes he frequently assisted in production and was a regular content creator, writing stories about entertainment, sporting events and interviewing LGBTQ individuals of note, among others.
A native of Savannah, his family moved to Charlotte when he was a young child. He spent his final years in his beloved Kansas City, where he continued to work in theatrical music presentation.
Dalrymple spent a lifetime traveling and pursuing his passions. His creative contributions to the world will be missed.
Teresa Rogers Bryant
Teresa Rogers Bryant was a native of Gastonia, and a lifetime North Carolina resident. She passed away March 18, at the age of 72.
Described by those who knew her as a Renaissance woman, she was known for her love of sports, a career spent in law enforcement and eventually as the owner of a nightclub known as Night Owls.
The LGBTQ nightclub, a rarity in Gaston County, was an advertiser with Qnotes and Bryant was an appreciated friend to the publication.
In her later years she worked as a representative for Carolina Mortuary Service in Charlotte.
She is survived by sons, grandchildren, a host of loving friends and a family of multiple chihuahuas.