Daily Archives: January 7, 2012

If not for the fact that we are all undressed, this could be any mixer I’ve ever been to. It occurs to me how comfortable I have become with my own naked body in such a short period of time. It’s one of those wonderful “a-ha” moments.

In December, Time Out Youth (TOY) hired a new executive director, Rodney Tucker. Long-known for his involvement and work with the community in a variety of ways, Tucker says he’s looking forward with optimism and excitement for TOY’s future growth.

QNotes reported on July 9 in a News Notes brief, “Protections top concern in merger” and updated on Aug. 6, “YMCA alternate recommended” that serious concerns were expressed that some of the YMCAs in the area would no longer be LGBT-family friendly and that alternatives had been recommended by community members.

The North Carolina Psychological Association released an opposition statement on the Defense of Marriage amendment in September. Equality North Carolina lauded the position.

The Salisbury-Rowan chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) received the PFLAG National Chapter Award for Advocacy recently at the organization’s annual convention in Washington, D.C.

Three… two… one… Happy New Year! Yes, it’s time for well wishes, resolutions and new beginnings. I do it. You do it. We all partake in the annual wish-making and dreaming that is New Year. With a new calendar comes hopes for change, progress and success. And, as much as we each wish better for ourselves, here’s to new hopes that our community and world experiences better days as well.

Would you ever participate in a nude yoga or other exercise program?

I’ve taken the liberty of composing New Year’s resolutions for individuals who are just too busy to do it themselves.

A love affair broke out between a transsexual woman — male to female — and a transgender man — female to male.

Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Francis George ignited a firestorm when he compared advancing LGBT equality to the Ku Klux Klan in a television interview with Fox Chicago a few days before Christmas. Cardinal George said: “You don’t want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.”

Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte has initiated a fundraising effort to allow them to provide more for its congregational ministry.

The Greenville Area Classic GLBT Film Night will be held on the third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greenville, 131 Oakmont Dr.

“Legalize Gay!” is a documentary that captures the courage and conviction of a new generation of activists — gay and straight — as they campaign, often in parts of the country hostile to gay and lesbian rights, for LGBT equality in marriage, non-discrimination in sports and at work, standing up to bullying and forging inclusive college campuses.

The Mitchell County Gay Straight Alliance had its first public meeting on Nov. 15 at the county library amidst protest. Since then it has been the focal point for working “toward ensuring equal rights and justice for lesbian gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people” in this mountain community.

Have a hankering to spend time on Capitol Hill? Are you a college student who wants to gain valuable skills, insight and perspective by working with out elected officials? Then apply for a spot at the intensive summer Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute’s Congressional Internship program.

Charlotte’s Dharma Lounge will welcome with style nationally renowned DJ and recent Charlotte newcomer DJ Peter Presta of “Queer As Folk” fame at their Jan. 15 “Queer As Folk” Circuit Dance Party featuring host Dan Mauney of Takeover Friday and DJs Jason Fotizo and Brittany Gaston.

Fall is a great time for enthusiasts of fresh and local food. Farmers’ markets are overflowing with tasty produce at harvest time, and if you’ve worked long and hard on your home garden, it’s time to reap the rewards. Fresh food is harder to come by once the last leaves fall and the frost sets in, but there are still a number of ways you can keep your commitment to eating locally alive year-round.

You’ve vowed to get fit with the start of each New Year. This year don’t. Why not? First, because resolutions don’t work. Second, because fitness isn’t something you start, it’s something you live. Stop starting. Start living.

Sisyphus was a king who spent eternity pushing his rock uphill only to have it roll back down over his toes. Ah, if he were around, he could harness the energy of Mercury conjunct Pluto trine Jupiter and conjure up a way for the rocks to propel on their own steam. Push your dreams to the limit and stay out of falling rock zones.

A reader asks, “I’m 36, fun, good-looking and very educated. I just can’t go to GLBT bars, chat rooms or any other ridiculous place GLBT people go to meet each other. So, how can I meet my match without dumping my self-respect?”