Gay Charlotte and LGBTQ Carolina News, Arts & Entertainment
My mother has a certain term for people like John Love, Jr. The interdisciplinary artist is her truest definition of a “character.” Eccentric, brilliant and endlessly complex, Love creates his own evolving characters within his work.
One night only on July 21, Paula Poundstone visits the Levine Center for the Arts’ Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St., to perform her unforgettable stand-up comedy. Poundstone has served up decades of hilarity through radio, television and writing, but says stand-up is her truest medium.
Frederick Gene Hall, Carter Inman and Chris Williams are featured artists at White Rabbit.
Some artists strive to be glamorous or chic, to make money and become famous. Deonté Wilbourn of Beyond Deon Photography aims at something a little different: to be relatable and accessible. He wants his work to be a part of your daily life — to hang in your home, your places of comfort.
America’s newest museum, Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pa. does something quite revolutionary: It recognizes the LGBTQ community as having played a part of that revolution. It does so with several exhibits.
When Charlotte held its candlelight vigil for Orlando last year, I went by myself. As usual, I lied to family where I was going for the night and made sure I had access to a quick exit if necessary. The amount of people I saw on arrival was equally suffocating and uplifting, and slowly, I made it to the makeshift front while greeting and hugging friends and people I knew.
I have a confession to make: I missed my hometown Equality Rally for Unity and Pride in Fort Lauderdale. I was on my way south from gay summer camp when I got caught in a massive tie-up that stopped my car for hours — no surprise to all who have to drive on I-95 from Jacksonville and Miami. Looking back, I could have gone to the rally in Nashville, which was close to the camp, or even to the National March in Washington, D.C. Or, I could have gone to the rally in West Palm Beach, had I known about it. But I tried to make it home on time, and I failed.
When Dorothy famously clicked the heels of her ruby red slippers and said, “There’s no place like home,” we all knew exactly what she meant. We knew it even if the actual house in which we were raised was anything but a home. Innate within our being and sown into the fabric of who we are is the knowledge of home.
Practically anyone today thinks that they can be a drag queen. The good news is that this means that drag is popular as ever and that even Grandma can tell you who won Season 9 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The bad news is how do you know if you truly are fierce enough to be a drag queen?
Charlotte Black Gay Pride will be held from July 19-23 at various locations across the Queen City, the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce (formerly known as the Charlotte Business Guild), will celebrate its 25th anniversary with its 25 in Twenty-Five celebration on July 25 and Time Out Youth Center, 3800 Monroe Rd., is seeking to hire a part-time, hourly additional staff person to join its programs and services team.
