A&E / Life&Style

Chastity Brown’s tour visits North Carolina to share music driven by identity, a meld of genres: soul, folk and R&B.

Although nationwide marriage equality only began with the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, divorce among LGBTQ couples does happen. Divorce between any couple is one of the most painful transitions confronted in a lifetime; but with LGBTQ couples, this process can be particularly challenging.

Of all the transitions confronted throughout a lifetime, testing positive for HIV/AIDS is one of the most earth-shaking. The Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2015, nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. had to face this news. Of these newly-diagnosed individuals, gay and bisexual men received 82 percent of positive results. This does not necessarily indicate that men who have sex with men constitute 82 percent of new infections; they may be disapportionate to the rate of infection because they are more likely to get tested.

Life has many transitions. Some of life’s major transitions include our birth, our decision regarding whether to go to college and where to go, our recognition of our sexual preference, our decision as to whether to commit to a life-long relationship with someone, our decision whether to have children, our adjustment to death of loved ones and our relationship of faith with our Creator.

Adrian McCoy was a much-loved man with a lot of long and deep friendships. Those who had the privilege of knowing him knew that he was a non-comformist; his everyday attire was a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and Birkenstocks. He loved anything Madonna.

Remembering artists, activists, and legends of the LGBTQ community, Jim French and Chuck Renslow.

Welcoming a new writer to the qnotes team is always a special moment. This issue, we’re proud to introduce Lynette Matusik, a pioneer in both her career and her approach to transitioning from biological male to transgender female.

I was in the hospital in May 2016, and I met a man named Brian. I had just come out of an extraordinarily toxic relationship, and he was reeling from the death of his mother and infighting with the rest of his family. We had both been dealt some really bad blows. These were really seriously difficult obstacles. I still had an apartment of my own, but he was homeless at the time.

The Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CLGBTCC) celebrates its 25th anniversary on July 25 at Le Méridien from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

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.

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?

Within the first few months of the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gave a subtle wound to the American LGBTQ community. Two HHS nationwide surveys — the “National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants” and the “Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living” — removed questions identifying respondents’ sexual orientation and gender identity.

Together for 35 years, truly through sickness and in health, Cyteria Knight, 60, and Susan Miller, 58, have seen more than their share of challenges. Knight’s stroke early this year initiated a long journey toward recovery, and even more trials with mounting medical bills and ineffectual bureaucratic “aid” programs.

Cynthia* is a loving parent, a decorated military veteran and a transgender woman. Born and raised as Mike*, she knew at age eight that she was born into the wrong body. Seeing no way to be her true self, Cynthia lived out the first several decades of her life as a man, becoming a father to three children and taking on many traditionally male roles. She eventually enlisted in the military where she served multiple tours of duty and received a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat.