"This was a time for people in North Carolina and the Carolinas to come out and enjoy themselves and celebrate," Webb said. That energy is one of the reasons this year's pride festival was the biggest ever in Charlotte, said its co-chair Dave Webb. "I always kind of considered North Carolina to be like a more accepting neighbor than South Carolina, and to see something like that is kind of disheartening," Murphy said.īut Murphy said he's noticed more energy in the gay and transgender community since Amendment One passed. Gay Pride in the Urban New South: Politics, Neighborhood, and Community in Atlanta and Charlotte La Shonda Mims Journal of Urban History 0 10. Like Tyler Murphy, who drove to the festival from Columbia. That vote also changed some people’s perceptions of North Carolina. Ending the heart of the downtown, theres plenty of restaurants and relaxing parks to enjoy. "It was a devastating loss, a very personal loss for people to know that their neighbors, family and friends voted against their basic equality," Pittman said. Charlottes gay pride parade takes place in Uptown Charlotte. He said the passage of Amendment One a few months ago, which outlawed gay marriage in the North Carolina constitution, has been a huge motivator.
Jeremy Pittman is the organization’s deputy field director. (News Release) Charlotte Pride, the leader in LGBTQ visibility in Charlotte and the Carolinas, announced on May 18 it will return to in-person events and programs in a four-month-long Charlotte Pride Season running from August through November 2021. WCNC-TV Charlotte SC open carry law goes into effect Sunday, Aug. Brittney Melton, News Release CHARLOTTE, N.C.
She and other volunteers for the Human Rights Campaign said hundreds of people signed their petitions. Thousands of SC students returning to school Thousands of kids in our area getting ready to go back to school tomorrow. "Hi, would you like to sign a petition supporting marriage equality?" Volunteer Danielle Chanland asked people on the street as they walked by. There were concerts where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bands played, and street vendors selling everything from children's books to rainbow-colored scarves to, of course, alcohol.īut the festival was more than just a party. "I want to welcome you to day two - day two - of Pride Charlotte 2012," a local drag queen named Roxy said on one of the main stages to get the party going again Sunday. The Pride Charlotte Festival has grown into a huge event that takes over a few blocks of South Tryon Street for the whole weekend. The passage of a state amendment banning gay marriage was on the minds of many there. Charlotte held its annual gay pride festival over the weekend, and organizers say it was the biggest one in the city's history.