Headlines: ‘Gay ghettos,’ Time Out Youth CEO resigns, Carolinas black pride
by Matt | July 13th, 2008 |Headlines from the July 12, 2008 issue of QNotes.
Charlotte, Raleigh among top 10 ‘Gay Ghettos’
N.C. cities were cited for their thriving arts and business climate
by Matt Comer | July 12th, 2008
CHARLOTTE — Two North Carolina cities have been named in an annual list of the top 10 “Gay Ghettos” in the U.S.
Compiled by the owners of GayRealEstate.com, the list is topped by a two-way tie between Atlanta, Ga., and Portland, Ore. Charlotte comes in at third, with Raleigh ranked fourth in a tie with Tampa, Fla. Charlotte and Raleigh scored high marks for their strong business climate and arts opportunities.
Jeff Hammerberg, founder and president of GayRealEstate.com, told Q-Notes that the “Gay Ghetto” rankings are measured by how many LGBT people are moving to a city, living there and requesting information.
More than 50 Carolinas LGBT or friendly real estate agents show up in a search of GayRealEstate.com. The site bills itself as the nation’s “number one source representing the rights of gay and lesbian home buyers and sellers.” Read the rest…
Time Out Youth CEO resigns
Board will be ‘deliberate’ in search for new agency head
by David Stout | July 12th, 2008 | exQlusive
CHARLOTTE — Time Out Youth CEO Janine K. Eustache resigned her position with the support and advocacy organization for LGBT and questioning youth on June 17.
Her departure came three days after a Q-Notes investigative article revealed serious allegations by ex-interns and youth members suggesting the agency’s leader was uncomfortable working with the LGBT community and uninformed about its issues. There were also concerns that she did not want to be publicly associated with the organization.
Eustache, who is heterosexual, was formerly the southeast regional director of Save the Children, a global child relief organization; an executive at LaFace Records in Atlanta, Ga.; and the executive director of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. Prior to TOY, she had no experience working with LGBT organizations or serving the unique needs of LGBTQ youth. Read the rest…
Carolinas see black rainbow
S.C. Black Pride ‘one big family’
by Gareth Fenley | July 12th, 2008
COLUMBIA — As five days of South Carolina Black Pride came to an end with an awards ceremony on June 29, Ra’Shawn Flournoy was glowing with excitement. “It was phenomenal, seeing the love,” Flournoy said, as he tried to describe his feelings during the first Pride of his life, which he attended with his male fiancee and an estimated 500 other people. “It’s been one big family here. Words can’t compare to it.”
Organizers were happy and exhausted after staging the first 100 percent, locally hosted Pride celebration in the capital for people of African descent who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or same-gender-loving. “It’s all about community,” said Pride committee chair Todd Shaw, an African-American studies professor at the University of South Carolina. “We’re all part of a larger LGBT community, but it’s all right to have family reunions.”
Connecting to ethnic brothers and sisters is a way to feel valued and beautiful that can literally save lives, Shaw said emphatically. Read the rest…
Read more news at QNotes Online.
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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