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Learn what Amendment One really means and find out how you can protect yourself and your partner at a FREE legal presentation by Attorney Connie J. Vetter on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 820 Hamilton Street Suite B11, Charlotte (in the NC Music Factory complex).
“Leading up to the vote there was a lot of talk about what would happen if it passed. Many people are now confused and scared about what is going to happen now. I want people to know what Amendment One really means and how they can protect themselves,” said Connie Vetter, the attorney giving the free legal presentation. Vetter has been in practice serving the legal needs of LGBT North Carolinians for almost 20 years. In addition to her legal practice, she is an activist and volunteer for LGBT causes. She was recently selected as a Co-Chair for the 2013 HRC North Carolina Gala dinner. For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-333-4000. This event is co-sponsored by MeckPAC.
Thank You to everyone who supported The Center in this year's AIDS Walk Charlotte fundraiser benefitting RAIN. It was a beautiful day for a walk and we were so happy to have such a fun and dedicated team! Thanks to their hard work and your support, The Center was able to exceed our $5,000 goal! The Center raised $5,645 dollars to support the incredible work of RAIN. Check our photo gallery for more pictures of the team in action! We look forward to continuing our participation next year and be an even bigger impact than ever!
The Wesley Mancini Foundation, which provides funding for projects that foster the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals as full participants in the Charlotte community and/or that work to seek to eliminate censorship and work to promote and support freedom of expression, has announced the following grants for 2012.
Grants approved for the 2012 grant cycle are:
* The Freedom Center for Social Justice (in partnership with Judge Shirley Fulton's Wadsworth Estate), $3,000 toward organizing a public forum, to be held the week before the DNC, to explore through dialogue, the effects of "labels" and mass attitudes on full engagement with each other and the political process.
*The LGBT Community Center of Charlotte (in partnership with The PPL), $2,000 toward promoting and publicizing volunteer opportunities and events to showcase the LGBT Community during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
The 2012 Wesley Mancini Foundation Grant applications had to fulfill the following requirements:
*Develop a project that will raise the profile of the local LGBT community in front of a national audience during the Democratic National Convention September 3-6, 2012 in Charlotte;.
*Include a partnership between LGBT organizations and non-LGBT organizations to accomplish the grant’s goals.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community Center of Charlotte (gaycharlotte.com) hosted the first event in its new “Take The Lead Initiative” to encourage talented LGBT citizens and residents to get involved in the community's continued development and growth. The event on Wed., May 2, was free and open to the public; 60 people attended the event hosted at Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave., Charlotte, NC, 28205. The event began with cocktails and conversation at 6 p.m., with a 45 minute program following.
“As the Queen City continues to grow and as the nation’s and world’s eyes turn our way in September, now is the perfect opportunity for LGBT Charlotteans to step up and take the lead,” said Cate Eble, LGBT Board Member and organizer for The LGBT Center’s Take The Lead Initiative. “We seek to build a stronger, more diverse and more united community. We invite LGBT and ally Charlotteans to join us.” Four local and statewide organizations shared opportunities for community engagement. The Coalition to Protect All N.C. Families (protectallncfamilies.org) invited immediate involvement as it made its last push to defeat the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment on the May 8 ballot. Members of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Host Committee (charlottein2012.com), The PPL (theppl.us) and The LGBT Center also presented opportunities for participation in DNC-related activities and ongoing efforts in the Take The Lead Initiative.
The kickoff event was made possible in part by a new partnership between The LGBT Center and The PPL, which aims to promote and publicize volunteer opportunities and events to showcase the LGBT community during the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The partnership, recently awarded a $2,000 grant from the Wesley Mancini Foundation, provides opportunities for local LGBT involvement in the DNC as well as access to the national political event for independent media and artists, including LGBT news publications, bloggers and others.
Visit gaycharlotte.com to learn more about The LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, the Take The Lead Initiative, other activities and the efforts of other community organizations.
The LGBT Community Center’s Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to conduct an aggressive search to lease a facility in Plaza-Midwood or adjacent neighborhoods.The Community Center was located on Central Avenue, near Midwood Smokehouse restaurant, from its inception in 2003 until higher lease prices facilitated the move to the current N.C. Music Factory building in 2008.
