QnotesCarolinas

12/26/2025

Anti-LGBTQ+ South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace is once again reframing controversy around her own conduct as political persecution, this time following a profanity-laced confrontation with airport police and TSA agents at Charleston International Airport.

During an interview with a Fox anchor on December 11, she largely dodged a direct question concerning the incident, instead opting for a mish-mash of gibberish that lead to pointing a finger at the transgender community to justify her behavior.

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***rResistance

Nancy Mace deflects criticism over an airport confrontation by blaming trans people, calling the incident political persecution.

12/23/2025

In 2025 we saw a decided increase in disturbing and frightening activity aimed at our community.

Despite warnings about a second Trump presidency armed with a MAGA guide book, few of us expected so much.

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***rNews ***rHistory

In 2025 we saw a decided increase in disturbing and frightening activity aimed at our community. Despite warnings about a second Trump presidency armed with a MAGA guide book, few of us expected so much.  Here’s our look back at the good, bad and ugly. JANUARY LGBTQ+ marriages surge before Trump ...

12/23/2025

Nothing disappears faster at a party faster than my sweet and savory gochujang meatballs.

This recipe is one of my personal favorites and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It is incredibly easy to make since it comes together in a crockpot, which makes it a set it and forget it appetizer that is perfect for busy holiday gatherings.

You can toss everything in, let it simmer and focus on getting ready for the celebration.

Get it at link👇

https://buff.ly/H3MclWi

These sweet and savory gochujang meatballs are an easy crockpot appetizer inspired by Korean flavors and perfect for holiday parties.

12/22/2025

One person. Two, twelve, twenty, you can still feel alone in a crowded room if it’s a place you don’t want to be. People say, though, that that’s no way to do the holidays; you’re supposed to make merry, even when your heart’s not in it. You’re supposed to feel happy, no matter what – even when, as in “The Dogs of Venice” by Steven Rowley, the Christmas tinsel seems tarnished.

Read review at link👇

https://buff.ly/PwRv5TM

***rFiction ***rRomance

Steven Rowley’s The Dogs of Venice is a tender, q***r holiday novella about heartbreak, healing, and finding love again.

12/22/2025

Sometimes the arrival of a movie into our lives is so perfect, it feels like a wish coming true.

Such is the case with q***r filmmaker Julie Jackman’s “100 Nights of Hero” (IFC). A fantastical romance with potent q***r and feminist messages, the movie is as entertaining as it is enlightening, equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.

The primary cast, including Emma Corrin as the titular Hero, along with Maika Monroe and Nicholas Galitzine (who has more than a few shirtless scenes – swoon!), look as though they had as much fun making the movie as audiences will have watching it.

Writer/director Jackman was kind enough to make time for an interview before it opened in theaters.

Read interview at link👇

https://buff.ly/fXQObbX

***rCinema ***rFilmmakers

Sometimes the arrival of a movie into our lives is so perfect, it feels like a wish coming true. Such is the case with q***r filmmaker Julie Jackman’s “100 Nights of Hero” (IFC). A fantastical romance with potent q***r and feminist messages, the movie is as entertaining as it is enlightening, ...

12/21/2025

What makes a person justifiably recognizable as one of the worst of the year?

Some from years past selected by various media entities speak for themselves.

Such individuals as former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, former North Carolina State Representative Madison Cawthorn and former U.S Representative George Santos (R-NY) immediately come to mind.

In 2025 there are other well known individuals with Carolina roots that deserve at least a dishonorable mention, among them U.S. Representative Tim Moore (R-NC), U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) (and wannabe Palmetto State governor) and N.C. House of Representatives member Tricia Cotham (R).

None of them, however, hold a candle to seemingly self-loathing United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who is fifth in line to succession to the office of the president, and the first openly gay man to hold such a high federal level governmental position in American history.

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***rAccountability ***rVoices

Why Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s silence amid anti-LGBTQ+ policies has earned him recognition as one of 2025’s worst.

12/21/2025

At the time of this interview, Holly Savoy was visiting Minneapolis.

An avid traveler, she was there for the premier of “Purple Rain,” a musical based on the iconic recording artist and performer Prince and his 1984 film “Purple Rain.”

It's now slated for Broadway in the near future, although no specific details are available yet about the location or dates.

Savoy had seen the musical the night before, and was enthusiastic.

“It’s different,” she said. “Doesn’t follow the movie exactly, but it was fun. As for the music, it’s Prince – what more need be said?”

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https://buff.ly/OG3RuwU

***rAdvocacy ***rVoices

LGBTQ healthcare provider and advocate Holly Savoy reflects on travel, Prince’s Purple Rain musical, and caring for community amid political hostility.

12/19/2025

Netflix has canceled 'Boots' after a single season, bringing an abrupt end to the q***r coming-of-age drama that gained attention both for its storytelling and for criticism from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The series premiered on October 9 and followed a group of Marine Corps recruits in 1990, a time when LGBTQ+ people were barred from serving openly in the military.

Created by Andy Parker and inspired by Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, the show centered on Cameron Cope, a closeted teenager played by Miles Heizer, who enlists alongside his best friend while searching for purpose and escape.

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https://buff.ly/uQ4OCfG

***rTV ***rHistory ***rStories

Netflix cancels Boots after one season, ending the q***r Marine Corps drama that drew praise, strong ratings, and Pentagon backlash.

12/17/2025

Rob Reiner, the acclaimed actor, director, and producer whose work helped shape modern American film, is being remembered not only for his creative achievements but also for his advocacy for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Reiner and his wife, producer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, though an official arraignment has yet to be held as of this writing.

No definitive reason has been given for the Reiner's murders, and authorities say the investigation is ongoing.

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Rob Reiner is remembered for his iconic films and pivotal advocacy for marriage equality following his tragic death in Los Angeles.

12/17/2025

A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction against Georgia’s law that cut off hormone therapy and other gender-affirming treatment for transgender people in state prisons, finding that the statute violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

The ruling comes months after Senate Bill 185 took effect and barred state money from being used for hormone therapy, gender-transition procedures, and cosmetic interventions meant to alter sexual characteristics.

The law also prevented transgender inmates from paying for that care themselves while incarcerated.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert concluded that cutting off this treatment fails to meet basic constitutional standards for medical care behind bars.

“The court finds that there is no genuine dispute of fact that gender dysphoria is a serious medical need,” she wrote.

“Plaintiffs, through their experts, have presented evidence that a blanket ban on hormone therapy constitutes grossly inadequate care for gender dysphoria and risks imminent injury.”

Her order requires Georgia prisons to continue providing hormones to people who had already been receiving them and to allow other incarcerated people diagnosed as needing hormone therapy to start treatment.

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Federal judge blocks Georgia’s ban on gender-affirming care in prisons, ruling it unconstitutional and restoring access to hormone therapy.

12/16/2025

The Department of Justice has directed Prison R**e Elimination Act auditors to stop applying standards created to safeguard transgender, intersex and gender-nonconforming people from sexual assault during confinement.

The instruction appears in an internal memo obtained by NPR, which says the department is rewriting federal PREA regulations to align with President Trump’s executive order on what he calls “gender ideology extremism.” That order declares that the United States recognizes only two sexes.

Under the memo, auditors who review prisons, jails, juvenile facilities and immigration detention centers will not evaluate compliance with LGBTQ-specific protections while the revision process is underway.

These auditors are independent contractors hired by detention agencies and certified by the DOJ. The department did not respond to NPR’s questions about the directive.

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DOJ halts PREA audits of LGBTQ protections, raising safety concerns for transgender and intersex people in U.S. detention facilities.

12/16/2025

Let’s end 2025 stronger together.

Qnotes is the only LGBTQ+ newsroom serving the Carolinas. If we disappear, so does most LGBTQ+ local coverage in our region. We created the Qnotes Press Club so our reporting can survive and our stories do not get erased.

Our goal is 200 members by December 31 to help fund reporting in 2026. Joining takes less than a minute, and $5/month makes a real difference.

Join today: qnotescarolinas.com/pressclub

***rMedia