QnotesCarolinas

12/31/2025

The clock is ticking.

Qnotes is the only LGBTQ+ newsroom serving the Carolinas. Across our region, local LGBTQ+ stories shape policy, safety, culture, and daily life, yet they are rarely covered by national outlets. That work requires a newsroom that is local, independent, and accountable to the community it serves.

That work exists because of readers who choose to support it.

The Qnotes Press Club is how this reporting is sustained and we need your help reaching 200 members by midnight tonight to help carry this work into 2026.

It takes less than a minute to join, and $5 a month makes a real difference.

Join today and help keep local LGBTQ+ news alive in the Carolinas:
QnotesCarolinas.com/PressClub

12/27/2025

Independent LGBTQ+ journalism still matters.

And it doesn’t continue by accident.

Across the Carolinas, LGBTQ+ communities are still navigating real challenges that shape daily life, local policy, and community safety. Those stories need dedicated local coverage that understands the people and places they affect.

Qnotes continues to report with care, accuracy, and a local focus, staying rooted in the Carolinas and accountable to the community we serve. That work depends on readers who choose to support trusted, independent local news.

If you believe local LGBTQ+ stories matter, you can help keep them going by joining the Qnotes Press Club and supporting independent reporting across the Carolinas.

Join today and help us reach our goal of 200 new members by December 31.

Learn more: qnotescarolinas.com/pressclub

***rMedia

12/27/2025

The Trump-appointed “board” of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to rename the iconic Washington, D.C., institution The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a move that has sparked a fierce debate regarding the limits of executive power over national landmarks.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision on Thursday, December 18, saying the board voted unanimously to approve the change because of “the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.”

Speaking later from the Oval Office, Trump said he was “surprised” and “honored” by the vote. “We saved it,” he said of the center. “It was really in bad shape, physically.”

Read more at link👇

https://buff.ly/NC4UBMH

Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump’s name, sparking legal and constitutional challenges.

12/26/2025

A group of ethnic minority pastors and leaders within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has drawn significant attention after releasing a public petition sharply criticizing the denomination’s internal culture and direction.

Titled “A Call to Prayer & Lament,” the document frames its concerns as a spiritual appeal rather than a policy proposal, but its language has sparked debate in conservative Christian circles.

Read more at link👇

https://buff.ly/H4PU3My

Minority pastors in the Presbyterian Church in America release a petition lamenting harm to LGBTQ+ people and racial exclusion.

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.

Read more at link👇

https://buff.ly/RR16wCn

***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.

Read more at link👇

https://buff.ly/oxTwNi6

***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.

Read more at link👇

https://buff.ly/BsLBCjQ

***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?”

Read more at link👇

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.

Read more at link👇

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.