The local group Just Us For All is holding a fundraiser tomorrow, and the third annual We Are Not Bashful march on Friday, to protest harassment and bullying.
Tag: LGBT
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Let Buncombe be a beacon against Amendment One
In the wake of Amendment One's approval, I am so embarrassed to be a North Carolinian. It is a shame to all of us that our state felt it appropriate to hold a vote on the rights of a segment of our population. It is even more shameful that we voted to deny people those […]
A sad day in North Carolina
The people of North Carolina cast a vote for hate on May 8. Their vote for Amendment One gives LGBT people second-class-citizen status. It is also a slap in the face to those citizens who are in a domestic relationship. As a native North Carolinian, I've always been proud of my state. I'm not so […]
A week later, effect of Amendment One still unclear
A week after the passage of Amendment One, declaring “that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” in North Carolina, its impacts on everything from domestic partner benefits to protections for unmarried couples remain unclear, with both local and state legal experts scrambling to make sense of the new rule.
Images from Friday’s WE DO protest
Friday, same-sex couples went into the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office to request marriage licenses — knowing they would be denied — as part of the WE DO campaign. Eight people were arrested in the ensuing sit-in. The protests originated in Asheville last year and have since spread to other cities throughout the Southeast, garnering national and international media attention. Images of WE DO’s return to its home city. Photos by Max Cooper.
*UPDATED WITH VIDEO* Photos: Impromptu midnight march through downtown opposing Amendment One
March remained peaceful, but vocal, no damage to property. Organizers say this is not the end, only the beginning.
Amendment One loses locally, but wins state ***UPDATED***
The controversial Amendment One, declaring “that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” in North Carolina, won statewide last night, despite losing in Asheville and other urban centers throughout the state.
Council unanimously passes resolution opposing Amendment One
In a meeting that lasted less than an hour and attracted less than 15 people after the recognition portion of the meeting ended, Asheville City Council breezed through its agenda items this evening. Here are a few of the highlights from tonight’s meeting. Look for a full report from Xpress in the April 18 issue. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Asheville City Council preview: Amendment One
Tonight, Asheville City Council will consider a resolution opposing Amendment One, the proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban legal recognition of same-sex couples. Various government bodies and universities across the state have already adopted their own resolutions about this controversial amendment.
Equality NC kicks off “race to the ballot”
Equality NC kicked off its efforts to defeat Amendment One — which would ban legal recognition of same-sex relationships — with staffer Jen Jones running through downtown as part of the statewide Race to the Ballot campaign. The newly opened Asheville office will be the organization’s headquarters for organizing in the Western part of the state.
(Photo by Bill Rhodes)
WE DO campaign expands to South Carolina
The Asheville-based WE DO campaign — where couples try to register for marriage licenses as a way of demanding an end to laws prohibiting same-sex marriage — is expanding to South Carolina. On Jan. 17-18, three LGBT couples will request licenses in Greenville, S.C.
What’s the Big Idea? Some thoughts for Asheville in 2012
For its next two issues, Xpress will feature an array of “Big Ideas” for 2012 from local notables, citizens, politicians, activists, artists and more. Here’s a peek at some of the ideas. What’s your big idea for Asheville in the year to come?
Local Matters: Thoughts on Asheville’s WE DO campaign
Reporter David Forbes talks about the Asheville-based WE DO campaign, which has been in the national press recently for their high-profile actions in support of LGBT marriage rights.
Behind Asheville’s WE DO campaign
For two weeks in October, 20 same-sex couples applied for — and were refused — marriage licenses in Buncombe County. Their efforts culminated in a rally and an act of civil disobedience that led to an arrest. This WE DO campaign drew national attention and, in many ways, demonstrates a different approach to LGBT activism.
Mission Health System to start offering domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples
Western North Carolina’s largest employer will start offering domestic-partner benefits to same-sex couples, effective Jan. 1, 2012.
Buncombe County Register of Deeds responds to WE DO campaign
Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger upheld state law Oct. 3 by denying a marriage license to a number of same-sex couples, including Rev. Kathryn Cartledge and Elizabeth Eve, her partner of 30 years, among others. They were joined by a group of supporters including state House Rep. Patsy Keever and Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith, both of whom Reisinger supported in their respective elections. Later that day, Reisinger posted the following thoughts on his Facebook page
Ready for their closeup
According to Robert Gaston, a filmmaker and the organizer of Asheville's first-ever LGBTQ film festival, QFest, there are certain programming rules for the opening feature. "You never open with a documentary, or a lesbian feature, or a foreign-language film," says Gaston. These are not written-in-stone statutes, and Gaston (with partner Michael Sheldon) quickly broke one […]
E-mails reveal how Blue Ridge Pride proclamation made it to Council agenda
An e-mail exchange released by Asheville City Council member Bill Russell reveals new details about how a proclamation recognizing the Oct. 1 Blue Ridge Pride festival made it onto Council’s agenda for its Sept. 27 meeting. In the exchange, Mayor Terry Bellamy, who has not given the festival a standard mayoral proclamation, notes that she will place it on the new business portion of the agenda. Russell says he hoped for a standard proclamation instead of a contentious vote.
Asheville City Council faces showdown over Blue Ridge Pride proclamation
City proclamations aren’t typically a point of controversy, but the Asheville City Council meeting tomorrow, Sept. 27, will see an exception. A proclamation recognizing the Blue Ridge Pride festival is on the New Business portion of the agenda, as Mayor Terry Bellamy refused to endorse it.
Forrester stands by “cesspool of sin” comment; insults Wilmington, Chapel Hill too
State Sen. James Forrester, one of the main sponsors of the proposed anti-same sex marriage amendment, is standing by his remarks calling Asheville “a cesspool of sin,” according to a report from M2M radio. Forrester also dubbed Asheville, Chapel Hill and Wilmington as competitors for “the worst place in the state.”
Locals against constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage gather for “Vigil for Equality”
Hundreds of people gathered in Pack Square Sept. 12 to protest a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage in North Carolina that passed the House earlier that day. Photo by Max Cooper