Group of N.C. mayors and county commission­ers sign letter opposing anti-gay-marriage bills

Mayors, commissioners and one mayor pro tem signed a letter Sept. 11 opposing the “Defense of Marriage” bills currently under consideration by the N.C. legislature that contain language stipulating that marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in North Carolina.

Legislativ­e sleight of hand: Term-limits bill morphs into gay-marriage ban

The controversial constitutional amendment setting a one-man, one-woman requirement for legal marriage in the state of North Carolina has taken an odd detour as a special session of the Legislature convenes. The wording is the same, but it now appears under a bill number originally intended to set term limits for Legislative leadership.

Gay is the new local

Recently, the two of us sat on Lexington Avenue reading Mountain Xpress aloud to each other. It’s something we do while we take in the goings-on in our neighborhood. We live in downtown Asheville, and while we appreciate the quirky spunk of West Asheville, the almost rural feel of Fairview, the old-school Southern charm of […]

APD looking for suspects in hate crime assault

Early July 14, a group of teenagers, shouting homophobic slurs, surrounded Luke Hankins in the parking lot of the Patton Avenue Ingles; one hit him hard enough to cause three fractures. The Asheville Police Department is looking for the suspects. While the APD has reported the attack as a hate crime, attacks based on sexual orientation aren’t covered under North Carolina’s hate crimes law, so no additional penalties are possible.

Asheville City Council — And the kitchen sink…

It’s a particularly eclectic meeting tonight for Asheville City Council, with matters including a proclamation recognizing LGBT History Month, an update on the re-opened Hillcrest Bridge, expanding the power of the planning commission, establishing an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and transferring housing investigations to the NC Human Rights Commission. For live coverage, follow @DavidForbes on Twitter with #avlgov.

GetEQUAL holds Veterans Day rally to repeal “don’t ask don’t tell”

GetEQUAL holds Veterans Day rally to repeal "don't ask don't tell"
About 20 people gathered at the Western North Carolina Veterans Memorial in downtown Asheville this afternoon, Nov. 11, to honor LGBT vets who served in silence or were discharged under the military’s don’t ask don’t tell policy. The event was organized by Angel Chandler of GetEQUAL and featured speeches by her as well as 17-year army veteran Alyce Knaflich and Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell.