LGBTQ+ Communities in NC Refuse to Go Back into the Closet

Although most Pride Parades and Festivals occur during the summer, a few still are on the calendar. Several of the smaller communities in the Triangle had events in addition to Raleigh. September events are lined up in Greensboro, Durham, Statesville, and Asheville. Wake Forest and Union County are on the calendar for October.

In 2025, a lot of media attention was focused on some of the pending legislation in the NC General Assembly restricting transgender rights and access as well as school curriculum. Teachers are still getting in trouble if they even mention gender identity, but PTA’s have moved on to other issues.

Until recent years most LGBTQ+ activities in NC were limited to bars in the urban centers. The online social media platform Meet-Up changed all that, so there are sports teams, groups for couples and families, and older adults. I am always surprised at the large number of gay events in the Triangle. If I had the time or the money, I could find something every day. A recent meeting about LGBTQ+ history was held at Highland UMC in Raleigh. The group of 100 people from 22 churches got a list of several pages of LGBTQ organizations in North Carolina, including churches that are welcoming.

The LGBTQ+ Centers on college campuses have taken a hit with the Administration’s attack on DEI groups anywhere. People of color and women have been more directly impacted. It doesn’t matter if they were public or private, the political pressure caused most to fold. Equality NC has several thousand members and is active politically. The public face of the LGBTQ+ community is no longer limited to a few events a year. As more people in smaller communities have “come out,” nearly everyone now knows someone who fits the bill.

The Administration now seems to be focused on limiting free speech and intimidating the media. They want to void the 1st Amendment. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has some LGBTQ+ connection because of the politics of the shooter, but the backlash has been limited. I’m not aware of any incidents in NC so far. Unfortunately, extremist politics most likely will cause the backlash to grow.

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