As a resident of South Carolina for going on 14 years now, I’ve been traveling to Charlotte, NC (just across our northern boarder) on nights and weekends since I was a freshman at Clemson University. On a whim, we would drive up to Charlotte for a day of shopping at South Park mall and after I turned 21, we would spend the weekends enjoying drag shows or dancing at many of Charlotte’s LGBT friendly nightlife establishments.
Before I met my husband, there were times that I came to Charlotte for fancy dinner dates, and then when my husband got a job at UNC-Charlotte, I was there practically every other weekend. I also remember when IKEA opened, I made the pilgrimage with friends a number of times to purchase low cost home furnishings to take back to our apartments and homes in South Carolina.
Then there was the time that Broadway musical ‘Wicked’ came to Charlotte and not Columbia, SC where I currently live. A group of 25 of us from the SC Gay + Lesbian Business Guild made the trek to Charlotte to eat at P.F. Chang’s before heading over to see the show at Ovens Auditorium. More recently, Charlotte Pride has been holding an amazing weekend-long street festival and many of us from South Carolina come for several days of festivities, filling hotels and spending our money at restaurants and shops around town.
This weekend, I am again traveling to Charlotte to attend HRC’s North Carolina gala at the Charlotte Convention Center. More than 1,000 people from across the Carolinas will descend on Charlotte this weekend, boosting the local economy with our tourism dollars.
Q-Notes reports that right now, Charlotte’s city council is considering four ordinance changes. They would add five characteristics – marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression – to protected classes already listed in the city’s public accommodations, Commercial Non-Discrimination, Passenger Vehicle for Hire and Community Relations Committee ordinances.
As a visitor and tourist to Charlotte who spends thousands of dollars here each year on public accommodations, from hotels to restaurants to local shops, I need Charlotte’s City Council to pass these human rights ordinances to protect me from potential discrimination each time I visit. When my family leaves our home in Columbia, SC, which has had similar non-discrimination protections at the city and county level for over 7 years, we hope to find the same protections from discrimination in place when we reach Charlotte.
I need to know that when my husband and I check into our hotel room this weekend, we won’t be turned away because we requested only one bed. I seek the peace of mind that when we tell our waitress that our dinner will be on one check, we won’t be refused service. I want to know that when I spend my hard earned money, then we are supporting a local economy that welcomes our business.
Because I’ve seen first hand how Charlotte has grown over the past 14 years, I know that this city is striving to become a world-class city. I believe passing these LGBT-inclusive ordinances will make Charlotte even more competitive as a leading tourist destination. It’s time for Charlotte to follow the leadership of my hometown along with over 200 municipalities around the US and vote to protect its LGBT residents, taxpayers, and visitors.
We need your help now to make sure fair-minded voices are heard in anticipation of the March 2nd vote. Write your Charlotte City Council members now and urge them to vote for a fair and equal Charlotte.
And don’t forget to join us on March 2nd, at 6:30 p.m., at the Charlotte City Council meeting to show your support in-person for equality for all Charlotteans.
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