Over the last few months, I have been researching, with help for a good friend, about starting a LGBT community center here in the Eastern Area of NC. Though Rocky Mount and/or Greenville aren't really considered a full part of Eastern NC, I thought this would be a good start.
Hoping by starting one east of 95, that someone closer to the Outer Banks might open one as well.
Even since moving to NC back in the winter of 91, I have found that "The" community doesn't exist in Rocky Mount, Wilson, and other areas in the East. Greenville seem to have a small community once that was noticeable but since the main and only true gay bar in Greenville closed that community has almost gone back into the closet.
Then in 01 I moved to a small rural town close to Elizabeth City, there the community was very small but they were visible, and known. In that town the main café of the town was owned by an openly known gay couple til they sold their business and move to green pastures.
When I moved back to Rocky Mount, I search for old friends that I once knew in the area. Guess what they were gone; left the area for much better things I'm sure. One friend and I will used that term very loosely since she a nothing more than a complete back stabbing lesbian bitch. I ask her if the community had grown any, she replied yes. Well I still haven't seen "THE" community yet in my area. I was shock to find it that Rocky Mount had a Pflag Chapter, which is very active in our Community, We have this group to thanks for many wonderful books that have donated to our Local Library, like Mr. Gold's book Crisis, and they have my deepest thanks for helping to make these books available in our community.
Then last summer-fall I meet some new LGBT member in Greenville at the Prop8 rallies. That day I decide that we need our own community center. I then attend their Marriage Equality Rally, where I told a member there, that this is funny, the older I'm getting the more political and active I'm being coming.
I have talk with a few LGBT members about this center, the response so far have not been positive at all. Some claim we don't need one, other don't want to draw attention to the area LGBT members. A few have been very positive, offering help and advice.
I have set up a date for a meeting to see if there is enough members who would think a Local Center would be us good. THE outcome of this meeting will decide if I continue to plan and research. If there isn't enough support for this center, I won't see it as a waste of my time. I do feel that it will be a great lost for our Local Community members. We need local public community center, not just online community center where people really don't get to know each other. We need to be visible in our local community; we can no longer hide in our closets. We must stand up and be counted, if not then we only have ourselves to blame for the way our communities treat us.
No comments:
Post a Comment