Gay Guide to Charlotte
Marriage equality reached North Carolina in 2014, and Charlotte, the state's largest city and a Southern banking capital, has grown a thriving queer scene alongside its fast expansion.
The most LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhood is Plaza Midwood, just east of the Uptown core, a walkable, inclusive district of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, with the arts-driven NoDa close behind. Chasers on The Plaza does drag and themed nights, and White Rabbit on Central Avenue is the long-running LGBTQ+ bookshop. Down in South End, the Scorpio, founded in 1968 and the city's oldest LGBTQ+ club, has moved into a three-room complex, with Argon and Sidelines, the queer sports bar open since 2007, sharing a building on South Boulevard. Woodshed, out by I-85, has been the leather and bear bar since 2001, and Time Out Youth works with LGBTQ+ young people.
Charlotte pairs New South ambition with a growing creative streak, and its queer community has expanded right along with the skyline.
Charlotte Pride takes a free weekend in mid-August at First Ward Park and along Tryon Street in Uptown, with the parade on the Sunday, drawing crowds from across the Carolinas.