OUT
CHANG
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Lacey Williams
Laura Maschal
Ages; 31,34
Occuptions; Non-profit staffer. Health care
If there's a social justice movement to be helped, Lacey and Laura
are there, especially when it comes to LGBT equality and immigrant
rights issues. Lacey, 31, is a native of Orange City, Fla., and has lived
in Charlotte since 2000. Here, she works as the youth programs
director of the Latin American Coalition. In the past, she worked as
the youth program coordinator for the Charlotte Coalition for Social
Justice. Lacey attended school at Queens University, where she
earned a bachelor's degree in history and religion. Laura, 34, is a
Charlotte native. Currently, she works as a senior project manager
at a healthcare/patient support services company. She attended
the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, earning a bachelor's
degree in English literature. The couple — they were married last
year—are both members of the Charlotte Roller Girls, where
Lacey serves as a coach and Laura as a skater and board member.
Together, Lacey and Laura have devoted their volunteer time to va
riety of progressive causes, protests and demonstrations. "I think of
myself as an activist," Lacey says. "I'm not a behind-closed-doors
advocate. Give me a bullhorn and a magic marker any day. The
community has enough advocates; it needs more rabble rousers."
Laura says she speaks out as a way to combat privilege. "As a
bisexual woman, I definitely have heterosexual privilege; unless I'm
with my partner Lacey, I don'tthinkthat I'm perceived as LGBTQ by
most people I meet" Laura says. "That's probably why Tm so happy
to mention my love, to casually mention that I was with my wife the
same way that straight folks do." Both say they look forward to a
more progressive Charlotte. "We need to invest in our young people
in an intentional way, not a transactional way," says Lacey. "We
need to see our young people as an ends rather than a means. I've
always been inspired by how quickly young people can unlearn bi
ases and internalized oppression, and how quickly they can lift their
voices to become activists and leaders confronting the issues that
they face. They need good adult allies who can give them support,
rather than acting as barriers."
Ann Gonzales
Age; 29
Occupation; Entrepreneur
Ann has called Charlotte here
home since 2006, after moving
from her native Concord. She
worked as a freelance graphic
and web designer before
beginning her own business,
Create-ster, with her busi
ness partner Alyssa Kibiloski.
Together, the business partners
have supported a wide range
of LGBT groups, including the
GayCharlotte Rim Festival, RedFrog,the Charlotte Business Guild,
Unity Fellowship Church and The Freedom Center for Social
Justice, among others. She and Alyssa describe themselves as
entrepreneurs and "advocates for start-ups, small businesses and
budding non-profits." Ann adds, “Through Create-ster, whether
graphic designing or web designing, I have felt absolutely honored
to have taken part in helping LGBTQ Charlotte organizations and
non-profits. While we are already advocates for start-ups and small
businesses, enabling them to have a fighting chance to keep up
with larger, established businesses. It's been great to be advocates
for LGBTQ causes that are so important to us."
12 qnotes April 0-25.2013
mM
Mario W. Newton
Age; 33
Occupation; Analyst
A native of Columbia, S.C.,
Mario moved to Charlotte 13
years ago, where he's worked
for Duke Energy for 11 years.
He's a graduate of Montreat
College, where he earned a
bachelor’s degree in business
administration. He’s currently
pursuing his master's degree.
Mario's involvement in the LGBT
community is relatively new,
but he's jumped in feet-first. He served on the city host committee
for the 2013 Human Rights Campaign North Carolina Gala and is
a founding board member of Step Up Charlotte, a new non-profit
which works to produce events and bring together diverse com
munities while raising money for non-profits in the Mecklenburg
County. "Being someone involved in the LGBT community I look
for reasons to promote, advocate, teach, and keep myself and the
community positive," Mario says, noting his passion for a variety
of issues. He dreams of a day when "we won't need special
groups, parades or colors to make everyone feel equal" and says
that everyone should be treated equally "not because it's the law,
but because it's humane." At work, Mario uses his relationships
to promote LGBT philanthropy and support for local LGBT groups
and events. "Charlotte is definitely progressive, friendly and wel
coming," he says. "Since my 13 years of living in Charlotte, I have
been fortunate enough to have met colleagues, associates and
friends that have welcomed me and my cause with open arms."
Rebecca Chapin
Age; 30
Occupation; Engineer
A native of Ronkonkoma,
N.Y., Rebecca now lives in
Raleigh, where she works as a
hardware testing engineer. She
previously worked in technical
support and graphic design.
She holds a bachelor's degree
in fine art from the University
of Hartford. In the community,
she volunteers as a board
member and program director
at the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Rebecca describes herself as an
advocate for those with no voice "I engage the trans* com
munity and use what I learn to effect change within the greater
Raleigh/Durham area," she says, noting her passion for the
trans* community. Thinking back on her coming out experience,
Rebecca says she wants others to have more visibile and ac
cessible support systems. "I want the Raleigh/Durham area to
be the most trans progressive area in the state," she says. "At
the very least, create a safe welcoming space where individuals
can explore the concepts of gender identity without persecution
or misinformation." The current legal landscape has affected
Rebecca and her work life. "Sadly in this economy and political
climate, I make efforts to keep my professional and advocacy
work separate," she says. "There are currently no protections
in this state for gender identity and thus makes it high risk to
attempt to combine the two worlds" without employment non
discrimination protections, she says.
Micah Johnson
Age; 26
Occupation; Non-profit staffer
Micah works as the direc
tor of school outreach and
gay-straight alliance support.
A native of Thompson, Iowa,
Micah attended Luther College
in Buffalo Center, Iowa, where
he received a bachelor’s
degree in psychology. He
earned a master's of social
work at St. Ambrose University
in Davenport, Iowa. Micah also
volunteers as a mentor at Northwest School of the Arts. He
calls himself a "professional student advocate," saying, "For
as much as I advocate for students professionally, I learn from
those students, and professionals, and activists and continue
to grow from knowing these beautiful people." Micah says he's
been fortunate to find work that complements his own personal
passions. "My passion drives my work with local students,
parents, and educators," he says. "I don'tthinkyou can do this
work without passion."
O'Neale Atkinson
Age; 28
Occupation; Non-profit staffer
Many in the community have
come to know D'Neale through
the LGBT Community Center of
Charlotte, where he worked as
operations manager for a year
and a half, or from his 6-month
stint as gnofes editor in the
spring of 2012. Recently, though,
he's transitioned into a new role
at another community group,
becoming director of youth
programs at Time Out Youth. A native of Chester, S.C., O'Neale
attended the University of South Carolina where he earned his
master's of social work. Since college, he says, social work has
been his goal and, in particular, working with the LGBT community.
Prior to his work in Charlotte, O'Neale also worked with organiza
tions that served people with disabilities, the aging community and
individuals living with HIV. "Serving others and being able to be a
voice against stigma and oppression are driving forces behind my
passion to pursue a career in this community," he says. He says
employment discrimination is a top concern of his. "We have so
many talented and skilled individuals in our community who are
afraid to be themselves at work or who can not find employment
because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This is a
problem that we have to focus our attention on," he says. Locally,
O’Neale hopes to see greater collaboration and visibility. "The
LGBT community here in Charlotte is so vibrant and full of groups
and organizations to be a part of," he says. "Ever since moving
to Charlotte in 20111 have been so impressed by the scope of our
community. I would love to see more groups and organizations
partnering to support one another and to do good in the greater
Charlotte community."
Sarah Demarest
Kelly Durden
Ages; 31,32
Occupations; Lawyers
Kelly and Sarah have teamed up to create a new resource in
Charlotte, offering legal services and advice to LGBT locals.
Together, the two have established the LGBT Law Center, in
coordination with the Freedom Center for Social Justice. Kelly,
32, is a native of Jacksonville, N.C., and attended the University
of North Carolina-Wilmington where she received a bach
elor's degree in English and Spanish. She is a graduate of the
University of North Carolina School of Law. Sarah, 31, is a native
of Portland, Maine, and attended Guilford College where she
earned a bachelor's degree in justice and policy studies. She is
scheduled to graduate from Charlotte School of Law this May.
Kelly has five years of practice in public interest law and two
years in private practice. While in school, Sarah has worked
for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force as a law fellow.
She's also worked at Legal Services in Charlotte and spent eight
years in the financial industry before attending Charlotte School
of Law. Kelly says she is most passionate about "equal rights
and equal access to justice." "Discovering the inequities and
inadequacies of the law in recognizing basic rights, particularly
for those in the trans* community, really inspired me to do every
thing in my power to both educate and empower those in the
LGBT community, thereby advancing the movement as a whole,"
Kelly says. Like her law partner, Sarah, too, feels a passion for
the transgender community."rm passionate about stopping
discrimination against trans* individuals and removing legal bar
riers that interfere with the ability of all LGBT people to work and
live as productive and equal members of society," Sarah says,
noting other passions such as immigration issues, racial justice
and food justice. "In past work and school situations, I have
been the only African-American lesbian," Kelly says. "I hope
I have been able to break some of the stereotypes associated
with the LGBT community just by being myself and sharing my
experiences with classmates and co-workers."