In 1983, a group called the Queen City Quordinators started publishing a small, monthly newsletter named “Q-Notes” to serve the Charlotte LGBTQ community. The newsletter only ran for a short time but was soon reborn as a print newspaper with its first issue publishing in June 1986.

Today, Qnotes and QnotesCarolinas.com is the only surviving LGBTQ news organization in the Carolinas. With a biweekly print edition and robust online presence, we are your source for LGBTQ local news, voices and community.

We know readers like you understand the importance of this work. We need your help more than ever to serve the local LGBTQ community and create a welcoming space to connect and share our unique and diverse stories. This includes the following initiatives:

Solutions Journalism – As an LGBTQ news organization, service to the community is above all else. Our most recent project, OUTlook, is just one example of how our reporters are investigating solutions to the challenges that LGBTQ+ people face.

Arts & Culture – The LGBTQ community is vibrant. Our dedicated reporting covers the music, the film, the local artists and more that showcase queer culture in our communities.

Democracy ¬– Voting is key to securing our freedoms. Qnotes provides the information you need to participate in our democracy and over the course of two years, will further examine how our rights are at risk as we head to 2024.

Qnotes Connect – Launching in 2023, this series of programs and events will build stronger connections between local LGBTQ journalists and the community, and are designed to center the voices of LGBTQ+ residents in all of our work.

Your tax-deductible donation to the Carolinas LGBTQ Journalism Fund Program, via Local Media Foundation, protects LGBTQ representation in the local news ecosystem and creates a center for community where our stories are celebrated.

The 2022 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation (LMF), a 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Local Media Association. The purpose of the program is to allow independent and family-owned news organizations to solicit tax-deductible donations from their communities for journalism projects that focus on critical local issues. Contributions to this program are tax-deductible to the full extent of U.S. law; please consult a tax advisor for details.