North Carolina group changes Pride event name following 'nasty' response
LGBTQ+ activists and organizers in North Carolina plan to protest at an upcoming Newton City Council meeting about "nasty" comments from residents and a council member, and hostility over a planned Pride celebration in the town,The Charlotte Observer reports.
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The LGBTQ+ Democrats of Catawba County organization announced it would hold the Newton Pride Takeover, the first Pride celebration in the city, which would have taken place in the business district with the support of local merchants.
'The LGBTQ+Democrats of Catawba County are officially announcing that for the FIRST TIME EVER, Newton will have a pride takeover event,' the group posted April 14 on Facebook.
Hickory NC Events & Information | Wow y'all, it's that time | Facebook
Hickory NC Events & Information | Wow y'all, it's that time | Facebook www.facebook.com
Judging from the comments, the response to the news was overwhelmingly positive. However, some objected to the use of the word "takeover"' in the event's title and that the event was organized by the local Democratic Party. 'It doesn't sound like a love-filled parade gathering for multiple businesses downtown,' one commenter wrote. 'Instead, it sounds like a Hostile Democratic Takeover is going to take place.'
Newton City Council member Jon McClure left a comment indicating he did not support the event or the transgender community. "I'll stand by my stance against Trans and +," he wrote. "What you or I prefer in our bedrooms shouldn't be celebrated or forced in public."
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MacGregor VanBeurden, president of the Catawba County LGBTQ+ Democrats, described the negative responses as 'nasty' and singled out McClure for criticism.
'That's when it got really nasty and a lot of people I think felt emboldened by that,' VanBeurden told the Observer. 'So we got a lot of hate, a lot of bad comments, and then our businesses started pulling out from the event. There were some really serious things said, and it's really blown up in the last week.'
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Newton Mayor Jerry Hodge also singled out McClure.
'One council member does not speak for the entire council, and that may have been perceived as the case, but it is not,' Hodge said. 'We'll be prepared to conduct a civil meeting for our citizens … and we will conduct the meeting within the realm of respect and dignity for all who speak.'
In response to the criticism and reports of threats against local businesses, the group changed the name from the Newton Pride Takeover to the Newton Rainbow Celebration. It announced the move in a post to social media, while also speaking about the hostility that forced the change, which the organization said 'brought light to the deep-rooted hatred' from McClure and others in the community.
'I will say that while there has been substantial backlash, there has and continues to be even greater support and enthusiasm,' the group noted.
RELATED: Charlotte LGBTQ+ travel guide: embracing Pride in North Carolina
The organization also noted some local businesses had received death threats over their support for the Takeover event.
'Thank you to all who love and support us. Together, we will stand strong,' the group said. 'However, the safety of our community is our priority and with people going even as far as to make death threats against us, we must adapt and release this statement to update our community.'
RELATED: South Carolina wedding hosts free LGBTQ+ wedding in show of support and protest
McClure thanked the group for the changes while downplaying the hostility to the original event by some .
'Obviously I haven't personally experienced the wave of hate you're referring too, other than some name calling by those who have a difference of opinion; but I commend you for the name changing of the event and for recognizing that there is a better location for this event,' McClure said in a reposting of the announcement.
The LGBTQ+ Democrats of Catawba County will be protesting the negative response and comments and clarifying the purpose of the Newton Rainbow Celebration at the next council meeting, taking place at 6 p.m. on May 6.
Newton is around 40 miles northwest of Charlotte and has a population of roughly 13,000 residents. The county is overwhelmingly Republican and hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2000.
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