EVERYBODY GET READY...!!!

Charlotte Pride, which will present the annual Charlotte Pride Festival & Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade this weekend, Aug. 16-17, is proud to announce Charlotte City Councilmembers Patsy Kinsey (District 1) and LaWana Mayfield (District 3) have been named Grand Marshals of the 2014 Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade. The two elected leaders are being honored for their historic achievements in ushering in a new era of inclusion and representation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Charlotteans.

“Councilmember Mayfield made history when she became the first openly LGBTQ Charlottean elected to local office. In doing so, LaWana has provided a much-needed voice for LGBTQ citizens and residents at the table of local government,” says Charlotte Pride Co-Director Craig Hopkins. “During her short, albeit momentous, tenure as mayor, Councilmember Kinsey was the first leader of this great city to lead our parade and took positive steps in hearing the concerns of LGBTQ citizens on issues such as local inclusion, marriage and international LGBTQ equality in places like our Russian sister city, Voronezh.”

As grand marshals, Kinsey and Mayfield will lead the second annual Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade. 2013 marked the return of an LGTBQ Pride Parade to the Queen City after a nearly two decade absence.

Additionally, Charlotte Pride is honored to announce the recipients of this year’s 2014 Champions of Pride Awards, which recognize those whose work and dedication exemplify the spirit of Pride:

• Harvey Milk Award: Tonda Taylor, founder of Time Out Youth — honoring her more than two-decade service and leadership to the Queen City
• Outstanding Ally Award: The Rev. Dr. Nancy Kraft, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church — honoring her commitment to LGBTQ equality as a straight ally
• Young Catalyst Award: Andraya Williams — honoring her courage and conviction speaking out for equality in the face of anti-transgender intimidation and discrimination

For more information on our 2014 Champions of Pride, visit charlottepride.org/champions/.

Charlotte Pride will be held on Aug. 16-17, attracting more than 80,000 people to Uptown Charlotte. The event highlights the social, cultural, ethnic, artistic and civic diversity of the Charlotte-metro region’s LGBTQ communities. In 2012, the event drew more than 45,000 people just one week before the Democratic National Convention. Last year, more than 80,000 people attended, including more than 40,000 for the parade alone.

For more information on this year’s event, visit charlottepride.org. A full list of Charlotte Pride sponsors and partners can be found at charlottepride.org/sponsors/.

CARE OF: Charlottepride.org

Wells Fargo Stage

Featuring local, regional and national talent across diverse and popular genres, the Wells Fargo Stage has entertainment scheduled both days of the Aug. 16-17 Charlotte Pride Festival. On Saturday, R&B singer-songwriter Sevyn Streeter headlines at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Grammy Award-winning artist LeAnn Rimes takes the stage at 4 p.m. Scroll down for bios and photos of each of our entertainers this year.

Stage Schedule

Sunday Headliner: LeAnn Rimes
Presented by Charlotte Pride

LeAnn Rimes will headline the Wells Fargo Stage on Sunday, Aug. 17.

Pastele

Eryn Woods

Saturday Headliner: Sevyn Streeter

Headliner: Bianca Del Rio — Presented by The Scorpio

Headliner: Rye Rye

Headliner: Luciana

Headliner: Blake Lewis

Headliner: Sharon Needles — Presented by The Scorpio

Headliner: Alyssa Edwards — Presented by The Scorpio

SHIPROCKED!

Miami Dice

The Reason You Stayed

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The Scorpio Review with Tiffany Storm