Black LGBTQ+ Affirming Spaces Provide Vital Community in North Carolina

From Pride organizations to ballroom houses, these spaces offer safety, culture and connection for marginalized communities.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Across North Carolina, Black LGBTQ+ communities have long created their own spaces for survival, celebration and care. These affirming spaces exist in response to the racism, homophobia and transphobia that Black LGBTQ+ people face within mainstream LGBTQ+ and Black institutions. The article highlights the importance of Black Pride organizations, ballroom and house communities, affirming faith spaces, and other social and cultural groups that provide vital community infrastructure for Black LGBTQ+ people in the state.

Why it matters

Black LGBTQ+ affirming spaces are essential for addressing the intersectional discrimination and marginalization that this community faces. These spaces allow Black LGBTQ+ individuals to come together, build community, celebrate identity, and access resources and support without having to compartmentalize or hide parts of their identity. They serve as a critical counterpoint to the exclusion and erasure that Black LGBTQ+ people often experience in broader LGBTQ+ and Black spaces.

The details

The article profiles several types of Black LGBTQ+ affirming spaces in North Carolina, including Pride organizations like Charlotte Black Pride, ballroom and house communities like the Carolina Chapter of the Artistic Haus of Telfar, affirming faith spaces like Unity Fellowship Church of Charlotte, and social/cultural groups like ZAMI NOBLA and Black Educated Lesbians. These spaces provide visibility, connection, mutual care, and a sense of chosen family for Black LGBTQ+ individuals who may face isolation or hostility in other settings.

  • Black LGBTQ+ affirming spaces have existed in North Carolina for generations, rooted in a long history of community-building and resistance.
  • Charlotte Black Pride has centered Black LGBTQ+ joy, safety and community since 2005.

The players

Charlotte Black Pride

A Black LGBTQ+ Pride organization that works to uplift the community through programming and engagement in the Charlotte area.

Raleigh Black Pride

A Black LGBTQ+ Pride organization that provides affirming spaces and community-building opportunities in the Raleigh region.

Fayetteville Black Pride

A Black LGBTQ+ Pride organization that offers celebrations and community support in the Fayetteville area.

Carolina Chapter of the Artistic Haus of Telfar

A ballroom house that is part of the Carolina Ballroom Kiki Scene, sustaining a network of Black queer and trans community, creativity, and chosen family.

Unity Fellowship Church of Charlotte

A Black-led, LGBTQ+-affirming church that provides a space for spiritual grounding, community, and the reconciliation of faith and identity.

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What they’re saying

“These spaces exist not because of preference, but because of necessity. For generations, Black LGBTQ+ communities have navigated racism within mainstream LGBTQ+ spaces while also facing homophobia and transphobia within Black institutions.”

— Liz Schob, Author (qnotescarolinas.com)

“Black queer history is inseparable from American history, yet it has often been erased or marginalized. From early drag balls and underground gatherings to modern Pride organizations, ballroom houses and affirming churches, the Black LGBTQ+ community has consistently built places where safety, culture and connection could exist on their own terms.”

— Liz Schob, Author (qnotescarolinas.com)

What’s next

As public spaces shrink and LGBTQ+ rights face renewed challenge, these affirming spaces remain more than symbolic - they are practical, necessary and often life-sustaining. Honoring their history and supporting their continued existence requires non-Black LGBTQ+ people, especially white LGBTQ+ individuals, to unlearn biases, follow Black LGBTQ+ leadership, and commit to meaningful accountability and accompliceship.

The takeaway

Black LGBTQ+ affirming spaces in North Carolina are vital community hubs that provide safety, celebration, and care for marginalized individuals navigating intersectional discrimination. These spaces exist as a necessary response to exclusion, and sustaining them is an act of resistance and liberation for the Black LGBTQ+ community.