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Charlotte LGBTQ Elders Regroup After Pandemic Organization Boasts New Board With Expanding Future Plans
by David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer The late Dan Kirsch founded Charlotte’s LGBTQ Elders group in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regrettably, Kirsch passed away unexpectedly in early 2020, leaving the organization with an overwhelming sense of loss and a profound lack of direction. As the pandemic worsened and infection rates skyrocketed, continued growth and attendance for the group and its members simply wasn’t possible. Now the LGBTQ Elders group is back, with some of the original board members,
and a handful of new ones, plus some big plans for the near future. Co-chairs for the board are Roxanne Stanard, a former Social Security Administration executive, and Stan Schneider, a professor of biology at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. “The organization had really just started up when Dan passed away and the pandemic shut things down,” Stanard explains. “So we’re actually just getting started again, but we’ll have a booth at Pride and we’re excited about
Monkeypox Vaccine Slots Are Full in Mecklenburg County Demand for the monkeypox vaccine is rising, but there aren’t any more appointments available to get the shot in Mecklenburg County. On July 7, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced vaccines from the federal government would be available in some county health departments, including Mecklenburg. A week later, all of the appointments
to get the vaccine in Mecklenburg County were filled, a spokesperson for the health department confirmed in an email to The Charlotte Observer. Only 120 vaccines were available to administer. Mecklenburg County confirmed the first case of monkeypox just days after first North Carolina case. “We are working with NCDHHS to get additional vaccines and anticipate some
attracting new members. We’ll have information about services we offer and upcoming events.” An upcoming celebration of life is planned for Kirsch in late August, although no specific date or time has been chosen as of yet. “Moving forward, we’ll have two gatherings a month,” Stanard continues. “One is a social event that will include dinner, and the other will be an educational event with a guest speaker covering topics of interest and concern for the senior LGBTQ community.”
With new members expected to join as word gets out through growing media attention, the upcoming Pride event and a recently acquired 501C3 non-profit status, the organization hopes to expand programming and services currently available at the Time Out Youth Center and beyond. Other members of the board include Cindy Hostetler, John Hunter, Lee Robertson Dimitri Triantafillakis and David Webb. In addition to the monthly events, an LGBTQ prom is slated for February. The organization’s next meeting takes place Aug. 9. For more details visit their Facebook page, which is regularly updated and also links to their website. : :
within the next week,” the spokesperson said. “We will notify residents of additional appointment availability as soon as more vaccines are available.” Due to a limited supply, the vaccine is only being offered to people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox and people who are considered to be exposed because of frequent sexual activity with multiple anonymous partners in geographical areas where monkeypox is spreading. NCDHHS says 13 total cases have been reported in North Carolina as of July 15. According to the CDC there are currently
no plans to make the vaccine available to people who are not at the highest risk of contracting monkeypox in Mecklenburg County, a spokesperson said. Currently, NPR reports there are just over 200 cases in the United States. Those who want to make an appointment can sign up on the county’s wait list by visiting mecknc.gov/HealthDepartment to receive priority for the next open slots. This article appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer. info: bit.ly/3OOfT9i — Evan Moore
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