Opinion
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OPINION: Moms for Liberty or Parents for Bigotry?
On the first Wednesday of September, I ventured to Pure Pizza on Central Avenue for what became a rather dramatic rendezvous with the Mecklenburg County chapter of Moms for Liberty, which was holding their monthly meeting there. The ensuing confrontation, part of which was cynically and abusively posted to social…
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Ten Years Later, Did the 2012 Democratic National Convention Matter?
For me, covering the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte was a dream gig. At the time, I was a law student and freelance reporter for Creative Loafing. I loved writing about politics and I was still something of an idealist. I grew up reading about our history and believing…
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ESSAY: A Farewell to Plaza Midwood
Recently, on just another Monday afternoon, I couldn’t shake the words my friend had said to me in a conversation the night before. I was hosting Bone Snugs & Harmony karaoke at Snug Harbor, a dive bar and music venue in the heart of Plaza Midwood, that Sunday night when…
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OPINION: Things Are Coming to a Head at CATS
Tardy buses and spotty service are the hallmarks of Charlotte’s transportation network. Ask anyone who has stood next to those mysterious roadside bus signs and they will tell you that waiting is unavoidable. The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is responsible for citywide transportation. Serving 3,628 bus and rail stations…
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EXCERPT: ‘Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness’
Baltimore writer Baynard Woods‘ new book, Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness, follows the author through his boyhood in Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina, into a journey of discovery around the role whiteness played not only in his own life but in an ancestry he found shameful. In this excerpt, he…
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Opinion: Trans People Don’t Need Sex Reassignment Surgery to Exist
A major misconception most cis people have is that the goal of every transition is to come closer to being cis. On June 23, we learned that a federal court struck down a North Carolina law requiring trans people to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to change the gender…
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OPINION: It Might Be Time to Get Totally Motherfucking Unhinged
We have voted and we have debated. And here we are with 120.5 civilian guns per 100 people and an endless stream of gun violence and school shootings. Gunshot wounds are now the leading cause of child death in the United States. Peaceful marches are powerful and energizing. But even…
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OPINION: We Must Protect Abortion in the United States
Last month, we learned the right to a safe, legal abortion in the United States is in grave danger. The Supreme Court of the United States is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade — the law of the land — and leave the question of reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy…
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OPINION: How to Help Keep Abortion Access Alive in North Carolina
“You’re overreacting. Roe v. Wade is settled law. It’s safe. Chief Justice Roberts won’t risk his legacy.” Shortly after Donald Trump was elected in 2016, I remember being told this by a particularly irritating Bumble date. That was, unsurprisingly, my last date with him — but it wasn’t the last…
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OPINION: Don’t Sever Ties with Russian Sister City Voronezh
Every day we are seeing pictures of war in Europe. More than half a million Ukrainians have fled their country. There is no doubt that Russia is the aggressor in this war, invading a sovereign nation, and Putin is violating international law with a brutal and bloody assault on the…
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OPINION: An Open Letter to Thom Tillis
I was reading the Jan. 21 issue of Charlotte Observer, and what a curious coincidence, Thom Tillis! First, your threat to resign from the Senate should your GOP change the filibuster and so allow passage of immensely popular and desperately needed legislation to protect voting rights. Then, on a different…
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OPINION: Yes, US Democracy Is in Danger
There is no shortage of fear to leverage for political gain these days. There is fear literally in the air with the current surge of the latest COVID variant, Omicron. The number of guns in our schools and on our streets is a deep concern. We are seeing more extreme…
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OPINION: Hearing Aids Are Assistive Devices, Not Miracle Workers
At 30 years old, I recently got my first pair of hearing aids. I was only 11 years old when my mother took me to an audiologist about my hearing. My friend’s mom had noticed that I often wouldn’t turn around when she was calling my name, so she told…
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OPINION: NCGA Can Still Make History with Government Transparency Act
The North Carolina General Assembly remains poised to make open government history next week when lawmakers return to Raleigh for the last time this year by passing the Government Transparency Act of 2021. It has been a while since our legislature has made any meaningful improvement to North Carolinians’ right…
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A Follow-Up on Grief and the Faceless Nature of Facebook
Tip Top Daily Market proprietor Jason Michel saw me as soon as I pushed open the door of his establishment on The Plaza. He left the conversation he was having, came around the bar, and enveloped me in a big bear hug. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Thank you,” I replied.…
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Adventures in Bureaucracy: The Bradford Pears of Shamrock Gardens
The crazed, broken trunks of dying Bradford pear trees emerge from the ground at awkward angles, like wraiths struggling to rise from ancient graves. I’m standing at the corner of Anne Street and Country Club Drive, looking through the trees at the bustling construction site where the new Shamrock Gardens…
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