Gay Charlotte - Natalie - Day 2

After pumping our bodies full of caffeine at McDonald’s, we got on the road out of Nashville. My group blasted reggae, Beyonce, and they even let me listen to a few One Direction songs.

The group with Danielle, the archaeologist whose apartment we stayed at on our first night on the road. Note my awkward attempted wink.

We arrived in Charlotte around 4 p.m. and were greeted by some very nice people at St. John’s Baptist Church, where we’re staying all week. Southern hospitality isn’t just a rumor! It’s real!

Later we visited the LGBT Center of Charlotte for a while and got to tour the facilities. We also met our main contact, a very nice man with a very nice southern accent, O’Neale. He recommended a diner in an area of Charlotte called Plaza Midwood, otherwise known as the “Gayborhood.” We explored that area a bit and then went to, arguably, the most exciting place on our trip so far.

Target. I’m aware that this isn’t the most climactic thing I could have said, but let me explain: this Target had a parking garage. It was amazing.

After our epic Target run, we decided to try and FIND THE INTERNET. Or, you know, get some Wifi. We went uptown and sat in a shopping center in an attempt to bum a signal from one of the surrounding businesses. After an hour of looking and four dollars for parking, we eventually got connected.

Here’s the kicker though – when we got back to the church, we found out that it actually had had Wifi all along. Oh golly. It wasn’t all for naught though - we got to witness some of the unique nightlife here in Charlotte.

After our Internet adventure, the whole group seemed a lot closer. We had a pretty intense Harry Potter discussion while playing Harry Potter Uno before bed and even developed nicknames for every member of the group. Drew is Queen B, Blake is Wingz, Leah is Bojangles, Mitch is You Know Who, Ashley is Snarks, Rachel is Angsty, and due to that whole WiFi incident I’m Hotspot.

We’re all getting acclimated to each other and discovering our different opinions about government, religion and the like. With a group like this, politics are always going to crop up in conversation, but so far we’ve kept it pretty educational. No one has blown up at anyone else and I feel like I’m learning a ton from the people around me. That’s not to say that you can go and mention Ann Coulter or Billy Graham around this group without a response – because we will certainly have a lot to say.

We’ll be starting our work for the center tomorrow! Have a beautiful day.

-Natalie Parker