John C. Quillin oral history interview 2, 2017 March 28
Description
In this second of two interviews John Quillin, founder and managing artistic director of the Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte, discusses the challenges he faced as an activist for LGBTQ rights locally and state wide. He specifically describes the work he did with HIV-AIDS committees and the North Carolina AIDS Service Commission in the 1990s, highlighting the difficulties of working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Quillin recollects the relationship between lesbians and gays in Charlotte in the context of the founding of One Voice, a co-ed choir. He discusses the decision to make the chorus mixed gender. He addresses a concept widely known as the "Charlotte way" of handling societal conflict, and credits the local presence of the United Way and the Foundation for the Carolinas for their support of local LGBTQ rights. Additionally, he talks about the Black community's interaction with the Charlotte Queer community and his perspective on the climate of churches in Charlotte in relation to LGBTQ issues.
