Are you a black gay man living in North Carolina? Keep on reading and discover safe spaces where you can go.

North Carolina is one of the states in the bible belt. This means that you will find alot of conservative and religious people there. Homosexuality is not as accepted as places here in the Northeast. However, there is a population of gay men which is under 400,000 according to a study by the Movement Advancement Project. What’s even more unfortunate is that the gay spaces that do primarily cater towards white men. During my recent travel experiences in North Carolina I was able to discover some spaces for the black gay community. Below is a list of cities n North Carolina and black gay spaces in North Carolina 

Charlotte

Charlotte is one of the biggest cities in North Carolina and you’ll find alot of black gay men here. It is actually more gay friendly than Raleigh; at one point I almost felt like I was in Atlanta which is the U.S city with most black gay people and black gay capital. There is actually a very gay friendly neighborhood in Charlotte which is Plaza Midwood. There are historic black neighborhoods in Charlotte such as West End and Grier Heights . I went to Charlotte Black Pride 2025 which took place the weekend of July 19th. One place where black gay men hangout is Woodshed’s Bar, a gay bar. This a huge space with 2 pool tables, 3 bars, and outdoor patios. You will find older black gay men especially before 10pm. As time goes on you will find the younger crowd pop up at Woodshed’s. Harold’s Chicken and Bar is another place where black queer promoters typically have hosted major black queer events.

Another distinguishing about Charlotte is that there are more black queer promoters than other cities in North Carolina, These event producers including Foxx Entertaiment, King Branded, Simply Seph, and Drelly Entertainment who all produce great events for the community.

If you couldn’t make it to Charlotte Black Pride then you can also go to Charlotte Pride 2025 which takes place the week of August 16th. The Charlotte Pride Festival is free to attend and all can attend including straight persons. It will be on Saturday in First Ward Park with more than tens of thousands of attendees expected.

Raleigh

Raleigh is a growing city in North Carolina and recognized as the second largest city in North Carolina. I remember going to downtown Raleigh and going to Legends Nightclub and Flex. I had a good time but felt that it didn’t cater to urban culture. Fortunately, there is the black queer promoter Case King who regularly throws parties on Thursdays at Venom NIght and weekend parties at LoopBar and other spaces for the black LGBTQ community.

Greensboro

I’ve been to Greensboro aka Tournament Town multiple times and can say that it’s racially diverse. Greensboro has a huge black population which make up for more than 40% of the city”s population. There are gay spaces by like Chemistry Club, Twist Lounge, and Limelight which you can easily identify by the clientele and staff. On Sundays Bell Entertainment throws their parties on Limelight which is a huge space with different levels and a rooftop. There are other influencers and event producers like DJ Juice, Dada Khan, Social Club House, and IROC Entertainment who promote black gay parties.

If you’re not into the party scene you can still enjoy Greensboro. There is no gay neighborhood but the downtown area has LGBT friendly bars and businesses where you an be your authentic self. What I love alot about Greensboro is the quailty of lie ,affordable rent, and its clean suburban neighborhoods. For a one bedroom you can pay about $1500/month for a good amount of space and so you can definitely live comfortably under six figures. Compared to Raleigh the cost of living in Greensboro is cheaper.

The Day Affair Day Party during NCAT Homecoming

This year Men Who Brunch will be producing a black gay event named The Day Affair: GHOE (Greatest Homecoming on Earth) Edition. GHOE takes place at the HBCU North Carolina A&T State University which is the biggest HBCU in the country based on student enrollment. It’s even listed in the Wall Street Journal as the #1 HBCU in Ameriica. and is full of events including day parties, night parties, tailgates, concerts, the annual bonfire, and NCAT Aggie Fest; NCAT is ranked in the 200s. GHOE has been around since 1926 and and stands as one of the country’s biggest black festivals. Other big homecoming including Hampton University and Howard University. The largest homecoming parade in the United States is the Baylor Homecoming Parade in Waco, Texas.

I went last year and it was a zoo. More than 100,000 people were at NCAT Homecoming. People halt Howard University as being the Black Harvard and having the best homecoming. But I enjoyed NCAT Homecoming more. I was able to walk around the campus and learn interesting facts like the top 3 majors are engineering, liberal arts, and business. One of the major highlights of NCAT Homecoming was the GHOE concert which had a lineup of popular artists including Latto and others.

GHOE will take place the weekend of October 11th. One of the highlights is GHOE is the football game and if you had the chance you would’ve purchase your tickets on This year NCAT will be playing against Southern State and the football tickets are already sold out. I was really looking forward to going especially since I’ve seen that NCAT has had 8 championships in black college football.

This will be the first black queer party to take place during NCAT Tailgate weekend. This event will be affirming safe space that the queer community as a whole needs during homecoming weekend.

Why live in North Carolina

North Carolina aka “Tar Heel” offers a peaceful quality of life for both straight and LGBTQ persons. Since 2014 gay marriage has been allowed making it a safer space for LGBT persons. Furthermore, there are many gay friendly cities including Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham and Ashevllie which have a nightlife consisting of drag shows, brunches, and club events; these cities doesn’t match Palm Springs, California which is the most gay city in the United States however I can assure you based on personal experience that you will be safe in those places.

Wrap Up

I do advocate for the whole lgbtq community but I also support the black gay community. There are at least 1 million black lgbt persons according to the William Institute; in North Carolina the gay population is more than 400,000 North Carolina is far from a gay state. but not the least gay state like Mississippi and Virginia. It’s not like New York and California which are some of the safest states for LGBT persons but you you can find spaces to live and be your authentic self in North Carolina.