by Jeff Scott, Candidate for NC State Senate District 40

On August 3, CLT Pride notified both the Libertarian Party and the We The People Party that they rejected the applications to have a booth presence at the annual 2-day uptown Charlotte Pride celebration, August 17 and 18.

It’s no surprise that the Democratic Party-influenced organizers rejected the new party that nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Nicole Shanahan. It is a surprise that they rejected the Libertarian Party. The LP have endorsed rights for gays & lesbians since their founding in the early 70s. LP Meck has had a booth presence since 2012.

Steve DiFiore, the Chair of the Mecklenburg County Libertarian Party, has volunteered at this event EVERY year, other than 2020. This began when he joined the Libertarians in 2016. "It's disappointing. Our presidential candidate, Chase Oliver, is dynamic & thoughtful. Being gay himself, he's very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and we were looking forward to promoting him this election year at such a prominent event.

"In fact, at a recent fundraiser in South Charlotte, he committed to attending CLT Pride, so folks would have had the opportunity to meet a National Candidate in person. I think the organizers should think twice about turning away a high-profile candidate who's supportive of so many of their issues."

Chase Oliver’s spokesman Steve Dasbach conveyed Chase’s message that, "I am saddened but not surprised that in this hyperventilating political climate, where progressive pride organizers are all in for Harris, that they would stoop to this low means of exclusion."

The Pride festival broke records last year, with reports stating that over 250K attendees partook of music, parades, food, vendors, non-profits & political messaging from the multi-street takeover of Uptown Charlotte in the sweltering heat of mid-August.

Steve DiFiore added that if the organizers are showing their political bias by excluding other parties but letting the NC Democrats have a festival presence, then he will be taking issue with their city festival application, questioning the City Council on the terms of their permits.

Ryan Rabah, Vice Chair of the We The People Party, suggests that CLT Pride organizers, like some of the funders, are rabidly against any third-party presence in North Carolina elections this year. "There are various forms of lawfare being done this election cycle," says Rabah, "but the IRS rules for 501(c)3 organizations are pretty clear in their assertion of a type of fairness doctrine for political viewpoints. I would be curious if CLT Pride also rejected the North Carolina or Mecklenburg Democratic Party as the guardrails for preserving tax status are important to their operation."

Especially with the backdrop of the NCSBE shenanigans trying to keep third parties off the ballot that might threaten the Dems, by all appearances CLT Pride Organizers are running afoul of the rules, with regard to both city permitting & Internal Revenue Service rules for non-profit orgs.