As the child of a Navy veteran, Caroline grew up all across the globe, never feeling fully embraced by a community overshadowed by policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” She was lucky to eventually find the love and support she needed to proudly be herself and considers it a privilege to create spaces for others to do the same.
Caroline knows we must continue to push for progress in all areas that affect the health and happiness of our community ; LGBTQ+ lives are not defined by a single experience, but are impacted by economic justice, racial justice, and criminal justice as well as traditional LGBTQ rights issues like marriage/family equality. Caroline brings a background in the law and organizing that she utilizes to educate and advocate in the community, underscoring her commitment to changing the material conditions of our lives while also helping individuals thrive under the status quo.
At the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast we’re building a place where we all truly belong, from LGBTQ+ elders to youth and everyone in between. Join us!
Ed has been an avid and frequent advocate for LGBTQ rights here the New Hanover County. As a 1982 graduate of Radford University in western Virginia, and a recently retired Corporate Travel Consultant, Ed has resided in Wilmington North Carolina for nearly 10 years. A long-term survivor of HIV/AIDS since the 1980s, Ed has been especially motivated around HIV stigma, access to care, and the ongoing Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibitions. His experiences have motivated his activist efforts in education and awareness for the North Carolina community at large.
Ed’s list of accomplishments include:
Volunteering with the NCAAN (North Carolina AIDS Action Network); Medicaid Ambassador with NCAAN; appointment to the North Carolina Governor’s Steering Committee to End the Epidemic (ETE); a Board Member and Community Outreach Coordinator for Stonewall Sports Wilmington; SAGE Steering Committee member; and most recently, for the past year as Director of SAGE Wilmington of the Cape Fear (now OWLS), an affiliate of SAGE USA and an ongoing program of the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear.