In this arena Charlotte's gay activists came into conflict with the Religious Right and the county government, which forced activists to become more politically organized.
However, this civic legitimacy did not extend to the second imperative, the more contentious terrain of AIDS education. MAP became the first outward looking and visible gay organization in Charlotte, and, critically, it enjoyed a degree of civic legitimacy. First, the critical need to provide care for people suffering from AIDS galvanized the gay community into action and led to the creation of the Metrolina AIDS Project (MAP).
As the reality of AIDS gripped the community after 1985, two imperatives created by the epidemic gave rise to sustained gay and lesbian activism. However, before the mid 1980s, activism was intermittent, largely inward facing, and suffered from over-reliance on a few leaders. Community building among Charlotte's closeted gays and lesbians began in the 1970s with the emergence of safe spaces, particularly gay bars. Sustained gay activism in Charlotte, North Carolina, only emerged in response to the HIV AIDS epidemic.
