Charlotte's LGBTQ organizations have weathered the storm of a tumultuous year politically and managed to do outstanding work in the face of adversity.

This past year, more personalities stepped out into the light and professed their sexual orientation. From pop stars to athletes, the rainbow got a little bit larger with them included. Here are some of those faces in the news

Here are the top 10 most popular stories of the year based on web traffic. See you in 2018!

Rev. William Barber II's new calling: To make a nationwide impact, organizing with other leaders to jumpstart a moral revival in America, by relaunching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign, some 50 years after it was initially conceived.

Ken Fuquay was always someone whose love for the church helped shape and create the person he is today. This journey was done with joys and struggles and eventually led him to become a "person of the cloth."

Around the holidays, a lot of LGBTQ folks, particularly in the South, have to deal with difficult family members or friends and the ensuing difficult conversations.

Acclaimed and renown filmmaker John Waters ("Female Trouble," "Hairspray," "Pink Flamingos") brings his annual holiday show to Asheville, N.C. on Dec. 18.

Just in time for the holidays, a number of children's book writers have some thoughtful and entertaining contributions for gift giving for the younger set.

Charlotte City Councilmember LaWana Mayfield has announced that she will be boycotting a new barbecue restaurant over its owners anti-LGBTQ views and activism.

As World AIDS Day approaches, taking place on Dec. 1 each year, there is as always much work to be done, but there is also cause for celebration