Man Says NC Church Assaulted Him, Held Him Against His Will for Being Gay: VIDEO

A 22-year-old NC man claims Word of Faith Fellowship Church, a nondenominational Christian congregation in Spindale, NC, held him against his will and assaulted him after finding out he was gay, the Charlotte Observer reports:

In a statement given to a sheriff’s department investigator last week, Lowry said he was kept in a church building from Aug. 1 to Nov. 19, 2011. He said he was knocked unconscious during his first day of confinement.

Lowry’s former pastor, Jane Whaley, said Sunday that all of his allegations are “lies.” Whaley said Lowry was not held or beaten. She said the church only learned that he was gay when his family did – after watching a news report by an Asheville television station Thursday.

Lowry said he first told his family and church leaders of his sexual orientation when he was 15 or 16. That set off years of harassment and abuse, he said, as church members tried to expel the demon that they believed caused his homosexuality.

Watch an ABC News13 report, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Couple Beaten in Bloody Attack in Asheville, NC: VIDEO

A gay Charlotte couple was attacked on the street in Asheville, North Carolina, WBTV reports:

Mark Little and his partner, Dustin Martin, visited Asheville a few weekends ago. The couple say they were walking down the street when people in a passing car began harassing them. Little told WBTV, when they asked the people to stop, a passenger jumped from the car and attacked them. Little says he and his partner are concerned police aren't taking the crime seriously.

North Carolina's hate crimes law does not cover sexual orientation.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

3 Protesters Not Guilty After Asheville Marriage Action

Three pro-equality activists arrested during a May sit-in at an Asheville, NC marriage license office have been found not guilty.

The Citizen-Times reports that Craig White, Laura Blackley and Cindy Jordan were arrested during a protest that followed a state-wide vote approving Amendment One, a constitutional measure prohibiting same-sex marriage, and that their allies see the judge's decision as more than just beating a trespassing charge.

"It was powerful to see a North Carolina court recognize the fundamental right of LGBT people to petition our government to change discriminatory laws that ban marriage between LGBT couples," said Campaign for Southern Equality executive director Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara. "This is one more step in our effort to achieve full equality under the law."

Five other people booked after during the sit-in are set to appear in court today.

Watch The Democratic Convention Stage Come Together: VIDEO

Excited for the Democratic National Convention? Of course you are!

Before things officially kick off, watch this timelapse video of organizers getting the Time Warner Cable arena all prepped and ready to go in Charlotte, North Carolina, AFTER THE JUMP.

NOM Trots Out Anti-Gay Extremist Pastor to Target Black Voters in North Carolina: AUDIO

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is placing ads on R&B and Urban/Gospel radio stations in North Carolina featuring extremist anti-gay pastor Patrick Wooden. Check out what Wooden has said about gays here.

Listen to his ad, AFTER THE JUMP...

CNN: North Carolina a 'Toss Up'

CNN on Monday changed its electoral map, moving North Carolina from a "lean Romney" state to a "toss up" reflecting a new CNN/Time Magazine/ORC International poll:

The poll, released earlier on Monday, indicates it's all knotted up in the Tar Heel state, with 48% of likely voters supporting Republican challenger Mitt Romney and 47% backing President Barack Obama.

Other polls from other organizations conducted earlier this summer also indicated a close contest in North Carolina.

"It's hard to imagine the perfect storm that helped then Sen. Obama narrowly carry the state in 2008. But at the moment the polling shows a tossup, and both campaigns say their numbers are in the same ballpark as our survey," says CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. "That, plus all the attention Democrats are about to give the state, gives us ample reason to move North Carolina to tossup."

Obama was the first Democrat to carry the state since 1976. The Democratic Convention begins in Charlotte next week.