ENC's History

Equality NC got its start as NC Pride PAC, which was founded in December, 1990, by Joe Herzenberg, Mike Nelson, Ruth Ziegler, Mandy Carter, Jesse White, David Jones, Tom Warshauer, and Eric Rosenthal. Founded in the wake of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender mobilization for the 1990 Helms-Gantt race for U.S. Senate, this political action committee sought to use that energy to affect change at the state level.

Since then, the group has been active in state legislative races and other races of statewide importance. The organization also has maintained an active lobbying presence in the NC General Assembly, advancing issues including Crime Against Nature reform, hate crime, non-discrimination, HIV/AIDS funding and education, and others. In 1998, the group changed its name to Equality NC PAC and joined forces with Equality NC Foundation (then called Equality NC Project), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, to do more public education and organizing work.

Equality NC Foundation was founded in 1979 as the North Carolina Human Rights Fund, an educational and charitable organization established to promote and defend the human rights and civil liberties of lesbians and gay men in North Carolina. In the early years, NCHRF worked to document antigay violence, to fight for repeal of the Crime Against Nature law, and to provide legal aid to gays and lesbians targeted for prosecution. The group also worked to foster local organizations across the state, and help fund the first NC Pride marches. In the late eighties, the focus shifted to providing education on lesbian and gay issues.

In 2002, the Board agreed that it was time to form a parent organization to link the PAC and the Foundation, and to manage the group's growing lobbying and advocacy work. Equality NC, Inc. was created as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group.

From the 1979 founding of NCHRF to the 1990 founding of ENC PAC to today, Equality NC has been fighting tirelessly for equal rights and justice for all North Carolinians, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Click here to read about some of our achievements over the last 25 years.