http://equalitync.org The latest on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and state politics in North Carolina. daily 1 2005-11-29T00:29:08Z http://equalitync.org/news1/victory-governor-signs-bills-on-bullying-sex-ed 7/1/2009 - Last night around 5:30, Governor Beverly Perdue signed both the School Violence Prevention Act and the Healthy Youth Act. Now these two bills to protect the safety and health of young people in our state are the law of the land. No publisher ian 2009-07-01T20:20:54Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/stonewall-2013-40-for-equality 6/30/09 - As we celebrate the passage of the first LGBT-positive law in North Carolina history, we also mark the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, a seminal moment in the history of the struggle for civil rights and gay equality. No publisher shawn 2009-06-30T17:57:37Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/healthy-youth-act-headed-to-governor 6/26/2008 - Yesterday afternoon the North Carolina House voted to accept the Senate version of the Healthy Youth Act and send it to the Governor for her signature. The bill will put comprehensive sex education in all North Carolina schools, but retains some problematic language from the old Abstinence Until Marriage law. Equality NC celebrates this is an important step forward that will make a real difference in the lives of young people, but notes that work to improve sex education is not done. No publisher ian 2009-06-26T14:30:32Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/by-one-vote 6/25/2009 - Equality NC's Executive Director, Ian Palmquist, shares the story of how we won passage of the School Violence Prevention Act in the NC House earlier this week and shares highlights from the lenghty debate on the bill. No publisher ian 2009-06-27T02:43:59Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/nc-senate-rejects-bigoted-amendment-passes-healthy 6/24/2009 - Yesterday the North Carolina Senate passed a bill to improve sex education in North Carolina schools and rejected an attempt to deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students access to counseling services and information to protect their health. HB 88, the Healthy Youth Act, now goes back to the House for a vote on whether to accept the Senate version of the bill or appoint a conference committee. No publisher ian 2009-06-24T22:07:28Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/victory-nc-house-passes-school-violence-prevention 6/23/2009 - This afternoon the NC House passed the School Violence Prevention Act on a 58-57 vote. The bill now goes to Governor Bev Perdue for her signature. No publisher ian 2009-06-23T22:23:50Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/nc-house-to-vote-monday-on-anti-bullying-bill 6/18/2009 - The NC House will debate and vote on SB 526, the School Violence Prevention Act during their session Monday night at 7:00 PM. The vote Monday night will make or break our effort to pass effective and inclusive anti-bullying protections, and it will be the toughest yet. Equality NC calls on our supporters to take action to shore up support for the bill. No publisher ian 2009-06-24T17:53:34Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/equality-nc-extoled-in-qlist 6/17/2009 - Equality NC, ENC Executive Director Ian Palmquist, and two ENC board members received several accolades in the Qlist, Q-Notes’ first annual Best of the Carolinas, Readers’ Pick awards. No publisher shawn 2009-06-18T20:29:30Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/weakend-healthy-youth-act-pending-in-nc-senate 6/11/2009 - Yesterday the NC Senate's Mental Health & Youth Services Committee passed a much-weakened version of the Healthy Youth Act. The original bill would have created a two-track system, giving parents the choice of either abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education for their children. The new version reverts to one tracked based on the current abstinence only policy, but adds some good additional information on contraception and disease prevention. No publisher ian 2009-06-11T17:25:36Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/20090611 6/11/2009 - The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has published a report about the high return on investment for foundations investing in advocacy work in North Carolina. Equality NC is one of thirteen organizations highlighted, and there's even a picture of one of our volunteers getting a postcard signed on the cover! No publisher ian 2009-06-11T17:57:07Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/2009-pac-challenge-exceeds-goal 6/10/2009 - Over 100 people attended the 2009 PAC Challenge Reception at RBC Plaza in downtown Raleigh last night. The event was the culmination of this year's matching challenge to raise $12,500 and we exceeded our goal by $1,875! Thanks to our incredible supporters, Equality NC PAC now has almost $30,000 to support pro-equality candidates in tough races next year. No publisher shawn 2009-06-10T22:09:24Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/show-your-pride 6/9/2009 - Be proud, North Carolina - we've begun LGBT Pride month, and a variety of community events are coming up. Join Equality NC in increasing our community's visibility and celebrating our diversity across the state. No publisher shawn 2009-06-10T22:12:50Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/make-change-not-lawsuits In response to the California Supreme Court decision allowing Prop 8 to stand, Equality NC joins four LGBT legal organizations and five other leading national LGBT groups in reminding the LGBT community that ill-timed lawsuits could set the fight for marriage back. No publisher ian 2009-05-29T16:24:24Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/senate-committee-debates-sex-ed 5/27/2009 - This afternoon the Senate Committee on Mental Health and Youth Services once again took up HB 88, the Health Youth Act. The committee had lengthy debate on the bill, and considered a change to strengthen the bill, but a final vote was not taken today. Equality NC and our allies in the Healthy Youth NC Coalition will continue pushing for final passage of this bill. No publisher ian 2009-05-27T22:55:58Z News Item http://equalitync.org/news1/on-prop.-8-and-the-way-forward Yesterday the California Supreme Court issued a decision on the narrow question of legal process. This effect of this decision, however, is broad. It upholds the passage of Prop. 8, an amendment to that state's constitution that denies same-sex couples equal access to marriage. Here at Equality NC we share the hurt, sadness, and anger felt by LGBT families and supporters of fairness across the nation. Yet we have hope that we will continue moving forward here in North Carolina and across the nation. No publisher ian 2009-05-27T22:47:45Z News Item