Equality NC's 2006 Achievements

12/19/2006 - 2006 has been an incredible year of growth for Equality NC, with big successes in our legislative, political, and educational programs.

While all of our neighboring states have now passed anti-LGBT, anti-marriage constitutional amendments, ENC successfully fought off attempts to write discrimination into our state constitution for the third year in a row.
ENC helped lead a coalition effort to increase access to life-saving medicines for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. The legislature raised the eligibility level to allow more people to participate in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
ENC supported the work of allies to eliminate most of the medical inaccuracies in the Abstinence Until Marriage sex education law, and to remove one of the two anti-gay provisions in the law. The bill passed both chambers by wide margins.
ENC’s Lobby Day brought nearly 100 supporters to Raleigh to meet their legislators face-to-face to advocate for equal rights. We also partnered with NCAAN to organize a powerful HIV Advocacy Day.

In the 2006 election cycle, ENC PAC nearly tripled its contributions to candidates from the previous cycle, allowing us to strategically protect allies, support friends, and oppose anti-LGBT incumbents more effectively than ever.
Thanks in part to ENC PAC’s investment, Sen. Julia Boseman (D-New Hanover), our state’s only openly gay legislator, won her first re-election race by a wide margin.
ENC PAC’s support helped Ty Harrell (D-Wake) defeat longtime anti-gay crusader Rep. Russell Capps in a tight race.
42 of ENC PAC’s 44 endorsed candidates won their races in the General Election.
Former Carrboro Mayor and ENC Board Chair Mike Nelson was elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners as an out candidate.

ENC Foundation, along with Conservation Council of NC Foundation, Democracy NC, and LEAP, led a coalition of 30 organizations to contact 45,000 infrequent voters and get them to vote in the General Election.
ENC broadened its reach into smaller communities in our state, with events and programs in Black Mountain, Blowing Rock, Mt. Airy, Pinehurst, Salisbury in addition to the major cities.
ENC and ENCF organized 15 educational programs and community-building events across the state, co-hosted another 14 programs, provided speakers to more than 20 community and campus organizations, and participated in 4 Pride festivals and many other community events.

Stronger fundraising programs allowed us to expand from two to four staff people, increasing our ability to work effectively for equal rights. Our staff now includes Ian Palmquist, Executive Director; Kay Flaminio, Director of Development; Ed Farthing, Political and Community Organizer; and Shawn Long, Administrative Coordinator.
For the first time, we have staff based outside of our Raleigh headquarters, with Ed Farthing working out of Hickory to increase our presence in western NC.
Equality NC Foundation was chosen as one of just six states to receive a $50,000 capacity building grant from the Gill Foundation, an indication of the importance national funders place on our work in NC.
Thanks to our expanded outreach programs we now have contacts in 97 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

ENC helped create the NC AIDS Action Network, a new statewide coalition focused on HIV advocacy.
ENC and ENCF also participated in Blueprint North Carolina, Covenant with North Carolina’s Children, the Democracy Project of the Gill Foundation, the Equality Federation, the NC Coalition for Lobbying Reform, and NC Women United.
Our Executive Director, Ian Palmquist, was unanimously re-elected this August to a third term as Chair of the Equality Federation, the national association of statewide LGBT advocacy organizations. During his first two years leading the group it has hired its first three staff positions and emerged as a strong voice for state-based organizing in the national movement.