By One Vote...

Dear Friends of Equality,

A few minutes ago the 2008 legislative session came to an end. I am saddened to report that House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act, died upon adjournment.

Along with our allies, we fought hard to make it happen, but came up just one vote short yesterday in the Senate.

In the end, we had the votes for passage in both chambers if everyone was there, but absences in the Senate hurt our numbers. Neither chamber took up the bill, knowing they lacked the votes for passage in the Senate.

Despite this loss, we have much to celebrate.

• We won the debate and won over a majority of legislators.
• We fought off repeated efforts to pass the bill without enumerated categories to protect LGBT and other students.
• We found new champions and unexpected allies.
• We built a powerful coalition of more than 20 organizations supporting the bill.
• We mobilized our supporters more than ever before, collecting over 6000 postcards to legislators and generating hundreds of emails and phone calls.

We also had other successes this session, including:

• Stopping the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment for the fifth year in a row, keeping our proud status as the only state in the South to keep this kind of amendment off the ballot.
• Helping low-income North Carolinians get access to life-saving HIV medications by increasing the eligibility level for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to the national standard. Equality NC partnered with the NC AIDS Action Network on this issue.
• Supporting the ACLU of North Carolina in their efforts to send a strong message to Congress by passing a bill opposing implementation of the federal REAL ID Act. The House passed this bill earlier this week rejecting the federal law, which has troubling implications for transgender North Carolinians.
• Supporting the repeal of the discriminatory Gift Tax, which can have significant financial implications for same-sex couples.

There are many people we need to thank for their unwavering support, but the first people we need to thank are supporters like you. We couldn't have come this far in only two years without your passion, your dedicated activism, and the eloquence of the many messages you sent to your state legislators. They noticed and they will notice even more next time around. We will never give up and we thank you for standing with us in our victories as well as our defeats. We are here because of you and we plan to stay because of you.

All of our coalition partners were amazing. I especially appreciate Covenant with North Carolina's Children, The Arc of North Carolina, NCAE and ACLU-NC, who were with us every day working this bill.

I also thank the legislators who championed this bill, including Speaker Joe Hackney, Rep. Susan Fisher, Rep. Deborah Ross, Rep. Cullie Tarleton, Rep. Winkie Wilkins, Sen. Doug Berger, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, Sen. Julia Boseman, and Sen. Charlie Albertson.

I am proud that all of the senators who are now running for statewide office were great allies; Walter Dalton, Kay Hagan, and Janet Cowell were strong advocates for the bill.

Most of all I recognize the remarkable leadership of Rep. Rick Glazier, the bill's primary sponsor, who was truly tireless in fighting to protect all students from bullying. He put himself on the line time and again, and it's been an honor to work with him this year.

Despite our disappointment about the final outcome on this bill, the 2008 legislative session has made Equality NC a stronger force in the legislature than ever before, and we look forward to continuing to advance the cause of equal rights and justice in the 2009 legislative session.

Thanks again for all you've done to help us come so far.

For Equality,

Ian