For decades, North Carolinians have lived under the thumb of laws that have excluded, humiliated, and singled out LGBTQ people.

In 2016 our state became the most brazen proponent of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the country following the 2016 passage of HB2, the so-called "bathroom bill" that targeted transgender people for discrimination, stigmatized LGBTQ people and our families, and cost North Carolina billions of dollars as businesses pulled their investments.

The next year, lawmakers offered a supposed "compromise" in the form of HB142, a bill that in practice only doubled down on some of the most discriminatory elements of HB2.

In the years since, LGBTQ North Carolinians have shared our stories, organized, and spoken out for change – and this week, that change finally arrives: On December 1, a key provision of HB142 expired, restoring power to local governments and allowing North Carolina municipalities to adopt local ordinances protecting LGBTQ residents from discrimination.

To read more, head to the Asheville Citizen-Times.