Press Release • May 23, 2023
For Immediate Release
Nate Fischer | Equality NC | nate@equalitync.org
RALEIGH – Last week, news broke that the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) had canceled a preexisting drag event to celebrate pride month, scheduled within the organization's committee on Sexuality and Gender Identity. This cancellation has widely been interpreted as a response to potential pressure from conservative lawmakers.
The cancellation of this event is wrong and cowardly. In the past few years, we've seen escalating attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from our opposition, seeking to marginalize us. These attacks are nothing new. For decades, extremists have used harmful rhetoric to attack LGBTQ+ people and build their own power at the expense of others. And in times like these, we need our allies to take a stand for our community – not cave to extremist demands.
Kendra R. Johnson (she/her/ella), ENC Executive Director, said:
Equality NC is deeply disappointed to see this action by the NC Bar Association. We all have a right to express ourselves, no matter our race, gender, or who we are. Banning drag performances is censorship. Equality NC firmly supports LGBTQ+ lawyers and criticizes this terrible decision.
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Equality North Carolina builds LGBTQ+ power through advocacy, education, and uplifting the stories of queer and trans North Carolinians in pursuit of racial and social justice. www.equalitync.org
