Local leaders move forward a month after municipalities in North Carolina regained the power to protect LGBTQ residents from discrimination

MEDIA ADVISORY
January 8, 2020

James Michael Nichols | Equality NC | james@equalitync.org | 919-829-0343 

ORANGE COUNTY, NC – Next week, local elected leaders in Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill will discuss ordinances that would extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people in key areas, including employment, housing, and public spaces. The ordinances make these communities the first municipalities to discuss LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections in recent years. Since 2016, municipalities have been blocked from adopting LGBTQ protections by HB142, but a key prong of the law expired on December 1, 2020.

Here are details for each of the City Council or Board of Commissioners meetings:

• Monday, January 11: The Board of Commissioners for Hillsborough, a town with a population of 7,000, will meet at 7:00pm.
• Tuesday, January 12: The Town of Carrboro will meet at 7:00pm.
• Wednesday, January 13: The Town of Chapel Hill will meet at 7:00pm.

Equality North Carolina and the Campaign for Southern Equality, NC-based organizations that work toward LGBTQ equality, have been urging local elected officials to pass LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances through a new joint effort, NC is Ready for LGBTQ Protections (www.ncisready.org). The organizations are working with LGBTQ community members across the state to advocate for local action. According to polling, more than 67% of North Carolinians support non-discrimination measures.

Kendra Johnson, Executive Director of Equality North Carolina, said today:

"North Carolinians have been ready for nondiscrimination protections for a long time. Without them, LGBTQ North Carolinians, particularly Black, Brown, trans and gender-nonconforming folks, face harassment and violence on a daily basis. Equality NC celebrates those elected officials working to end discrimination and encourage other elected leaders, including state and federal lawmakers, to recognize this as a life or death issue for our communities."

Allison Scott, Director of Policy & Programs at Campaign for Southern Equality, said:

"We're grateful that these North Carolina communities are taking the lead on LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections and showing how it's possible to create a state where everyone can thrive. After such a divisive start to the year – with violent unrest at the U.S. Capitol and persistent attacks on our democratic institutions from our outgoing president – it's inspiring to see our elected leaders coming together to consider policies that tangibly improve residents' lives. This will make an immediate difference in the lives of LGBTQ people, from youth to elders, who call these communities home."

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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

Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality promotes full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class. www.southernequality.org