Mar 23, 2016
Equality NC Responds to Passage of Worst Anti-LGBT Bill in Country and Prepares for Rally in Raleigh
LGBT Advocates and Allies to Host Rally in Raleigh on ThursdaySay General Assembly Special Session is a “Black Eye to North Carolina’s Delicate National Reputation”
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, Equality NC expresses deep concern about the sweeping anti-LGBT bill that passed in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill overturns the crucial protections that Charlotte City Council had passed earlier in February, and which were supposed to go into effect on April 1st, 2016. It also strips municipal authority in any town or city to prohibit discrimination. Misinformation and fear-mongering played a big role in the weeks leading up to the special session and were again represented on the floor in both chambers. 200 cities across the nation have similar protections in place and none of the negative hypotheticals that were presented on the floor have been reported in any of those cities. NCGA leadership has succeeded in using the LGBT community as a wedge to divide North Carolina communities across the state and create self-interested political opportunity at the cost of LGBT people statewide.
“Today’s vote at the NCGA represents politics at its worst. Senator Berger and Speaker Moore should be ashamed of misleading their members to vote for the worst anti-LGBT legislation in the nation, which is sweeping beyond comprehension,” said Chris Sgro, Executive Director of Equality NC. “Protections for LGBT people against discrimination are common sense. This special session, where Berger and Moore rammed through hastily-crafted legislation was a farce of public policy. It is incumbent upon Governor McCrory to veto this bill immediately. Companies like Dow Chemical, Red Hat, and Biogen as well as the League of Municipalities, are saying this is the wrong thing to do. Governor - please do your job and protect us from this terrible overreach.”
Tomorrow, ENC, HRC, and the ACLU of North Carolina will hold a rally in Raleigh to address the drastic actions taken by the North Carolina General Assembly to discriminate against LGBT people in North Carolina. The groups are now calling on governor McCrory to veto the harmful bill.
WHAT: Equality NC, HRC, and the ACLU of North Carolina will host a rally along for LGBT people and their allies with members of the faith and business communities, to speak on the need for protections against discrimination for LGBT people.
WHEN: Thursday, March 24th, at 5:45PM
WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC 27607
ABOUT EQUALITY NC: Equality NC is a statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians. For more information, please visit www.equalitync.org
ABOUT HRC: The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.