LGBTQ issues
Monday numbers: Coming of age LGBTQ in the South
As LGBTQ Pride month approaches, the community continues to face an onslaught of violence, censorship and harmful legislation. Even major corporations are facing conservative boycotts and terrorist threats for the sort of support for LGBTQ equality efforts in which they have engaged for years. In North Carolina, bills have been filed this legislative session that […]
Facing restrictive school policies, Union County students organize LGBTQ Pride rally
This weekend students in Union County will hold a youth-led LGBTQ pride rally in Waxhaw. The Saturday event, which will kick off June’s Pride Month early, comes as students and parents in Union protest school policy changes by the Union County Board of Education they say target marginalized student groups. Earlier this month the board […]
Rash of legislation, intimidation, threats of violence pressure LGBTQ allies
When the giant retail chain Target rolled out its line of LGBTQ Pride Month merchandise earlier this month, it was welcomed as a bright spot in a dark year of near unprecedented legislative assaults for the community. More than 700 bills have been filed across the country, including in North Carolina, that would restrict how […]
Former Congressman Mark Walker to seek GOP nomination for governor
Former Congressman Mark Walker will join the race for the GOP nomination for governor later this month, according to sources close to the campaign. Walker telegraphed his intentions publicly for the first time Tuesday after months of teasing a possible run, with a statement from Tim Murtaugh, vice president of communication for National Public Affairs, […]
On transgender student athletes: Just let them play
I received some needed clarity from an unlikely source while working on a column about recent legislation that has passed the House of Representatives targeting transgender athletes. “Trans Marathoner Defeats 14,000 Women in Race after Competing as Man Months Earlier,” reads the National Review headline. The wording seems to support the contention that transgender people […]
House Republicans pass children gender-affirming surgery ban over Democrats’ objections
Members of the House passed a bill Wednesday evening that would prohibit gender-affirming surgery for minors in North Carolina. On a fast track to passage, House Bill 808 cleared the House Committee on Health on Tuesday. On Wednesday afternoon legislators in the House Rules Committee advanced the bill to the House, where it passed by […]
NC fast tracks legislation to ban gender-affirming surgery for minors
Without questions or debate, members of the House Committee on Health advanced legislation Tuesday that would block gender-affirming surgical care for minors in North Carolina. “If you are under the age of 18 in North Carolina, you cannot get a tattoo at all, even with your parents consent. You can’t get a body piercing other […]
Biden proposal on transgender student athletes met with praise but also questions
WASHINGTON — Transgender legal scholars and advocates say they were relieved to see the Biden administration extend some protections for transgender students’ sports participation at a time when bans are being enacted by multiple states. But they say they remain cautious about the effect on high school and college sports. For two years, the U.S. […]
Open-ended bill allowing denial of health care based on provider beliefs is denounced as anti-trans
The legislature is considering a bill that would allow health care workers to deny treatment that conflicts with their moral, religious, or philosophical beliefs. The proposed legislation would cover a range of health care jobs, from doctors, to nursing home employees, to lab technicians, as well as insurance companies, hospitals and clinics. Current law allows […]
Weekend reads: Targeting tenure, transgender sports, and ‘significant strides’ recovering from pandemic learning loss
In this issue: 1. New bill targets tenure, calls for scrutiny of research at UNC System campuses, community colleges Faculty tenure at UNC System universities and community colleges would end under a new bill filed Tuesday. House Bill 715 would “prospectively eliminate academic tenure and establish uniform contracting procedure for faculty at constituent institutions and […]
Not even the Moore County power outages could stop drag queen Naomi Dix
This story was first published by the UNC Media Hub. When the lights went out, Naomi Dix thought she’d missed a stage cue. She worked through the production notes in her head: She was introducing the third act, which was meant to start with a blackout — but it shouldn’t have happened while she was […]
Transgender sports ban passes N.C. Senate
The North Carolina Senate passed its version of a bill that would exclude transgender female athletes from middle and high school sports Thursday. The bill is less expansive than the similar House version passed Wednesday, which includes college sports. The Senate version also does not prohibit female athletes from playing on teams designated male, while […]