LGBTQ issues
Duke medical experts warn of potential harms of new anti-LGBTQ bills
A panel of medical experts from Duke University spoke out Wednesday against two new bills that would place restrictions on LGBTQ youth, their schools and their families. Senate Bill 49 would, among other provisions, require teachers to notify parents if a student questions their own gender. House Bill 43 would make it illegal for anyone […]
Appeals Court to hear arguments on transgender health care ban for state employees
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case in which the state was found to have violated the rights of state employees and their families with a blanket exclusion of gender-affirming care for transgender people under the state health plan. Last year a federal judge in […]
LGBTQ kids need protection from bullies and violence, not adults targeting and bullying them too
I grew up in a struggling, post-industrial Ohio town in the 1990s where ignorance and intolerance often reigned. I stood up to bullies my whole life, and when put under physical threat, I fought them. No bully can intimidate me, and so even though I was definitely a weird kid, I was also funnier, smarter, […]
Club Q survivors at U.S. House hearing denounce anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
Survivors of a deadly attack at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs and other advocates told a U.S. House panel Wednesday that political rhetoric and policy fights dehumanize LGBTQ people and contribute to such violence. Democrats and Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee largely sympathized with the survivors, but drew different conclusions […]
Biden signs law extending marriage protections to same-sex and interracial couples
WASHINGTON — Same-sex and interracial couples had many of their marriage rights codified Tuesday when President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan marriage equality bill during a ceremony attended by thousands outside the White House. In a brief speech, Biden told supporters on the South Lawn that “marriage is a simple proposition — who do you […]
As the Respect for Marriage Act becomes law, the reality that much more work remains
President Joe Biden will make history Tuesday with the signing of the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act at a White House ceremony. The legislation repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and offers federal recognition to same-sex and interracial marriage across state lines while protecting religious liberty. Equality NC Executive Director Kendra Johnson has said […]
Marriage equality bill heads to Biden’s desk following bipartisan U.S. House vote
Despite Senate efforts of Tillis and Burr, all eight NC Republican reps vote ‘no’ WASHINGTON — The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill Thursday that would ensure same-sex and interracial couples continue holding many of the rights they have now, should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the cases that established those constitutional protections. […]
Destruction of Moore County substations carry steep penalties, especially if linked to domestic terrorism
Those responsible for shooting up two Duke Energy substations in Moore County, cutting off electricity to more than 40,000 people, could face decades in prison if apprehended and convicted. Destroying or conspiring to destroy an energy facility, like a substation, carries carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if the damage exceeds $100,000 […]
North Carolina communities making LGBTQ equality gains, according to annual report
North Carolina towns and cities are largely scoring higher on LGBTQ equality measures, according to a new study from The Human Rights Campaign. The national LGBTQ advocacy organization released its annual Municipal Equality Index Wednesday, scoring more than 500 cities across the country on 49 different criteria with regard to law, policies and services of […]
Celebration tempered with caution as Respect for Marriage Act passes U.S. Senate, state level anti-LGBTQ bills loom
When the Respect for Marriage Act passed the U.S. Senate Tuesday, it did so with the support of North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, two of just twelve Republican senators to vote for the measure, which aims to be sure same-sex marriage retains federal recognition. Tillis is in his second term and Burr […]
Bill protecting same-sex marriage gains bipartisan support in U.S. Senate
Burr and Tillis are among the 12 GOP ‘yes’ votes WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate cleared a key hurdle to passing a marriage equality bill Wednesday, garnering even more than the 60 senators from both political parties needed to move past a legislative filibuster. The bill, which could win final passage in the Senate as […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene leads GOP drive to criminalize gender-affirming care for transgender youth
NC’s Madison Cawthorn is a bill co-sponsor WASHINGTON — Conservative Republicans gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to commit to bringing legislation to the floor that would make it a felony to perform gender-affirming care on transgender youth, should the GOP take control of the U.S. House following the November midterm elections. “How on […]