gay rights
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Florida’s don’t say ‘gay’ law
Gov. Ron DeSantis is not an idiot. He just plays one on TV I’m having such a wonderfully gay time planning a little getaway to take place in a month or so. Our destination is Savannah, a city beloved for its festive, ebullient, positively gay atmosphere. Yes, we hope to have a gay ol’ time […]
Tension, condemnations rise as “Don’t say Gay” bill nears vote in Florida Senate
On Sunday, at the start of a week in which the Florida Senate was scheduled to consider a nationally-watched piece of legislation referred to as “Don’t Say Gay,” the organization Equality Florida posted a statement condemning “homophobic, transphobic” remarks from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary. Christina Pushaw tweeted Friday in support of the bill that would restrict certain conversations on LGBTQ issues in Florida’s public school classrooms. That led to a scathing statement from Equality Florida...
“This is about dignity.” Mecklenburg County advances non-discrimination ordinances protecting LGBTQ people
With Tuesday’s unanimous vote, Mecklenburg County is poised to become the 13th local government in North Carolina to approve LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections. The ordinances ensure protections in private employment and places of public accommodations – such as restaurants and businesses – from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and natural hairstyle. Commissioner Leigh Altman […]
U.S. Supreme Court: Employers can’t discriminate against gay, transgender employees
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that existing federal laws prohibit employers from job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, a resounding win for LGBTQ advocates from the conservative-leaning bench. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a President Donald Trump appointee, wrote the opinion with Justices John Roberts, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and […]
Lake Lure charter school suspends school clubs following uproar over LGBT group
A Lake Lure charter school suspended all of its extra-curricular clubs last week after controversy erupted over a new club that supports lesbian, gay and transgender students. The board of directors for Lake Lure Classical Academy, which serves students from kindergarten through high school in Rutherford County community, voted for the temporary suspension of extra-curricular […]
North Carolina couple “treated like second-class citizens” when denied marriage license (from N&O op-ed)
Carol Ann and Thomas Person were planning to be married when they went to a Forsyth County magistrate’s office in 1976. To their suprise, they was turned away because two magistrates, citing their own religious beliefs, refused to marry an interracial couple. The couple now lives in Moore County and have been married for 40 […]
Profile in hate: Congressman Robert Pittenger’s homophobic blather
An editorial in this morning’s Charlotte Observer shines a light on the noxious views of North Carolina congressman Robert Pittenger: Is it OK for a company to fire someone solely because he is gay? U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger of Charlotte thinks so. It’s one of “the freedoms we enjoy” as Americans, he says. Private employers […]
School’s anti-gay discrimination under fire
As the Wilmington Star-News reports this morning, protesters led by advocates from Equality NC (that’s the group’s Executive Director, Chris Sgro pictured at left) spoke out yesterday in favor of a law change that would prevent taxpayer-funded school vouchers from going to schools that discriminate against LGBT children and the children of LGBT parents. “A […]
UNC Board of Governors to bullied LGBT kids: Drop dead
You know things have taken a turn for a worse already under conservative control of the UNC system when the pro-discrimination forces on the religious right are happy with one of the first, major, high-profile decisions. According to NC Values Coalition director Tami Fitzgerald, the Board’s decision to force LGBT kids back into same-sex living arrangements where they […]
Just a Word: What one word means to a couple. [VIDEO]
This is the final piece in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman on North Carolina’s Amendment One: [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/41590124[/vimeo] “You know, everybody says it’s just a word, but there’s more to it. There’s a feeling of belonging,” said Jeff Enochs of Charlotte, N.C. “I wanted my state to recognize that we are going to spend […]
Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever. Middle school students fight Amendment One. [VIDEO]
This is the third piece in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman on North Carolina’s Amendment One: [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/41267642[/vimeo] In a small school a little north and a little west of downtown Durham, N.C., a group of eleven-, twelve- and thirteen-year-olds has been busy organizing a field-trip. Watch as a middle school’s gay-straight alliance, GLOW, […]
Going Forward: Lesbian moms tell how Amendment One affects their family [VIDEO]
This is the second in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman: [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/40830298[/vimeo] Meet North Carolina family: Kim, Kathy, Ben, Jamie and Justin, and listen as they put into words what’s at stake behind North Carolina’s proposed Amendment One. “I mean, you can term it whatever you want,” said Kathy Sullivan. “But you really cannot […]