LGBTQ protections
White House to name coordinator to push back against book bans, among new LGBTQ protections
WASHINGTON — As part of the celebration of Pride month, the Biden administration on Thursday announced several new protections for LGBTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country. President Joe Biden was scheduled later Thursday to host a Pride event at […]
Biden rule on transgender athletes would set conditions on school sports bans
The Biden administration will advance a rule to make it more difficult for schools to exclude transgender youth athletes from competition based on their gender identity, a senior U.S. Education Department official told reporters Thursday. The proposed rule would prohibit blanket bans of transgender athletes competing in sports consistent with their gender identity. But it […]
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. […]
U.S. House on bipartisan vote passes bill protecting right to same-sex marriage
WASHINGTON — Both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House voted Tuesday to enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law, though the bill’s path forward in the Senate is unclear. The 267-157 bipartisan vote stemmed from concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn the constitutional right to […]
Biden directs federal agencies to protect LGBTQI+ rights under attack in GOP-led states
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to curtail conversion therapy, expand health care access and promote safe learning for LGBTQI+ people. The order is meant to counter laws in Republican-led states that restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ kids and their families. A senior administration official referenced Texas and Florida as two states […]
Wake County leaders unite to celebrate new non-discrimination ordinances
On Tuesday the Campbell University School of Law hosted elected officials from across Wake County as they celebrated new LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances in Raleigh, Knightdale and Morrisville. Leaders from those communities signed a joint ceremonial document in support of protections from discrimination in employment and public accommodation in places like restaurants and hotels. As Policy […]
New poll: Americans support LGBTQ non-discrimination protections across partisan, racial and gender lines
As North Carolina communities pass new LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination policies and a new N.C. House bill seeks to exclude transgender women from women’s sports teams, a new poll out this week finds more than three in four Americans (76%) favor laws to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans from discrimination in jobs, housing, and public […]
Local governments cautious, deliberate as they craft non-discrimination ordinances
Elected officials joined LGBTQ advocates Wednesday night for a virtual seminar as cities, towns and counties continue to craft new local non-discrimination ordinances. In December a state ban on new local protections — including nondiscrimination ordinances for employment and housing — was lifted. The ban was a legacy of the brutal fight over HB 2 […]
As Equality Act passes in U.S. House, state LGBTQ advocates continue push for local protections as well
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act Thursday, an essential first hurdle to new LGBTQ protections under existing federal civil rights laws on housing, public access, education and federally funded programs. But as the legislation now heads to the Senate, LGBTQ advocates in North Carolina say the push for local non-discrimination ordinances must […]
Greensboro, Durham and Orange County all pass LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances
The city councils in two of North Carolina’s largest cities unanimously passed LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination policies Tuesday, the latest in a series of municipalities to do so since a statewide ban on such local protections expired last month. Greensboro and Durham, the state’s third and fourth largest cities respectively, followed the moves made by the smaller […]
Carrboro Town Council passes new LGBTQ protections after end of state ban
On Tuesday the town of Carrboro became the second municipality to pass a new LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance after a state ban on such ordinances expired last month. The move follows Hillsborough’s passage of a similar ordinance Monday. “This is who we want to be and this is who we are,” said town council member Randee […]
Hillsborough passes first LGBTQ protections since HB2/HB142
The town of Hillsborough passed an LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance Monday, becoming the first municipality to do so since a three year state ban on such ordinances expired last month. The ban on local non-discrimination ordinances was the legacy of 2016’s brutal fight over HB2, the controversial law that excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from […]