North Carolina Legislative Watch
Fighting for the rights of LGBTQ North Carolinians has never been more crucial than at this time. Recently, three
municipalities have adopted non-discrimination ordinances after the sundowning occurred on HB2/HB142 that
restricted such actions. HB2/HB142 became an international embarrassment to the state’s reputation. (Photo Credit: dusica69 via Adobe Stock)
During the week of Jan. 10, three towns in Orange County passed LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances, the first since a state ban on such local protections expired last month.
The move by the towns of Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill signals the willingness of progressive communities to wade back into a civil rights fight that exploded in 2016 with the North Carolina General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 2. That controversial state law excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from statewide nondiscrimination protections and ignited a political fight
“This is who we want to be and this is who we are,” said town council member Randee Haven-O’Donnell before the council’s unanimous passage of the ordinance.
The Carrboro Town Council.
The town committed to this move since back in March of 2016, after the General Assembly passed House Bill 2, the controversial state law that excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from statewide nondiscrimination protections. The law lead to international headlines, mass protests and boycotts that ultimately cost the state more than half a billion dollars. Though House Bill 142 partially repealed HB 2, it locked in place a ban on new LGBTQ protections including nondiscrimination ordinances for employment and housing until this last month.