Political Views

One Third of NC’s Population Covered by NDOs- Many Gaps Still Left

Political Voices

by Kendra R. Johnson

Ayear ago, North Carolina saw a window of opportunity open. One prong of House Bill 142, the weakened successor to the infamous House Bill 2, expired once again, allowing local governments to pass ordinances to protect marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community. With its sunset, cities, towns and counties could once again protect queer and trans people from discrimination in the workplace, in public goods and services and, where applicable, housing. The remnants of HB142, however, still ban cities and counties from regulating multistall restrooms and changing facilities, preventing more fully inclusive policies for trans and nonbinary folks. Advocates and some elected officials jumped at the opportunity to advance LGBTQ equality all around the state. And since the beginning of 2021, a whopping 16 cities and counties have passed nondiscrimination ordinances. This progress means that on Jan.1, 2021, North Carolina began a new year with zero local nondiscrimination protections for queer and trans folks, and will end it with a third of the population covered. Hillsborough was the first out of the gate on Jan. 11, 2021, and others quickly followed suit. Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Orange County came within days, and since then momentum has only been growing. All of NC’s five largest cities have passed such ordinances. And the vast majority added protections for natural hair, a first in the state, veteran status and pregnancy, among others.

The path hasn’t been without challenges. Four trans women were murdered in this state this year. Charlotte has been named the second most dangerous city for trans women of color. And even with that landscape, we frequently faced a chronic lack of political courage by some elected leaders afraid to challenge the status quo and others who just didn’t know why protections were needed. Some cities passed resolutions which do nothing to battle the discrimination experienced by members of the LGBTQ community. Still others chose to advance protections only in public accomodations, leaving many marginalized folks without access to the very jobs that would make it possible to enjoy public services and goods.

There are still many gaps in the protections on the federal level for LGBTQ people. We only gained marriage equality in 2015 and federal nondiscrimination protections in employment in 2020, with the Supreme Court’s Bostock vs. Clayton County ruling. But, Bostock doesn’t apply to businesses with fewer than 15 people, and the vast majority of employers are small businesses. Neither of those rulings prevent discriminatory evictions, violence or bias in lending. The lack of protections for LGBTQ people makes us so much more vulnerable--and particularly at the intersections of power and privilege. BIPOC, disabled, and poor LGBTQ people are more likely to be pushed out of the systems that should serve us. And these ordinances are the first step to closing these gaps and making life better for all LGBTQ people, especially those existing at these intersections.

These advances couldn’t have happened without the immense effort of advocates, regular everyday people and organizations all around the state who rolled up their sleeves. We’re incredibly thankful to be doing this work with the people we serve, who came together and made this moment possible.

We owe you all a tremendous debt of gratitude. These ordinances were hard fought battles. Many of these were the culmination of literal decades of work-and they wouldn’t have happened without champions like you, who made this possible. For all the letters, backdoor conversations, cajoling, hand holding, speaking up at public comment and social media posts--we thank you!

Wins like these make it clear what we can do when we are united and work to get pro-equality candidates in office. It changes all our lives. We look forward to a new year of passing more ordinances, getting the representation we need and, of course, working alongside the people we serve to make that happen! : :

A Warm Welcome for Winter

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N.C. Native to Take Over Office of LGBTQ Resources at Yale University

Former North Carolina resident and native Samuel Byrd will transition into the role of director of the Office of LGBTQ Resources at Yale University during the month of December. Maria Trumpler, founding director of the office, will retire Dec. 1, although she will work closely with Yale newcomer Byrd throughout the month. Trumpler has led the office since it opened in 2005 and will formally leave on Jan. 1, 2022, after helping facilitate the transition. Also a professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Trumpler plans to continue teaching for another year before retiring fully from Yale.

Byrd previously worked in LGBTQ campus life at North Carolina State University, the University of California, Berkeley and California Polytechnic State University.

While working towards tenure, building awareness of intersectionality and forming partnerships with other campus organizations is at the top of Byrd’s priority list.

“At the forefront of my mind is developing ways to continue to support mental health and wellbeing by promoting queer joy, centering the most marginalized members of our community within our work and advocacy and serving as a strategic partner for intersectional justice by building key partnerships with other cultural centers and social justice organizations on and off campus,” Byrd said.

According to Elizabeth Conklin, the University’s associate vice president for institutional equity, access and belonging, a committee of seven faculty members began the process of hiring a new director early this June. Conklin added that throughout the search process, those involved hoped to find someone who would serve as a leader in “community building, advocacy, outreach and education.”

“It was particularly important for our next director to have in-depth knowledge of and commitment to supporting and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community,” Conklin wrote in an email. “They also needed to demonstrate experience and ability to collaborate effec-

Mecklenburg County Finally Passes NDO

Mecklenburg County commissioners, finally, officially passed a non-discrimination ordinance Nov. 16 which includes protections for LGBTQ people in employment and housing. The ordinance also provides protections for people who wear natural hairstyles.

For many in the general public the ordinance seemed like a done deal this past Oct. 5, when headlines declared ‘Mecklenburg County Commission Passes NDO.’

That was not the case. Mecklenberg County Commissioners had actually (but unanimously) voted to support a non-discrimination ordinance on that date.

In a move that many found uncomfortably reminiscent of slow moving 20th Century Charlotte-Mecklenburg politics, authorities then gave County attorney Tyrone Wade 100 days from Oct. 5 to get an appropriate draft to Commissioners for a final vote.

“[The] NDO provisions that were approved are to be incorporated in the fair housing ordinance,” Wade explained, “[That] requires the document be re-written and reformatted to include the approved provisions.”

After more than a month had passed, concerns about the possibility of conservative stalling came to the fore.

Said Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham: “I’m confused. I am perplexed as [to] why it’s taking so long.”

Concern from local LGBTQ individuals in the Charlotte-Mecklenbug community, along with Cotham, likely prompted Wade to pick up the pace.

Following a seemingly defensive statement he released just under two weeks ago proclaiming that “not even 30 days” had passed, he also announced it would be placed on the agenda for a full vote when the rewrite of the pre-existing ordinance was complete and he was given the go-ahead from County officials.

While County Commissioners and the attorney did not wait out the full 100 days, they did take 42 days to officially pass the ordinance, with a unanimous vote across party affiliations.

With the ordinance now in place, LGBTQ individuals in most of Mecklenburg County can rest safe against discrimination in their employment and housing. “This is the beginning,” Cotham offered, “We have to continue to do this because, I swear, tomorrow there will be someone who is terribly discriminated against, so we have to continue to fight for the dignity of our neighbors.”

But what exactly does most of Mecklenburg County mean?

Despite all the hard work, the ordinance doesn’t apply to all of Mecklenburg County – only the areas that are unincorporated. That means smaller Mecklenburg County towns – if they don’t already have NDOs in place – like Cornelius, Huntersville, Matthews and Mint Hill, will have to pass their own nondiscrimination ordinances to protect LGBTQ individuals in employment and housing, and those with natural hairstyles. info: bit.ly/3nFmYi9

Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber Announces Awards

The Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce announced November 10 the winners of its 2020-2021 Business and Community Awards, a program that recognizes the contributions made by businesses and individuals in building a stronger LGBTQ and allied business and professional community.

The Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce announced November 10 the winners of its 2020-2021 Business and Community Awards, a program that recognizes the contributions made by businesses and individuals in building a stronger LGBTQ and allied business and professional community.

Last year the annual event was cancelled because of the global pandemic, so the chamber will honor both 2020 and 2021 recipients at this year’s presentation “We are excited to recognize [the] award recipients,” says Chamber Vice Chair Tiffany Keaton. ”Each have clearly demonstrated their unrelenting commitment to marketplace and workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Award Recipients for 2020-2021 • Corporate Partner of the Year: TIAA | Novant Health • Excellence in Supplier Diversity: Sonoco | PGA • LGBT+ Business of the Year: Miles Enterprise Solutions | Simmons, Small & Associates • Allied Business of the Year: Precision Chiropractic | Papi’s Puerto Rican Cuisine • Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year: Zaddy Solutions | Evolution Aura • LGBT+ Professional of the Year: Vinnie Morris | Eric Norman • Non-Profit of the Year: Hearts Beat as One Foundation | Dudley’s Place • Engagement Award (BRG/ERG/DEI): T-Mobile • Teresa L. Davis Legacy Award: Tina White | Debbie Warren • Donaldson J. King Impact Award: Quin Williams | Jason Boone • Advancing Equity Award: Charlotte City Council | Mecklenburg Board of Commissioners • Excellence in Intersectional Education: Gantt Center • Special Honors: Charlotte Business Resources | Foundation for the Carolinas

tively with a broad and diverse range of campus stakeholders.”

Conklin described Byrd as an “experienced, thoughtful, highly engaged leader,” and confirmed the North Carolina native is well-equipped to begin leading the office.

Byrd has worked for the past 12 years as a gender and sexuality educator, consultant, national-board certified counselor and, during that same time, served as an interfaith chaplain, public school teacher, activist and college lecturer and counselor. “I became involved in this field by learning to navigate rural Appalachian communities with few resources, always feeling like a person who lives in the marginal spaces of identities that always did not fit together neatly,” Byrd said. “In college, I found myself drawn to people in underrepresented communities and to liberation work, discovering my calling for this field and numerous queer and trans mentors who have guided me on this journey. So now, whether in the halls of Vatican City, Moral Marches on state capitals, lobbying congress or in the classroom, I advocate for social transformation and an ethic of radical love.”

In the long-term, Byrd hopes to increase queer leadership and visibility on campus, conduct a benchmark assessment to align the office with other peer institutions and connect the office to a broader network of LGBTQ resources through the Consortium of Higher Education LGBTQ Resource Professionals and Centerlink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers. Another significant point for Byrd: the importance of campus spaces dedicated to LGBTQ life.

“Queer spaces developed out of a need for safer meeting places for LGBTQ folks to be able to come together, organize and socialize without fear of abuse, ridicule or violence,” Byrd explained. “It is a place to learn about queer history and underrepresented identities, which are often not taught in our communities of origin and a place to resist together those messages from dominant culture that aim to erase, silence or push to the margins the lives and contributions of our people.”

This article previously appeared in the Yale Daily News. It has been edited for space limitations and regional clarity. It appears in qnotes with the permission of author Lucy Hodgman. To read the story in its entirety, go here. info: bit.ly/30JrinL

— Lucy Hodgman

— David Aaron Moore

“The past two years have been unprecedented for small businesses, corporations, and non-profits,” says Chamber President and CEO Chad Turner. “The resiliency for our members and partners has been amazing and we want to recognize that and celebrate with them as we continue to move into 2022. These award recipients embody the strength of our business and professional community, and each recipient has a role to play as we thrive together.”

The awards will be presented at the Annual Awards Luncheon & Holiday Soiree, hosted by the Gantt Center, on Tuesday, December 14. The public is invited to attend. In addition to the awards ceremony, the Chamber will also announce the newly elected board members and officers and lay out their initiatives for the coming year. For more details and ticket purchased info, go here.

info: bit.ly/3kXokmE

— Jessica Millicevic