STOP THE BILL!

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

STOP THE BILL!

Stop by the HRC & Equality North Carolina Booth at the Juneteenth Festival, Elizabeth City, NC
click to view flyer

On April 7, 2011 House Bill 777 was introduced to amend the constitution in the "Defense of Marriage." NC State law already limits marriage to opposite-sex couples. If the constitution is amended in this regard it will deny gay and lesbian couples access to marriage or any same-sex unions or forms of recognition such as civil union or domestic partnership.

Let us call this for what it is: "the anti-LGBT amendment or "the anti-gay amendment and an attack North Carolina’s LGBTQ Community.
This movement has been used in other states to take away private benefits such as health insurance and survival rights for LGBT couples.  The amendment would not only write the current discriminatory marriage law into the constitution, it would actually take away rights and responsibilities that are currently available to some couples.
         
This anti-gay amendment is a distraction from the voters' priorities. The legislature was sent to Raleigh to tackle jobs, the economy, and the state budget, not to advance a divisive social agenda.

What are the key arguments against the amendment?

• Marriage is already denied same-sex couples by state law. The amendment doesn't change marriage in any way. It simply attacks LGBT North Carolinians and puts their basic rights up for a vote

• Amending the constitution is an extreme act, not a conservative one. Constitutions are designed to protect rights and not to take them away. The rights of a minority should never be put to a majority vote.

• The anti-gay amendment causes real harm. It harms couples who will be denied even the most basic protections and it harms vulnerable LGBT young people by sending a terrible message that their state and their neighbors consider them second-class citizens unworthy of basic dignity and fair treatment, a message which exacerbates the epidemic of LGBT young people committing suicide.

What can YOU do?
Help us send a message to the people in your community to complete postcards and write letters to their legislators in opposition to the anti-gay amendment. These post cards will be available at the ENC booth, it only takes 5 minutes to complete one or 10 minutes to write a letter – templates will be provided to assist you.

NC LGBTQ Community and Allies, can you assist in hosting letter writing parties in Bertie, Gates, Hertford, Perquimans, Northampton, Vance or Warren County? Let us know.
 

IF YOU WISH TO VOLUNTEER WITH ENC/HRC FOR THIS EVENT PLEASE EMAIL Akil@EqualityNC.org

Rally in Raleigh date change

After reviewing the date and time of the rally we decided to change it to Thursday, June 2nd from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm. The legislature is out on Fridays and we felt it important to hold the rally when our representatives are present.

Please pass the information along and help get the word out.

Several anti-equality, "pro-marriage" groups gathered in Raleigh this week for a rally of their own. They had several thousand people show up to demand passage of SB106. It is our time to gather in unison for equality.

You've heard the saying "If you are not outraged you're not paying attention". Outrage is easy, action is hard. Are you willing to take action? You've sent in postcards, signed petitions, sent emails to your representatives, now it is time to join together, united, and make a stand. Will you stand with us to let our North Carolina lawmakers know that we refuse to be even further alienated from and discriminated by our government? We are all equal, and it is time our government started treating us as such.

Our message to NC legislators: we are your neighbors, your doctors, your lawyers, your teachers, your child care providers, your mothers, your fathers, your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your sisters. We are your constituents. We are your fellow human beings. We deserve more and will no longer settle for less.

Stay up to date at www.getequalnc.org/rally-in-raleigh/

Contacts us:

Jonathan Green, SAGA

jsg47235@yahoo.com

Angel Chandler, GetEQUAL NC

angel@getequalnc.org
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Town Hall Meeting host by Equality NC

Please join Equality NC Executive Director Ian Palmquist for a discussion on LGBT rights in our state.

What	Advocacy Event Community Meeting Educational Program
When	Apr 06, 2011 from 07:00 PM to 09:00 PM
Where	Greenville

There's so much going on with the NC Legislature these days that Equality NC is hitting the road to tell you all about it, and to enlist your help in what may be the largest campaign for LGBT rights in our state's history! We'll talk about the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment, as well as other policy that will potentially impact all of us who care about equal rights, and what you can do about it.


It's all happening on Wednesday, April 6th at 7pm at the Tipsy Teapot (409 South Evans Street, Greenville, 27858).



Please join us for this informative and empowering evening.