Archive for LGBT issues
Responding to Anti-LGBT Rhetoric in N.C.
Posted by: | CommentsNorth Carolina is in the news again, this time because of an anti-LGBT sermon preached by Pastor Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, N.C. You can see footage of his sermon here.
Make no mistake: the violent theology animating Pastor Worley’s sermon is directly linked to the discriminatory animus at work in Amendment One or the North Carolina statutes that treat LGBT people as second-class citizens.
The violence of Pastor Worley’s message speaks to the evil at the heart of persecution, and it ensnares all of us, including him, including me. It is an evil that seeks to dehumanize people and that seeks to divide communities. It has long lurked in the shadows of religious and political discourse and, periodically, makes itself plainly visible and clearly heard.
What are we to do when such attacks occur? Each of us has an individual choice to make about how to respond.
I often need help cutting through the static of anger and sadness in moments like this. I need help getting to love and, in my own life, I turn to my faith for that help. My faith’s teachings on this point are clear and consistent: no matter how hard it is to do so, we are called to love those who oppose us. There are many reasons for this, not least of which is the fact that my existence is inextricably bound to my enemy’s, whether either one of us likes it or not.
The hard thing right now is to find a way to love Pastor Worley. To do so does not also imply condoning or supporting what he has said. But it does mean choosing to respond to spiritual violence with the only force that can overcome it: love. And it means seeing the violence of his words as an expression of how he too has been wounded by a persecuting system; his theology isn’t just plain wrong, it’s wounded.
But my faith also teaches me that the rhetoric of love is not enough. We must also act to directly resist unjust laws in public life and, as we take action, to express empathy and love towards all those we encounter. This is precisely why and how we take action with the WE DO Campaign and why this campaign will continue growing across the South until we achieve full equality under federal law.
Love has changed the world before and, we dare to believe, it can do so again.
WE DO video: What happened across NC last week
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out this new video about stage 3 of the WE DO Campaign, which took place across North Carolina – including Asheville, Bakersville and Marshall – from May 9th to May 15th.
In 8 towns and cities across North Carolina, 38 LGBT couples and hundreds of supporters stood up calling for full equality under federal law. Together, we made it clear that Amendment One’s passage was not the end of the story. In fact, we’re just getting started with this movement calling for full equality under federal law.
We Do – Update and Appeal
Posted by: | CommentsThis morning, we’re in Asheboro, N.C. At 9:30 a.m., we’ll stand with Barb and Angela as they request – and are denied – a marriage license in their home town, surrounded by friends, family and clergy.
We Do Campaign Returns to Asheville
Posted by: | CommentsEight cities. Five days. The We Do Campaign, led by brave LGBT couples across the state and organized by the Campaign for Southern Equality, returns to Asheville today after stops in Bakersville and Marshall. Yesterday the effort was in Winston-Salem. CBS News reports:
Mary Jamis, 52, of Mocksville, and a heterosexual friend who joined the protest, Mary Lea Bradford of Winston-Salem, were arrested after they blocked the entrance to the marriage license office and refused to leave more than 30 minutes after closing time.
A county administrator tried to talk the women into leaving and avoiding arrest, but the two insisted they would stay unless Jamis was issued a marriage license for her and her partner, Starr Johnson, 48.
[...]
Christine Regan, 35, and Megan Silbert, 34, of Winston-Salem, were rejected for the marriage license while a heterosexual couple a few steps away were receiving theirs.
Today at 3pm, I’ll be supporting the Asheville couples who will seek justice and be arrested today. Some of my good friends will be handcuffed and processed for seeking recognition of their relationships. Cindy and Laura are married in California, but they can’t even guarantee parental rights here in North Carolina. If you’d like to be a supporter you can bear witness today at the Register of Deeds’ office or you can Donate Here. Follow on Facebook or Twitter.
The Best News Today
Posted by: | CommentsBesides the President coming out in support of Marriage equality, a move I personally consider a day late and a dollar short, the best news of today came in the form of twitter, doing what no one thought it would and standing up for the privacy and content ownership of Tweets. This could be really huge in the ongoing struggle for online freedom and the preservation of “terrestrial” rights in cyberspace.
To commemorate this wonderful event, I share with you this epic poem.
Secret Amendment One Conspiracy Uncovered
Posted by: | Comments(Cross-posted from Ascend of Asheville.)
Amendment One has passed in North Carolina. What you don’t know is that it passed in part due to the behind the scenes efforts of a cadre of plastic surgeons and medical administrators bent on growing the burgeoning sex-change industry in North Carolina.
In a secret investigative assignment, we went under cover to follow the story. A warning to our loyal readers; this gets pretty graphic, so be warned. Read More→
Results
Posted by: | Comments
Yes the NC Constitutional Amendment passed 61-39, but here in Buncombe it failed. There were a lot of interesting results here at home last night, most of which bode very well for Buncombe. Let’s get the results train rolling. (Buncombe results) (NC results)
On the 10th Congressional tip, Patsy Keever steamrolled Terry Bellamy 58-26, with also-ran Tim Murphy limping in with 15%. Keever’s excellent organization outpaced the other campaigns. People love them some Patsy Keever, there’s no getting around it. Whether she can translate that into victory against a seemingly bulletproof Patrick McHenry will depend on her campaign’s ability to activate voters who haven’t come out the last several cycles.
In the 11th, Hayden Rogers romped over his competition. With 56% of the vote, he beat Cecil Bothwell by 26, and Tom Hill pulled only 14%. Cecil was a liberal candidate in a conservative district, but it’s worth noting that he won the part of the district that’s in Buncombe County by 161 votes. Rogers now has to pivot to the general election in a district that has a very high number of registered Republicans. The contrast between the 10th and the 11th couldn’t be more stark in terms of who Democratic voters chose to be their standard bearer.
In Buncombe County Commissioner races, we saw a very high Democratic turnout. If the ratio of Democratic to Republican voters is similar in November, then look for a savory County Board majority to come into office.
North Carolina’s voices rise up against Amendment One
Posted by: | Comments
(h/t Pam Spaulding, www.pamshouseblend.com)
We Do Campaign — Stay Tuned
Posted by: | CommentsRev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, appeared Saturday on “Up with Chris Hayes” to talk about efforts to defeat Amendment One and the next phase of the We Do campaign. Video here.
Win or lose on Amendment One, LBGT relationships will still face second-class status in NC. Campaign for Southern Equality has announced its next phase in an email:
Whatever the outcome on May 8, we have real work to do to achieve full equality for LGBT people in North Carolina and across the South.
Lindsey’s Extra Awesome Voter Guide
Posted by: | CommentsLindsey Simerly sent this into my email inbox, and I thought I’d share it here. Lindsey has been involved in lots of Democratic campaigns (Jones, Smith, Newman, Reisinger, Shuler) and is currently working with the Campaign for Southern Equality as well as being Chair of the City of Asheville’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. She also ran for City Council in 2007, which is when I became enamored with her work ethic, intelligence, and boundless energy.
After the jump you’ll find her extra-awesome voter guide.
UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: “extra-awesome voter guide” is Lindsey’s title for this guide and post. Some folks made the assumption that Lindsey’s choices are also my endorsements. Hope this clears that up.
