Tag Archives: North Carolina

The Associated Press reports: Another convention has canceled in North Carolina in protest of the state’s new law limiting anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community. Local media outlets report the American Institute of Architects will not hold its South Atlantic Region Conference in Wilmington this fall. About 500 architects were expected to attend, and tourism officials estimate the loss at …

The Charlotte Observer reports: With the threat of the NBA pulling its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte in the wake of House Bill 2, Hornets owner Michael Jordan reinforced his franchise’s position against any form of discrimination. “As my organization has stated previously, the Charlotte Hornets and Hornets Sports & Entertainment are opposed to discrimination in any form, and we …

At this writing the American Family Association’s petition to boycott Target has swelled to 750,000 names, making it by far the largest response we’ve seen for a hate group petition. Jealously watching from the sidelines is fellow hater Brian Brown, whose own boycott petitions against Starbucks and General Mills were laughable failures. But Brown isn’t about to miss an opportunity …

Seriously. He said that. From the New York Times:  McCrory, 59, last week could barely contain his irritation that the law had taken center stage in the election, siphoning attention from his central message: that he has been a wise steward of the economy who had engineered what he and his team have branded the “Carolina Comeback.” This hornet’s nest, …

From the Democratic National Committee: “As Republican legislators and governors continue their assault on LGBT Americans through Right to Discriminate laws, even many prominent conservatives think they’ve gone too far. Watch what they and others have to say.”

From the Huffington Post: If state Sen. Buck Newton (R) has his way, North Carolina will be known as the “straight” state. “Go home, tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight,” Newton said at a rally Monday, according to video posted …

More than half a million people have already signed the American Family Association’s boycott petition against Target. Despite the still-growing furor, Target is standing firm. From USA Today: “We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions,” says Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. “As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team …

And the list just keeps getting longer. From Portland’s NBC affiliate: The Portland City Council voted unanimously in favor of restricting travel by city employees to states with laws that discriminate against the LGBT community. All eight councilors had already publicly backed Mayor Ethan Strimling’s proposal before Monday night’s meeting. They don’t want the city spending money for city employees …

From the anti-LGBT group Faith Driven Consumer: Today, amidst growing consumer backlash over Target’s (Faith Equality Index Score 39/100) announcement that it will allow men in women’s bathrooms and changing rooms, Faith Driven Consumer is calling on its community of 41 million who spend $2 trillion annually to engage in a national #BUYcottWalmart effort by choosing Target’s archrival Walmart (FEI …

National Center for Transgender Equality head Mara Keisling and at least several other activists have just been arrested at a sit-in at the North Carolina General Assembly building. I’ve posted several short videos of current reporting via Twitter. See below. The protests were organized by several local and national groups, including the North Carolina NAACP, whose head Rev. William Barber …

GLAAD has their statement: After much thought and deliberation, Nick and I have decided to cancel our shows in Raleigh and Charlotte. One of our goals for the Honda Civic Tour: Future Now has always been to create an atmosphere where every single attendee feels equal, included, and accepted for who they are. North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law is extremely …

From the American Family Association: North Carolina isn’t the first state that has experienced corporate bullying by companies like PayPal. Indiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and many others have all experienced corporate bullying in the last year or so. When states attempt to protect religious liberty via legislation, Fortune 500 companies threaten and bully states into submission. Sadly, these companies blindly …

At this writing a growing crowd of about 1000 are protesting in support of North Carolina’s anti-LGBT hate law as Democrats introduce a repeal bill in the state Assembly. LGBT activists led by Equality North Carolina and the Human Rights Campaign started the day by delivering petitions calling for the law’s repeal. Local news video reports are below. Thousands gather …

Today’s “Moral Monday” protests against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT HB2 have begun outside the state capitol building. Anti-LGBT groups have vowed to bus in thousands to counter-protest. Watch live at this link.

The Hill reports: Ted Cruz is not backing down from criticizing rival Donald Trump for his comments about North Carolina’s controversial bathroom bill. The Texas senator sought to further condemn the real estate mogul at an event Sunday for his opposition to a law that segregates bathrooms by biological sex. “If Donald Trump dresses up as Hillary Clinton, he still …

Via press release: On Saturday, retired Bishop Talbert co-officiated with Rev. Val Rosenquist at the wedding of Jim Wilborne and John Romano at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., with other clergy present in support. The ceremony may immediately jeopardize the pastoral credentials of Rev. Rosenquist because the current anti-LGBTQ policy of The United Methodist Church (UMC) pointedly instructs …

Video below. From Raleigh’s CBS affiliate: Hundreds of people against and for House Bill 2 will descend on downtown Raleigh to make their voices heard as the General Assembly begins a new session Monday. When lawmakers file into the legislative building they’ll be met with plenty of opposition, but they won’t have to look far to find support. “We’re expecting …

From Wilmington’s NBC affiliate: On Monday morning, Representatives Darren Jackson, Graig Meyer, Susi Hamilton, and Grier Martin will file a bill to repeal House Bill 2 (Public Facilities Privacy Act) in its entirety. As part of this effort, the four Representatives will hold a joint press conference on Monday at 11:00 am in the NCGA pressroom to further explain beginning …

New York Times columnist Frank Bruni rips Ted Cruz for this week’s anti-trans ads: “I’m guessing that Cruz hasn’t met or read much about transgender people. ‘Grown adult men’ is precisely how many transgender men appear — with beards, muscles, pants — and exactly how they’d look to little girls in the women’s rooms that the North Carolina law would …

From the Charlotte Observer: As opposition to North Carolina’s House Bill 2 grows, NASCAR has joined the chorus of companies calling for the law to be overturned. According to Motorsport.com, a site that covers racing news, NASCAR Chairman Brian France made the announcement at a meeting this week with Associated Press sports editors. Jim Utter, a longtime NASCAR writer, reported …