Please support our friends at the Pauli Murray Bar Association by attending a drag trivia event next month. They stepped up to host it after the North Carolina Bar Association suddenly canceled the event out of fear of the homophobic and transphobic political climate in our State. The way to fight bias and hatred against LGBTQ+ people is to stand up to bullies, not to bow down. The event is June 8 at 6 pm at Motorco in Durham.
Amily McCool, an organizer of the event and friend of Team Emancipate, shared the following statement:
There are no “both sides” to debate on matters of equality and human rights. The NCBA was quick to sacrifice the LGBTQ+ legal community. When the media started covering the issue, the NCBA doubled-down on their decision to cancel the event while claiming to promote “meaningful change with respect to issues of discrimination and inequity.” The words of support for the LGBTQ+ community are inconsistent with the NCBA’s actions. Even children know that actions speak louder than words. These events have been covered by numerous media outlets (The Daily Beast, Charlotte Observer, New & Observer, Spectrum, WRAL, Yahoo!News to name a few). Equality NC and the ACLU-NC have both issued statements in support of SOGI and condemning the actions of the NCBA.
I invite and encourage you all to use your actions to tell Clayton Morgan and the NCBA that this is unacceptable and to support the LGBTQ+ lawyers and community in general. This is not an issue that only impacts the LGBTQ+ community- it affects all of us. Every single moment that the NCBA continues to stand by this decision deepens the pain and creates a chasm that is harder to overcome in demonstrating they are willing to be accountable for their blind spots, grow, and truly work towards ending discrimination. Every moment that passes without action by the NCBA to redress the harm they have caused, drives me further away from this organization. Please join me in the following actions:
1. Add your name supporting the SOGI Resolutions condemning the actions of the NCBA, asking for a retraction, and outlining steps to move forward. This link includes the resolutions and a 12 page report documenting the events. The link lets you indicate your affiliation (if any) with the NCBA, including if you have already resigned over this.
2. The Pauli Murray Bar Association has stepped in to host the drag and trivia event on June 8th at Motorco Music Hall in Durham. Please show your support by donating, buying tickets, and/or attending.
3. If you are a member of the NCBA, thoughtfully consider whether you want to continue your membership with this organization. If you choose not to, I’d encourage you to deliberately email them to resign and indicate this shameful decision is why you are leaving. Many have already done so.