RALEIGH, N.C. — Several LGBT community leaders and organizations say they will participate in today’s “Mega Moral Monday” at the North Carolina State Legislature.
Southerners On New Ground (southernersonnewground.org), Equality North Carolina (equalitync.org), Freedom Center for Social Justice (fcsj.org) and NC HEAT (wakeyouth.wordpress.com/nc-h-e-a-t/) released a joint statement this morning in support of the North Carolina NAACP’s ongoing protest efforts at the legislature. Some 150 people, including pastors, activists and other community members, have been arrested in civil disobediences in several action since April.
“When so many LGBTQ people and our allies fought for basic dignity and rights when Amendment One was on the ballot, we knew why it mattered. We still do,” the groups said in the release. “Now, North Carolina faces a new set of threats to our communities from the same root. Recently, we have seen the cutting of Medicaid for half a million North Carolinians who are poor and working poor. Now, they are continuing to attack our communities by: trying to limit our voting rights, attacking healthcare rights for poor people, and demonizing immigrants.”
Bishop Tonyia Rawls of Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte and the Freedom Center for Social Justice will join Southerners on New Ground’s Caitlin Breedlove and 20 youth from NC HEAT in today’s Moral Monday. Hundreds of others are expected during the demonstration.
On Monday afternoon, the LGBT Center of Raleigh also declared its support for the joint statement.
[Ed. Note — This post has been updated.]
Well it looks like our law makers are overstepping their bounds with selfish actions to cut services to people in our community who needs them, so to protect the rich and famous of North Carolina from paying more taxes, including themselves. I can only think of one way and that is if the people have the balls to stand against the establishment with a full scale demonstration in every major city in North Carolina. The NAACP has the right idea but they need our support on the street, side by side not just lip service that normally comes from some of the so called Activist Groups like Equality North Carolina out to make a name for your money. Let me ask is Equality North Carolina and the Raleigh LGBT center willing to commit to an action where they are willing to be arrested for the cause? I know and it’s obvious that the NAACP has been left holding the bag in such actions. It’s kind of like snipe hunting.