Carolina Rainbow News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 24, 2019

Adam Polaski | 610.306.7956 | adam@southernequality.org

Trump Administration’s Rollback of Healthcare Nondiscrimination Protections Will Disproportionately Harm Transgender Southerners

Rule change greenlights anti-transgender discrimination at a time when transgender Southerners already report hostility and incompetence when seeking care

Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule change that removes language explicitly protecting transgender people from discrimination in healthcare programs and activities. Earlier this month, the Administration also granted workers in the health sector the ability to refuse care that may conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, opening the door to further discrimination against LGBTQ people and others.

Ivy Gibson-Hill, Community Health Program Director at the Campaign for Southern Equality, condemned the decision. Gibson-Hill, who uses they/them or ze/hir/hirs pronouns, said:

“At least half a million transgender people call the South home, and every year, far too many struggle to find health care professionals that will competently treat them with dignity and respect. But the brazen disregard for trans people’s health in the Administration’s new rule change underlines this disparity in bold black paint and gives discrimination a blanket thumbs-up. This policy is not just a step in the wrong direction – it’s a hard shove off the map, the latest attempt by this Administration to deny humanity to transgender people.”

“The policy exacerbates the need for trans Southerners to keep doing what we have been doing for years: Find ways to bridge the gap between the care that we need and that which is available right now in our communities. We’ll continue to do that in pursuit of our goal to build a South where transgender people can access their basic human rights – including their right to health care – without leaving their hometowns, no matter where they live.”

Nationally, data suggests that approximately 25 percent of transgender people do not seek health care at all because of a fear of discrimination. It’s part of why the Campaign for Southern Equality maintains Trans in the South: A Guide to Resources and Services, a vetted directory of more than 400 trans-friendly service providers – including primary care doctors, attorneys, counselors, endocrinologists, and more – across 13 Southern states. The guide is available in English and Spanish at www.southernequality.org/TransInTheSouth.

At the beginning of 2019 the Southern LGBTQ Health Initiative, a collaboration between the Campaign for Southern Equality and Western North Carolina Community Health Services (WNCCHS), released a report that captured trans and nonbinary Southerners’ experiences accessing health care. The groundbreaking report featured conclusions from the Trans Health Focus Group Project, which included the voices of nearly 50 trans and nonbinary people from six Southern states. The report, available here, provides qualitative data on the many roadblocks trans Southerners face when seeking health care.

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Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality works for full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class. http://www.southernequality.org

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For Immediate Release

April 15, 2019

Adam Polaski | Campaign for Southern Equality | adam@southernequality.org | 610-306-7956

James Michael Nichols | Equality NC | james@equalitync.org | 919-829-0343

U.S. Supreme Court Leaves in Place Lower Court Ruling that Upholds Law Protecting Minors from ‘Conversion Therapy’

Victory for New Jersey’s law banning ‘conversion therapy’ fuels momentum for similar legislation nationwide, including in North Carolina

RALEIGH – Today the United States Supreme Court denied review of a cert. petition in King v. Murphy, a case challenging New Jersey’s law that protects young people from anti-LGBTQ ‘conversion therapy.’ This is the latest indication from the Supreme Court that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit states from protecting minors from this discredited practice, building on the precedent of a 2017 action, when the justices denied review of a similar petition challenging California’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban.

The development comes in a year that has already seen significant momentum in the movement to protect young people from “conversion therapy,” in which licensed mental health professionals purport to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In recent weeks Massachusetts and Colorado have become states #16 and #17 to outlaw the practice, and last month lawmakers in North Carolina introduced similar legislation for the first time. The NC legislation (HB516/SB426) is supported by Born Perfect NC, a grassroots statewide campaign headed by Equality North Carolina and the Campaign for Southern Equality and backed by clergy, mental health organizations, faith groups, child welfare advocates and civil rights organizations.

“Conversion therapy has been rejected by every leading medical and mental health association, and today the Supreme Court dismissed another challenge to a law prohibiting the practice,” said Kendra R. Johnson, Executive Director of Equality NC. “The courts, lawmakers nationwide, and Republicans and Democrats right here in North Carolina overwhelmingly agree that we must protect our children from ‘conversion therapy.’”

“Proponents of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are claiming their freedom of speech allows licensed medical providers free rein to subject minors to the discredited practice of conversion therapy. Court after court is rejecting that argument, and today the Supreme Court chose not to review those rulings,” said Allison Scott, Director of Policy and Programs for the Campaign for Southern Equality. “Many other states have recognized that it is their duty to pass life-saving legislation to protect youth, and now it’s time for North Carolina to do the same.”

February 2019 polling in North Carolina shows bipartisan, supermajority support for legislation protecting young people from ‘conversion therapy,’ with 80% of North Carolinians in favor of legislation like HB516/SB426.

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Equality NC is dedicated to securing equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) North Carolinians. www.equalitync.org

Based in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality works for full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class. www.southernequality.org

Born Perfect NC is the campaign to protect young people across North Carolina from “conversion therapy” and send the message that LGBTQ youth should feel safe, supported, and affirmed. www.bornperfectnc.org

For Immediate Release April 1, 2019James Michael Nichols | Equality NC | james@equalitync.org | 919-829-0343 Adam Polaski | Campaign for Southern Equality | adam@southernequalitync.org | 610-306-7956 Supermajority of NC Republicans and Democrats Support Protecting LGBTQ Youth from ‘Conversion Therapy’ New poll shows massive bipartisan support for protecting minors from conversion therapy. RALEIGH – New polling data affirms that an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians from every political affiliation support preventing licensed medical professionals from conducting so-called “conversion therapy” on LGBTQ minors and disabled adults. A February 2019 poll conducted by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by Equality NC and the Campaign for Southern Equality, found that a supermajority of Republicans (87%), Democrats (75%) and Independents (78%) support protecting North Carolina’s young people from conversion therapy. Click here to access PDFs detailing this polling data in English and Spanish. Overall, 80% of all polled respondents immediately stated that they think “conversion therapy” purporting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity should be illegal on children under 18. Of the remainder who initially disagreed or had no opinion, more than half changed their mind after better understanding what the practice of “conversion therapy” entails. Conversion therapy has been rejected by every leading professional medical and mental health association in the country, who have declared it unnecessary, ineffective, and dangerous to an individual’s health and well-being. Tactics of the practice can include inducing nausea, vomiting, or paralysis while showing the patient homoerotic images; providing electric shocks; and using shame to create aversion to same-sex attractions. The devastating and long-lasting harms often lead to severe depression and even suicide. An estimated 700,000 Americans have endured “conversion therapy” in their lifetime, with half of these receiving the treatment as minors. This profound display of bipartisan support comes on the heels of legislators introducing The Mental Health Protection Act (HB516/SB426), which would protect LGBTQ minors and disabled adults from “conversion therapy.” The life-saving legislation, introduced March 28 in the North Carolina General Assembly, is supported by Born Perfect NC, a grassroots statewide campaign from Equality North Carolina and the Campaign for Southern Equality that is backed by a coalition of clergy, mental health organizations, faith groups, child welfare advocates and civil rights organizations. “Republicans and Democrats agree, it is time to protect North Carolina’s children from so-called ‘conversion therapy’ practices,” said Equality NC Executive Director Kendra R. Johnson. “It’s rare that we find bipartisan support around an issue in North Carolina, but I think we can all agree that we want the safest and healthiest future for our children.” “The overwhelming bipartisan support demonstrated in this poll reflects the reality that people across North Carolina understand that no one can change something as fundamental as their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Allison Scott, Director of Policy and Programs for the Campaign for Southern Equality. “We know that support for the Mental Health Protection Act will keep growing because it protects our kids and just makes sense.” The poll was conducted among 807 voters in North Carolina between February 6-7 by Public Policy Polling.

###Equality NC is dedicated to securing equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) North Carolinians. www.equalitync.orgBased in Asheville, NC, the Campaign for Southern Equality works for full LGBTQ equality across the South. Our work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class.www.southernequality.orgBorn Perfect NC is the campaign to protect young people across North Carolina from “conversion therapy” and send the message that LGBTQ youth should feel safe, supported, and affirmed.www.bornperfectnc.org