Politicians’ group to look at LGBT issues

CORRECTION — Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story misstated the number of Republicans in the group. There are two Republican members of N.C. Electeds for Equality. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Local and state elected officials — including N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper — have joined a group aimed at working on issues affecting the LGBT community, a development that advocates say reflects growing support for LGBT rights in North Carolina.

At its annual gala event in Greensboro on Saturday, left-leaning advocacy organization Equality N.C. announced the formation of N.C. Electeds for Equality.

The Electeds is a slate of 31 primarily Democratic state and local elected officials, including Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Chapel Hill Town Council member Lee Storrow and Carrboro Mayor-elect and Alderman Lydia Lavelle. The group includes two Republicans.

Equality N.C. spokeswoman Jen Jones said the group represents a peer network connecting legislators, mayors, county commissioners and other officials interested in discussing issues affecting the LGBT community in areas such as public health, school bullying and workplace discrimination. The group will also advocate for LGBT rights during the policymaking process.

“It’s incredibly important that our state and local politicians be informed and speak on LGBT issues to people who are still conflicted on issues of equality,” Jones said.

She thinks the network will give officials a forum to work toward providing benefits and protections for the LGBT community.

Lavelle, the first openly lesbian mayor to be elected in North Carolina, said while details of how the group will operate are still being worked out, she expected members at different government levels to have input on issues related to LGBT rights.

“Certainly in North Carolina, in particular, there are lots of policy decisions as well as just plain old rewriting of some of our laws that could occur that would help ensure fairness and justice for all LGBT citizens,” she said. “Having discussions like this among policymakers is a great way to get this done.”

LGBT rights supporters say the participation of high-level politicians such as Cooper, who has expressed interest in running for N.C. governor in 2016, highlights tremendous shifts in the state’s social and political dynamics.

Rob Schofield, policy director at N.C. Policy Watch, a left-leaning advocacy group, said Cooper joining the group was a “politically astute” move that could help in the governor’s race.

He said the mere fact that a potential candidate for the state’s top political post is expressing open support for LGBT rights shows progress.

“In many ways, it is a day-and-night difference,” he said, referring to how the N.C. General Assembly has changed in the last 20 years.

“It’s one of the happy instances in modern public policy where we’ve seen a tremendous and significant change for the good in a relatively short period of time.”

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