#NoHateInMyState

Hello friends!

I’ve got an out of the ordinary post for you today, but it needs to be said.

(And it needs to be said using some pretty strong language, so consider yourself warned.)

Last night North Carolina fucked up.

If you live in North Carolina, are tuned into LGBT issues, or are a human you’ve probably heard about the Bathroom Bill.

For those of you who haven’t heard about it, here’s the gist:

Charlotte passed a city ordinance recently allowing transgender individuals to use the public bathroom that corresponds with the gender they identify as, not the one they were born with.

As to be expected in a state that is firmly in the Bible Belt, people lost their shit. Yesterday (March 23) the General Assembly went into a special session and pushed through HB2, amid lots of protest and a walk out by the Senate Democrats. Late Tuesday night Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law.

HB2 repeals Charlotte’s Bathroom Bill, prohibits cities and counties from writing non-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBT people, and takes away the ability of citizens to file certain types of discrimination lawsuits in North Carolina courts, among other things. It is a bullshit bill, to say the least.

I don’t actually want to talk about the bill, though. Enough people are spitting venom about this right now and doing a better job at it than I could. I want to talk about the way North Carolinians have responded.

They’ve responded with ownership.

#NoHateInMyState and #WeAreNotThis flooded social media. Lists of the responsible politicians that are up for re-election (and the candidates running against them) have been posted and reposted and shared.

I have not heard a single person talking about fleeing the state or any of the other bullshit that people say during presidential elections when they are angry, but not angry enough to put actions behind their words.

I have seen people getting angry and talking about ways they can fix the problem. I have seen people filling the streets in protest outside the Governor’s Mansion (and getting arrested for being there).

Without a doubt, this is a bullshit bill. It was a bullshit move by bullshit politicians. It is putting countless lives in danger and reaffirming fears based in ignorance and misinformation. And despite the fact that North Carolina is a national embarrassment right now (as it fucking should be!), I am unbelievably proud of the way certain North Carolinians have responded. I am proud of the ownership they have taken of their state and their willingness to not abandon ship or focus on blame.

I didn’t grow up in North Carolina, but today, more than ever, I am proud that this is my new home. #NoHateInMyState

What do you think of all this bullshit, friends?

Cheers, Kara