The Equality March for Unity and Pride

   The Equality March for Justice and Pride was held in Charlotte, NC on June 12, 2017 along with 100 other cities worldwide. I was honored to be able to speak at the event.   Hundreds of marchers walked from First Ward Park to Marshall Park in the hot summer sun. When the rally began at Marshall Park, the crowd was enthusiastic with determination not to give up the fight for LGBTQ equality!  Below is an excerpt from my speech.

" Good afternoon Charlotte! It’s hot out here…but you know, no matter how hot it gets in Charlotte or Raleigh or Washington, DC WE WILL BE OUT HERE FIGHTING FOR LGBT EQUALITY!!  We can never get discouraged! We can never get too tired!  We can never give up! No matter how long it takes, WE WILL BE HERE FIGHTING.

The National Organization for Women has been fighting discrimination since its inception in 1966.   We fight for equal opportunities for ALL people in ALL areas including employment, education, health care, the military just to name a few.  We must continue that fight. We must get out and vote and elect people who will support equality for ALL people. People who believe from the bottom of their hearts that the liberty and justice we talk about in the pledge of allegiance means liberty and justice for EVERYONE regardless of their race or their sexual orientation or their gender identity. Elect people who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk.  GET OUT AND VOTE!!

And we must educate our children. We must educate our children to respect all people. We must combat this epidemic of homophobia that is being passed down from generation to generation, prevalent in the South!  And we must educate the children who are being taught to hate in their homes.  We must reach out and show them that we are people who believe in love thy neighbor.  NOW is going after the media to portray women in more positive images and we must do the same for our LGBTQ community.  We must not feed that homophobia or the degradation of women with negative portrayals in the media.  Let media know it will not be tolerated and that we will not watch that  type of programing.  

Above all, equality in pay, job opportunities, political structure, social security and education will remain a dream without a guarantee of equality in the Constitution.  The progress we have made towards women’s equality can be lost at any time because those advances depend on legislation that can be weakened or repealed by whatever political group holds the power. Today that is happening under the current administration.  They are trying to take us backwards in our fight for equality. But we will not be deterred or stopped! Although we have not yet succeeded in ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, we have not given up the fight. Winning a constitutional guarantee of equality for women STILL remains one of NOWs top priorities. We are only 2 states away from symbolically ratifying the ERA. The Equal Rights Amendment has been introduced in both houses of the NC General Assembly. LET’S GET THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT PASSED NOW. LET’S GET BEHIND THIS AND MAKE NORTH CAROLINA ONE OF THOSE TWO STATES!!  And just like we have not given up on a constitutional guarantee for women through all these years, we must also work to pass a constitutional amendment that would ban sex based discrimination forever!  No matter how long it takes we will keep fighting and we will prevail!!  The National Organization for Women stands with you! WE WILL NEVER EVER GIVE UP THE FIGHT!! Thank you!"