Asheville Faith and Community Leaders Strategized Next Steps in the Fight to Secure Equal Rights for LGBTQ Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org (202)735-7123
Kahran Myers, kmyers@faithinpubliclife.org, (727)742-5193
Asheville Faith and Community Leaders Strategized Next Steps in the Fight to Secure Equal Rights for LGBTQ Communities
Asheville, N.C. — On Saturday, November 11th, LGBTQ people of faith and allies gathered at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville to discuss community needs to combat discrimination and developing faith-based strategies for advancing justice for all LGBTQ people in our communities and across our state.
Panelists included North Carolina State Representative Susan Fisher, discussing the need for affirming faith communities to engage with elected officials and Russell Johnson, activist, radio personality and Host of ‘Political Alchemy.’ Russell discussed the historic fight for civil rights in Asheville and his activism with ‘Veterans for Peace.’
This event is the last of five regional gatherings which focused on storytelling, healing and strategizing to advance LGBTQ equality. The next gathering of the NC Faith Forward Coalition will be a press conference in Greensboro, NC on December 4th, in preparation for the oral arguments of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
Rep. Susan Fisher (District 114 Buncombe County, North Carolina):
“We do not compromise on basic civil rights. The “fix” of HB2 was a compromise, and it was a compromise too far.”
Brent Childers, Equality NC:
“As a community of faith congregations, we have a powerful story to tell. There has been a paradigm shift in North Carolina’s religious attitudes towards LGBTQ individuals and our issues.”
This event serves as the final in a series of 5 regional gatherings, focused on storytelling, healing and strategizing to advance movements for equality. The next gathering of the NC Faith Forward Coalition will be a press conference in Greensboro, NC on December 4th, in preparation for the oral arguments of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
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The NC Faith Forward Coalition consists of seven organizations: Believe Out Loud, Equality North Carolina, Faith in Public Life, The Freedom Center for Social Justice, Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay and Transgender Justice, More Light Presbyterians, and the National LGBTQ Task Force.