In second and third consecutive nights, local governments in Orange County unanimously passed new ordinances that prohibit discrimination in employment and places of accommodation.

Both the Carrboro Town Council and the Chapel Hill Town Council adopted a set of ordinances that now prevent businesses or organizations from denying people services and jobs purely because of prejudice. The towns become some of the first in North Carolina to pass such legislation since a provision of a state law preventing anti-discrimination laws, House Bill 142, expired in December.

When the state law was enacted in 2017, it repealed the controversial House Bill 2, commonly known as HB2, that had several anti-LGBTQ elements and there is no statewide law against discriminatory practices. These new local ordinances passed by Chapel Hill and Carrboro explicitly protect the LGBTQ community against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, the ordinances prevent discrimination based on race, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, age and religion.

The Town of Hillsborough became the first local government in North Carolina to pass the same legislation since House Bill 142 expired during its Board of Commissioners meeting Monday night.

During Carrboro’s Tuesday meeting, town council member Damon Seils reflected on another held five years ago: the meeting just three days after HB2 was passed and where many community members attended asking what the local government could do. Seils said he remembered the passion people displayed as the town government passed resolutions pledging change.

“In many of our resolutions calling for the repeal of House Bill 2,” he said, “we indicated we were committing ourselves to finding the next opportunity to adopt local ordinances as appropriate to advance equal protection and non-discrimination laws. The relevant section section of the so-called replacement bill expired last month, and here we are with our own ordinances.”

Carrboro’s ordinance can be read in full here, with Chapel Hill’s ordinance available here.

 

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