State and Federal Lawmakers Should Follow Orange County Leadership on LGBTQ Nondiscrimination
A perspective from Brandon Cartagena
As an out gay teacher in Carrboro, North Carolina, I was thrilled to see our Town Council come together to pass an ordinance protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people from discrimination in key areas of life, including employment and public spaces.
I fully support these protections, which have been successfully adopted by six elected bodies in NC – including Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Durham, Greensboro, and Orange County. These are great and long overdue steps forward – but because of a lack of explicit state and federal nondiscrimination protections, LGBTQ North Carolinians in other municipalities remain vulnerable.
This matter is personal to me because I still remember the fear of coming out in the workplace, compounded with the shame of hiding aspects of who I am to avoid causing backlash. At the beginning of my career I used to hide when seen in public with my then-partner, or even lie about my relationship to him if questioned. I remember the discomfort I felt when students would ask me about my hobbies or weekend plans, afraid that my honest answers would easily set me apart as queer and lead to negative consequences. Even though I was going above and beyond to prove myself as a professional – sponsoring clubs, presenting in conferences, designing new curricula – I felt vulnerable in the workplace due to a fear of discrimination based on my sexual orientation.
For me, the LGBTQ protections that I have in Carrboro have given me a new sense of freedom. For the first time in my adult life, I feel that I can be my most authentic self in and out of the workplace without fear of retaliation. I feel that my students and colleagues know and accept me for who I am, and it is a joy to go to work every day. But while I enjoy these protections in Carrboro, I am aware that if I ever have to take another job just a few miles down the road, I might have to go back to the life I had before. Not all North Carolinians experience the liberation of knowing they are protected at the local level, as LGBTQ people are in Carrboro and across Orange County. It’s time for that to change.
The rest of North Carolina must adopt LGBTQ protections so that no one has to go through what I experienced before coming out in the workplace. Local leaders in other jurisdictions will soon take up discussions around their ordinances – but the truth is that the North Carolina General Assembly and our leaders in the United States Congress can secure the nondiscrimination protections we need by passing statewide or federal nondiscrimination legislation. Every member of the North Carolina General Assembly and all of our Congressional leaders – including U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr – should look no further than Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, and others to see the joy that LGBTQ protections brings and the many ways that they strengthen our communities and, ultimately, will strengthen our entire state and country.
Leaders in NC jurisdictions are working to pass these protections in the face of years of inaction from state and federal leaders. We must stop stalling on this critical piece of creating communities where everyone can thrive. That’s why I believe it is critical for the rest of the state to join these six NC municipalities in passing legislation protecting LGBTQ folks from discrimination.
Future generations are counting on us to build a culture that welcomes everyone, no matter who they are or who they love. We can build this kind of future together in North Carolina through policies that protect the most vulnerable. It’s time for bold, comprehensive action – all of NC is ready.
Brandon Cartagena is a teacher and LBTQ rights advocate in Carrboro, NC.
(featured photo via Town of Chapel Hill)
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