Since new Executive Orders were enacted starting on January 20th, we’ve seen the erasure of identity protections and rollbacks of critical constitutional human rights through sweeping Executive Orders. This, combined with two newly presented cases in the US Supreme Court challenging the legality of gay marriage, will push the LGBTQ+ community back by decades. This administration has been known to repeatedly violate the Constitution and counteract prior Supreme Court rulings, endangering the lives and dignity of the North Carolina LGBTQ+ community—a community celebrated for its history of confidence, courage, and exceptional contributions to our state.

2025 Presidential Executive Orders, which undo civil rights and protections for LGBTQ+ Americans (listed below):

Executive Order 14146 – This executive order will end federal censorship which ultimately leads to an increase in verbal violence towards members and subsections of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as marginalized groups outside of the specific one on which I speak. 61% of LGBTQ+ Americans have experienced violence and discrimination via web and social media applications. That is the equivalent of 6 out of every 10 beings. (World Health Organization)

Executive Order 14150- This executive order involves the withdrawal from WHO (World Health Organization) and could decrease or halt the standard of care for LGBTQ+ Americans, as well as overall healthcare for Transgender Americans. With the most recent rise of HIV, in North Carolina alone, which predominately affects the gay community, and other sexually transmitted diseases throughout our country, we must fight back against the withdrawal of this organization. With this executive order being signed, it also allows for even fewer barriers for the Trump Administration to be successful in banning gender-affirming health care. 25% of LGBTQ+ persons reported being in fair or poor health with little to no access of affordable healthcare, which WHO helped to provide within communities across America. (KFF Health Organization)

Executive Order 14166 – This executive order oversimplifies the complex ways in which humans develop and display primary and secondary sex characteristics throughout their lives. This order defines gender based on “reproductive function” rather than chromosomal makeup, further complicating the process of identifying an individual’s ‘accurate” gender marker. This order would prevent the acknowledgment of and contribute to the erasure of identities, nearly 3% of our country’s population.

Executive Order 14167 – This executive order will roll back racial equity, constitutional-based policies of equality, and support for underfunded/underserved communities through the Federal Government. This rollback will affect intersectional identities, harming our communities most at risk.

Executive Order 14171 – This executive order will reverse federal protections for LGBTQ+ members of non-discrimination guarantees across a vast swath of federal government programs, including but not limited to Social Security, Medicare, and Housing programs, as well as federal government employment. LGBTQ+ members make up 17% of the United States poverty rate (Trevor’s Project) and this executive order will only make life more difficult for those who are already most vulnerable.

Only adding fuel to the fire, the new “One Flag Policy” quickly erased the very helpful visibility & recognition for the LGBTQ+ community by no longer permitting the Pride Flag to be raised as a display of solidarity. This policy is a clear infringement of the First Amendment of the US Constitution which exists to protect the rights of citizens to lawfully engage in expression regardless of content or position.

The combination of these Executive Orders with other announcements made in these first few days of a long road ahead will only continue to alienate, diminish, and harm the gay community. North Carolina has seen a rise in suicide and suicide attempts by our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters by almost 0.6%. Early reports even show that as many as 1 in 50 LGBTQ+ NC youth have made an attempt, and 9 in 10 sharing their well-being has been negatively impacted as a result of these orders (KFF Health Organization). The Trevor Project’s Suicide Hotline specifically serving the gay community has reported a 33% increase in call volume for suicide prevention assistance and grief counseling for loved ones of those we’ve now lost.

According to the Williams Institute, over 389,000 adults and 63,000 youth identify as LGBTQ+ in North Carolina itself (Tax Census), and these individuals continue to work and contribute towards North Carolina's progress. Yet, their rights are perilously ignored.

As you can imagine, these recent events have planted great fear in the hearts of North Carolinians in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the allies who support us wholeheartedly. It is, therefore, vital to prepare a formal legal action against these constitutional violations to safeguard the rights of our LGBTQ+ population. This petition is to show the concern of constituents, which includes members of the LGBTQ+ community, allies, political leaders, bipartisan representation, UNC School Directors, and city council members across the state. We are so encouraged by the quick momentum, so today we are very excited to share this with you. Let's uphold our democratic values and protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Sign this petition to continue our fight and urge action by our North Carolina officials for urgent, loud, and public pushback to combat institutionalized anti-LGBTQ+ policies and harmful rhetoric taken by this new Presidential administration.