Mayors, commissioners and one mayor pro tem signed a letter Sept. 11 opposing the “Defense of Marriage” bills currently under consideration by the N.C. legislature that contain language stipulating that marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in North Carolina.
Tag: LGBT
Showing 64-81 of 81 results
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Legislative sleight of hand: Term-limits bill morphs into gay-marriage ban
The controversial constitutional amendment setting a one-man, one-woman requirement for legal marriage in the state of North Carolina has taken an odd detour as a special session of the Legislature convenes. The wording is the same, but it now appears under a bill number originally intended to set term limits for Legislative leadership.
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Anti-gay marriage amendment sponsor calls Asheville “a cesspool of sin”
State Sen. James Forrester, a sponsor of a proposed amendment to the North Carolina constitution that would ban gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partner benefits, called Asheville a “cesspool of sin” in remarks at a Gaston church last night, according to a report in the Gaston Gazette.
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Gay is the new local
Recently, the two of us sat on Lexington Avenue reading Mountain Xpress aloud to each other. It’s something we do while we take in the goings-on in our neighborhood. We live in downtown Asheville, and while we appreciate the quirky spunk of West Asheville, the almost rural feel of Fairview, the old-school Southern charm of […]
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BREAKING: APD apprehends suspect in hate crime assault
The Asheville Police Department has arrested Lamon Lewis Hopkins, 25, and charged him in the July 14 assault on Luke Hankins. The APD has qualified the attack as a hate crime, with a group of people shouted homophobic slurs at Hankins before Hopkins punched him in the face hard enough to cause three fractures.
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APD looking for suspects in hate crime assault
Early July 14, a group of teenagers, shouting homophobic slurs, surrounded Luke Hankins in the parking lot of the Patton Avenue Ingles; one hit him hard enough to cause three fractures. The Asheville Police Department is looking for the suspects. While the APD has reported the attack as a hate crime, attacks based on sexual orientation aren’t covered under North Carolina’s hate crimes law, so no additional penalties are possible.
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Asheville City Council report: No crime increase since reopening Hillcrest pedestrian bridge
Crime hasn’t increased since the Hillcrest pedestrian bridge was reopened about six months ago, according to a report Asheville City Council received last night.
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Asheville City Council — And the kitchen sink…
It’s a particularly eclectic meeting tonight for Asheville City Council, with matters including a proclamation recognizing LGBT History Month, an update on the re-opened Hillcrest Bridge, expanding the power of the planning commission, establishing an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and transferring housing investigations to the NC Human Rights Commission. For live coverage, follow @DavidForbes on Twitter with #avlgov.
LIVE coverage of Feb. 22 City Council meeting
It promises to be a busy meeting tonight as Asheville City Council considers an equality resolution aimed at protecting the rights of LGBT citizens, as well as a controversial Ingles expansion, among other items. Follow live Twitter coverage here.
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Asheville City Council preview: Equality and Ingles
At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Asheville City Council faces two major issues — the passage of an equality resolution aimed at securing LGBT rights and the approval of the expansion of an Ingles on Smoky Park Highway.
GetEQUAL holds Veterans Day rally to repeal “don’t ask don’t tell”
About 20 people gathered at the Western North Carolina Veterans Memorial in downtown Asheville this afternoon, Nov. 11, to honor LGBT vets who served in silence or were discharged under the military’s don’t ask don’t tell policy. The event was organized by Angel Chandler of GetEQUAL and featured speeches by her as well as 17-year army veteran Alyce Knaflich and Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell.
Scenes from the Rally for Equality
On Nov. 7 in downtown Asheville, about 150 people attended a rally organized by the activist group Just Us For All, intended to “expose inequality and its effects on the LGBTQ community” and oppose the possibility of a state ban on legal recognition of same-sex partnerships. Photos by Jerry Nelson.
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“Rally for Equality” in downtown Nov. 7
Tomorrow, Nov. 7, local activist group Just Us For All, formed after the We Are Not Bashful march earlier this year, will hold a rally in downtown Asheville, intended to “expose inequality and its effects on the LGBTQ community.”
Street Preacher Ruckus
It’s become an annual ritual: Street preachers descend on Asheville for Bele Chere, and Ashevilleans come out to confront them — or simply watch the chaos. This year was no exception.
Shuler bucks his party — again
Rep. Heath Shuler’s vote against repealing the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law is the latest in a line of hot-button issues where he’s split with the Democratic Party. If the results of the recent primary challenge is any indication, that approach is costing him support in his party.
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Rep. Shuler votes against “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal
Late last week Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler voted against repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, asserting that he was honoring the requests of military leaders. Despite his opposition, the measure passed 234-194.
Scenes from the “We are Not Bashful” march
On May 12, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Montford and downtown in support of LGBT rights. The group then gathered for a rally at the Vance Monument. Video by Jake Frankel.
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Behind the “We are not Bashful” march
In response to a series of alleged assaults on LGBT individuals, a march is planned this evening from Montford into downtown. Here’s what’s behind the protest.