WHEREAS, all parents, regardless of gestational relationship to a child, gender identity, or gender expression, deserve to be celebrated for the love and nurturing they give to their children; and
WHEREAS, at least six million children and adults in the United States have a parent who identifies as LGBTQ+; and
WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ people are seven times more likely to foster children and four times more likely to adopt children into their families; and
WHEREAS, increasingly, many of these LGBTQ+ parents also exist outside a traditional gender binary; and
WHEREAS, terms like non-binary, gender expansive, and agender are used to describe a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine; and
WHEREAS, parenting for those who do not identify as mothers or fathers can be isolating due to a lack of public parenting communities, adequate parenting support systems, healthcare disparities, and legal discrimination in adoption and child custody; and
WHEREAS, recognition of the work and sacrifice of non-binary, agender, and other gender expansive parents, as well as that of other non-traditional primary caregivers, is key to our efforts to create a more inclusive state; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina recognizes any supportive relationship that a child has with their parent and honors gender expansive parents;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim December 4, 2022, as “GENDER EXPANSIVE PARENTS’ DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.