Governor Proclaims LGBTQ+ Pride Month

LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH

2024

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated each year in June to recognize the contributions of people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Non-Binary (LGBTQ+); and

WHEREAS, June was chosen to commemorate the riots that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on the morning of June 28, 1969, often viewed as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement; and

WHEREAS, many significant Supreme Court rulings granting or strengthening LGBTQ+ rights have been decided during the month of June, including United States v. Windsor (2013) which struck down the provision that denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages, Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) which guaranteed marriage equality for same-sex couples, and Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) which determined that gay, lesbian, and transgender employees are protected from discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, the undersigned has established policies protecting and strengthening LGBTQ+ rights in North Carolina to ensure all feel safe and encouraged to live lives full of abundance regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, the undersigned issued Executive Order No. 24 to prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in state employment, state services, and state contracts under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Governor; and

WHEREAS, the undersigned issued Executive Order No. 97 to protect LGBTQ+ minors from the harmful practice of conversion therapy by directing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to take steps to prohibit payment for conversion therapy for minors by any provider receiving funds via NCDHHS; and

WHEREAS, Cabinet agencies are working to make state government safer and more inclusive for all North Carolinians; including releasing the NCDHHS Child Welfare Practice Guidance for LGBTQ+ Youth; the NC Division of Motor Vehicles making it easier for transgender people to change their identified sex on driver’s licenses and state IDs; and the Division of Juvenile Justice within the NC Department of Public Safety updating its housing policy to provide guidance for the care of LGBTQ+ minors in youth development centers; and

WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina acknowledges the importance of fostering a safe and supportive environment for all residents, and advocates for statewide protections for LGBTQ+ individuals to make our state a place where all people — regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression — are treated with dignity and respect;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim June, 2024, as “LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.

________________________________________

Roy Cooper

Governor

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirtieth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.