Liam Hooper, an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ and a
board member of North Star LGBT Community Center, speaks.
Photo* by Ibdd Luck
Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke speaks during the City Council meeting,
City Council considers action on HB 2
Local LGBT community
asks the council to oppose
what they say is a
discriminatory law
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A resolution voicing concerns about
HB2, which prohibits local ordinances
protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans
gender (LGBT) individuals, made for a
packed, passionate City Council meeting
on Monday, March 28.
It was standing room only as many
came to speak out about HB2. City
Council Member Dan Besse proposed
adding a resolution to the council's legisla
tive agenda calling for a legislative review
of HB2 and asking Forsyth lawmakers to
undo its "damaging legislative changes."
Among its many provisions, HB2 restricts
local governments from going further than
state law in discrimination protections and
minimum wage, and says individuals can
only use public restrooms that match the
gender on their birth certificate, though
private businesses and institutions can still
create their own discrimination and rest
room policies.
During the public comment session,
Liam Hooper, a local minister who also
leads a transgender support group, said he
can't follow the gender on his birth certifi
cate .
"Because of this law, because my birth
certificate doesn't match my gender,
because I was bom in Indiana, I am now
required to go in the women's room," he
said. "I want you to digest that visual
image for just a minute: facial hair and all
and a receding hairline. There's no way I
can walk in there and anyone's going to
think I belong there, which means I'll be
/arrested, and it is my firm belief, after
spending an entire day in Raleigh listening
to the nonsense that our elected officials
are speaking, that is exactly their inten
tion."
Char Van Schenck, a Wake Forest stu
dent, said if HB2 was repealed, it would be
a return to normal, since transgender indi
viduals already use restrooms they're com
fortable with, and urged the council to take
action against the law.
"You would send a message to the
trans people of Winston-Salem, whether
they're here for weeks, for college or for
the rest of their life, that we are welcome
just like everyone else," said Van Schenk.
Dani Bennitez, who is gender queer
and doesn't identify as male or female,
cried, recalling childhood struggles with
gender identity.
"I don't understand why I can't be a
man or a woman, that's how my brain
works, that's how my body works," said
Bennitez. "I don't know how to explain it
to you because you're not in my body."
Jack Fisher of Pfafftown was one of
two people to speak against the resolution
and said he didn't feel like HB2 was dis
criminatory.
"Let's use our heads on this thing and
not let it get so blown out of proportion
that we're comparing it to things that we
don't want to," he said.
Rev. Laura Spangler of Lloyd
Presbyterian Church also spoke in opposi
tion of the resolution, saying she hopes the
City Council considers a "higher power"
in their decision.
"I do hope and pray that you work for
the good and for the protection of women
and children,1* she said.
HB2 was a reaction, largely among
Republican lawmakers, against a non-dis
crimination ordinance passed in Charlotte
that would've provided LGBT protections,
including giving transgender individuals
the right to use the restroom of the gender
they identify as. Opponents of the
Charlotte ordinance
have raised concerns
that it may put women
or children in danger
of sexual assault.
Proponents of the
ordinance have reject
ed that as a scare tactic
and stereotype and
point to the more than
200 cities around the
Van Schenk country, including
three in South Carolina,
that have similar ordinances.
A local rally against HB2 at City Hall
drew more than 150 attendees on Friday.
The ACLU and Equality NC have filed a
suit against the law and Attorney General
Roy Cooper, who is running for governor,
has refused to defend HB2. Many compa
nies have voiced opposition to it and the
State of New York and the cities of Seattle,
West Palm Beach and San Francisco have
already banned non-essential travel of their
employees to North Carolina.
"We're already seeing a widespread
and troubling national adverse effect from
businesses as diverse as the NBA,
WellsFargo, and today we learned
prospective attendees of the High Point
International Furniture Market," said
Besse after he read his resolution.
Most members of the City Council
took the opportunity to voice opposition to
the General Assembly's actions, including
Derwin Montgomery who said every pro
tective class should be concerned about
HB2.
"I think that if we have legislators in
Raleigh who want to meddle in municipal
governments, they ought to resign from
Raleigh and come and run for city council
and board of alderman and county com
missioner and not attempt to run city gov-,
ernment from Raleigh," said Montgomery.
Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke
railed against the General Assembly, say
ing she wasn't afraid of retaliation from
the legislature, a concern several council
members mentioned.
"They act as if they thought we work
for them, they should work for us," she
said.
Recently N.C. Rep. Donny Lambeth,
R-Forsyth, said he felt the resolution
would make it harder for the county's law
makers to do things like preserving sales
tax revenues for cities.
City Council Member Robert Clark
said he had questions on each point in the
resolution and that he'd seen it for the first
time 45 minutes ago. Besse said he'd
emailed it to every City Council member
on Friday. Ultimately, several other coun
cil members had questions about the resof
lution, including James Taylor who recom
mended it go to the General Government
Committee, a move that was approved by
the City Council with Montgomery and
Molly Leight voting in opposition because
they wanted to approve the resolution
immediately.
Mayor Allen Joines invited the many
attendees to come to the committee meet
ing on April 12 at 4:30 p.m. and come back
when it comes before the full council again
on April 18 at 7 p.m.
Arts Council announces 10 mini-grants
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The Arts Council of
Winston-Salem . and
Forsyth County has
announced its first round of
2016 grants made through
its Community Enrichment
Mini-Grant initiative.
These awards provide
community groups and
individuals with grants up
to $500 to infuse the arts
into all segments of the
community, promote cre
ativity, provide greater
access to the arts and bring
people together.
Wells Fargo, which
already funds The Arts
Council's $100,000 Arts
in-Education award pro
gram, is increasing its giv
ing this year to sponsor the
Community Enrichment
Mini-Grants.
"The mini-grants are a
new avenue to reach deep
er into the community with
the arts and broaden their
impact," said Peggy
Reingold, Wells Fargo
Community Affairs
Officer, Triad West Region.
"Sometimes needs and
opportunities arise on short
notice and the annual grant
process just doesn't accom
modate them," said Dara
Silver," Director Member
Services and Grants
Programs for The Arts
Council. "Through the
mini-grant awards, our
board has created a device
to support artistic ideas and
activity in ways other than
through traditional institu
tions and avenues. Ideas
and initiatives may come
from a group of individu
als, churches, community
organizations or even busi
nesses. Getting arts to the
grassroots requires creative
and entrepreneurial think
ing and having a partner
like Wells Fargo is so very
appropriate."
Leslie Hayes,
Executive Vice President at
Wells Fargo & Company
and Business Banking
i
Division Manager for the
Carolinas, is co-chairing
The Arts Council's 2016
Annual Campaign. "Wells
Fargo is proud to support
nonprofits working to
strengthen communities in
the Triad and Western
Regions of North
Carolina" she said.
In this round of
Community Enrichment
Mini-Grants, The Arts
Council received 15 appli
cations and selected 10 to
receive awards of $500
each. The next due date for
mini-grant applications is
April 25 by 5:00 pjn. for
projects taking place June 1
- September 30, 2016.
Projects selected are:
?ABC of NC, a non
profit providing services
for children with autism
and their families, will col
laborate with K Wood, a
local artist and former art
teacher, to work with the
children enrolled in ABC
of NC's academic program
to create original art using
a variety of media and
techniques and prepare for
a gallery show in April
2016.
?Clemmons
Elementary School After
school Art Program, a
grassroots after-school arts
program spearheaded by
Kristina Stevenson, will
have Mary Crockett, local
artist, work with 60 stu
dents to create a variety of
artworks which will be on
display in downtown
Clemmons in May 2016.
?Dale Link and Friends
will make-quilts this spring
and summer for 500 Pre-K
students at 12 Title 1
Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County schools. These
quilts will be used for nap
time providing security and
comfort for students, as
well as teaching them
responsibility for taking
care of their belongings.
Students choose their blan
kets and have them person
alized.
?Forsyth Education
Partnership in collabora
tion with the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools will present the
eighth annual Poet
Laureate Competition for
high school students and
host a reception for all par
ticipating students. A
chapbook will be printed
with all poetry submissions
and paired with student art
Work.
Helen Simoneau Danse
will present "On Site/ In
Site: A downtown
Winston-Salem Dance
Festival," a three-day
dance festival May 5-7 and
free to the community. The
festival will include pop-up
performances, dance class
es, and rooftop perform
ances. Community part
ners include DADA's
Gallery Hop, Krankies
Coffee, Bailey Park,
Mary's Gourmet Diner, and
Paz Studio on Trade Street.
?Lotus & Phoenix
Dance will present "Global
Dance Journey for
Seniors," a one-hour pro
gram of cultural dances
and hands-on movement
for seniors in retirement
communities. The program
will highlight dances from
Chinese, Middle Eastern
and Latin cultures with
modified movement exer
cises to allow participants
to stand or remain safely
seated in wheelchairs.
*NC Brass Band will
perform a concert at
Ardmore Baptist Church
on May 22, open to the
public. The concert will
feature works of the tradi
tional brass band genre,
transcriptions of music for
orchestra, wind band, and
choir as well as other styles
such as jazz and pop.
?Piedmont Chamber
I
Singers will present a con
cert entitled "Liberty" at
Ardmore Baptist Church
on April 23. It will feature
the Twin City Choristers,
the Winston-Salem Girls'
Chorus, and Parkland High
School Chorus.
?Piedmont Craftsmen
will partner with Habitat
for Humanity to create
public art in collaboration
with the community
around the 14th Street and
University Parkway area.
Artist Patrick Robertson
will work with home own
ers to design and create this
site-specific artwork. This
grant will cover the plan
ning stages.
"Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
High School Theatre
Students will present the
second Annual Twin City
High School Excellence in
Theatre Arts (THETA)
Awards on May 20.
Modeled after the Tony
Awards, the THETA
Awards will allow students
to come together in cele
bration and recognition of
this year's high school the
atre performances.
For more information
about Community
Enrichment Mini-Grants
contact Dara Silver, Senior
Administrative Assistant,
Special Projects, and Grant
Program Manager at 336
747-1426 or dsilver@intot
hearts.org.
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