CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Charlotte celebrates Pride this weekend, the North Carolina LGBTQ+ community is facing new restrictions that the General Assembly passed this week.
"We've come a long way. But the battle is not over, Liz Schob, communication manager of Charlotte Pride, said. "The journey is not over. We have a long way to go. And frankly, we can't do this alone. We need folks who are allies to step up and walk beside us and help us keep doing this work."
On Wednesday, a GOP supermajority in the General Assembly overrode Governor Cooper's vetoes and passed a host of new laws impacting the LGBTQ+ community. They include a ban on trans women from participating in women's sports, a ban on doctors from providing gender-affirming care to minors and a ban on elementary schools having any materials dealing with gender and sexuality. Teachers would also be legally required to "out" any of their transgender students to the child's parents.
Conservatives have argued the measures are common sense solutions.
The Charlotte Pride Parade is the largest parade the city hosts each year.
"It couldn't be more timely, because we all just need to kind of come together and have a moment of joy," Schob said.
"We have over 40 floats, 200 entries and almost 10,000 people that we anticipate marching," Daniel Valdez, director of Charlotte Pride, said.
The Charlotte Pride Festival runs from Aug. 19-20, 2023. The Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. on Aug. 20.
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