CARRBORO, N.C. (WNCN) – The Carrboro Town Council unanimously approved an ordinance to expand anti-discrimination protections for members of the LGBTQ community.
The council’s move came after the expiration of a moratorium on anti-bias ordinances that spawned during the effort to remove House Bill 2 — North Carolina’s “bathroom bill.”
“Enacting an ordinance which enforces loving thy neighbor as you love thyself is following Christ,” said councilmember Jacquelyn Gist while discussing the ordinance in the context of her faith.
The ordinance will be enforced through a misdemeanor charge or an injunction.
“Not that I necessarily anticipate that we’ll have any number — if any large number — of folks who are violating this, but I kind of feel like we understand it’s such a strong value to this community that we want it to have some teeth in it,” said Mayor Lydia Lavelle.
The Town of Hillsborough on Monday voted unanimously to provide new protections for LGBTQ persons. Chapel Hill will take up a similar ordinance on Wednesday.