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LGBTQ rights in North Carolina are under attack, but activists and organizers across the state are standing up against hate. In this conversation, Laura brings together featured guests in our award-winning series, “The Roots of the January 6th Insurrection” to hear their stories now leading up to the 2024 election. She first investigated LGBTQ backlash in the state in 2023, one year after a deadly power grid attack in Moore County. It coincided with a “Downtown Divas” drag show that had been harassed for months by anti-LGBTQ leaders. Now nearly two years after the attack, there are still no arrests. Plus, legislators and local leaders have introduced bans on books and gender affirming care for minors. On the heels of 2024 Durham Pride, we bring you this roundtable discussion featuring House of Coxx drag artists Stormie Daie and Naomi Dix; Dix is this year’s grand marshall. Also featured are PFLAG Southern Pines founders Kristen Parker and Erica Street, and Street’s daughter, Alex Lafferty, a young trans activist, artist and composer. How are they creating safety and building community in this moment?

Guests

  • Erica Street, Mother of Alex Lafferty; Co-founder, PFLAG Southern Pines
  • Stormie Daie, Drag Artist; Member of Durham, NC, House of Coxx
  • Alex Lafferty, Daughter of Erica Street; High School Student & Youth Activist
  • Naomi Dix, Drag Artist, Activist & Member of Durham NC BIPOC Operated House of Coxx; Co-Chair, Pride: Durham, NC
    Grand Marshall 2024 Durham Pride, https://www.lgbtqcenterofdurham.org/program/pride/
  • Kristen Parker, Co-Founder of PFLAG Southern Pines

Portions of this interview are featured in our episode, “What’s On The Ballot In North Carolina? Abortion, Trans Life, A Governorship, & Multiracial Democracy“.