News outlets have forecasted that Josh Stein has won the North Carolina Gubernatorial election. In electing Stein, voters have endorsed his long track record of supporting LGBTQ+ equality and also decisively rejected Mark Robinson, an extreme candidate with a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs and public statements.
As Lieutenant Governor, Robinson was one of the most virulently anti-LGBTQ+ elected officials in the country. He stoked the flames that allowed the passage of three anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2023 and has lambasted LGBTQ+ people, women, Muslims, and Jewish people. He has specifically vilified transgender people at every turn – and this year said that transgender women should be arrested for using bathrooms that are in line with their gender identity, and instead just “find a corner outside somewhere.” Click here to learn more about his long history of anti-LGBTQ+ comments.
Adam Polaski (he/him pronouns), Communications & Political Director for the Campaign for Southern Equality, said today:
“North Carolinians soundly rejected the divisive, hateful rhetoric of Mark Robinson tonight – because most North Carolinians don’t want our state to be led by an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist. Our state will be much better off under the leadership of Governor-elect Stein, and we look forward to working with his administration to undo some of the harm caused by North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including the “Don’t Say LGBTQ+” law impacting schools and the laws prohibiting transgender youth from accessing healthcare or playing school sports. We can and we will build a more inclusive and welcoming North Carolina for all of us.”
An estimated 382,000 LGBTQ+ people live in North Carolina, and 26% are raising children.
