In The Battle For Trans Equality In North Carolina, This Teen Is On The Front Lines
North Carolina has become a flashpoint for transgender rights, and Rory Philbrick is one of the faces working behind the scenes of this community’s struggle for acceptance and inclusion.
Philbrick, 19, who identifies as a trans man, is a budding activist who works primarily with Youth OutRight, a nonprofit organization based in Asheville that serves as a resource for LGBTQ youth. The group, which hosts regular support sessions and community activities, sends Philbrick and others as representatives to events in Asheville and surrounding counties.
The teen’s work comes at a time when North Carolina is grappling with the legacy of House Bill 2, a state law enacted in 2016 that prevented local governments from passing LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies and banned trans people from using the public bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. HB 2 was a costly disaster for the state and was overturned in 2017 ― but LGBTQ advocates say the so-called “compromise” that replaced it, HB 142, allows the same kind of discrimination against trans people as the original law. . .