Breaking: Action Needed ASAP

I received this email at 11:00 pm on Wednesday night. Please take action. Speaker Hackney is doing a fantastic job protecting our constitution - show your support. Contact him, and your representative and let them know that House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act, should pass including all protected classes.

Here is the email I received from Equality NC:

I'll fill you in on what happened today below, but right now I need you to take action to ensure our anti-bullying bill passes its final vote Thursday afternoon. Click here to contact the representatives now, even if you've contacted them before on this issue. The far right is already generating hundreds of emails against this bill.

Here's what happened tonight. The House is still in session as I write, but took up House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act, right after they returned from their dinner break at 8:00.

Immediately after Rep. Rick Glazier, the bill's main sponsor, presented the bill, Minority Leader Rep. Paul Stam proposed an amendment to strip out the protected categories, including sexual orientation and gender identity, from the bill.

After a debate that was at times moving, at times offensive, and at times just strange, the vote on the amendment was called. The result was a 58-58 tie, to which the Speaker added his no vote, defeating the amendment.

After still more passionate debate and a failed attempt to reconsider the amendment, the bill finally passed its "second reading" 72-45, the first of two required votes to send the bill to the Senate. This is the first time in state history a major piece of pro-equality legislation has passed a vote in either chamber, but we're not done yet.

The House's final vote will be tomorrow, just in time to meet a critical legislative deadline. We'll be working hard with our coalition partners to head off any mischief Rep. Stam and his cronies may attempt.

In order to win this final vote and fend off any more amendments, I need you to take action right now.

Together, we can get this bill over this hurdle and to the Senate.

Please, everyone - it's definitely not ok to harrass children - whether they are queer kids or not. Let our legislators know that we will support them if they support this bill.

Thanks.