Dear friends,
Our values and our Articles of Incorporation as a 501(c)(3) organization clearly state that participants of any gender, sexual orientation, race, color, national origin and ethnic origin will always be welcomed….and so we are extremely distressed by recent North Carolina discriminatory legislation that has triggered a national firestorm. We committed ourselves 12 months ago to producing our May 2016 nonprofit public-health-advancement conference in Raleigh NC, and when certain nearby politicians took their stunning action 10 months later, we had no option to move our event to another state.
We do what we do precisely because we believe passionately in human rights, for everyone. We seek to spread around to more and more persons, regardless of socioeconomic status or other classifications, an enhancement of the “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” rights: the capacity to pursue individual health to the greatest degree of functionality and fulfillment possible.
We see our conference as a beacon of hope for diversity and inclusion, among our speakers, and among our attendees, and most certainly a safe space for all gender and sexual identities. We ask that persons of compassion join us in our public health mission. In some instances, more may be accomplished by joining efforts within North Carolina to make the planet a better place, than by collectively punishing the innocent in the state who themselves stand in heartfelt opposition to discriminatory practices. THANK YOU for listening!
