The QTPOC (queer and trans people of color) community has been through a lot between HB2 and the Pulse mass shooting. The QTPOC community wanted to voice that the Pulse shooting calls for the need of a full repeal of HB2. On Wednesday, June 29, The Queer People of Color Collective, based in Greensboro, held a press conference to talk about these issues. Representatives from the collective gave two separate statements, and other QTPOC folks were allowed to give statements as well.

As the press conference continued, a worker for the business connected to the Queer People of Color Collective (QPOCC) disrupted the conference, honking the horn on his truck and asking the owner of a car, that he claimed to be in his way, to move. The person who owned the car moved it, but then he proceeded to park his car in an inappropriate spot. QPOCC leases the a part of the house that the driveway belonged to. Then, he began making noise in the area in which the conference was taking place, causing further interruption. It was quite chaotic as a participant in the conference, as well as a witness to the events that unfolded as a result of the collective wanting a voice in a time when QTPOC are made to feel as if they have no voice. Between an officer referring to our people as “colored” and the remarks made by the man who created the disturbance during the press conference, it felt like a direct attack on our community. You can view some of the things that happened after the press conference ended here and here.

After causing multiple disturbances during the QPOCC conference, the man proceeded to call the police. Upon arrival of the police, they approached him first to get his statement. As he was speaking to the police, the man proceeded to verbally assault many QTPOC. He called one woman “ignorant” and insulted another’s dressing decisions. In my own words, I expressed my frustrations with the man and the police officers, saying, “I came to the press conference today hoping to find healing and offering some words for others to hear. However, the press conference became disruptive quickly. There was a white man with a hat who worked for the company that was connected to the QPOCC House, and he yelled at us to move our car. Then, he rustled through the trees near the house. After that, he called the cops on us. The cops then proceeded to negotiate with him for close to three hours. Not only was this man being a disruption on our property, but the cops did not make him leave immediately. He did not move his vehicle until nearly three hours later. As the cops were talking to him, he verbally assaulted many of us, calling one of the people there "ignorant". One of the cops called us colored as we were talking to him. As a black trans man at this event, this man made me feel unsafe and the police officers did nothing to ensure my safety nor the safety of any of my comrades.”

In short, the QTPOC community was verbally attacked by a man who did not care for our community and the police officers did not take our community seriously. Between the Pulse shooting, all the events since HB2 has been signed into law, and the events last Wednesday, HB2 needs to be repealed. If not because it is the right thing to do, the North Carolina legislators need to repeal HB2 to afford the QTPOC community the same rights as any other human being. Because, after all, that’s what we all are: we’re all human.