Dear North Carolina legislators,

I may not speak for the entire state of North Carolina when I say this, but I think (and hope) that many of my fellow Chapel Hill residents and many others would agree with me that the law passed last Wednesday, March 23, is completely absurd.

For any readers who have not yet been informed, here is a brief overview of the law. It was passed to overturn a law passed in Charlotte that banned discrimination in public places, businesses, etc. based on sexual orientation. This practice in Charlotte would have prevented discrimination in the same way it is federally mandated for gender, religious practice, or race. In the state of North Carolina, it is now legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation and mandated that people use the public restrooms matching the gender marked on their birth certificates, additionally not requiring the provision of a unisex bathroom in public places to spare these people humiliation and disrespect.

So now I pose the question to the governor that many of us are thinking: why? This law undermines the rights granted to each citizen of this country. It’s discriminatory nature and singling out of particular groups is fundamentally unconstitutional. If you individually disapprove of being gay or transgender, that’s okay, you don’t have to engage in those practices and you are entitled to voice your own opinion. However, there is a line. You can think something is wrong all day long, but you can’t tell someone else how to live their life. You can’t punish them or single them out publicly for their choices. That is an infringement of their rights.

I would now like to pose another question: why are we still struggling with the concept of equality in 2016? We as a nation should have learned our lesson by now. All people are created equal. A person’s dignity is not defined by their skin color. A person’s intelligence or ability to do their job well is not determined by gender. A person’s worth is not characterized by their physical appearance, religious practice, or any other factor. Treating someone different based on their identity is dehumanizing. It is wrong. It is unamerican. It is a disgrace to the freedoms and rights we should all posses. We are told that we study history not to memorize facts, but to assess the causes and effects of the mistakes and wrongdoings of our past. So why are we repeating the same mistakes under different pretenses. Wake up, America, it is 2016 and we are still granting rights with strings attached and criteria to be met. It needs to stop now.

So what are we supposed to do? I often find myself feeling so powerless in the big picture. But this change has to start with us. It starts with small changes in the way we see each other. We need to stop stereotyping each other. Just because a person is black, does not mean they are violent or criminal. Just because someone is blonde does not mean they are dumb. Just because a male is gay doesn’t mean he is feminine and vice versa. We are more than the categories and classifications we belong to. Rather than seeing someone as a series of those classifications, we need to see them as a whole. A person. A unique individual with a story, a background, and a future that is different from any other. That’s how it starts.

In relation to this law, we need to stand up for what is right. If you are a business owner, don’t discriminate based on sexuality just because you can. More facilities should install unisex bathrooms though it isn’t mandated. Be a Rosa Parks or an Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Our government is in place to represent the views of the people and to be ruled by and for the people. So the more of us who oppose this injustie, the sooner it will be abolished.

We deserve better. Every single one of us. Let’s learn from our pasts and fight for a better future.

Sincerely,

Concerned North Carolinians