Welcome!
 
Mecklenburg Gay & Lesbian Political Action Committee (most commonly known as just "MeckPAC") is a non-partisan, non-profit organization registered with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. The organization's mission is...
 
1) to mobilize the Charlotte/Mecklenburg gay/lesbian community and its allies to vote in local elections
   
2) to, for each local election, provide a voter guide that rates candidates based on their positions on gay/lesbian equality
   
3) to educate local elected officials on issues important to the gay/lesbian community and advocate for political action by those officials on such issues when necessary
   
4) to hold local elected officials accountable for their votes on issues important to the gay/lesbian community
   
5) to provide financial contributions to the campaigns of candidates for local office who support gay/lesbian equality
   

MeckPAC is allied with the important political advocacy work for gay/lesbian equality that is provided by EqualityNC (ENC) at the state-government level and by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) at the federal-government level. Support for all three levels of political advocacy (local, state, and federal) is crucial to achieving full gay/lesbian equality.
ALL OF MECKPAC'S ENDORSED CANDIDATES
WIN!
 
 
MeckPAC steering committee chairman Phil Hargett (far left) presents MeckPAC campaign contributions to County Commission candidates Jennifer Roberts, Dan Murrey (center), and Harold Cogdell (far right).  
 

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners is composed of a solid majority of commissioners who support gay/lesbian equality because  all five of MeckPAC's endorsed candidates on last fall's (November 4, 2008)  ballot were elected. MeckPAC's endorsed candidates were:   Dumont Clarke (re-elected incumbent), Harold Cogdell,  Vilma Leake, Dan Murrey, and top-vote-getter Jennifer  Roberts (re-elected incumbent).

MeckPAC's endorsement of these candidates was based on their positive responses to a written survey provided by MeckPAC, on interviews with the candidates conducted by MeckPAC's steering committee, and on evaluations of their past performance in elected office (if applicable) as it relates to gay/lesbian equality.
 
MeckPAC's mission involves political advocacy only with city/county government in Charlotte/Mecklenburg. Therefore, the city/county governing bodies that MeckPAC provides candidate endorsements for include: the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, the Charlotte City Council and Mayor, and the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Board of Education.
 
With all the news about gay marriage laws at the state and federal levels of government, it's easy to see why it's vitally important to have organizations like the Human Rights Campaign that promotes gay/lesbian equality at the federal level and EqualityNC that does so at the state level.  But, you may be asking yourself, why is it so important to have an advocacy group like MeckPAC that deals with promoting gay/lesbian equality at the city/county level of government only?  
 
Why?  Because local governing bodies here in Charlotte/Mecklenburg still need to adopt important policies and laws, including: allowing domestic partnership benefits for city and county employees, and the inclusion of "sexual orientation" in the list of protected categories in the city's nondiscrimination employment policy (the county's policy already includes "sexual orientation" thanks to MeckPAC's past advocacy).  
 
There's still work to be done and MeckPAC will continue to be there to do it.  MeckPAC is proud to have been a part of milestones that have already been achieved in the struggle for local gay/lesbian equality like:  the defeat of anti-gay local candidates, the inclusion of "sexual orientation" as one of the protected categories in the county's nondiscrimination policy, and the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Board of Education's adoption of an anti-bullying policy that specifically includes "sexual orientation" in its language.
 
Thank you for both your financial support (see the "Make a Donation" link to the upper left) and your volunteer efforts (see "MeckPAC Leadership and How To Volunteer" link in the upper left), both of which allow MeckPAC to continue its vital mission!
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