by Cecelia Horvick 
On March 30, 2016 I attended a rally sponsored by the ECU GLBT Student Union. The goal of the rally was to protest the passing of House Bill 2, a law created that robs transgendered individuals of their ability to use of the bathroom that matches their gendered orientation. This bill was passed in a special session in reaction to an ordinance being passed in Charlotte that would have protected the rights of transgendered individuals. Due to its origins, a side effect of the bill is that in NC there is now a precedent that local laws the prohibit discrimination on bases other than race or biological gender are no longer legal thanks to the actions of the General Assembly.
My experience at the rally was overwhelmingly positive. I arrived around 6 to begin preparing for the march that would begin at 6:30. Immediately I was given a sign to hold and welcomed to the group. From there, the group mingled and passed around signs, flags, temporary tattoos, and more to prepare for the march. At 6:30, we began to march down the hill chanting things like “No hate in our state” and “Trans lives matter”. We stopped marching when we reached the ECU mall around the area of the Cupola. Several speakers then took the podium. Two young transgendered boys spoke about their experiences, one of whom was actually at the debates over the bill as he had gone to ask the General Assembly to not pass it. Other local political groups came and spoke about the importance of voting and afterwards helped people to register to vote.
I would say that I got a lot out of attending the rally. While I already opposed HB-2, seeing the people who were being personally affected by the bill and hearing what they had to say reminded me that simply talking about disliking something isn’t enough, that action in this case is much more effective than words.