Tiz Giordano

Carrboro, NC

Tiz Giordano is an essential grocery worker and community organizer living in Carrboro, one of the first North Carolina municipalities to pass LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections earlier this year.

As someone who lives in an extremely progressive pocket of North Carolina, Giordano takes comfort in the safety and security they feel as a queer + gender non-conforming worker at Weaver Street Market. But they know that not all LGBTQ folks in North Carolina feel the same level of protection.

“If I were to leave my super queer-affirming workplace, I honestly don’t really know of any other blue collar, living wage jobs in the area that I would feel this safe,” they said. “I am afraid I would have to go back into the closet in order to make money and pay my rent.”

Giordano also worries about threats to their safety were they to travel to other parts of North Carolina. Currently, only about 7% of North Carolinians live in municipalities that provide nondiscrimination protections along the lines of sexual orientation and gender identity.

"It would mean so much to me + my loved ones to see those protections in place when we leave our little queer friendly town and travel across the state. But for queer folks that live in less progressive areas, these protections are necessary for survival! Bigots that try to block our community from accessing public spaces, housing, employment, and medical care need to know that their victims have the power of the justice system behind them and a discrimination case in court. And young North Carolinians just finding their LGBTQIA+ identities need to know that they have the same opportunities and legal protections as their peers! It's 2021, the time for these protections to be implemented statewide was yesterday, ya'll...NC is ready!"

Join Tiz in calling for statewide action on LGBTQ protections by clicking here and sending a message to your elected officials in the North Carolina General Assembly.