Out Of The Closet And Inside The Office, A Conversation With NC's LGBTQ Elected Officials

By Anita Rao,

Published April 7, 2017 at 12:07 PM EDT

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Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara was elected Buncome County Commissioner in 2016. She is the first openly gay person to hold the position.

Max Cooper Photography

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Mark Kleinschmidt served as the mayor of Chapel Hill for 6 years. He was the first openly-gay individual to serve in that role.

Courtesy of Mark Kleinschmidt

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Deb Butler, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, is one of three openly-LGBTQ members of the General Assembly.

Courtesy of Deb Butler

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"Being LGBTQ in North Carolina: A Conversation with Out NC LGBTQ Elected Officials" takes place today at 4 p.m.

Courtesy of Andrew Reynolds

Thirty years ago Chapel Hill Town Council member Joe Herzenberg made history when he became the first openly gay elected official in the South. Today there are 13 openly-LGBTQ individuals serving in elected office in North Carolina. The social and political climate in the state has evolved dramatically in three decades, but many argue that the heated debate around House Bill 2 shows that LGBTQ issues are still politically divisive.

Current and former out LGBTQ elected officials will gather at UNC-Chapel Hill today as part of an academic initiative looking at the link between the representation of LGBT people and the legal and political rights afforded to those groups. Host Frank Stasio is joined by three participants to discuss their personal stories and experiences serving in state office. He talks with Mark Kleinschmidt, former mayor of Chapel Hill,Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, commissioner in Buncombe County, and Deb Butler, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives serving the state's 18th District

“Being LGBTQ in North Carolina: A Conversation with Out NC LGBTQ Elected Officials”takes place in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium of the FedEx Global Education Center at UNC-Chapel Hill today from 4-5:30 p.m.