Matt Hill Comer, a 19-year-old native of Winston-Salem and sophomore at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), is an LGBT rights activist and youth advocate. Hill serves on the executive board of UNCG's LGBTQA student organization and on the board of directors of a local LGBTQA education, awareness and resource organization. You can read more about Matt's activities and see more of his writings, including his blog, at www.matthillnc.com.

The American South is definitely famous (or infamous I should say) for some very unappealing stereotypes. The State of North Carolina has its own share of stereotypes, too. Despite this, however, the state of LGBT rights isn't always as bad as one might think. LGBT activists and advocates in North Carolina work for achieving small victories which sometimes lead to large victories realizing that even though North Carolinians still have a long way to go, we have also come a long way in our journey towards equality.

Of course, living in a "red state" might not bring all of the same benefits and privileges of living in a place such as Massachusetts, but we do have our own 'claims to fame'. The first is something of which I think many LGBT and straight allied "Tar Heels" are very proud: North Carolina is the only state in the South to kill a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in our legislature for not one, but two years in a row. That in and of itself is not only a blessing for LGBT North Carolinians but something much more; the fact that our lawmakers are unwilling to write discrimination into our State Constitution shows that we are, in some small part, advancing LGBT citizens toward a more equal and accepting existence.

The state of LGBT rights in North Carolina isn't terrible, but there are definitely areas in which we could improve. For years, activists and advocates have fought to add sexual orientation to our state hate crimes and employment anti-discrimination laws, as well as pushing for more legal protections in regards to LGBT relationships, parenting, adoption and safe schools for youth. Even though some areas in North Carolina have become more accepting and equal, many of the efforts of activists and advocates have proven largely unsuccessful.

According to Lambda Legal, only one North Carolina municipality, Chapel Hill offers full domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples. Although the great majority of Fortune 500 companies based in North Carolina ban anti-gay discrimination and offer same-sex benefits, our local governments have been slow to catch up with the times.

As we celebrated the addition of sexual orientation to the non-discrimination policy of Mecklenburg County (one of North Carolina's largest counties and home to the City of Charlotte) in 2005, we were reminded by Equality NC that the city was only one out of seven local governments to take such a positive step. Even though the schools in and around the City of Greensboro recently banned discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, North Carolina activists and youth advocates face the hard reality that the great majority of school systems in our state do nothing to protect LGBT youth. Sadly, many local governments and school boards in North Carolina, including the school board in Winston-Salem, allow religiously-motivated bias and bigotry to hinder the creation of very necessary, protective policies for youth, the most vulnerable segment of the LGBT population.

As someone who is still quite young myself, I feel as though the most important work in North Carolina surrounds our LGBT youth. Slowly but surely, LGBT and straight allied youth are beginning to take action and work toward equality and acceptance in their schools and communities. When I was a freshman in high school, my district had only three gay-straight alliances, including the one I started. Now, nearly two years after I graduated, the number of gay-straight alliances in Winston-Salem has more than doubled to seven. Across the state, the same holds true; the number of gay-straight alliances is continually rising.

Despite the reality that the laws and policies of the state and local governments do not always extend full equality to LGBT citizens, all hope is not lost. As activists and advocates continue working to educate the public and build awareness of LGBT issues, more and more fair-minded North Carolinians are becoming supportive of our struggle towards equality. As the youth of North Carolina grow older and become active members of society, the fact that younger generations are more accepting of LGBT persons will surely have a positive effect on full acceptance and equality for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender-identity.

Along with the other "red states" of America, North Carolina may not be as far along on the journey to equality as Massachusetts, but the simple fact that Massachusetts has been able to achieve many victories for LGBT rights shows activists and advocates in other states that anything is possible with the right amount of time and effort. As a "red state" citizen and activist, I thank everyone in the Massachusetts LGBT community. Your victories give those of us working in other areas of the nation something for which to hope and to strive. •

• "Partial Summary of Domestic Partner Benefits Listings" Lambda Legal. http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/resources.html?record=21#Gov

• "Equality NC Celebrates 2005 Achievements" January 3, 2006, Equality NC, http://www.equalitync.org/news/news-01032006.shtml