Welcome!
 

Mecklenburg Gay & Lesbian Political Action Committee (most commonly known as just "MeckPAC") is registered with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize the gay/lesbian community and its many allies in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County to vote and participate in city/county elections, to educate city/county elected officials about issues of importance to the gay/lesbian community, and to hold city/county elected officials accountable for their votes on such issues.

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 election of all five of MeckPAC's endorsed candidates on the November 4 ballot ensures that the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners will continue to be composed of a solid majority of commissioners who support gay/lesbian equality!
 
The newly-elected nine-member board will take office in January with MeckPAC-endorsed candidates Dumont Clarke (re-elected incumbent), Harold Cogdell, Vilma Leake, Dan Murrey, and top-vote-getter Jennifer Roberts (re-elected incumbent) all being sworn in at that time.
 
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 (see mission statement at top of this site) 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.  Charlotte City Council/Mayor and the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Board of Education were not on this November's ballot.  They will be up for election on the November 2009 ballot.  At that time, MeckPAC will offer the same voter guidance for those races that it offered for the County Commission races this November.
 
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 your support -- through both your financial contributions (see "Make a Donation" link to the left) and your volunteer efforts (see "MeckPAC Leadership and How to Volunteer" link to the left) -- that allow MeckPAC to continue its vital mission!
U.S. Chooses Change!
Barack Obama thumped John McCain in the Electoral College tally and handily won the popular vote, becoming the first African-American elected president of the U.S. Obama told supporters, "change has come to America." Read more at cnn.com