By M.H. Cavanaugh
Christian Action League
March 11, 2016
CHARLOTTE – The man that played a lead role in getting the dangerous so-called “non-discrimination” LGBT bathroom ordinance passed in Charlotte is a convicted sex offender. Chad Severance, who was the president of the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce, resigned after his past recently came to light.
According to information provided by Breitbart News, in 1998 Severance worked as a youth minister and in that capacity allegedly lured younger men to his apartment to spend the night where he exposed them to pornography and tried to talk them into sex. He was convicted on one charge of sexual molestation of a minor, which requires him to register as a sex offender on a regular basis.
Qnotes, the Charlotte area’s largest LGBT news source, says court records show Severance was sentenced to 10 years in prison and served two years before being released on parole.
The details of Severance’s status was first revealed at a Don’t Do It Charlotte press conference before City Council members voted on the bathroom ordinance, but the media largely ignored the issue.
Demi Dowdy, writing for The Daily Caller, says, “The Charlotte Observer, a publication that has consistently championed the proposed ordinance, knew about Severance’s predatory past for several weeks. Not only were press releases sent containing the information, but follow-up calls were made directly to multiple reporters on staff.”
“The violation of the readers’ trust is clear…The reporters at the Charlotte Observer didn’t just turn a blind eye; they covered up the truth,” said Dowdy.
Keep NC Safe, a coalition of groups against the Charlotte ordinance, reports that Severance’s position as an LGBT leader was high-profile. He was instrumental in receiving awards and recognitions from groups like the Human Rights Campaign, Qnotes, and the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. He helped gather data to support the ordinance’s adoption, as well as sponsorships from powerful business interests.
Severance told Qnotes he didn’t think his past was pertinent to Charlotte’s newly passed bathroom ordinance and that he resigned his position with the LGBT Chamber of Commerce because he thought his past was distracting from the organization’s work.
“Regardless of whether or not Severance has had any more sex offender violations, one would have to be devoid of any moral or discerning capacity simply to dismiss he’s a former jailbird that molested a minor. This man was the primary proponent of a policy that makes Charlotte’s public restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, etc. a likely place of ambush for sexual assault and rape. To claim that’s just distracting, or irrelevant is to drink the last drop from the Kool-Aid of political correctness,” said Dr. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League.
“I think it matters a lot. It puts into question the motive behind every piece of data, every argument made, every coalition formed by Severance for Charlotte’s egregious no common sense ordinance,” added Dr. Creech.
North Carolina lawmakers seem to be moving closer to calling for a special session to deal with the city’s new mandate. Speaker, Tim Moore, has already for called one. Senate President Pro-Tempore, Phil Berger, has named a group of 10 Senate members to work alongside Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and the House to craft legislation to overturn it.
The ordinance not only puts both women and children at risk by allowing men to use women’s bathrooms, but it also singles out private businesses and churches by forcing them to promote ideas and participate in events that conflict with their deeply held beliefs. If it is allowed to stand, it will be the first domino with other cities falling after that.
Attorney General, Roy Cooper, who is currently a candidate for Governor, argues that the ordinance should not be a priority for the North Carolina General Assembly.
Senate President Pro-Tempore, Phil Berger has argued that it is Cooper’s responsibility to defend the state against what is an unconstitutional law. Berger said in a statement, “If he refuses to do his job and protect the safety and privacy of our children, then the Senate stands ready to return to session and resolve this issue quickly.”
Take Christian Action:
- Email or contact your state Senator and ask him or her to support the call for a special session. If you don’t know who represents you in the NC Senate, then go to Who Represents Me? on the General Assembly’s website and type in your address on the Senate map. It will give you your District number. Then type in your District’s number in the block for Senate below and it will give you his or her contact information.
- Call the office of Senate President Pro-Tempore, Phil Berger at 919.733.5708. Graciously ask that Senator Berger support the call for a special session.
- Call the office of Governor Pat McCrory at 919.814.2000 and kindly urge him to call for a special session.