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The right-wing extremist is running to be in charge of public education in the state.
Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction, is facing backlash after making inflammatory and false claims about the LGBTQ+ community. In a Monday evening post on X (formerly Twitter), Morrow suggested that the “+” in LGBTQ+ includes pedophilia, a statement widely condemned by her Democratic opponent, Mo Green, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations.
The '+' refers to the "limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of our community," according to the Human Rights Campaign. That, of course, does not include pedophilia.
Morrow’s comments came as part of a conversation about school student safety. Referring to teachers convicted of sex crimes, Morrow laid out her plans to enforce stricter background checks. However, she then escalated her rhetoric, attacking her opponent, Green. Morrow wrote, “Mo Green has stated that the Parental Bill of Rights ‘Does more harm than good,’ and he states he is ‘proudly endorsed’ by Equality NC, whose mission statement is to promote LGBTQ+ power. NEWSFLASH…the ‘+’ includes PEDOPH*L*A!! Mo Green will NOT keep our children safe!”
The Parental Bill of Rights, a piece of legislation passed by North Carolina’s General Assembly in 2023, plays a significant role in Morrow’s campaign. The law, known as Senate Bill 49, outlines various rights parents hold over their children’s education, upbringing, and health care. It gives parents the right to direct their child’s education and upbringing, access medical and educational records, and make health care decisions unless otherwise prohibited by law. The bill also mandates that parents are notified of significant changes in their child’s health or well-being, including mental health, and prohibits discussions of gender identity or sexuality in grades K-4.
Critics of the Parental Bill of Rights, including Green, argue that it places unnecessary burdens on educators and can marginalize LGBTQ+ students. The bill includes a requirement that parents must be notified before any changes in a child’s name or pronouns are made in school, which LGBTQ advocates say can out transgender and nonbinary students to unsupportive families, putting them at risk.
Green, a former educator, denounced Morrow’s comments on X, writing, “She’s the wrong role model for the 1.3 million students in NC public schools. Instead of focusing on the real issues facing education, she spreads hate & falsehoods. Every child deserves to learn in an environment that is safe, welcoming, & inclusive.”
LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations also condemned Morrow’s comments. Jazmynne Cruz, communications director of Equality NC, criticized the harmful language in Morrow’s post.
“Rhetoric, like what we’ve seen put forth by Morrow, is ultimately a profound injustice to our LGBTQ+ community at large, as well as to North Carolina residents as a whole,” they wrote in a statement to The Advocate. “When we look at where messaging such as Morrow’s leads, it brings us closer to a society in which fear and hate drive the policies we see implemented at every level of our government. We’ve already witnessed the economic costs of such messaging holding a pervasive role in our legislation, and we deserve to proudly proclaim that North Carolina is home to everyone who inhabits it, no matter their background, origin, or identity.”
Morrow’s controversial remarks come amid a political landscape where fellow Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, currently running for governor of North Carolina, has also drawn heavy criticism for his extreme anti-LGBTQ+ views. Robinson has a history of making inflammatory statements, often equating homosexuality with pedophilia and calling LGBTQ+ rights movements a threat to society.
Robinson’s rhetoric has included referring to homosexuality as “filth” and claiming that LGBTQ+ individuals are leading to the collapse of civilization. He has even gone so far as to say that transgender women should be forced to “find a corner outside somewhere” rather than use women’s bathrooms, calling for their arrest if they enter public restrooms that align with their gender identity. His remarks about LGBTQ+ people have drawn national attention, with critics warning that his views encourage discrimination and violence against marginalized communities.
Human Rights Campaign senior organizing lead for North Carolina Rhys Chambers also weighed in, telling The Advocate, “Politicians and folks running for public office need to show a commitment to honesty and that they’ll serve all of their constituents if elected. But candidates like Michele Morrow and Mark Robinson spread dangerous and inflammatory lies about LGBTQ+ people to distract from the fact that they have no plans to make life better for the people of North Carolina. Their hateful rhetoric comes with consequences — it can be the spark that ignites discrimination and abuse against the LGBTQ+ community. That’s not going to sit right with the more than 3 million Equality Voters in North Carolina who prioritize LGBTQ+ equality when they make their electoral choices – North Carolina deserves better.”
Morrow’s comments have deeper implications for LGBTQ+ youth, who are already facing high levels of mental health struggles due to anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies. Data from The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People provides stark statistics. According to the survey, 41 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, with rates even higher among transgender and nonbinary youth. Fifty-six percent of LGBTQ youth who sought mental health care were unable to access it, further exacerbating the crisis.
Research from GLSEN reinforces concerns about the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, showing that hostile school environments directly contribute to poor mental health outcomes for LGBTQ youth. According to the organization’s 2021 findings, more than 53 percent of LGBTQ+ students reported being verbally harassed at school due to their sexual orientation, while 24 percent reported being physically threatened or harmed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. These students were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to those who did not experience such victimization.
Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ youth reported that their mental health was consistently poor due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation. This issue is exacerbated by laws that restrict discussions about LGBTQ+ identities in schools—nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ+ youth said hearing about these laws made their mental health significantly worse.
