Standing with the LGBTQ community
Wiley Nickel has been a strong, consistent ally to the LGBTQ community throughout his career — in the courtroom, in the North Carolina Senate, and in Congress.
In the courtroom
Before he ever ran for office, Wiley was a lawyer in Wake County. One of the proudest moments of his legal career was winning a constitutional case in Wake County Superior Court on behalf of a transgender client — allowing her to legally change her name after she had been denied that right under state law.
In the state Senate
In Raleigh, Wiley didn’t just vote with the LGBTQ community — he led. He was a primary sponsor of Senate Bill 409, to ban the “gay and trans panic” defense in North Carolina — legislation to stop violent offenders from using a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse to escape full accountability for their crimes. It’s a reform LGBTQ advocates have fought for across the country, and Wiley put his name at the top of it in North Carolina. He also co-sponsored the Equal Pay Act to fight pay discrimination based on sex and gender.
Wiley has always stood against HB2, the discriminatory law that made North Carolina a national symbol of intolerance, and he supported fully repealing it and restoring the right of local communities to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.
It’s no surprise, then, that Equality North Carolina — the state’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization — endorsed his campaign. In a legislature where Republicans set the agenda, much of the work was holding the line against discriminatory bills, and Wiley never wavered.
In Congress
The Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization — endorsed Wiley’s run for Congress as a pro-equality champion. Once in office, he earned a 94% score on HRC’s congressional scorecard.
He was a proud co-sponsor of the Equality Act, the landmark bill to ban discrimination against LGBTQ Americans in employment, housing, education, credit, and public life. He also cosponsored resolutions recognizing LGBTQ Equality Day and LGBTQ Pride Month.
For that work, Advocates for Trans Equality named Wiley a “Trans Equality Champion” of the 118th Congress — recognition for standing against the flood of anti-trans legislation House Republicans pushed.
The one vote critics point to was Wiley’s vote for the National Defense Authorization Act — the must-pass bill that authorized $883 billion for national defense and the pay and benefits of America’s service members. He voted for the underlying defense authorization along with fellow NC House Democrats Jeff Jackson, Kathy Manning, and Don Davis because our troops and our national security depend on it. A vote to fund the military is not a vote against equality, and his 94% record makes that clear.
Where he stands today
Wiley does not support any law that targets LGBTQ people or strips away their rights. He believes all North Carolinians deserve the same dignity, safety, and equal protection as everyone else — and that the job of anyone in public life is to protect all of their constituents, not just the ones who are politically convenient.
As Wake County’s District Attorney
The role of a District Attorney is to protect everyone in the community, equally and without exception. The LGBTQ community faces real threats today — from hate-driven violence to efforts to erase their rights. As District Attorney, Wiley will treat every person who comes through the office’s doors with fairness and respect, take hate crimes seriously, and work to make sure everyone in Wake County is treated fairly under the law.
