US — Charlotte, North Carolina. Convicted child sex offender Chad Sevearance-Turner is a highly esteemed activist for transgender rights in Charlotte, North Carolina. As president of Charlotte’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CLGBTCC), Mr Sevearance-Turner led the effort to overturn North Carolina’s law barring people from using restrooms, locker rooms and dressing room facilities reserved for the other sex. He received multiple honors for his work at CLGBTCC, including Person of the Year.

In 1998, 20-year-old Mr Sevearance-Turner took advantage of his position as music minister at a church by sexually violating underage boys who were members of the congregation. Three boys accused the music minister of unwanted sexual contact.

According to his victims, Mr Sevearance-Turner would invite adolescent boys to his house, show the boys pornographic videos of men and women engaged in sex acts, and ask the boys sexual questions. Mr Sevearance-Turner’s pattern was to have visiting boys sleep in the bed beside him. Once the boys had fallen asleep, the church music minister would sexually assault each boy. The victims would awaken to find Mr Sevearance-Turner manipulating their private parts with his hand.

Mugshot of Chad Sevearance Turner

Mr Sevearance-Turner was charged for the first of the three boys to accuse him of molestation. The victim was 14-years-old at the time of the attack. Mr Sevearance-Turner was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served only two years behind bars before being released on parole.

In 2016, Tami Fitzgerald of the N.C. Values Coalition exposed Mr Sevearance-Turner’s criminal record of child molestation, pointing out that a convicted sex offender was changing long-term legal policy designed to protect the safety and privacy of women and girls while using public showers, locker rooms, restrooms, dressing rooms and similar public accomodations. Mr Sevearance-Turner resigned in disgrace – though he remained as advisory consultant to the board.

Melissa Morris was promoted from Vice President of External Affairs to succeed Mr Sevearance-Turner as President of the CLGBTCC board, becoming the first black woman in the position.

According to LGBT arts, entertainment and news publication QNotes, Ms Morris admitted that CLGBTCC had long been aware of Mr Sevearance-Turner’s child sexual abuse conviction, but she argued that Mr Sevearance-Turner’s history of sexually attacking minors was irrelevant to his work in the organization.

Following the exposure of Mr Sevearance-Turner’s criminal record by the media, his CLGBTCC colleagues had begged him to stay, Ms Morris confessed. “We’re like a family, and as a family, it’s difficult for us to see any one of us put in a bad situation,” she explained.

Just months after accepting the position, Ms Morris stepped down. The CLGBTCC website shows Mr Sevearance-Turner has since been quietly reinstated as President of the organization.

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Race: W Sex: M Height: 5′ 09″ Weight: 179 lbs. Hair: BROWN Eyes: GREEN Birth Date: 11-30-1977 Registration Type: Regular Minimum Registration Period: 10 YEARS