North Carolina, US, has amended its legislation on the treatment of domestic violence victims to include LGBTQ+ people under state protections.
It was the only state which did not have LGBTQ+ inclusive domestic violence regulations, but the change means queer people are now protected across the entire country.
According to Jurist, the ruling came after a woman, who was in a same-sex relationship, was denied a Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVPO) under the terms of the North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS).The NCGS states that only those in heterosexual relationships can claim protection from domestic violence, so her appeal was rejected.