The new law has been met with a fervor of outrage from LGBTQ and equal rights activists.
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This shocking revelation came to me this week as North Carolina’s governor signed into law a bill that that overturns local anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people.
In a statement Wednesday night, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said discrimination is not good for business, and called the measure a “bad bill for the Tar Heel State”.
Also, the National Basketball Association suggested the law might have an impact on its decision to hold the 2017 All-Star game in Charlotte, and the NCAA said it will “continue to monitor current events” when considering bids for NCAA events.
In addition, the bill restricts transgender individuals’ use of public restrooms or locker rooms, including those in public schools and government buildings, by prohibiting them from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
Late this afternoon, the North Carolina Senate voted unanimously, 32-0, to pass a bill approved by the House earlier today which bans all cities in the state from enacting LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances.
Critics say that law eliminates anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgendered people.
The demonstrators, carrying signs and chanting phrases like “Trans lives matter”, blocked traffic in front of Republican Governor Pat McCrory’s residence in Raleigh, according to images shared on Twitter by reporters, gay rights groups and protesters.
“The issues of discrimination and violence against transgender people in the context of bathrooms are so overwhelming, that to them it is a cutting-edge problem”, she said. Because of the new ordinance, the NBA is questioning whether or not Charlotte will be hosting the 2017 NBA All-Star game.
“This law ensures that Texas avoids a patchwork quilt of regulations that differ from region to region, differ from county to county or city to city”, said Gov. Greg Abbott (R) past year. There is simply no way to weed out the true transgender person from those who aren’t.
A lawsuit was launched but the courts threw out the challenge on an issue of standing: Because the plaintiffs hadn’t technically been directly physically harmed by the law and could only say they could be harmed in the future, the courts said they lacked the legal grounds to challenge the law. “The LGBT movement is right now focusing its efforts on educating people about who transgender people are, and that is the antidote to this battle”, Levasseur said.
Cooper is a Democrat running against McCrory in the November gubernatorial election.
Tennessee and Arkansas have laws that prevent local governments from creating their own measures outlawing such discrimination.
But corporate America could tip the scale, said Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, northeast of Charlotte.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal has not said whether he will sign or veto the legislation.
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The North Carolina Justice Center, which advocates for the poor, said in a release that the General Assembly “has severely restricted victims of discrimination from meaningful redress”.
