After Roberts announced Charlotte won’t repeal its non-discrimination ordinance as part of compromise to repeal HB2, Cooper called on the legislature to convene a special session to take the anti-LGBT law off the books.
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Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said House Bill 2 will not be added to council agenda tonight.
North Carolina GOP leaders offered to repeal the state’s “bathroom bill” under the condition that Charlotte drop the ordinance that caused the bill.
McCrory, who signed HB2 and has continued to defend it as a bathroom safety issue, has said he would seek to quickly repeal the law if Charlotte first nullified its ordinance – a move opposed by many on City Council and members of the local LBGT community.
But Mayor Roberts has made it clear that HB2 can be repealed without the city removing its non-discrimination protections.
Before Charlotte’s ordinance could take effect last spring, Republicans held a special session to block all local governments from passing similar rules, and to limit bathroom options for transgender people.
Last week that the Atlantic Coast Conference followed the NCAA in announcing it would move 10 college sports championships from North Carolina in protest of the controversial House Bill 2 law.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts says she applauds Gov. “It is the governor’s understanding that legislative leaders and the lieutenant governor agree with that assessment”, said Josh Ellis, communications director for McCrory.
“We are not going to consider repeal of the Charlotte ordinance on non-discrimination at this evening’s meeting”, she said at the meeting.
About three-fifths of respondents said House Bill 2 has hurt North Carolina’s reputation, while only 11.4 percent said it has helped. But the statement added leadership did believe there would be momentum for a full repeal, but only if Charlotte acted first.
Pope was urging repeal of both the state law and the city ordinance and the formation of a blue ribbon commission to explore a long-term solution.
Even before the possibility of Charlotte rescinding its ordinance was discussed, at least two GOP state senators – Tamara Barringer, of Cary, and Rick Gunn, of Burlington – have called for either changing the law or repealing it. “This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them – indeed, to protect all of us”, Lynch said at a news conference. “It is the governor’s understanding that legislative leaders and the lieutenant governor agree with that assessment”.
North Carolina is also fighting another lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality. “If they won’t repeal their ordinance, I certainly will not vote to repeal our law”. “Instead, McCrory, Berger and Moore aren’t seeing 180 days of loss”.
But facing a possible election defeat to a pro-LGBT Democrat in November, McCrory has struggled to try and reach a “compromise” on the issue, after revelations about the insane amount of taxpayers’ money he has wasted on the project.
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The moderator of the event introduced the questions as coming from The Observer, however they had all been written by McCrory’s staff, the Observer found. “2 will accomplish this”, Cooper’s statement said.
