North Carolina Passes Bill Denying Protection to Members of the LGBT Community
- By Elisa Meyer --
- 29 Mar 2016 --
North Carolina governor signs bill that rescinds LGBT anti-discrimination protection.
The State Legislature of North Carolina passed a law revoking all anti-discrimination regulations aimed at protecting members of the LGBT community.
North Carolina Passes Bill Denying Protection to Members of the LGBT Community[/tweetthis]
The passing of the new law comes exactly a month after special measures were introduced by the city of Charlotte to protect the LGBT community from discrimination by businesses. These measures were meant to be implemented on the first of April, this year.
However, the State General Assembly, which was originally supposed to meet at the end of April, called in for a special session to discuss these measures before they were implemented.
According to WUNC, a rushed session such as this has not occurred in North Carolina’s history and this is the first of its kind in 35 years.
The session, which lasted for 12 hours, ended with a bill being passed against the protective measures. The bill was then signed as law by Governor Pat McCrory.
Not surprisingly, organizations, celebrities and groups supporting the LGBT community were infuriated with the passing of the new bill and came out in strong criticism of the move.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the passing of the new bill saw favor with a House vote of 84 to 25 and a Senate vote of 32-0. Democrats showed their dissatisfaction with the new ruling by walking out of the session.
McCrory issued a statement saying that “basic expectation of privacy in the most personal of settings, a restroom or locker room, for each gender was violated by government overreach and intrusion by the mayor and City Council of Charlotte.”
McCrory also tweeted that his decision to sign the bill came as a result of his intention to prevent basic privacy breaches and promote etiquette. He also stated that the measures introduced by the Charlotte City Council “defied common sense” and that they “allowed men to use women’s restrooms or locker rooms.”
I signed bipartisan legislation to stop the breach of basic privacy and etiquette, ensure privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms.
— Pat McCrory (@PatMcCroryNC) March 24, 2016
Ordinance defied common sense, allowing men to use women’s bathroom/locker room for instance. That’s why I signed bipartisan bill to stop it
— Pat McCrory (@PatMcCroryNC) March 24, 2016
Though McCrory tried to imply that the legislation signed by him was bipartisan, reports from WTVD indicated that only Republicans showed exclusive support for it. Democrats, on the other hand, were “outraged” by the new legislation.
Many North Carolina citizens showed their discontent and anger over the new legislation by tweeting their criticisms using the hashtag #WeAreNotThis. One transgendered man even posted a picture of himself on Twitter stating that he was now being forced to use the women’s restroom, thanks to the recent legislation.
@PatMcCroryNC It's now the law for me to share a restroom with your wife. #HB2 #trans #NorthCarolina #shameonNC pic.twitter.com/4b4OdmfmeN
— James P Sheffield (@JayShef) March 24, 2016
I love my state but I'm really ashamed of it today. #WeAreNotThis
— Carrie Rashid (@carrierashid) March 24, 2016
Every time I think NC can't get any worse under @PatMcCroryNC …disgusted! #WeAreNotThis pic.twitter.com/nYcYW0ddlB
— Cyndi Holcombe (@CyndiHolcombe11) March 24, 2016