The Wedge Brewing Company out of Asheville has a little message for North Carolina lawmakers in regard to its controversial anti-LGBT bathroom law that forbids public schools from allowing transgender students to use the correct bathroom, for which it is currently being sued by the U.S. Justice Department for violating the Civil Rights Act. And that message is currently printed on the bottom of its Iron Rail IPA cans.
Looks like @WedgeBrewingCo has something to say about #hb2 on its cans of Iron Rail IPA. #avlbeer #ncbeer #ncpol pic.twitter.com/uI82xtz1vJ
— Jake Frankel (@JakeFrankel) May 11, 2016
HB2 is the name of the anti-trans bathroom bill that has been a source of economic backlash for North Carolina businesses since the bill became law in March. Asheville in particular (one of the most politically progressive areas in the state) has been hit hard by the anti-LGBT bathroom law, with tourism losses reported at almost $2 million. With those sorts of numbers (and the blatant discrimination toward transgender students of North Carolina, of course) it’s no wonder that the local businesses are hitting back. What better kind of business to send a message than a brewery?
The Wedge Brewing Company began in 2007 owner Tim Schaller and brewmaster Carl Melissas. They’re located in the area’s River Arts District, which is known for its views and thriving art culture.
Their Iron Rail IPA is one of the most beloved flavors for local visitors to the Wedge Brewing Company (and once even the subject of an April Fools’ Day joke where he threatened to stop making it) so if anything is going to send a message to lawmakers, putting that message on the bottom of their beer cans is definitely the best way to go about it.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is currently unmoved in their defense of the anti-LGBT HB2 law. In fact, after the Department of Justice issued the ultimatum for North Carolina to acknowledge the law violates civil rights and hopefully reverse it, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory decided to sue them instead. So, until the matter gets settled, maybe North Carolina lawmakers should open up a can of Iron Rail IPA.
