In an amount of time that would given anyone whiplash, the Republicans in North Carolina’s legislature have introduced and passed a bill that overrides any LGBT non-discrimination ordinances in the state, and also bans transgender people from certain bathrooms.
According to BuzzFeed, North Carolina Republicans introduced and passed this bill within 10 hours on Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, after every Democratic senator walked out of the vote.
Apparently, the bill was specifically designed to override an ordinance in Charlotte, N.C., that would protect LGBT people from “discrimination in housing and public accommodations.” Its goal is also to ban transgender people from using the restroom of their choice (or the restroom of the gender not listed on their birth certificate), with the justification that otherwise sex predators (read: transgender women) could access women’s bathrooms.
Along with the Democrats in the state assembly, businesses like Dow Chemical have voiced their opposition. Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s attorney general and candidate for governor, released a video statement, where he says, “North Carolina is better than this. Discrimination is wrong, period. That North Carolina is putting discrimination into the law is shameful.” He points out how Indiana has lost business (and Nick Offerman) because of a religious freedom law it passed last year which was seen as targeting LGBT residents.
Cooper also criticizes his opponent, incumbent governor Pat McCrory for “[getting] us started down this path.” The bill is currently on his desk, but it’s unclear right now as to what he thinks of it.
(Via BuzzFeed)