North Carolina Legislature Set To Repeal HB2

North Carolina Gov.-elect Roy Cooper (D) said the state GOP leaders in the legislature have promised to repeal HB2. North Carolina Gov.-elect Roy Cooper (D) said GOP leaders have promised to call the legislature into a special session Tuesday to repeal HB2, the controversial law that barred anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Cooper’s statement came in response to the Charlotte City Council’s surprise unanimous vote Monday morning to rescind its ordinance providing LGBT protections. The council passed its ordinance in February, which angered the GOP-controlled legislature and prompted it to pass a law invalidating the measure. HB2 barred cities and localities from enacting anti-discrimination policies that protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; it also prevented schools from allowing transgender students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity, rather than the gender assigned to them at birth. It essentially invalidated Charlotte’s ordinance. Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts (D) and city council members had rejected a similar deal earlier in the year, according to the Charlotte Observer. But the situation has now changed, with a Democrat who supports LGBT rights set to take over from Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. Roberts argued that the vote Monday morning “should in no way be viewed as a compromise of our principles or commitment to non-discrimination,” and said she viewed the new opportunity as the first real chance to repeal HB2. McCrory’s office also confirmed on Monday that the governor would call the legislature into a special session. “Now that the Charlotte ordinance has been repealed, the expectation of privacy in our showers, bathrooms and locker rooms is restored and protected under previous state law. Governor McCrory has always publicly advocated a repeal of the overreaching Charlotte ordinance. But those efforts were always blocked by Jennifer Roberts, Roy Cooper and other Democratic activists,” McCrory spokesman Graham Wilson said in a statement. “This sudden reversal with little notice after the gubernatorial election sadly proves this entire issue originated by the political left was all about politics and winning the governor’s race at the expense of Charlotte and our entire state. As promised, Governor McCrory will call a special session,” he added Cooper’s statement also indicates that he may push for statewide protections for sexual orientation and gender identity when he takes office. And Charlie Reece, a Democratic member of the Durham City Council, said he expects cities may pass new nondiscrimination ordinances of their own after the legislature repeals HB2 ― although he added that he was troubled by the “deal” and how it would affect the transgender community. Assuming that HB2 is repealed tomorrow, and assuming that the repeal leaves NC law where it was before HB2, cities and towns across NC… — Charlie Reece (@CharlieReece) December 19, 2016 “LGBT rights aren’t a bargaining chip. Charlotte shouldn’t have had to repeal its ordinance in exchange for H.B. 2 to be repealed. LGBT people in North Carolina still need protection from discrimination. The right action is […]

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