A North Carolina Senate committee on Thursday advanced legislation that would repeal a controversial law that bars people from using the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity. But the compromise reached by lawmakers was quickly criticized by LGBTQ groups.
A vote in the full Senate is expected later Thursday morning, followed by one in the House.
The controversial measure, HB2, was signed into law last year and led to widespread backlash against the state. The compromise repeals the law, but allows the state to regulate bathroom facilities. It also prohibits local municipalities from passing their own nondiscrimination ordinances until 2020, according to The New York Times.
“The initiative is not a repeal,” said Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality NC. “It’s doubling down on the discrimination that HB2 exacts ― it’s HB2.0. It doesn’t allow municipalities to protect people from discrimination till 2020.”
“It doesn’t do anything to better the lives of LGBT North Carolinians,” he continued.
Lawmakers came close to repealing HB2 in December of last year but the effort failed, in part because it barred local municipalities from passing their own non-discriminat
“Passing this bill would mean that North Carolina continues to be one of the very few states where it’s illegal for cities to protect the rights of their residents,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
The timing of the deal is not coincidental. The NCAA said last week that it would continue to not hold events in the state because of the law, and a sports event recruiter said Tuesday that the organization had threatened to drop North Carolina’s bids from consideration if the legislature hadn’t addressed the law in the next 48 hours. The NCAA is set to announce host cities for its postseason events through 2022 on April 18.
“Once the sites are selected … those decisions are final,” the NCAA said.
“North Carolinians want a clean repeal of HB2, and we urge our allies not to sell us out,” Sgro said. “Those who stand for equality and with LGBTQ people are standing strong against these antics. We’ve got less than 24 hours before the NCAA deadline. There is no time to waste ― our leaders must fight for what’s right, and that is full repeal.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, pushed legislators to avoid being “sellouts” in a statement released Wednesday evening after the deal was suddenly announced.
“The consequences of this hateful law will only continue without full repeal of HB2,” he said. “Sellouts cave under pressure. Leaders fight for what’s right.”
The Associated Press calculated this week that HB2 would cost the state over $3.7 billion over 12 years from lost business.
Simone Bell, Lambda Legal’s Southern regional director, said the deal is just a “quick fix.”
“There can be no compromise on civil rights, and HB2 has proven this over the last year,” she said. “This so-called ‘deal’ may be an economic quick fix, but it continues to write discrimination into the law. A deal that leaves out LGBT North Carolinians, and particularly transgender people, should be no deal at all. It is shameful to stamp a start date on equality. Lawmakers should demand a full, clean repeal, and enact comprehensive nondiscriminat
In a statement Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said that while the bill wasn’t perfect, it would begin to help the state repair its image.
“It’s not a perfect deal, but it repeals House Bill 2 and begins to repair our reputation,” Cooper said.
But Sarah Gillooly, policy director for the ACLU of North Carolina, called the deal “disgraceful” and urged the governor to reconsider.
“Lawmakers must vote against this proposal, and should it reach his desk, Governor Cooper should withdraw his support and veto it,” she said.
Former Gov. Pat McCrory (R), who signed the bill last year, said he supported the compromise.
“I urge the Generally Assembly and the current governor to finally stick with an agreement that is a common-sense reset that respects privacy and allows the Supreme Court to resolve this issue for our nation once and for all,” McCrory wrote on Facebook. “How our country legally defines gender ultimately will not be decided by any mayor, governor, state legislature, or university chancellor on the board of the NCAA.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
from The Huffington Post | The Full Feed http://ift.tt/2ocwJq3
via IFTTT
EmoticonEmoticon