WASHINGTON – On the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Senate President Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore attempted to pass off to the public an egregious so-called “deal” that doubles down on the state’s HB2-like discrimination against LGBTQ people — particularly transgender people. Over the past several days, civil rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the NAACP, Equality North Carolina and the National Center for Transgender Equality have been working to correct the record on the discriminatory measure.
Please see below what major publications as well as the business and entertainment community are saying:
The Charlotte Observer Editorial Board, “HB2 repeal: Cooper turns back on LGBT community”: “We understand that (almost) everyone just wants HB2 to go away. We do too. But passing something just to put it behind you while leaving tens of thousands of citizens defenseless against discrimination is dishonorable, and should be a permanent part of the legacy of any public official who casts that vote.”
Steven Petrow for The Washington Post, “You can’t compromise on civil rights. But North Carolina just did.”: “In fact, it’s a misnomer to call the new measure a “repeal” of H.B. 2. It’s really more of a replacement or renaming, as the new law doesn’t differ substantially from its predecessor: It prohibits state and local agencies, including cities and the University of North Carolina, from the “regulation of access” to multi-occupancy restrooms, showers and locker rooms unless in accordance with the legislature… The new law also bans cities and towns statewide from passing LGBT nondiscrimination measures through the end of 2020. Transgender people in this state can still be fired at will or denied housing or health care simply because of their gender identity.”
The New York Times Editorial Board, “North Carolina’s Bait-and-Switch on Transgender Restroom Law”: “Getting employers and organizations to steer business and jobs to North Carolina should require more than window dressing. State officials must address the underlying problem: a law that enshrines discrimination against minorities and perpetuates harmful stereotypes about transgender people. Until they do, business as usual will represent an endorsement of bigotry and intolerance.”
Other Top Headlines: Slate, “The HB2 “Repeal” Bill Is an Unmitigated Disaster for LGBTQ Rights and North Carolina;” Mother Jones, “Don’t Be Fooled. The North Carolina “Compromise” Doesn’t Actually Protect Trans Rights;” Dorie Clark writing in Fortune, “North Carolina’s Bathroom Bill Repeal Won’t Bring the NCAA Back;” ESPN, “NCAA, NBA and ACC say they’re pro-LGBT — now’s their chance to prove it;” The Nation, “ The So-Called ‘Repeal’ of North Carolina’s Bathroom Bill Is a Terrible Deal for Civil Rights”
Corporations, celebrities, LGBTQ and allied leaders are also slamming “deal” in North Carolina. They have been calling for North Carolina lawmakers to reject the unconstitutional backroom “deal” on HB2 that could subject the state to years of costly litigation in a shameful effort to continue to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into state law. Check it out what they’re saying here.
