Some LGBT Groups Question Deal Swapping Charlotte LGBT Protections For House Bill 2 Repeal
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | December 20, 2016
Several LGBT groups on Monday questioned a deal that swaps Charlotte's LGBT protections for repeal of North Carolina's House Bill 2.
Republican leaders passed HB 2 in response to passage of Charlotte's LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance. The law blocks Charlotte and other cities from enacting such measures and prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice in many buildings.
Democratic Governor-elect Roy Cooper on Monday announced a deal that calls for repeal of Charlotte's ordinance in exchange for repeal of House Bill 2.
On Monday, Charlotte did its part, repealing its ordinance, and state lawmakers are expected to repeal House Bill 2 on Tuesday during a special session.
A coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of North Carolina and Lambda Legal are challenging the law in federal court.
“H.B. 2 was an unprecedented attack on the LGBT community, in particular against transgender people, and we are encouraged that its days are numbered,” said Sarah Gillooly, policy director for the ACLU of North Carolina. “It is imperative that the General Assembly hold up their end of the deal and repeal H.B. 2 in full without delay. This will be an important step for North Carolinians to move forward, but it never should have come at the cost of protections for LGBT people living in Charlotte.”
“LGBT rights aren’t a bargaining chip,” Lambda Legal's Simone Bell said in a statement. “Charlotte shouldn’t have had to repeal its ordinance in exchange for H.B. 2 to be repealed.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.”
Equality North Carolina Executive Director Chris Sgro stopped short of criticizing the deal.
“The problem has never been Charlotte. Charlotte’s ordinance was a best practice employed in hundreds of cities across the country,” said Sgro. “The Charlotte City Council and mayor did the right thing by passing their ordinance – HB2 is wrong. Since its passage, the deeply discriminatory HB2 has hurt our economy and people. Now, the General Assembly must fully repeal HB2 so that we can start the necessary talks for protecting LGBTQ people and bring back businesses across the state. We look forward to working with Governor-elect Cooper to win protections community by community and statewide.”