The end is in sight for North Carolina's so-called "bathroom bill," which banned transgender people from using the restroom of their choice. But the expected repeal comes with a catch.
A deal between state lawmakers and the city of Charlotte sets the stage for the repeal of HB2, which started a domino effect of organizations, companies and celebrities pulling their financial connections from the state in protest. Only after the city of Charlotte unanimously voted to reverse an anti-discrimination ordinance that protected LGBTQ rights within the city Monday did Gov. Pat McCrory announce a special legislative session to reconsider the bathroom bill. The quid-pro-quo had critics of the state law fuming.
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"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 Charlotte shouldn’t have had to repeal its ordinance in exchange for H.B. 2 to be repealed.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," Lamdba Legal's Southern Regional Director Simone Bell said in a statement Monday.
The state's governor-elect, Democrat Roy Cooper, pointed out the deal in his statement about the special legislative session, which McCrory, a Republican, said will take place Wednesday.
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Charlotte's non-discrimination law, which was passed in February, led Republican state lawmakers to cook up HB2, which took effect in March. The city ordinance expanded a list of discriminatory protections to include marital and family status, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression. It also allowed transgender people to use the public restroom of their choice, and that provision caused the most controversy.
As backlash against HB2 grew, the NBA, NCAA and ACC relocated sporting events and many jobs were pulled by employers who moved operations elsewhere. Even if the law is reversed, the relocated 2016-17 NCAA championships will stay put, the organization said.
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Transgender rights supporters on social media were cautiously optimistic about the likely repeal, but frustrated to see it come at the expense of LGBT protections in Charlotte.
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