North Carolina is not alone. After last year's Obergefell v. Hodges case resulted in a victory for gay rights supporters all over the country, state legislatures began introducing bills to limit the Supreme Court ruling.
 |
| Courtesy of the New York Times Prostesters against HB2 in Charlotte, N.C. |
This specific law, dubbed "the bathroom bill," specifically blocks transgender people from using public bathrooms of the gender they identify with. Moreover, it prevents cities from creating laws that would protect L.G.B.T. individuals.
The law created a massive backlash not only from the general public, but from politicians, celebrities, and other influential individuals. Twitter users used the hashtag #WeAreNotThis to express their disapproval. A statement by the NBA suggested it was reconsidering the location for the 2017 All-Star Game, currently planned to be held in Charlotte, if the act was not repealed. States such as New York and Connecticut have banned official state government travel to North Carolina. A letter signed by CEOs of large companies such as Apple and PayPal stated that, "We believe that HB 2 will make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to recruit and retain the nation’s best and brightest workers and attract the most talented students from across the country. It will also diminish the state’s draw as a destination for tourism, new businesses, and economic activity."
Is this backlash enough to repeal the bill? Why did McCrory and the N.C. government choose to create laws like these in the first place?
Questions: A lot of articles mentioned McCrory is up for reelection--how might that have influenced his decision? This situation also brings up the issue of federalism--should North Carolina and other state governments have the power to enact these types of laws?
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/us/north-carolina-law-antidiscrimination-pat-mccrory.html
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/30/11331138/north-carolina-lgbt-business
