I am once again embarrassed by my state's government
Today, North Carolina's Republican governor signed a bill from its Republican-controlled general assembly, which met in a special one-day session, that institutionalizes discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. You can read takes on the story here or here.
This story started out being about bathroom usage, and the legislature tried to make it about safety, but that was BS. The Charlotte law allowed people to use the restroom of the gender with which they identify. The legislature argued this could open the door to any man going into a women's restroom and putting women there at risk.
In the end, the bill turned into much, much more: denying rights to a group of Americans, and reserving to the state government the right to pass anti-discrimination laws.
Not for the first time, I am appalled at our state government.
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3 comments:
I'm old enough to remember the bumper stickers that read "I'm from NC and I don't support Jesse Helms." I feel like I need a permanent sticker on my forehead that says "I don't support NC's current General Assembly."
In related news, Falstaff Books has just announced a new anthology (fiction and nonfiction) with all proceeds going to the NC Human Rights Campaign.
Details here: https://www.facebook.com/JohnHartness/posts/10154038059761306?pnref=story
Clearly Republican men really like having trans women in the stall next to them when they use the bathroom. Not my kink, but who am I to judge?
Sadly, the only thing that may reverse this bill are an entirely new governor and legislature from the opposite party, or, massive financial consequences in the private sector and loss of federal funds that will force change by the current administration.
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