North Carolina Pass Anti-LGBT Law! Boycotts Begin!

Pressure mounts on inept governor. Pat McCroy pressured to reverse his decision on North Carolina's anti-LGBT law.

The LGBT community fought this all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to marriage and they won. They succeed in getting marriage recognized in all 50 states and 6 territories.

Now they're back again fighting battles in the old south. But this time, our friends who are transgender are fighting for the right to use the public restroom without being summoned to court.

Pat McCrory, the Republican governor of North Carolina signed off anti-discrimination law which seemingly forgot to include North Carolina's LGBT community. The House Bill 2 was signed into law this week causing a major backlash.

Now it's set off a shitstorm of controversy. McCrory actively pushed for the law because according to his supporters, they don't want a hairy face man wearing a dress entering the women's restroom being a total pervert.

The Bathroom Law as many in the junk food media call it says that it bars transgender women and men from using facilities not based on their "biologically given" sex.

North Carolina passed a law that discriminates against transgender Americans.

The resulting legislation went further. Now cities, towns, and counties can't pass anti-discrimination rules beyond a new state standard. And public schools, public college campuses and government agencies must require bathrooms or locker rooms be designated for use only by people based on their biological sex.

McCrory's office released a statement Wednesday night, saying "the basic expectation of privacy in the most personal of settings, a restroom or locker room, for each gender was violated by government overreach and intrusion by the mayor and city council of Charlotte."

The governor also said the "radical breach of trust and security under the false argument of equal access not only impacts the citizens of Charlotte but people who come to Charlotte to work, visit or play. This new government regulation defies common sense and basic community norms by allowing, for example, a man to use a woman's bathroom, shower or locker room."

Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina, and Equality North Carolina condemned McCrory's action, and announced after the bill became law that the organizations are exploring legal challenges to the law.

Charlotte, NC. The largest city of North Carolina with a population of 800,000 people.

The resulting legislation is a wide-ranging measure that blocks local governments from passing laws protecting LGBT people, requires schools to designate single-sex bathrooms based on “biological sex” and preempts city policies involving wages, benefits and other workplace regulations.

"Instead of solving any real problems, the law would create new ones and could lead to intolerable and unfair conditions for transgender students who are entitled, by federal law, to a safe and equitable education," said Tara Borello, a senior attorney with Lambda Legal.

Republican majorities in the state House and Senate easily passed House Bill 2, blocking Charlotte's bathroom ordinance.

But something very unusual happened in the Senate - frustrated Democrats refused to vote on the bill, and walked out.

Republicans argued that Charlotte had no authority to approve a city ordinance allowing transgender people to use the restroom aligned to their gender identity, a move to protect transgender citizens who felt intimidated or bullied in public restrooms.

HB2 blocks the ordinance and bars any other local government from enacting a similar measure.

"It's a terrible day for North Carolina. It's a terrible day," said Serena Sebring, a member of Southerner on New Ground, a group who came to oppose the General Assembly's vote. "People are harmed, people are going to be continued to be harmed. I would say shame on this state, shame on our lawmakers."

Social conservative activist Tami Fitzgerald led the fight against Charlotte's ordinance, arguing it gave license to sexual predators to enter the ladies' room.

"We're very pleased with the outcome", Fitzgerald said following the Senate vote. "Really it was just common sense, not to allow men in the women's bathrooms".

North Carolina happened to be facing some major heat from business leaders and activists.

PayPal, Dow Chemical, the NBA, the NCAA, Google and other businesses oppose North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law.

The NBA All Star Game will be held in Charlotte for the 2016-17 season. They could pull out if the governor stands firm on his decision.

So it's back to the old ways of the Republican Party. The culture war is back in full swing.