On September 16th, HRC and Equality NC, the statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for LGBTQ North Carolinians, rejected calls for Charlotte’s City Council to rescind a non-discrimination ordinance before any consideration is made of changes to HB2, the vile law that has written anti-transgender discrimination into law and prevented local communities from passing their own LGBTQ non-discrimination measures.
“This is the same cheap trick the North Carolina General Assembly has attempted all along, asking Charlotte to repeal crucial protections for the LGBTQ community and trust they will hold up their end of the bargain on a full repeal of HB2,” said JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “This arrangement would create problems, not solve them. It would require Charlotte to drop the very protections for the LGBTQ community that businesses, the NCAA and other organizations have now made clear are need and are a priority.”
“We can’t afford more antics from Pat McCrory, Phil Berger, and Tim Moore. They are the ones who got us in this situation in the first place and are costing our state millions,” said Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality North Carolina. “Hundreds of other cities across the nation already had in place a similar ordinance to Charlotte’s. While important to the LGBT community, it was not unique. What is unique and dangerous is HB2. It’s HB2 that cost us the NCAA, ACC, and the NBA. It’s HB2 that’s causing us economic harm, and it’s HB2 that needs to be repealed. Enough games and blame – repeal HB2.”
Not only do more than 100 communities across the country have non-discrimination protections like Charlotte, so do 19 states and hundreds of Fortune 500 companies. Just this week, the NCAA and ACC have joined more than 200 major business leaders in calling for full repeal of HB2. Repealing Charlotte’s non-discrimination ordinance would leave North Carolina without an “inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans,” which the NCAA called for the same week.
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