Charlotte Council Yanks Potential Repeal of Bathroom Ordinance | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Charlotte Chamber attempted to negotiate deal with NCGA; Human Rights Campaign lobbied to end talks of compromise

    RALEIGH - On Monday afternoon the Charlotte City Council pulled discussion of a possible repeal of its nondiscrimination ordinance, which included a controversial provision allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

    The council's agenda had included a presentation on the economic impact of the controversy.

    "The mayor and city council will work with the General Assembly and with business and community leaders to address the continuing negative impacts of H.B. 2 on the City of Charlotte and North Carolina," a notice on the city's web page said.

    H.B. 2 - or House Bill 2 - is the state statute enacted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory in response to the Charlotte ordinance. The state and federal governments have filed competing lawsuits, asking federal courts to clarify whether H.B. 2 violates federal civil rights laws.

    "Charlotte remains committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community that is free of discrimination," the Charlotte notice continued. "Economic impact information will be shared with council in writing and provided to the media."

    Charlotte Chamber President Bob Morgan had hoped that the council would take up a proposal on Monday evening to repeal its ordinance.

    "We do think that for us to get any positive changes out of the General Assembly, we need the city council to be a part of the dialogue," Morgan said.

    Morgan said that the mayor, city council, and members of the General Assembly have been in negotiations over the city ordinance and state law.

    "There's been some constructive dialogue," Morgan said. "The question is, whether there'll be some constructive action."

    Morgan authored an op-ed published Sunday in The Charlotte Observer urging the Charlotte council to take the first step by repealing its ordinance.

    Morgan did not want to go into detail about the negotiations. "It's very fluid," he said, though numerous reports suggested the General Assembly might consider making revisions in H.B. 2 if Charlotte repealed its ordinance.

    The gay-rights lobbying group Human Rights Campaign accused the Chamber of being an "anti-LGBT bully" for the Chamber's call to work out a compromise between Charlotte and the General Assembly, the Observer reported.

    The Charlotte Chamber is focused on trying to expand protections for the LGBT community, Morgan said, adding that the chamber takes "great offense" at the suggestion made by some that the organization wasn't interested in protecting transgender individuals from discrimination.

    "We continue to oppose discrimination of any sort," Morgan said.

poll#94

Should Americans be thankful for North Carolinians setting precedent in taking a stand for their state's right to manage the safety of their public facilities, where separation of the sexes remains, or should they follow Bruce Springsteen's lead and boycott the state as bigots since they will not allow grown Transgender men to use the same bathrooms /locker rooms as pre-pubescent girls?

  North Carolina is right to control the separation of the sexes as a matter of decorum and safety.

  North Carolina is a bigoted state to not require that children of opposite sexes share the same public facilities with adults of the opposite sex, although misidentified - the Transgender.

  I generally prefer the natural environs of the vacant, although rather public, large tree.

253 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?