Posted on 09/20/2016 5:09:48 AM PDT by Dacula
The mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, refused on Monday to back off an ordinance that had aimed to expand anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people in the state's largest city but also sparked a controversial state law.
North Carolina's Republican governor and lawmakers blame Charlotte for spurring the state measure, which has drawn rebuke from major companies and sports organizations since it was passed in March.
The state law, known as House Bill 2, requires transgender people to use publicly owned bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate and bars local ordinances protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination.
A spokesman for Governor Pat McCrory told local media last week McCrory would call a special session for legislators to consider a repeal of H.B. 2 if Charlotte rescinded its ordinance.
But Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat, said the city had no plans to reconsider the ordinance at a council meeting Monday night.
"We appreciate the state wanting to find a solution to the challenges we are facing and applaud the governor for recognizing the state should overturn H.B. 2, which the state can do at any time without any action from the City of Charlotte," Roberts said in a statement.
Calls for a repeal of the state law mounted last week after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) pulled a total of 17 championship sporting events from North Carolina in protest of it.
Previously, the National Basketball Association relocated its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte. Entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen, canceled concerts and companies such as Deutsche Bank scrapped plans to add jobs in the state over objections to the law.
Senate leader Phil Berger on Monday questioned whether Roberts was seeking to "prolong this debate for political reasons – regardless of the impact on Charlotte and our state’s business community."
LGBT advocates applauded the Charlotte mayor for standing firm, while some business, tourism and hospitality groups urged elected officials to find a compromise to end the economic fallout.
An Elon University Poll released on Monday found that almost half of likely voters in the state oppose H.B. 2. But the survey also showed McCrory leading Democratic challenger Roy Cooper by about 49 percent to 46 percent and indicated that some opponents of the law still planned to vote for the incumbent.
I just boarded a flight to Charlotte. I’m glad to go there. Stand strong
Good news for a change.
You support the Charlotte ordinance that mandates that men who suffer from a mental disorder that makes them think that they are women must be allowed to use the woman’s bathroom?
Unless the state gets assurances from all municipalities, it won’t matter if Charlotte steps back or not...Raleigh, Asheville, any number of other burgs could step up with their own once the state repeals.
I urge my state legislators to stand firm and not be blackmailed.
Charlotte’s mayor is a hideously unattractive, Leftist dyke who has the local Leftist-Liberal “newspaper” and TV stations in her back pocket.
America’s Democrat-run cities are rotten to the core.
The organizations and businesses that have boycotted have exposed their true colors and we will react to them accordingly.
“LGBT advocates applauded the Charlotte mayor for standing firm...”
You’re proud of Charlotte?
This is very confusing. Probably purposely written that way.
Let me see if I have this straight.
1) The state legislature is against allowing perverts to use any bathroom they want.
2) The mayor of Charlotte supports the perverts’ “right” to use said rest rooms.
Please tell me if I am wrong.
Absolutely not. I misread the article. I support North Carolina for fighting against the homo insanity.
I suspect clyclotic is as confused as I am because of the way this is written. It is not clear if the mayor is pro-pervert or not. I think Charlotte’s mayor is pro-pervert.
See my post 10
The Charlotte ordinance forced privatively owned businesses that had restrooms or any sex exclusive areas to allow men to use the women’s facilities. It also allowed this for all publically owned facilities.
The NC state law gave the choice back to private business owners—Target or Trump or whoever can still choose to let men use the women’s facilities on their own properties if they want. It also requires that folks use publically owned facilities per the sex on their birth certificate.
Freegards
Okay.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
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