After almost a year of backlash from LGBTQ organizations, businesses, and larger civil society following the implementation of the controversial anti-trans “bathroom bill” HB2, anti-equality North Carolina legislators have passed legislation that repeals HB2. Yet the new law, HB142, continues to allow discrimination against LGBTQ people — and gives the state the right to regulate public bathrooms and prevent local governments from legislating anti-discrimination laws.
Pro-equality legislators — including both LGBTQ state lawmakers in North Carolina — argued the bill does not repeal the harms caused by HB2, and voted against it. They criticized the measure for continuing to leave trans people unprotected from harassment and discrimination, and from taking power away from local governments that want to protect LGBTQ people.
Openly gay state representative Cecil Brockman criticized opponents for not even speaking with the trans community about the legislation: “When you talk about an issue that affects LGBT people, you would think that you would want to hear their opinion.” Victory Institute President & CEO Aisha Moodie-Mills also weighed in on the issue in a recent interview with the Washington Blade, saying that in signing HB142 in to law, “[NC Governor Roy Cooper] threw the LGBT community under the bus.”
While HB142 will continue to harm the LGBTQ community in North Carolina, they are fortunate to have LGBTQ state lawmakers like Cecil Brockman and Deb Butler continuing to lead the charge against anti-equality efforts.
