Surprise Move Could Nix NC's Controversial 'Bathroom Bill'

Charlotte rescinded LGBT protective ordinance that started the whole controversy
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2016 11:58 AM CST
NC May Repeal Controversial 'Bathroom Bill' Tuesday
Will HB2 be repealed?   (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Last week saw an "extraordinary power grab" in North Carolina as GOP lawmakers there proposed a slew of bills to strip incoming Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, of his powers. This week, a different kind of movement as the Charlotte City Council voted 10-0 Monday to repeal the LGBT protective ordinance that spurred the state's now famous "bathroom bill," or HB2, which prevents transgender people from using bathrooms that don't match up with their biological sex, the Charlotte Observer reports. The city of Charlotte says in a statement it now urges the entire state "to follow immediately with a repeal of House Bill 2," reports CNN, and the Observer notes that outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory has indeed called for a special session Tuesday to do just that.

"Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore assured me that as a result of Charlotte's vote, a special session will be called for Tuesday to repeal HB 2 in full," Cooper said in a statement. "I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full." Cooper notes that by repealing the controversial law, the state may be able to draw back some of the entertainment and sporting events lost after HB2 protests. Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, meanwhile, says the council's surprise vote "should in no way be viewed as a compromise of our principles or commitment to non-discrimination"—which has a McCrory rep scoffing. "This sudden reversal, with little notice after the gubernatorial election, sadly proves this entire issue originated by the political left was all about politics and winning the governor's race at the expense of Charlotte and our entire state," he says. (More North Carolina stories.)

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