In the world according to North Carolina Governor
Pat McCrory, the dastardly liberals of America conspired to create an issue
specifically designed to ensnarl NC Republicans who, by the way, were at the
time operating blithely in their own orbit doing harm to no one, in a gaggle of
tawdry sensationalism and controversy.
In my altogether at variance view, that is truly the stuff of
fairytales.
So how did we get here? On Monday, February 22, 2016, the Charlotte City Council voted by a 7-4 majority to pass a measure granting transgender people
the right to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. As passed, the law was scheduled to take
effect in April. The idea was thoroughly
reviewed and discussed by members of the City Council.
The law banned discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in housing and
places of public accommodation. The most
controversial and hotly debated provision of the law permits transgender
residents to choose restrooms corresponding to the gender with which they
identify.
Other so-called bathroom bills have sparked
pointed debates in local and state governments across the country in the last
several months. En masse, supporters
view such bills as a preservation of the dignity and safety of transgender
individuals. Alternately, opponents see
the measures as opening the door for sexual predators to gain access to
bathrooms of the opposite sex. As an
aside, it is worth noting that while there is no history of rogue predatory
transgender stalking and assaulting unsuspecting members of the opposite sex,
the concern (at least among conservatives) is real, and must be addressed,
accordingly.
The resulting debate in general has been particularly
heated when restrooms and locker facilities in public schools are involved. As it were, the Charlotte measure does not
include schools, but that fact does not remove the element of contentiousness
from the conversation. In fact, the
fervor may be somewhat more heated as the City’s Democratic Mayor goes head-to-head
with a man who is a former Republican Mayor of the City, and the state’s
current Governor.
Charlotte’s Mayor, Jennifer Roberts speaking
after the passage of the law, said:
"I'm
pleased that Charlotte has sent a signal that we will treat people with dignity
and respect, even when we disagree."
North Carolina Governor,
Pat McCrory was already on record expressing concern that provisions allowing
transgender people to select bathrooms based on their gender identity poses a
threat to public safety and warned that state lawmakers could step in to negate
the vote. After its passage, he
addressed the Charlotte measure directly, writing to Charlotte City Council
Members (The Mayor votes only in the event of a tie):
"This
action of allowing a person with male anatomy, for example, to use a female
restroom or locker room will most likely cause immediate State legislative
intervention which I would support as governor."
That is
precisely what the General Assembly and the Governor did. After a one-day special session of the
General Assembly, Governor McCrory signed North Carolina House Bill 2, or as it
has become known familiarly, HB2, on March 23, 2016. The law not only overturned Charlotte’s
anti-discrimination ordinance, but also included provisions that exclude LGBT
people from protection.
The reaction
across a wide spectrum of not so Right Wing elements of America was swift and steady. From planned business relocations to concert
cancellations to conventions pulled to events, and hotel bookings scrapped,
cancellations began to emerge on a regular basis, and continue even now. Almost right out of the gate Bruce
Springsteen cancelled a North Carolina engagement. Since then Ringo Starr, Pearl Jam, Boston,
and 98 Degrees canceled appearances.
Just yesterday Itzhak Perlman nixed a scheduled concert.
By April 18,
or less than a month after the State’s action, the Raleigh Visitors Bureau
reported the loss of an estimated $28 million in potential spending. By the end of April, the Asheville Tourism
Leader estimated that 7 groups had pulled out, accounting for over $1.5 million
in estimated losses. Charlotte,
Wilmington, and High Point, among others, also reported lost events,
relocations, and revenue.
The Kellogg
Foundation pulled a Retreat scheduled for Asheville, Architectural Digest
pulled a Spring Party from High Point, the City of Wilmington lost an
Architecture Conference, Cirque du Soleil canceled, the Community
Transportation Association of America scratched plans, PayPal opted not to
fulfill a relocation to Charlotte, and Lionsgate pulled a new Hulu film, also slated
for Charlotte.
In response
to the pulsating economic dissonance that has resulted due to the imposition of
HB2, Governor McCrory conceived a creatively novel response. He contended, and in fact continues to posit
that despite the fact he personally urged the General Assembly to take action
against Charlotte’s nondiscrimination ordinance, and even though his GOP
colleagues pulled this rabbit out of their top hat after only one day’s
legislative work, and notwithstanding the Republican members of the General
Assembly having drafted and pushed HB2 through both Chambers without the
presence of a single Democratic Senator, and totally discounting that he signed
HB2 less than 12 hours after its introduction, and forget about the fact he has
passionately defended HB2 daily since its inception, the Governor argues, with
a straight face, that liberals are to blame for HB2. In fact, according to the New York Times:
Governor
McCrory said he suspected that “the
entire matter had been orchestrated by Democrats and the Human Rights Campaign,
a national gay rights group, to give Democrats an advantage in a tight
governor’s race." According to the
report, the Governor used the word “Orwellian” twice, in describing the matter.
If you are counting at
home, the City of Charlotte kicked things off with an anti-discrimination
ordinance. This action was countered by
the State of North Carolina issuing a drive by, I mean, one-day legislative
response that came to be known as HB2.
After a series of cancelled concerts, conferences, business relocations,
and other events, the Justice Department entered the fray by suing the State of
North Carolina. That action led to
Governor McCrory filing a counter suit.
In the balance, the feds
offered to relieve the State of $billions in federal funding. The State GOP has characterized this as an
unprovoked threat and insists that the mere suggestion constitutes intimidation
and overreach by the federal government.
The matter has gained attention throughout the country and abroad. I am not at all sure how the matter will play
out when all is said and done. I do
believe both sides are attempting to extract a measure of leverage out of the
proceedings.
By depicting North
Carolina as a victim of an overzealous Federal Regime, intent upon stealing, or at least influencing, a
tight Governor’s race, the Right is attempting to both engender a sympathetic
reaction from conservatives, and jumpstart a robust funding stream, and huge
voter turnout in November. Undoubtedly,
the left would like to activate an empathic response of its own.
Many of my friends and
associates believe it’s just a matter of time before the conservative faction,
after putting up “the good fight,” will recognize that it is over matched, come
to its senses, and concede. While that
would be an outcome many would view as logical, it’s not what I expect. I think the NC GOP, much like the Trump-led
national Republican Party is bound and determined to take down every aspect of
what they consider Obama’s Democrats, or fight to the bitter end, and if
necessary, go down trying. To that end,
I believe they have said, in effect, “HB2: Not in Our (NC)Bathrooms!”
I’m done; holla back!
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