North Carolina poised to repeal 'most extreme anti-LGBT measure in the country'

The state legislature will meet in Raleigh on Tuesday to get rid of the law

(Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer via AP)

The LGBT community and its supporters are celebrating after politicians in North Carolina said they were set to repeal a controversial law that was widely condemned as being discriminatory.

HB2, or the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, bans people from using a public lavatory that does not correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate. Those opposed to the bill said it specifically targeted transgender individuals.

North Carolina governor-elect Roy Cooper said on Monday the state legislature would meet on Tuesday to get rid of the law, which has been called the most “extreme anti-LGBT measure in the country”.

Mr Cooper said the legislature will repeal the bill in full. His announcement followed the Charlotte City Council’s 10-0 vote to rescind the ordinance that led to the bill’s passage.

In a statement, Mr Cooper confirmed his deal with senate and house leaders to overturn the law.

“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 HB2 in full. I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full,” Mr. Cooper said in a statement.

“Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state,” he added.

Former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory signed the bill into law on March 24 after a Republican majority passed the bill in the senate — causing an uproar in the form of protests and boycotts among the LGBT community and supporters across the country the United States.

The state lost the ACC Championship football game, a planned expansion by PayPal and revenue from multiple concert cancellations.

The Department of Justice even filed a lawsuit against North Carolina after the bill went into effect, calling the law discriminatory.

The North Carolina General Assembly amended a section of HB2 in July to restore workers’ rights to sue their employer for discrimination, but left the other restrictions intact.

But that was not enough for voters to re-elect Republican incumbent Mr McCrory, who lost to his democratic opponent in November. Exit polls showing the bill to have been a catalyst for his loss with two-thirds of voters opposed to the controversial bill. The state also lost $600m in business.

Graham Wilson, a spokesman for Mr McCrory said in a statement that he supported a repeal of the ordinance but faced push-back from Democrats.

“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,“ the statement read.

LGBT rights group Equality North Carolina told The Independent it supported the demise of an "archaic law".

“It's time to chart a new course guided by the state's values of dignity and respect, not discrimination and hate — and to ensure non-discrimination protections exist in cities, towns and across the state of North Carolina," said HRC President Chad Griffin: "It’s been 271 days since the shameful and archaic HB2 was first passed, and the entire country has witnessed its devastating impact. It's time for state lawmakers to repeal HB2 and begin repairing the harm this bill has done to people and the damage it has done to North Carolina's reputation and economy.“

The group reiterated they will not settle for anything less than a full repeal by December 31 at the latest.

“The city needs fully inclusive non-discrimination protections, period,” Equality NC press representative Ben Graumann said.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the appeal alone will not affect the federal lawsuit against the law, but could give either side the opportunity to drop the case.

For now, activists are considering the announcement a move a win.

Human Rights activist George Takei responded to the news, tweeting “Victory is near! Oh happy day.”