Big businesses win again. After countless companies took a stand, Pat McCrory’s so-called bathroom bill is being modified. Mr. McCrory will make minor changes to the law so workers, who were fired due to their sex, age, race or gender, can sue the state.
After hearing the sound of businesses rushing out of his state, Pat McCrory changed his bathroom bill – slightly. Few weeks ago, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2, better known as “bathroom bill,” which requires residents of the state and visitors to use gender-specific restroom and locker room access in government buildings and schools.
The passing of the law caused an uproar in the LGBT community and pushed many companies like PayPal, Deutsche Bank, Google, and Pepsi to announce that they will cancel business plans that they had in the state. Officials in a handful of states including New York and Washington revealed that their government employees would not travel to North Carolina for scheduled events.
Numerous artists and sports stars made it clear that they were not taking part in events held in North Carolina. Late Tuesday, McCrory said that after receiving a lot of feedback from the public he has decided to make a tiny change to the bill.
He signed an executive order that allows North Carolina workers, who believe they have been wrongfully terminated due to their sex, age, race or gender to sue. McCrory said in a video announcement:
“I will immediately seek legislation in the upcoming short session to reinstate the right to sue for discrimination in North Carolina state courts. Simply put, I have listened to the people of North Carolina, and the people of North Carolina are entitled to both privacy and equality. We can and we must achieve both of these goals. Now, I know these actions will not totally satisfy everyone, but the vast majority of our citizens want common-sense solutions to complex issues.”
In that same video, McCrory slammed those, who are against the bill by saying:
“I come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of misinformation, misinterpretation, confusion, a lot of passion and, frankly, selective outrage and hypocrisy, especially against the great state of North Carolina…I don’t regret signing the law because Charlotte had forced the issue by its government overreach in an ordinance mandating more rules upon private businesses.”
Chris Sgro, the executive director of Equality NC, a nonprofit, which advocates for LGBT people, said he is happy that the governor modified the bill, but is still frustrated by the fact that he did not repeal it. Sgro shared:
“Workplace protections for state employees, that is important. That is something that our allies have been fighting for for 10 years, not just short term, so we’re glad to see that.”
It is now up to the General Assembly to take up a repeal of the lawsuit provision.
What are your thoughts on Pat McCrory’s bathroom bill modification?
