SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Don't Be Fooled by North Carolina, There Is No Repeal of The Anti-Trans HB2, Only More Discrimination.
What do they say about deja vu all over again?
That is what seems to be happening in North Carolina where lawmakers are again rushing through a poorly thought-out, dangerous backroom deal under the guise of removing their hideous anti-LGBTQ law, HB2. But behind closed doors, in the middle of the night, all we are left with is a claimed "compromise" to repeal HB2 that just further entrenches discrimination against LGBTQ North Carolinians.
Mar 30, 2017
What do they say about deja vu all over again?
That is what seems to be happening in North Carolina where lawmakers are again rushing through a poorly thought-out, dangerous backroom deal under the guise of removing their hideous anti-LGBTQ law, HB2. But behind closed doors, in the middle of the night, all we are left with is a claimed "compromise" to repeal HB2 that just further entrenches discrimination against LGBTQ North Carolinians.
You may remember North Carolina's infamous House Bill 2 (HB2), the bill that has cost the state over $3.75 billion dollars, cost its former Gov. Pat McCrory his election, and cost thousands of LGBTQ North Carolinians their piece of mind and safety. It has been a stain on the state compounding the disgrace of a General Assembly that had already systematically worked to disenfranchise Black voters and solidify power for those already seated in office.
Yesterday, as the legislature approached today's deadline imposed by the NCAA to repeal HB2, newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore reached what they are calling a "compromise" repeal of HB2.
But let us be clear - this is no compromise. This is no repeal. This is HB2.0 and is perhaps more insidious in its targeting of LGBTQ - and particularly of trans and gender non-conforming - people. It is a backroom deal that shows no input from the community, that shows no leadership from lawmakers, that shows a callous disregard for the basic humanity of the trans and gender non-conforming people that call North Carolina home.
The bill does repeal HB2, but it just replaces it with prohibitions on local government entities (including cities, towns, schools) from extending legal protections to LGBT people until 2020 and bans on protections for transgender individuals in restrooms and other single-sex spaces forever. The bill makes it illegal to protect people from discrimination. And worse still, it does so under a claimed interest in protecting "bathroom safety and privacy."
No matter how many times these lies are restated, they will never be true. Letting trans people use the restroom as we must and have always done harms no one. Our bodies do not make others unsafe. We do not infringe on the privacy rights of others by existing in the world.
Being unfamiliar or uncomfortable with us does not translate into a right to expel us from society. And make no mistake, that is once again, what HB2.0 does. This is another iteration of the same - and worse because it shuts down the momentum from the past year of work against HB2. It derails the litigation, the organizing, and the public perception of what is happening.
Already in 2017, at least 8 trans women of color have been murdered. Trans young people and their families are reeling from the loss of support from the federal government. Trans people are forced to listen to people tell us we are unworthy of safety, of peace, of comfort, of simply surviving.
This is no time to play politics with our lives. This is a time to be bold in the defense of justice.
Shame on you, Roy Cooper, and everyone in the North Carolina General Assembly pushing this dangerous and fake repeal. We will not be fooled. We will fight on.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 ACLU
What do they say about deja vu all over again?
That is what seems to be happening in North Carolina where lawmakers are again rushing through a poorly thought-out, dangerous backroom deal under the guise of removing their hideous anti-LGBTQ law, HB2. But behind closed doors, in the middle of the night, all we are left with is a claimed "compromise" to repeal HB2 that just further entrenches discrimination against LGBTQ North Carolinians.
You may remember North Carolina's infamous House Bill 2 (HB2), the bill that has cost the state over $3.75 billion dollars, cost its former Gov. Pat McCrory his election, and cost thousands of LGBTQ North Carolinians their piece of mind and safety. It has been a stain on the state compounding the disgrace of a General Assembly that had already systematically worked to disenfranchise Black voters and solidify power for those already seated in office.
Yesterday, as the legislature approached today's deadline imposed by the NCAA to repeal HB2, newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore reached what they are calling a "compromise" repeal of HB2.
But let us be clear - this is no compromise. This is no repeal. This is HB2.0 and is perhaps more insidious in its targeting of LGBTQ - and particularly of trans and gender non-conforming - people. It is a backroom deal that shows no input from the community, that shows no leadership from lawmakers, that shows a callous disregard for the basic humanity of the trans and gender non-conforming people that call North Carolina home.
The bill does repeal HB2, but it just replaces it with prohibitions on local government entities (including cities, towns, schools) from extending legal protections to LGBT people until 2020 and bans on protections for transgender individuals in restrooms and other single-sex spaces forever. The bill makes it illegal to protect people from discrimination. And worse still, it does so under a claimed interest in protecting "bathroom safety and privacy."
No matter how many times these lies are restated, they will never be true. Letting trans people use the restroom as we must and have always done harms no one. Our bodies do not make others unsafe. We do not infringe on the privacy rights of others by existing in the world.
Being unfamiliar or uncomfortable with us does not translate into a right to expel us from society. And make no mistake, that is once again, what HB2.0 does. This is another iteration of the same - and worse because it shuts down the momentum from the past year of work against HB2. It derails the litigation, the organizing, and the public perception of what is happening.
Already in 2017, at least 8 trans women of color have been murdered. Trans young people and their families are reeling from the loss of support from the federal government. Trans people are forced to listen to people tell us we are unworthy of safety, of peace, of comfort, of simply surviving.
This is no time to play politics with our lives. This is a time to be bold in the defense of justice.
Shame on you, Roy Cooper, and everyone in the North Carolina General Assembly pushing this dangerous and fake repeal. We will not be fooled. We will fight on.
What do they say about deja vu all over again?
That is what seems to be happening in North Carolina where lawmakers are again rushing through a poorly thought-out, dangerous backroom deal under the guise of removing their hideous anti-LGBTQ law, HB2. But behind closed doors, in the middle of the night, all we are left with is a claimed "compromise" to repeal HB2 that just further entrenches discrimination against LGBTQ North Carolinians.
You may remember North Carolina's infamous House Bill 2 (HB2), the bill that has cost the state over $3.75 billion dollars, cost its former Gov. Pat McCrory his election, and cost thousands of LGBTQ North Carolinians their piece of mind and safety. It has been a stain on the state compounding the disgrace of a General Assembly that had already systematically worked to disenfranchise Black voters and solidify power for those already seated in office.
Yesterday, as the legislature approached today's deadline imposed by the NCAA to repeal HB2, newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore reached what they are calling a "compromise" repeal of HB2.
But let us be clear - this is no compromise. This is no repeal. This is HB2.0 and is perhaps more insidious in its targeting of LGBTQ - and particularly of trans and gender non-conforming - people. It is a backroom deal that shows no input from the community, that shows no leadership from lawmakers, that shows a callous disregard for the basic humanity of the trans and gender non-conforming people that call North Carolina home.
The bill does repeal HB2, but it just replaces it with prohibitions on local government entities (including cities, towns, schools) from extending legal protections to LGBT people until 2020 and bans on protections for transgender individuals in restrooms and other single-sex spaces forever. The bill makes it illegal to protect people from discrimination. And worse still, it does so under a claimed interest in protecting "bathroom safety and privacy."
No matter how many times these lies are restated, they will never be true. Letting trans people use the restroom as we must and have always done harms no one. Our bodies do not make others unsafe. We do not infringe on the privacy rights of others by existing in the world.
Being unfamiliar or uncomfortable with us does not translate into a right to expel us from society. And make no mistake, that is once again, what HB2.0 does. This is another iteration of the same - and worse because it shuts down the momentum from the past year of work against HB2. It derails the litigation, the organizing, and the public perception of what is happening.
Already in 2017, at least 8 trans women of color have been murdered. Trans young people and their families are reeling from the loss of support from the federal government. Trans people are forced to listen to people tell us we are unworthy of safety, of peace, of comfort, of simply surviving.
This is no time to play politics with our lives. This is a time to be bold in the defense of justice.
Shame on you, Roy Cooper, and everyone in the North Carolina General Assembly pushing this dangerous and fake repeal. We will not be fooled. We will fight on.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.