[ot-caption title=”The governor of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, who defends HB2. (via Hal Goodtree, Wikipedia)”]

A controversial bill entitled House Bill 2 (HB2) was passed on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016, in North Carolina. HB2 generated a buzz online because opposers of the bill argue that one of the bill’s components is anti-LGBT.

This bill prevents transgendered people from using bathrooms of the gender that they identify with in pubic schools and government facilities. Criticism of HB2 comes from almost every direction. The chairman of Nascar has come out against it, and Pearl Jam, along with other bands, refuse to perform in the city of Raleigh. Criticism of HB2 usually carries a similar tone and states that the bill is transphobic, homophobic, and bigoted. Joaquin Carcano, a transgender latino man, states, “This harmful and dehumanizing law serves to encourage and enable discrimination.” He then clarifies, “What has been attacked is a basic right-a right to feel protected and safe.” In addition to this, over 100 companies disagree with the bill, such as American Airlines, Airbnb, and Facebook. However, the other side of the debate sees the media as distorting what this bill truly means.

Pat McCrory, governor of North Carolina, dismisses the criticism that connects the LGBT community to the bill, saying, “I think the media is connecting the two when there’s absolutely no connection whatsoever.” He describes HB2 as, “A basic common sense bill, which allows businesses to determine their own restroom, shower, and locker room facilities, not the government.” Gov. McCrory is not alone in his stance. More conservative writings such as “thepublicdiscourse.com”(PB) view HB2 in the same light as McCrory, in that it is a common sense law. According to PB, HB2 was enacted to counteract the city council of Charlotte’s decision to repeal an existing law that “specifically excepted restrooms, showers, and similar facilities from the prohibition on sex discrimination.” While the city council of Charlotte’s decision protected sexual orientation and gender identity, HB2 nullifies this and insists that bathrooms and similar facilities be separated by biological sex. Another conservative publication, National Review, sees the previous Charlotte ordinance as “one big loophole,” citing an incident in Seattle where a man wanted to test the limits of the transgender bathroom rules by undressing in the girl’s locker room two times in one day.

Though the debate continues over the controversial bill, both sides of the argument have their own valid points that will be discussed further in the coming weeks.

Sources: National Review, NY Daily News, TWC News, Time, WCTI12, CNN, The Atlantic, Fox, ABC News, WRAL, Slate

Photo Source: Hal Goodtree