Republicans in North Carolina rallied in late March to overthrow a city
ordinance forcing businesses in Charlotte to allow transgender
customers to use the restroom of their choice—but the fight has just
begun. In the days since lawmakers flushed the ordinance, opponents
within the state and from across the country have launched a flood of
attacks.
“Some have called our state an embarrassment,” said Gov. Pat McCrory, a
Republican. “The real embarrassment is politicians not publicly
respecting each other’s positions on complex issues.”
McCrory spoke out after fellow governors began issuing travel bans to
North Carolina because they disagree with the state’s actions. But that
might be the least of McCrory’s troubles.
On March 28, two transgender men, a lesbian, the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina, and Equality North Carolina
filed a federal suit against McCrory and other state officials. The suit
claims North Carolina violated federal anti-discrimination laws. And
yesterday, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced he won’t
defend the state in court.
Cooper, McCrory’s Democratic challenger in this year’s gubernatorial
election, is using the controversy to bolster his campaign. He claims
McCrory has legislated discrimination, which he calls a national
embarrassment. Cooper’s opposition highlights the tension within the
state that could permeate discourse during the ensuing months of court
battles, right up to Election Day.
McCrory called Cooper’s announcement a violation of his duties as attorney general, a post Cooper has held since 2001.
“As the state’s attorney, he can’t select which laws he will defend and
which laws are politically expedient to refuse to defend,” McCrory
said. “When you are the state’s lawyer, you are a lawyer first and a
politician second.”
Other North Carolina Republicans share McCrory’s position.
“Roy Cooper’s refusal to defend the law makes clear he wants the ACLU
to win,” said North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger in a statement.
“His zeal for pandering for the extreme left’s money and agenda in his
race for governor is making it impossible for him to fulfill his duties
as attorney general—and he should resign immediately.”
But Democrats from outside the state are rushing to Cooper’s side and
joining in an effort to demonize North Carolina for not accommodating
homosexuals and transgender individuals.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned all non-essential state travel to
North Carolina on Monday. The order requires New York state agencies to
review all requests for state-funded or sponsored travel to North
Carolina. And it bars any publicly funded travel that is not essential
to law enforcement or public health and safety.
“In New York, we believe that all people—regardless of their gender
identity or sexual orientation—deserve the same rights and protections
under the law,” Cuomo said. “We will not stand idly by as misguided
legislation replicates the discrimination of the past.”
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, also a Democrat, issued a memo yesterday to
join Cuomo and the mayors of Seattle and San Francisco in banning
non-essential travel to North Carolina. Inslee said McCroy’s actions
revoke “civil rights protections” for the LGBT community and the travel
ban supports “our state’s approach to tolerance, fairness, and a lack of
discrimination.”
Cuomo made a similar move in 2015, banning travel to Indiana after its
governor signed a bill to protect the religious freedoms of the state’s
business owners.
McCrory called Cuomo’s actions hypocritical because he did not prohibit
travel to Texas last year when Houston voters overturned a measure
similar to Charlotte’s.
“Syracuse is playing in the Final Four [this weekend] in Houston where
voters overwhelmingly rejected a nearly identical bathroom ordinance,”
said Josh Ellis, McCrory’s communications director. “Is Gov. Cuomo going
to ask the Syracuse team to boycott the game in Houston? It’s total
hypocrisy and demagoguery if the governor does not.”
Coutesy: WORLD News Service
No comments:
Post a Comment