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So recently bruce Springsteen and pearl jam have cancelled shows in nc because of the law...people are calling for the nba to not hold the all star game there as well.
Carolina has been drawing national attention for new legislation that blocks cities and local governments from passing antidiscrimination measures that could protect gay and transgender people. Here’s a closer look at how this law, which is seen as a major step backwards for LGBT rights, came to be.
On Feb. 22, Charlotte, N.C., passed an ordinance expanding North Carolina’s antidiscrimination laws so that LGBT people would also be granted protection in places of “public accommodation” — which, among other things, would allow transgender people to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify as. This ordinance was to go in effect on April 1.
But in response, at a special session on March 23, North Carolina’s General Assembly proposed and passed the House Bill 2 (HB2) — or the “bathroom bill” — and Gov. Pat McCrory signed it into law that same night.
The new law did more than repeal the Charlotte ordinance. It made the state’s law on antidiscrimination — which covers race, religion, national origin, color, age, biological sex and handicaps — the final word. Meaning cities and local governments can’t expand “employment” or “public accommodations” protections to others, such as on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Minimum wage also falls under the state’s antidiscrimination law, so this law means local governments aren’t able to set their own minimum wages beyond the state standard.
Proponents of the new law say that Charlotte’s measure expanding North Carolina’s antidiscrimination law was governmental overreach by the city. They also argue that this is a matter of safety for women and children in public restrooms and showers. But LGBT activists say that safety hasn’t been an issue in the 18 states or the more than 100 cities where protections for gay and transgender people already exist.