WTF, North Carolina?

The Teapublicans in North Carolina desperately want to save the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, but at the same time, they refuse to repeal HB2.

Oh, they are thinking really hard about restoring the rights of citizens to sue for discrimination in state court, if by “citizens” you mean some citizens, but not the ones like LGBTQ, because they don’t count. It would also create an “anti-discrimination task force”, which as a former Conservative, I can translate for you to mean “we ain’t gone do shit, but we gone hire some folk to pretend for a while and then write up some big and fancy words in a few years to make it look like we give a fuck.”

The most important part of this, of course, is the bathroom issue, both for the NBA and for the transgender community. This is where it gets downright bloody special. Any changes to the existing law are gonna piss off the Bible Thumpers. But a few geniuses have realized their poll numbers are in the shitter with all the money not rushing into the state, and this basketball game is almost as important as Jesus to a lot of people. The GOP in its infinite wisdom chose to leak its plan today, I guess to gauge the public’s response.

Without consulting any actual transgender individuals or organizations, McCrory and company devised a strategy to solve all the problems by requiring a “certificate of sex reassignment” which must be signed and notarized by a doctor for those unable to obtain a new birth certificate (How much will that cost? Is that like a gender tax? Will they be registered separately?). So in case that stunning display of ignorance is not insulting enough, they are going to go a step further. It will simultaneously increase the penalties for violating a person’s privacy in a bathroom or locker room.

Yeah. Seriously.







The Human Rights Campaign responded:

“This is nothing more than ‘HB 2.0,’” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Anyone who cares about equality must reject this ridiculous proposal out of hand. This despicable bill would continue insidious policies targeting LGBTQ people for discrimination and do nothing to fix the mess HB2 created. It’s past time for North Carolina lawmakers to listen to the overwhelming chorus of voices from across North Carolina and around the country calling for full repeal of this hateful law.”

“Appallingly, this proposal would still offensively and dangerously require the overwhelming majority of transgender people to use restrooms that don’t correspond with their gender identity,” officials with the HRC said. “The discriminatory proposal being offered by lawmakers today does not change the harmful status quo for nearly every transgender person in North Carolina. In fact, it would only allow access for a minority of transgender people in two states – Tennessee and Idaho — who may be living in North Carolina.”

According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, only 24 percent of transgender adults have birth certificates that correspond to their gender identities.

“Many states, including North Carolina, require transgender people to have gender reassignment surgery to update their birth certificates. However, only 33 percent of transgender people actually have gender reassignment surgery,” HRC officials said. “This is due to a variety of factors – including but not limited to cost, age, health and medical needs, and access to skilled providers.” (source)

At this point I think McCrory and friends are just toast. Fuck em. Let most of them get voted out in November, and what does not get repealed will get overturned by the courts. I don’t think these old white guys are capable of being human.