Politifact rates North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s Claims ‘False’

Governor Pat McCrory this week denounced what he claimed is a “very well-coordinated campaign” against his anti-LGBT bill, HB2.Â He accuses LGBT and civil rights groups of “distorting the truth,” and “frankly smearing our state in an inaccurate way and which Iâ€™m working to correct.” (See video above.)

“I hope the media starts putting out more accurate information on the facts between a basic common sense bill which allows businesses to determine their own restroom and shower and locker room facilities, not government,” theÂ North Carolina Republican urged.Â

“I frankly think some of the media has failed miserably in communicating the clear facts, especially the national media with the New York Times and the Washington Post and the Huffington Post,” McCrory attacked. “And weâ€™re trying to clarify that [sic] facts, and I hope you put out the accurate information about the true facts of a common sense ordinance.”

Stunningly, McCrory once again insistedÂ â€“ liedÂ â€“ claiming HB2Â has “not taken away any rights that currently existed in any city in North Carolina.”

“Every city and every corporation has the exact same discrimination policy this week as they had two weeks ago,” he said.

Be careful what you ask for, Governor.

Politifact, the non-partisanÂ Pulitzer Prize winning arm of the Tampa Bay Times took Gov. McCrory up on his wish. It didn’t turn out well for him.

“Pat McCrory is wrong when he says North Carolina’s new LGBT law doesn’t take away existing rights,” the Politifact fact-checkers reported Wednesday afternoon.

“HB2 specifically says that local governments do not have the right to put [nondiscrimination] requirements on contractors,” Politifact says, adding, “it also took away a right that had previously been available to residents of any and every city in the state â€“ the ability to file a state lawsuit over discriminatory firing.”

“This is a seismic issue,” Eric Doggett, a Raleigh, NC employment discriminationÂ lawyer told Politifact. “Itâ€™s huge. Itâ€™s a massive loss of rights, and it happened with almost no debate.”

Another employment discriminationÂ attorney,Â Laura Noble, said,Â “I wonâ€™t refer to this as a â€˜bathroom billâ€™ because that’s really not what it’s about.” Noble says the law is “about the elimination of discrimination protections.”

Politifact concludes HB2 “took away the rights of cities to put certain anti-discrimination requirements on private contractors, and it nullified existing policies like in Carrboro and Raleigh. It might have also taken away the rights of cities and counties to pass their own in-house anti-discrimination policies, depending on which lawyer you ask.”

They add that HB2 “takes away the right of everyone in North Carolina to file a state-level lawsuit alleging a discriminatory firing, according to attorneys who represent both employers and employees in those cases.”

“But even if you discount the discrimination lawsuit changes and only focus on municipal government powers and rights, McCrory is still wrong,” Politifact charges.

“We rate this claim False.”

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EARLIER:

3 States And Several Large Cities Now Banning Publicly-Funded Travel To North Carolina Over LGBT Law

Over 80 Top CEOs, Business Leaders Urge North Carolina Gov. McCrory to Repeal Anti-LGBT Law

North Carolina Attorney General: I Will Not Defend Gov. McCrory’s ‘Unconstitutional’ Anti-LGBT Law

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Video and Screenshot: Charlotte Observer. Transcript: Talking Points Memo