The Charlotte City Council passed an LGBT nondiscrimination bill on Monday night in a 7 to 4 vote — leading top North Carolina Republicans on Tuesday to threaten state legislation that would negate the city ordinance.



Gov. Pat McCrory had told city officials in an email one day before the vote that state lawmakers may take “immediate” action to block Charlotte's new policy.



The state's Speaker of the House, Tim Moore, followed up Tuesday morning to announce he would work with fellow Republicans to explore a "legislative intervention to correct [Charlotte's] radical course.”

Both leading Republicans argued the bill would present safety risks by allowing transgender people into restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.



In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Gov. McCrory said legislators had told him they are planning a bill to block the LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance not only in Charlotte, but also in any other jurisdiction in the state that passed a similar policy.



"As I communicated and predicted prior to the vote, state legislative leaders have notified me about introducing legislation that would correct this misguided government regulation and ensure it will not happen in any town or city in North Carolina," McCrory said.



“I am disappointed and saddened Charlotte city government initiated overreaching regulations that change basic standards and expectations of privacy regarding restrooms and locker rooms," he added.

"As governor," he continued, "I will support legislative action to address this regulation and will remain committed to protecting the privacy and safety of all men, women and children of all ages in North Carolina. My position is consistent with challenging government overreach by the federal, state and now a local government."



Both McCrory and Moore declined to elaborated on how, specifically, such a bill would work.

However, several sources told BuzzFeed News the state could follow in the steps of Arkansas, where legislators passed a bill last year that preempts local jurisdictions from enacting nondiscrimination policies that extend beyond state law.



That sort of clash in North Carolina could tee up a rancorous partisan showdown that pits a state capitol run by Republicans against city hall controlled by Democrats.



Furthermore, it could make Charlotte the latest flashpoint for the national LGBT movement, which has struggled to pass nondiscrimination laws since winning marriage equality at the Supreme Court last year.



The Charlotte ordinance, which is slated to take effect in April, bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in housing and places of public accommodation. (State law does not allow cities to ban workplace discrimination.)



Charlotte City Councilmember John Autry supported the measure, telling BuzzFeed News before the vote it protects vulnerable citizens from discrimination. But if the state tried to challenge the law, he said, “We have no legal leg to contest it with.”

Autry said North Carolina law empowers the state with strong control over jurisdictions, allowing it to “preempt our authority. If the state wanted to, they could come here to the government center, fire all of us, send us home, and run the city themselves.”