Charlotte Council yanks repeal of bathroom ordinance

Published May 24, 2016

[caption id="attachment_19634" align="alignleft" width="150"]Graphic by WRAL Graphic by WRAL[/caption]

by Barry Smith, Carolina Journal, May 24, 2016.

On Monday afternoon the Charlotte City Council pulled discussion of a possible repeal of its nondiscrimination ordinance, which included a controversial provision allowing transgendered people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

The council’s agenda had included a presentation on the economic impact of the controversy.

“The mayor and city council will work with the General Assembly and with business and community leaders to address the continuing negative impacts of H.B. 2 on the City of Charlotte and North Carolina,” a notice on the city’s web page said.

H.B. 2 — or House Bill 2 — is the state statute enacted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory in response to the Charlotte ordinance. The state and federal governments have filed competing lawsuits, asking federal courts to clarify whether H.B. 2 violates federal civil rights laws.

“Charlotte remains committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community that is free of discrimination,” the Charlotte notice continued. “Economic impact information will be shared with council in writing and provided to the media.”

Charlotte Chamber President Bob Morgan had hoped that the council would take up a proposal on Monday evening to repeal its ordinance.

“We do think that for us to get any positive changes out of the General Assembly, we need the city council to be a part of the dialogue,” Morgan said.

Morgan said that the mayor, city council, and members of the General Assembly have been in negotiations over the city ordinance and state law.

“There’s been some constructive dialogue,” Morgan said. “The question is, whether there’ll be some constructive action.”

Morgan authored an op-ed published Sunday in The Charlotte Observer urging the Charlotte council to take the first step by repealing its ordinance.

Morgan did not want to go into detail about the negotiations. “It’s very fluid,” he said, though numerous reports suggested the General Assembly might consider making revisions in H.B. 2 if Charlotte repealed its ordinance.

The gay-rights lobbying group Human Rights Campaign accused the Chamber of being an “anti-LGBT bully” for the Chamber’s call to work out a compromise between Charlotte and the General Assembly, the Observer reported.

The Charlotte Chamber is focused on trying to expand protections for the LGBT community, Morgan said, adding that the chamber takes “great offense” at the suggestion made by some that the organization wasn’t interested in protecting transgendered individuals from discrimination.

“We continue to oppose discrimination of any sort,” Morgan said.

https://www.carolinajournal.com/news-article/charlotte-council-yanks-possible-repeal-of-lgbt-ordinance/