NC Rescinds Charlotte HRO

[Jimmy]

Listen to 'conservative' talk radio for one day, or hell just a couple of hours, and you will lose any shock from the gullibility of their audience. There is literally nothing too stupid, illogical or impossible that they won't buy it, hook line and sinker.  I wish I could think of a way to make money off of their gullibility.  It would have to be easier than taking candy from a baby or doing any kind of work.   

I think you figured out one good way: working in conservative media. Another is working for any of the screwball interest/hate groups that prey on fear and misinformation like the NRA, Focus on the Family, etc.

[Adam White]

It's nice to see cooler heads prevail. I assume the NCGA didn't see that coming!

[Tacachale]

I'm sympathetic to this, but it's not the attorney general's place to decide what laws to follow, and which are constitutional. If a state passed civil rights protects and a state attorney decided not to defend it, the other side would be up in arms. This particular AG is also running against the governor in the election this year.

[finehoe]

...but it's not the attorney general's place to decide what laws to follow, and which are constitutional....

It's not that simple.  Here's a good overview of this issue:  http://www.yalelawjournal.org/feature/state-attorneys-general-and-the-duty-to-defend

[FlowerPower]

I think the headline on this thread is misleading.   What the NC legislature did went far beyond repealing the recent updates Charlotte's Human Rights Ordinance that included adding protections from discrimination based on the newly protected categories of "sexual orientation" and "gender identity and expression".   

Several other cities and counties had gone beyond NC State's enumerated list of protected groups by adding protections on the categories of sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SO/GIE) including Buncombe County, Durham County, Guilford County, Mecklenburg County, Orange County, Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Boone, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Bessemer City, Durham, High Point, and Winston-Salem.  All those cities and counties policies are potentially in jeopardy as it is unclear if HB2 will impact city and county hiring practices.  Those cities may no longer able to enforce their nondiscrimination ordinances as they had intended them.   

Additionally, Greensboro had added housing protections based on SO/GIE and Raleigh and Charlotte had previously passed laws requiring those who contracted with those cities had to protect LGBT employees from discrimination.  The passage of HB2 also put in doubt other categories beyond SO/GIE that are not covered by state statute but have been added by local municipalities like "veterans status" and "family status".  It was also reported that HB2 would not allow cities to pass their own minimum wage standards that go beyond state law, which is an assault on the working poor.

[vicupstate]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/us/north-carolina-governor-attacks-critics-of-law-curbing-protections-from-bias.html?_r=1

The heat is turning up

[spuwho]

Listen to 'conservative' talk radio for one day, or hell just a couple of hours, and you will lose any shock from the gullibility of their audience. There is literally nothing too stupid, illogical or impossible that they won't buy it, hook line and sinker.  I wish I could think of a way to make money off of their gullibility.  It would have to be easier than taking candy from a baby or doing any kind of work.   

I think you figured out one good way: working in conservative media. Another is working for any of the screwball interest/hate groups that prey on fear and misinformation like the NRA, Focus on the Family, etc.

I have been listening to conservative media recently to get the latest score on Trump vs Cruz and I havent heard anything derogatory towards LGBT's.

There was some commentary on the growth industry of bathroom laws, but I havent as yet heard anything or anyone speak out against them.

The only concerns I heard were about accomodation and they didnt sound like fear, it was more a question of practicality. That isnt related to hate as far as I can tell.

Before Finehoe pulls out the quotes book, I dont listen to conservative media 24 hours a day. So if someone said anything against it, it hasnt been during the times I have clicked in.

[Tacachale]

If they're calling these ordinances "bathroom laws", it's spin. Bathroom accommodations are a very small part of the ordinances, but it's something the anti-LGBT side can win with, so it's all they want to talk about. Then, in North Carolina, anti-LGBT politicians actually enact real "bathroom bills" that legislate what bathrooms people can and can't use. I'm sure they don't like to think about this as discrimination, but it is.

As far as the candidates go, Trump doesn't focus on LGBT issues particularly. He's adopted some of the Republican rhetoric about marriage in the last year or two, but that's about it. Cruz is pretty consistently against LGBT rights, and talks about it regularly.

[Adam White]

As far as the candidates go, Trump doesn't focus on LGBT issues particularly. He's adopted some of the Republican rhetoric about marriage in the last year or two, but that's about it. Cruz is pretty consistently against LGBT rights, and talks about it regularly.

Cruz scares me way more than Trump. Trump will say whatever he thinks will get him votes. But you think that he would likely disappoint a lot of his supporters should he become President. While I have serious issues with anyone who would stoop to that level and stir up hate the way he has just to garner votes, I can't help but be more concerned about Cruz, who is a hateful bigot and religious fanatic - and actually believes in what he says. Cruz is the Christian American equivalent of an Islamist.

[finehoe]

Cruz scares me way more than Trump. Trump will say whatever he thinks will get him votes. But you think that he would likely disappoint a lot of his supporters should he become President. While I have serious issues with anyone who would stoop to that level and stir up hate the way he has just to garner votes, I can't help but be more concerned about Cruz, who is a hateful bigot and religious fanatic - and actually believes in what he says. Cruz is the Christian American equivalent of an Islamist.

I totally agree.

[Gunnar]

Cruz scares me way more than Trump. Trump will say whatever he thinks will get him votes. But you think that he would likely disappoint a lot of his supporters should he become President. While I have serious issues with anyone who would stoop to that level and stir up hate the way he has just to garner votes, I can't help but be more concerned about Cruz, who is a hateful bigot and religious fanatic - and actually believes in what he says. Cruz is the Christian American equivalent of an Islamist.

I totally agree.

But thankfully he has no ties to Wall Street, so at least that part is OK 

[fsquid]

And I suppose this means that the State will probably also have a new governor after the election.

probably, its about the only race in the state that isn't gerrymandered into no contests every election.

[spuwho]

If they're calling these ordinances "bathroom laws", it's spin. Bathroom accommodations are a very small part of the ordinances, but it's something the anti-LGBT side can win with, so it's all they want to talk about. Then, in North Carolina, anti-LGBT politicians actually enact real "bathroom bills" that legislate what bathrooms people can and can't use. I'm sure they don't like to think about this as discrimination, but it is.

As far as the candidates go, Trump doesn't focus on LGBT issues particularly. He's adopted some of the Republican rhetoric about marriage in the last year or two, but that's about it. Cruz is pretty consistently against LGBT rights, and talks about it regularly.

I agree, what starts as a bathroom arrangement gets blown into a full "manage LGBT" issue, and I object to that.

As far as practicality, it usually referred to where to put gender neutral facilities in government or public schools.

As far as the fear factor that people bring up on gender identity in the bathrooms, the habit is to reach for the base instinct and say crime will immediately occur.

At a former employer in Chicago we actually did have a cross dresser issue where males dressed as women were entering the womens can and attempting to peep.

In response, building management put combination locks on all the womens bathrooms and gave them a code only women knew.

Does that happen all the time? Of course not, but being a risk adverse culture now where lawsuits are the norm, some businesses feel like they are stuck on how to respond specifically to the concept of "identity".

The NAACP kicked out a lady recently because she identified as black, when in reality she wasnt. Is that different?

I think that is what most people are struggling with, is that concept of identity.  When it isnt clear what identity works in all cases, the laws have to compensate, hence the bathroom laws.

[FlaBoy]

wow. North Carolina's Attorney General declares the anti gay law unconstitutional and announces that his office will not be defending the law in any court.

As reported earlier, the ACLU will be suing the state of North Carolina over it's bigoted transgender discrimination law.

In addition, a number of states an municipalities, including New York State, are banning non-essential state travel to North Carolina.

Now one person says he will not participate in defending this law, and his participation matters, a lot.

He's the state's Attorney General.

This is the equivalent of your own defense lawyer telling the judge you're guilty as sin and walking out of the courtroom. Yahoo Politics:

According to Cooper, House Bill 2 (HB2) is in direct conflict with nondiscrimination policies at North Carolina's justice department and treasurer's office, as well as many of the state's businesses. Though the LGBT community is targeted, he said, it could ultimately result in the discrimination of other groups as well.

"House Bill 2 is unconstitutional," he said. "Therefore, our office will not represent the defendants in this lawsuit, nor future lawsuits involving the constitutionality of House Bill 2."

Attorney General does not have this discretion and is breaking the law by not enforcing the law. If the Legislature and Governor have created and authorized the law, it should be followed. If there are problems, and someone has standing, they can file suit. This is similar to the Kentucky clerk who disagreed with passing out marriage licenses to gay couples. At least she was personally opposed and just wanted someone else to do it for her. This joker won't let his office enforce it. Too bad. Writ of Mandamus anyone? LOL. It is straight out of the Obama administration's book though.

[Gunnar]

If they're calling these ordinances "bathroom laws", it's spin. Bathroom accommodations are a very small part of the ordinances, but it's something the anti-LGBT side can win with, so it's all they want to talk about.

If so, why not take them out of the ordinances altogether ? Are bathroom accommodations really the key part that the ordinances would be worthless without ?