As North Carolina lawmakers prepared to convene for a special session to consider repealing the state’s controversial anti-LGBT law known as HB2, Republicans in the state blamed the backlash against the law on Democrats’ attempt to win the governor’s mansion.
“Now that the Charlotte ordinance has been repealed, the expectation of privacy in our showers, bathrooms and locker rooms is restored and protected under previous state law. Governor McCrory has always publicly advocated a repeal of the overreaching Charlotte ordinance. But those efforts were always blocked by Jennifer Roberts, Roy Cooper and other Democratic activists,” McCrory spokesman Graham Wilson said in a Monday statement. “This sudden reversal with little notice after the gubernatorial election sadly proves this entire issue originated by the political left was all about politics and winning the governor’s race at the expense of Charlotte and our entire state. As promised, Governor McCrory will call a special session.”
The Republican leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly, House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tempore echoed McCrory’s contempt for Democrats in a joint statement.
“Today Roy Cooper and Jennifer Roberts proved what we said was the case all along: their efforts to force men into women’s bathrooms and shower facilities was a political stunt to drive out-of-state money into the governor’s race. For months, we’ve said if Charlotte would repeal its bathroom ordinance that created the problem, we would take up the repeal of HB2,” they said in the statement. “But Roy Cooper is not telling the truth about the legislature committing to call itself into session — we’ve always said that was Gov. McCrory’s decision, and if he calls us back, we will be prepared to act. For Cooper to say otherwise is a dishonest and disingenuous attempt to take credit.”
The Charlotte City Council on Monday voted to repeal its nondiscrimination ordinance on the condition that the state government repeal the law by the end of the year. McCrory said he would call a special session to consider the repeal, and Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor-elect, said that the session would occur on Tuesday.
