In light of the swift passing of House Bill 2, known as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, the North Carolina legislature has ruled that multiple-use restroom facilities may only be occupied by those of a single “biological sex.”
In practice, this means those who are designated male or female at birth must use restrooms that match the sex as listed on their birth certificate.
Well, in actual practice, this is absurd. The General Assembly has effectively made the decision to discriminate against trans and gender non-conforming people.
This is a huge mistake for Gov. Pat McCrory.
Numerous private businesses and town councils have put their foot down to such discriminatory state intervening.
In Chapel Hill, local businesses have taken the initiative to publicize inclusive policies surrounding restroom use, like Linda’s Bar and Grill and Sup Dogs. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen also released a statement after an emergency session stating their opposition to the bill.
The town of Chapel Hill followed suit in a statement released on Monday.
Major companies such as IBM, Yahoo and Apple have also expressed opposition to the bill. Their solidarity with North Carolinians who may use their products or work in their stores has merit. But we should be skeptical of big business and capital and their motives for taking such a stance.
Still, the swift response from business, individuals and town councils is positively heart warming.
