McCrory asks Congress to act on transgender laws
Gov. Pat McCrory says Congress needs to bring "clarity" to issues surrounding the use of bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender individuals.
Posted — Updated"The time has come for Congress to seek a long-term and comprehensive resolution through legislative action and bring long-term clarity to our national non-discrimination laws," McCrory wrote in a letter dated May 18.
Since North Carolina passed House Bill 2 in March, the state has been at the center of a nationwide storm over transgender rights. State lawmakers say they passed the bill in response to a Charlotte City Council vote to create a citywide transgender nondiscrimination ordinance that would have required businesses to allow transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice. The state law effectively voided that, but it went further, reaching into employment discrimination law and defining statewide nondiscrimination law in a way that excludes LGBT individuals.
"The threat of any federal agency to withhold federal funding from any state based on its unilateral and novel interpretation of a federal law is unprecedented and indefensible," McCrory wrote.
Asked whether congressional leaders has given the state any feedback on his letter, McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis said the response had been "positive" and pointed to a House vote earlier this week.
McCrory has said several times that the law represents a national issue and should be solved at the national level.
"Due to the inaction of Congress to define boundaries and provide clarity on this important and emerging issue, millions of Americans, businesses, educators and elected leaders continue to live and operate under a chaotic system of conflicting laws, regulations and judicial interpretations," McCrory wrote.
Rep. Chris Sgro, D-Guilford, executive director of LGBT advocacy group Equality NC, said he agrees a national solution is needed.
"Congress should act quickly to enact the Equality Act, which would ensure protections for LGBT people across the nation," Sgro said in a statement. "These protections are a best-practice in countless cities and states across the nation and are a business recruitment tool in those location. I do wonder why McCrory signed HB2, the worst anti-LGBT bill in the nation, if he is serious about anti-discrimination measures at the state or federal level."
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