Advocates have been speaking out against House Bill 2, and now that bill will be challenged in court. The American Civil Liberties Union in North Carolina, Lambda Legal and Equality NC held a press conference Monday announcing a federal lawsuit challenging House Bill 2, which rolls back protections for the LGBT community.

Chris Brook is the legal director for the ACLU in North Carolina.

“Let’s be clear, the legislature and Governor McCrory have done nothing less than encourage discrimination against thousands of LGBT people who call North Carolina home and countless others who may travel here. They have particularly targeted transgender North Carolinians with ugly and baseless vitriol that seeks to harm and marginalize an already venerable community,” said Brook.

House Bill 2 was signed into law last Wednesday by Governor Pat McCrory after being introduced only 12 hours earlier in a special legislative session.

Facts And Myths (That McCrory Forgot) About House Bill 2

Three members of the LGBT community as well as the ACLU and Equality NC are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The defendants are listed as Governor Pat McCrory, Attorney General Roy Copper, the UNC System and UNC Board of Governors, including Louis Bissette, chairman of the board.

The lawsuit claims that the bill violates equal protection, privacy and liberty guaranteed under the 14th amendment and Title IX, which prohibits discriminating against students on the basis of sex. Brook said that could put the UNC System at risk of losing federal funds.

As Attorney General, Roy Cooper is charged with defending the state in any legal litigation but he has already denounced the bill saying it harms North Carolina families and the economy. Roy Cooper is the democratic nominee for Governor, challenging incumbent Governor McCrory.

Simone Bell is a member of Lambda Legal, an organization that works to promote LBGT rights and is proving council in the lawsuit.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder to say we are not going to have this, so we are going to take you to court. And we found people who believe so much in decency, and not just equality, but justice, who are willing to put their lives on the line for our communities,” said Bell.

Joaquìn Carcaño is the lead plaintiff in the case. Carcaño works at UNC and is a transgender man but is listed as a female on this birth certificate. Under the new law he would be required to use the female restroom at work.

“Yes I am a transgender man but I am a man. My family, my friends, my co-workers and many more in this state affirm my male identity, that is not something that can be stripped away by a bill such as this,” said Carcaño.

Pat McCrory released a statement Friday, attempting to dispel “myths” surrounding House Bill 2. Proponents of the bill have called it “common sense legislation” and a public safety issue.

But Carcaño sees it as an issue of values.

“It is so much more than a restroom. It’s about dignity, it’s about respect. It’s about valuing us as a broader part of the North Carolina community. North Carolina is better than this,” said Carcaño.

The case, Carcaño v. McCrory will be argued in the federal court for the middle district of North Carolina.

The Carrboro Board of Alderman unanimously passed a resolution on Saturday calling for the General Assembly to repeal the bill.