The LGBT rights groups suing the state of North Carolina are asking for broader relief than what was issued in a district court ruling on Friday regarding the state’s controversial House Bill 2.
The law, which was passed in a whirlwind special session in March, has been criticized by advocacy groups as the worst piece of anti-LGBT legislation in the nation.
A district judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, but that ruling does not go far enough in the mind of the groups bringing the suit, according to a release sent out on Monday.
Friday’s injunction barred the University of North Carolina System from enforcing the provision of HB2 that forces transgender individuals to use the bathroom that matches their birth certificate rather than their gender identity in government-owned buildings – including schools and the university campuses. The UNC System had already said it was not going to enforce HB2, maintaining that it was caught between state and federal law.
But the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Chris Brook said on Monday there are many others impacted by HB2 that were not protected by Friday’s ruling.
“We are thrilled that H.B. 2 is starting to crumble and relieved for our clients who have had a huge burden lifted as a result of the court’s Friday ruling,” Brook said in a release. “But we know the harmful effects of H.B. 2 are far reaching, and that is why we are seeking broader relief for the thousands of transgender people who call North Carolina home.”
Lamba Legal senior attorney Tara Borelli said that the groups would keep fighting for the full repeal of HB2.
“Though the district court importantly recognized the serious harm to three of our clients as a result of H.B. 2, that recognition unfortunately didn’t extend to a ruling rectifying those harms for other transgender individuals in North Carolina,” Borelli said. “We are optimistic that H.B. 2’s days are numbered and are appealing Friday’s ruling in order to bring relief to all those who live in or visit North Carolina.”
The bathroom portions of the law have garnered the most attention, but the law has also been criticized for barring localities from implementing nondiscrimination guidelines that go beyond the state policy. The law also bans government bodies from increasing the minimum wage locally.
The appeal filed on Monday was seeking “broader relief for all transgender people in North Carolina before the case heads to a full trial.” That trial is set for the Monday following Election Day this November.
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