Supporters and opponents of House Bill 2 rallied in Raleigh on Monday on the first day of the General Assembly’s legislative session.
The Forward Together Moral Movement, together with the NAACP, organized a rally against House Bill 2, which pulls back legal protections for the LGBT community in the state.
LGBT advocates held a press conference outside the governor’s office before delivering boxes full of petitions. Governor McCrory’s office accused the Human Rights Campaign of organizing a smear effort and overstating how many signatures they collected.
Chris Sgro, the executive director of Equality NC, said House Bill 2 has put North Carolina in a bad light.
“If House Bill 2 has taught us anything is that discrimination is bad for North Carolina and bad for business,” said Sgro. “So not only must we repeal HB 2 to fix the mess that state leaders made for our communities, but this week I will be proposing legislation that bands discrimination of any kind statewide on the basis of veteran status, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
On Sunday, Sgro was sworn into the North Carolina General Assembly, filling a seat vacated after a death of Rep. Ralph Johnson of Guilford County.
Sgro is the legislature’s only openly gay member.
Equality NC is party to the lawsuit challenging House Bill 2 in court. Joaquin Carcaño, a transgender man who works at UNC, is the lead plaintiff.
“Access to public accommodations that align with our identity or where we feel safest should be an unquestioned right because our privacy and safety matter too and has been put at risk,” said Carcaño.
Hundreds also attended a rally in support of House Bill 2 on Halifax Mall, near the legislative building. The rally was organized by the Keep NC Safe Coalition.
Supporters held signs that read “It’s Common Sense” and “Keep Women and Children safe.”
According to a newly released poll from Public Policy Polling, only 36% of North Carolina voters support HB 2, compared to 45% who are opposed.
Dr. Rev. William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP, urged people not to call it a bathroom bill and instead referred to it as Hate Bill 2.
“We have to understand what’s really going on here, hate bill 2 is not a bathroom bill. It’s not a bill to protect women and children against predators,” said Barber. “It is a cynical attempt to pit supposedly Christian values against our families’ best interest and our faith’s highest morality.”
Democratic legislators introduced a bill on Monday to repeal House Bill 2.
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