North Carolina governor signs controversial transgender bill into law

Local governments would be banned from passing ordinances that extended the protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

McCrory, formerly mayor of Charlotte for 14 years, had criticized the local ordinance, The Associated Press reported. In the end, Republicans went even further than that. They say the state could also risk billions in federal education dollars with the school policy.

The law requires public schools, government agencies and college campuses bathrooms and locker rooms marked by gender.

"Rather than expand nondiscrimination laws to protect all North Carolinians, the General Assembly instead spent $42,000 to rush through an extreme bill that undoes all local nondiscrimination laws and specifically excludes gay and transgender people from legal protections".

Communications Director Josh Ellis said he anticipated McCrory would sign the measure into law Wednesday night.

Local Charlotte activist Matt Hershey agreed. The law is a blow to the LGBTQ Movement.

While Arkansas and Tennessee have laws preventing cities from introducing protections for LGBT people, North Carolina's bill is unprecedented in its scope. "We choose not to participate in this farce", explained Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue (D). Democrats in the Senate walked out before the vote in protest.

Senator Phil Berger a Republican says "The adoption of the ordinance by the city council was just insane". Every Republican supported the bill along with 11 Democrats. Supporters of the ordinance described it as an anti-discrimination bill that protects transgender people, but opponents said men would exploit it to legally use women's restrooms and locker rooms. Above, McCrory speaks during the Wake County Republican convention at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh on March 8. His office didn't immediately respond to requests about whether he will sign the measure.

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Once the bill passed the committee it was moved to the House floor where it was passed in an 83-25 vote. Transgender men are men; transgender women are women.

Democrats in the House also criticised the bill for taking away protections from those who need it most. Like those instances, litigation will likely follow the law's passage.

These are not the values of Charlotte and they are not the values of the business community of Charlotte and North Carolina. "I'm not going to be able to confidently continue to allow her to use that locker room if this passes".

"People aren't getting raped and murdered".

The North Carolina legislature has reconvened to consider halting Charlotte's new ordinance that lets transgender people use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

"The General Assembly is on the wrong side of progress...it is on the wrong side of history", Roberts said. WFAE's Sarah Delia, reporting on NPR in February, spoke to Pam Burton of Charlotte. The ordinance-which was set to go into effect on April 1-came in the midst of the larger national debate over bathroom access, one that has, as the New York Times notes, appeared to largely turn in favor of access of late.

They're responding to worries from constituents and conservative activists about provisions related to transgender people and restrooms.

"Our commitment to the fair treatment of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, has not changed and is at the core of our NCAA values".