North Carolina governor signs repeal of controversial bathroom bill
Updated: The North Carolina General Assembly on Thursday voted to repeal a law that requires schools and other government-controlled facilities to restrict multiple-occupancy bathrooms to people of the same biological sex. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that he has signed the bill, CNN and the Associated Press report.
“For over a year now, House Bill 2 has been a dark cloud hanging over our great state,” Cooper said. “It has stained our reputation. It has discriminated against our people and it has caused great economic harm in many of our communities.”
The so-called bathroom bill had also barred local governments from granting bias protections that extend further than state law—a provision that had the effect of barring local protections for gay and transgender people. The new law approved by lawmakers on Thursday creates a moratorium on local nondiscrimination ordinances that lasts through 2020, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported
When Cooper was serving as the state’s attorney general, he announced his office would not defend the bathroom law. The Justice Department had claimed in a suit that the bill violated federal laws regarding discrimination in education and employment. The American Civil Liberties Union also sued.
Updated at 3:39 p.m. to note report that Cooper had signed the bill.
