North Carolina legislature backtracking on bathroom bill repeal

Gee, who could have foreseen that the Republican legislature of North Carolina might not have been entirely truthful with the Charlotte leaders in promising a special session to repeal HB2 if the city withdrew its non-discrimination ordinance? The city acted on Monday, in anticipation of the  special session by the legislature today. And in return: this bullshit.

On Wednesday afternoon, the top Republican in the state Senate introduced a bill that would repeal the bathroom bill. However, the bill introduced by Sen. Phil Berger, the senate president pro tempore, would also impose a “six-month cooling-off period,” during which local governments would not be able to enact ordinances relating to employment or public restrooms.

Rights groups that have long criticized the bill had said this week that they were disappointed to see Charlotte have to abandon its ordinance, even as they were pleased that H.B. 2 could face a repeal. These same groups said Wednesday that they would accept only a full and complete repeal rather than one including any caveats.

“It is unacceptable. It’s a gimmick. It’s H.B. 2.0,” said Mara Keisling, president of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “It’s not okay and any legislature that would do that wouldn’t really be doing that for only six months.”

This is supposedly in retaliation for Charlotte having repealed only a portion of its own ordinance. State Republicans raised hell over the fact that the repeal vote the city council took on Monday only dealt with the public accommodations part of the ordinance, and said that wasn't good enough. So in an emergency session earlier Wednesday, the city fully repealed it, believing they were clearing the way for the legislature to make good on the agreement.

And this is what they got. Which is why you never fucking bargain with a Republican when people’s rights are on the line.