Sneak Attack In North Carolina General Assembly Puts LGBT Rights At Risk

Anti-LGBT legislation could strip rights of local municipalities to enact LGBT non-discrimination ordinances and erase existing protections.

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organisation blasted anti-LGBT legislation that could be rammed through the North Carolina Assembly and signed into law today. In an eleventh hour sneak attack, anti-LGBT legislators scheduled SB 279 — which would strip away the ability of local municipalities to enact ordinances that protect LGBT people from discrimination — for an up or down vote in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The legislation, which would also override existing municipal non-discrimination ordinances, could move to the Senate and the Governor’s desk as soon as today.

SB 279 was originally drafted as a bill addressing sex education. Late last night, anti-equality legislators added the anti-LGBT language as an amendment to SB 279 in conference committee.

“Fair-minded North Carolinians should be outraged at this despicable attempt to strip away local control and deny municipal governments the ability to pass non-discrimination protections for their LGBT residents and visitors,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “We urge the North Carolina Assembly to reject this outrageous attack on LGBT North Carolinians and their families, and we urge Governor Pat McCrory to come out strongly in opposition to this disgraceful legislation.”