Against my better judgment and preference not to get dragged into the mainstreaming of R-rated behavior, I now call attention to the latest on the Charlotte bathroom bill. The local daily prepared a thorough article with a local angle.
Trying to keep this as clean as possible for any children out there, in a special meeting, the General Assembly, with the approval of Governor Pat McCrory, approved a bill prohibiting local governments from allowing people to use the restroom of their choice. Now, schools and government buildings must designate restrooms designed for use by more than one person at a time as being either for males or females, as defined by what is on one’s birth certificate. Will this lead to requiring us to carry birth certificates and be carded when using the facilities?
Anyway, the proponents of the law appeared to be of the opinion that the discomfort a man who thinks he’s a woman feels having to use the men’s room is not as devastating as the rape of little girls attacked by perverts hanging out in the ladies’ room waiting for opportunity to present itself. In testimony, a girl said it was difficult enough undressing in a school locker room in front of other girls. However, supporters of the bathroom bill indicated school boys are allowed to undress with girls in more than 200 cities across the country already, without incident. What’s more, large corporations see separate-gender bathrooms as an economic disincentive. A transgender person identifying as a girl, who was interviewed by the local daily, described being bullied in the men’s room and thus seeking sanctuary in the little girls’ room.
The concept was so odious to Democrats their entire contingency in the senate walked off the floor instead of voting. The bill had cleared the house 83-25 with bipartisan support. McCrory described the Charlotte bathroom bill as a “breach of basic privacy and etiquette.” Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue described the bill as “rolling back progress.” Senator Buck Newton, who is running for attorney general, said the special session and the resulting bill were necessary because Charlotte City Council “lost its mind and decided to embark upon a very radical course.” Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who is a walk-in for the District 1 opening for the Buncombe County Commissioners said the action reflected “distorted and cynical misinformation.” She hinted a lawsuit may be forthcoming. Senator Terry Van Duyn considered the bill a “denying of peoples’ rights.”
The bill claims it is the state’s responsibility to enact legislation pertaining to discrimination, and it takes away other decision-making powers that had been used by local governments:
The new law prevents cities and counties from adopting policies banning discrimination of any kind, from setting a local minimum wage or passing any other rules affecting the terms of employment or from making special requirements of companies that provide goods or services to local governments. The latter provision would prohibit a city from requiring that a contractor pay its employees a so-called “living” wage, for instance.
