She’s not playing around!
As you may have heard, Gov. Pat McCrory cemented his place on the wrong side of history on Monday when he decided to sue the Department of Justice for trying to make him publicly repeal House Bill 2.
The Republican North Carolina Governor infamously passed the bill back in March, which made it so transgender individuals were forced to use the bathroom to which they were assigned at birth, as opposed to the gender to which they currently identify, and has so far failed to apologize by his 5 p.m. EST deadline.
Related: Nick Jonas Explains Tough Decision To Cancel Shows In NC
While most Americans were smart enough to realize this was obviously a discriminatory law almost as soon as it was announced, Pat thought he’d be able to get away with suing the country for “baseless and blatant overreach” of their power…
Luckily, Attorney General Loretta Lynch was not about to give McCrory the upper hand, so she herself filed a lawsuit against North Carolina for going against the nation’s laws on Monday!
In a press conference held less than an hour before NC’s LGBT deadline, Loretta condemned Pat and the rest of the State for implementing such a bigoted bill, even comparing it to Jim Crow laws and Brown v Board Of Education!
She said:
“The legislature and the Governor placed North Carolina in direct opposition to Federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity. More to the point, they created State-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security; a right taken for granted by most of us.
Last week, our civil rights division notified state officials in North Carolina that House Bill 2 violates Federal civil rights laws. We asked that they certify by the end of the day today, that they would not comply with or implement House Bill 2’s restriction access. An extension was requested by North Carolina, and was under active consideration, but instead of replying to our offer or providing a certification, this morning, the state of North Carolina and its governor chose to respond by suing the Department of Justice. As a result of their decisions, we are now moving forward.
Today, we are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the State of North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, and the University of North Carolina. We are seeking a court order declaring HB2’s restroom restriction permissibly discriminatory, as well as a State-wide bar on its enforcement.
Now, while the lawsuit currently seeks declaratory relief, I want to note that we retain the option of curtailing Federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds.”
This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms. This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ indeed, to protect all of us. And it’s about the founding ideals that have led this country ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ haltingly but inexorably ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans.
This is not the first time that we have seen discriminatory responses to historic moments of progress for our nation. We saw it in the Jim Crow laws that followed the Emancipation Proclamation. We saw it in fierce and widespread resistance to Brown v. Board of Education. And we saw it in the proliferation of state bans on same-sex unions intended to stifle any hope that gay and lesbian Americans might one day be afforded the right to marry. That right, of course, is now recognized as a guarantee embedded in our Constitution, and in the wake of that historic triumph, we have seen bill after bill in state after state taking aim at the LGBT community. Some of these responses reflect a recognizably human fear of the unknown, and a discomfort with the uncertainty of change. But this is not a time to act out of fear. This is a time to summon our national virtues of inclusivity, diversity, compassion and open-mindedness. What we must not do ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ what we must never do ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ is turn on our neighbors, our family members, our fellow Americans, for something they cannot control, and deny what makes them human. This is why none of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something they are not, or invents a problem that doesn’t exist as a pretext for discrimination and harassment.
Let me speak now to the people of the great state, the beautiful state, my state of North Carolina. You’ve been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ but that just is not the case. Instead, what this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share. This law provides no benefit to society ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ all it does is harm innocent Americans.
Instead of turning away from our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, let us instead learn from our history and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past. Let us reflect on the obvious but often neglected lesson that state-sanctioned discrimination never looks good in hindsight. It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had signs above restrooms, water fountains and on public accommodations keeping people out based upon a distinction without a difference. We have moved beyond those dark days, but not without pain and suffering and an ongoing fight to keep moving forward. Let us write a different story this time. Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity and regard for all that make our country great.
Let me also speak directly to the transgender community itself. Some of you have lived freely for decades. Others of you are still wondering how you can possibly live the lives you were born to lead. But no matter how isolated or scared you may feel today, the Department of Justice and the entire Obama Administration wants you to know that we see you; we stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward. Please know that history is on your side. This country was founded on a promise of equal rights for all, and we have always managed to move closer to that promise, little by little, one day at a time. It may not be easy ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ but we’ll get there together.
Yassss!!!
Basically, this means North Carolina won’t be losing any Federal funding just yet… but if they don’t change their act pretty soon, they could be missing millions!
What do U think would be fair punishment for NC’s discriminatory laws??
[Image via CNN.]
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