Congratulations, North Carolina: You absolutely are that...every bit of it

“Ordinance defied common sense, allowing men to use women’s bathroom/locker room for instance. That’s why I signed bipartisan bill to stop it,” McCrory tweeted. Though McCroy tried to characterize the legislation as bipartisan, WTVD confirmed that it was not only voted for exclusively by Republicans, state Democrats were so outraged they walked out on the legislature during the vote in an unprecedented protest. North Carolinians reacted angrily on Twitter, using the hashtag #WeAreNotThis. One trans man illustrated the pit falls of the law by tweeting a picture of himself and saying the law now forces him to use a women’s restroom.

It was a reaction that seemed nothing if not disingenuous: “North Carolinians responded angrily on Twitter to Republican-led legislation signed into law on Wednesday effectively barring protections that allow trans people from using restrooms that correspond to their gender identity”.

I realize we need to get out of the way of all you decent, God-fearing residents of North Carolina rushing to the barricades to actively and volubly disavow the reprehensible law your legislature passed. Before you get too far along, it would be helpful to remember one very important fact: YOU elected the knuckle-draggers who enacted the law. You don’t get to pass the buck and blame legislators; those lawmakers are in the statehouse because you elected them. The responsibility for this bill rests squarely and solely with you, the voters of the Tar Heel State. You elected bigots; you don’t get to disavow them now that you find them embarrassing.

You also don’t get to claim that you couldn’t have seen this coming. When you vote for Social Conservative culture warriors who then do exactly what they told you they were going to do, you don’t get to claim to be shocked and surprised. You voted for people whose definition of “small government” is “small enough to get in everyone’s business.” They voted to impose their narrow, fear-based morality on North Carolina- so yes, you have EXACTLY the quality of leadership you deserve…because you elected them. This one’s on all y’all.

You can use the #WeAreNotThis hashtag all you want…but that in no way absolves you of responsibility. You elected the people who passed this legislation, just as you elected the morally bankrupt Governor who signed it into law. You don’t get to disavow the people YOU elected to conduct your business. You put them in office, which means accepting responsibility for this atrocity committed in your name.

Congratulations, North Carolina; you’re absolutely every bit of that. Mama must be SO proud….