We asked [that North Carolina] certify by the end of the day they will not comply with or implement the restrictions on restroom access and an extension was requested by North Carolina and was under active consideration. Instead of replying to our offer or applying for certification, 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, Governor Pat McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, and the University of North Carolina.
Among the almost universally-accepted roles of government is the protection of minority classes targeted by discriminatory actions and legislation. “Majority Rules” doesn’t confer upon the majority the right to force their narrow moral/theological/ideological framework upon those whose only “crime” is merely wanting to live their lives as genuinely and authentically as possible. The LGBT community- in this case, the “T”- poses no direct (or even indirect) threat to the good, God-fearing, Bible-believing, missionary-position-loving, Conservative White Christian culture warriors who call North Carolina home. Of course, reality and truth rarely serve as impediment to those willing to provide their narrow, hateful, authoritarian agenda with the force of law.
This is where U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch enters the fray. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed suit against the State of North Carolina, demanding that they roll back HB2 and with it the state’s misguided attempt to extend “small government” into public restrooms and changing facilities. It’s a simple case of doing the right thing and standing up for a class of people who simply want to be left alone in order that they may simply be who they are.
Lynch’s contention that “this action is about a great deal more than bathrooms” is spot on. If HB2 is allowed to stand unchallenged, how long will it be before North Carolina culture warriors go after other minority groups they despise? It’s a classic Niemöllerian “First they came for….” stance; if DOJ chose not to respond as they have, who knows what would arrest the slide down the slippery slope of discrimination and exclusion. It’s no exaggeration to hold that transgender rights are human rights.
Who will stand up when they come for you?
not surprisingly, the butthurt among North Carolina culture warriors- chief among them Gov. Pat McCrory- has been furious and intense. Rather than stepping back and honestly examining the constitutionality of HB2, McCrory, et. al., have been heavily invested in stepping on their dicks. Hackles up and ego bruised, McCrory has filed suit against DOJ, demanding that it back off and let North Carolina handles its own affairs.
Whatever the outcome of this contretemps turns out to be, one thing is certain: North Carolina will spend millions of tax dollars defending its sovereign “right” to discriminate against those it determines to be “less than.” State’s rights, don’tchaknow??
(UPDATE: This is what happens when Liberals sleep through elections and/or can’t be bothered to actually vote.)
