North Carolina business owners go anti-Republican

by Austin Stallings
Journalism Intern

After a year of debate, the city of Charlotte passed an ordinance to protect its LGBT communities in February. Under HB2, North Carolinians must only use the bathroom that matches the sex listed on their birth certificates—undoing protections the Charlotte bill had granted.

“The entire law poses a risk to transgender people who are singled out for mandated discrimination under state law,” said ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio.

The North Carolina bill has faced severe backlash, not only through lawsuits but through social media. Emily Waggoner, a former North Carolina resident and partner of a transgender person, used her skills as a web designer to create a map of “safe bathrooms” for transgender people.

It shows places where transgender individuals are free to use the bathroom of their preference and currently includes over 80 locations throughout the state, with high concentrations in the Asheville, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill areas.

Private businesses have also taken to social media to display their gender neutral bathrooms as a tongue-in-cheek bathroom ban on Republican politicians.

The ACLU and Equality North Carolina formally announced a lawsuit against members of the North Carolina state government and the University of North Carolina.

The Gayly 3/30/16 @ 1:16 p.m. CDT