Moving to North Carolina in August 2015, I had no idea that the following months would be filled with the political drama of Charlotte’s LGBT bathroom policy and the state’s response with the passage of House Bill 2. This drama, however, has recently become much more relevant and economically important to the state.
For those unfamiliar with this hotly debated topic, here is the run-down:
On Feb. 22, 2016, the City Council of Charlotte, NC passed a non-discriminatory bathroom policy which allowed for transgender individuals to utilize the public bathroom of their gender identity rather than their biological sex. This policy received much criticism from conservatives across the state and especially from Republican governor, Pat McCroy.The state government responded quickly to this policy by passing HB2 on March 23, 2016. This bill, signed into law by McCroy, did several important things: made it illegal for transgender individuals to utilize the bathroom of their gender identity but instead made the transgender community legally obligated to utilize the bathroom of their biological sex; made it impossible for local city governments to pass any laws which contradict this state law; eliminated any civil rights protection for the LGBT community and made it illegal for local governments to pass any laws which explicitly protect this group. Since the passage of HB2, both Pat McCroy and the state government have received criticism for the extremely conservative policies. This has led to numerous protests and business retaliation.
More recently, North Carolina has experienced economic repercussions for passing the controversial law. Large corporations such as IBM, Google, Facebook, Bank of America, and PayPal “denounce[d] North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law” just days after its passage. These companies are beginning to put their money where their mouth is, especially Deutsche Bank (DB).
I have a friend with a PhD in Computer Science, who has been looking for a job in the Charlotte area. When he heard that DB was opening a corporate office in Cary, North Carolina, he was able to apply for a high level position; however, his application was rejected because of his NC residency. Turns out, the corporate office wants nothing to do with NC now because of HB2. As a result, my friend is still looking for a job.
While the corporation was planning on expanding in Cary, it is now “freezing plans” due to HB2. This expansion would have been a $9 million investment and led to 250 new jobs in the state with salaries upwards of $85,000.
Similarly, 13 different groups have backed out of events that were to take place in Charlotte, including the Southern Sociological Society. According to federal officials, the bill is projected to cost the state billions in federal aid, and millions in stunted business growth. To NC’s legislature, this may just seem like numbers, but to me, it has made a huge difference in my friend’s life.
Legislation like HB2, regardless of the political hype and the conservative governor’s need to prove a point, has a wider range of influence than within the political sphere. In order to wage a conservative war on the public bathroom, the state government has clearly lost sight of the residents it is purposed to serve. Instead, NC residents have now been caught up in an unnecessary and economically devastating political battle.
