Post by ck4829 on Dec 26, 2016 18:05:54 GMT -6
but chose discrimination instead
Alaina Kupec says her life before House Bill 2 was quiet. She was not out publicly as transgender and lived with her wife. But, after the bill, which denies transgender people the right to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, became law in North Carolina in March, even a trip to the gym became fraught with worry.
She felt unwelcome in her own state, perceiving danger everywhere.
Kupec began to work with the American Civil Liberties Union in North Carolina and says she met with several state legislators after the bill's passing to discuss its effect on trans North Carolinians. She says that, privately, two legislators who voted for the bill told her that she was the first transgender person they'd ever met. When she told them that HB2 had ended the days of her being able to use the bathroom in peace, Kupec claims they hadn't realized the bill's effect on people's everyday lives.
"They both said, 'You shouldn't have a problem using the restroom, because you look fine,'" Kupec said in a phone interview. "And my reaction was 'Well, that's the point. I didn't have a problem, but now I do because of this law you passed!'"
"They were so caught up in the political narrative, they didn't stop to think about what this means for people in my situation."
It's possible that, before the passage of HB2, some North Carolina lawmakers did not understand the law's effect on transgender people — or on the state's economy. But, nine months later, there's no doubt that HB2 burdens North Carolinians. National controversy swirls around the law, which has cost the state millions of dollars in business. And the law has put countless political issues on the front burner: The fight over HB2 has become a flashpoint for national political issues such as gerrymandering, the powers of governors versus state legislatures, the role of popular will in governance and the struggle for transgender rights.
Despite overwhelming evidence of HB2's damaging effects, North Carolina's government has failed to react with anything but inaction. HB2 remains the law of the land in North Carolina.
mic.com/articles/163225/north-carolina-had-every-good-reason-to-repeal-hb2-but-chose-discrimination-instead#.jx54ekESE
Read more: burnoatus.freeforums.net/thread/375/north-carolina-good-repeal-hb2#ixzz4TzZxhx2j
Alaina Kupec says her life before House Bill 2 was quiet. She was not out publicly as transgender and lived with her wife. But, after the bill, which denies transgender people the right to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, became law in North Carolina in March, even a trip to the gym became fraught with worry.
She felt unwelcome in her own state, perceiving danger everywhere.
Kupec began to work with the American Civil Liberties Union in North Carolina and says she met with several state legislators after the bill's passing to discuss its effect on trans North Carolinians. She says that, privately, two legislators who voted for the bill told her that she was the first transgender person they'd ever met. When she told them that HB2 had ended the days of her being able to use the bathroom in peace, Kupec claims they hadn't realized the bill's effect on people's everyday lives.
"They both said, 'You shouldn't have a problem using the restroom, because you look fine,'" Kupec said in a phone interview. "And my reaction was 'Well, that's the point. I didn't have a problem, but now I do because of this law you passed!'"
"They were so caught up in the political narrative, they didn't stop to think about what this means for people in my situation."
It's possible that, before the passage of HB2, some North Carolina lawmakers did not understand the law's effect on transgender people — or on the state's economy. But, nine months later, there's no doubt that HB2 burdens North Carolinians. National controversy swirls around the law, which has cost the state millions of dollars in business. And the law has put countless political issues on the front burner: The fight over HB2 has become a flashpoint for national political issues such as gerrymandering, the powers of governors versus state legislatures, the role of popular will in governance and the struggle for transgender rights.
Despite overwhelming evidence of HB2's damaging effects, North Carolina's government has failed to react with anything but inaction. HB2 remains the law of the land in North Carolina.
mic.com/articles/163225/north-carolina-had-every-good-reason-to-repeal-hb2-but-chose-discrimination-instead#.jx54ekESE
Read more: burnoatus.freeforums.net/thread/375/north-carolina-good-repeal-hb2#ixzz4TzZxhx2j