UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: In response to North Carolina's failure to comply to a Monday deadline, the U.S. Justice Department has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state. "This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said during a press conference. "This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them—indeed, to protect all of us." The suit seeks a court order that would declare House Bill 2 "discriminate on the basis of sex," warranting a statewide ban of its enforcement.
"You've been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm—but that just is not the case," Lynch told citizens of her home state. "Instead, what this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share. This law provides no benefit to society—all it does is harm innocent Americans."
The response to the Justice Department's move was immediate, with many praising Lynch for taking a stand against transgender discrimination:
See original story below.
Facing a deadline from the federal government to amend recent LGBT laws that prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity, the state of North Carolina has filed a lawsuit against Washington.
Given until Monday to change the recent "bathroom laws," theAssociated Press reported Monday morning that North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is standing firm in his decision to enforce the law, despite the Justice Department's insistence that the law violates transgender people's civil rights.
In a press release sent to Complex, Gov. McCrory's stated,
The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina. This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level. They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a women’s locker room, restroom or shower facility.
The statement further remarked that the governor has,
Cited the fact that he has directed state agencies to make a reasonable accommodation of a single occupancy restroom. The state also allows private companies to set their own policies for bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities.
Because the justice department has said that the law violates Title IX, which stipulates that sex-based discrimination is illegal in state colleges and universities. If the laws are not amended, the state of North Carolina stands to lose funding for it's state school system, according to the Associated Press.
