Companies, professional sports organizations and government agencies — such as the city of Atlanta, for example — are banning official travel to North Carolina because of the recent passage of a law by the North Carolina General Assembly known as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, which bans local governments in the state from instituting protective measures against anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation; and requires transgender people in public schools, universities and government buildings to use washrooms which match the gender on their birth certificates.
Are You Avoiding Travel to North Carolina Because of the “Bathroom” Law?
A measure was passed by the city of Charlotte — the largest city in North Carolina — to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from businesses to discriminate against them. It was set to become effective as of Friday, April 1, 2016; but the new state law — signed by Pat McCrory, who is the governor of North Carolina — overrode and therefore reversed the measure.
Of course, public buildings includes airports; so if you are a transgender person who has not taken the surgical and legal steps to change your gender on your birth certificate — and you are traveling to, from or through any airport in North Carolina and must use the facilities — you are affected by this new law…
…but even if your sexual orientation is of a straight heterosexual nature, the law purportedly limits how you can pursue claims of reasons of discrimination based on race, skin color, religious belief, age, biological gender, national origin or handicap in state courts.
A federal lawsuit initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the law as discriminatory.
Summary
I have no travel to North Carolina planned in the foreseeable future; but the part of the law which I simply do not understand is why transgender people must use washrooms which are of the gender that they were originally born. Whenever I use a public restroom, I do not exactly “flaunt my goods” for all to see — nor am I curious enough to want to see the private parts or bathroom habits of others — so why would I care if a man who was originally a woman uses the same washroom as me?
Despite having long had laws regulating such issues as discrimination in the workplace and the use of public accommodations such as washrooms, North Carolina is one of the states which is considered an “at will” state. That means that — with a limited number of exceptions — an employer can fire an employee for any reason and without explanation. While there has been limited protection available for people who are “different” than others, this new state law now clearly defines the rights — or lack thereof — of those people…
…and when I say those people, I am talking about you and I and everyone else: a white person working for a business operated by black people; a transgender person using a public washroom; a Muslim person in a Christian environment; a gay person wanting to marry a soulmate of the same gender; an elderly person seeking meaningful employment as a few of many reversible examples. The possibilities for discrimination are endless.
As a straight white male, I guess the question I have to ask is: are laws such as this one really necessary; and do laws similar to this one really solve any problems — or do they actually create more problems; and at a significant cost of time, money, effort and trust?
