Tag: North Carolina

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News Round-Up: December 23, 2016

The sexy gay stars of Netflix’s Sense8

Some news items you may have missed:

• The special two hour Christmas episode of the acclaimed Netflix series Sense8 is now available! Go watch now! I understand the creators heard loud and clear how much we all loved the sensual spa scene in the first season’s episode 

 • The North Carolina NAACP will call for a national economic boycott after the Republican-led state legislature reneged on a deal to repeal it’s hate law, HB2.

• Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker has given her blessing for a third big screen installment of the popular HBO series.

• An appeals court has overturned former student-athlete Michael L. Johnson’s conviction for infecting a sexual partner with HIV.

• Expect Donald Trump to express his outrage over the United States abstaining from a vote on the United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction, which by the way has been the position of every president since Reagan.

• Do not miss the new film adaptation of the late August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play Fences, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. I hear Viola Davis’ portrayal of his steadfast wife, Rose, is practically a shoe-in for the Oscar. Washington and Davis are both nominated for Golden Globes. In wide release Christmas Day.

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North Carolina State Republicans Renege On Deal To Repeal Hate Law HB2

The North Carolina Republican-controlled legislature promised to repeal the state’s hate law, HB2, IF the city council of Charlotte would first repeal their local LGBT protections ordinance. But after the city of Charlotte went first in this game of chicken, the GOP lawmakers reneged on the deal.

H.B. 2 bans transgender people from accessing restrooms and public facilities that align with their gender identity, and prevents local municipalities from passing nondiscrimination protections to LGBT people.

A special session was called Wednesday to close the deal on repealing HB2 which has had an enormous economic backlash on the state as businesses have pulled out of the state costing over $600 million in lost revenue.

Talking Points Memo details how it all went down:

The compromise touted by both Cooper and outgoing GOP Gov. Pat McCrory called for Charlotte to do away with its ordinance. In exchange, lawmakers would undo the LGBT law.

But many conservatives never wanted to repeal the law and GOP lawmakers cried foul when Charlotte leaders initially left part of the city’s ordinance in place. When the Senate bill called for a months-long ban on cities passing similar ordinances, Democrats said Republicans were going back on their promise.

Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican, blamed Cooper and the Democratic-controlled Charlotte City Council for sinking the repeal effort.

Berger said Charlotte officials misled lawmakers into thinking they had fully repealed their ordinance Monday. The council met again Wednesday morning to scrap the rest of local law.

“I’m sorry folks, I don’t trust them, and our folks don’t trust them. There’s no reason to trust them,” Berger said after his chamber adjourned.

The Human Rights Campaign issued this statement:

“Today, the public trust has been betrayed once again. Lawmakers sent a clear message: North Carolina remains closed for business,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “It’s been 273 days since Republican state lawmakers passed the hateful HB2 law, and they have resisted fixing the mess they created every step of the way. Even after Charlotte responded to the GOP leadership’s loathsome demand to repeal common sense protections that exist in more than 100 cities, Senator Berger and Speaker Moore failed to make good on the ‘deal’ they brokered with Governor-elect Cooper to fully repeal HB2. Their shameful actions and broken promises subject LGBTQ North Carolinians to state-mandated discrimination, contribute to a heightened environment of harassment and violence, and will continue the significant harm done to the state’s reputation and economy. It’s clear today that the GOP leadership’s cruelty towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and particularly transgender North Carolinians knows no bounds. For our part, we will continue to fight to defeat all of HB2 and protect North Carolinians no matter what it takes.”

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Repeal of North Carolina Hate Law Unsure At This Time

(image via WRAL)

Although GOP state lawmakers had promised to repeal their divisive hate law HB2 if the city of Charlotte would first repeal their local ordinance giving LGBTs protections, it’s not sure how things will shake out.

Charlotte fulfilled their side of the bargain, but Republican lawmakers, now in a special session, are foot dragging.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Minutes into the House session, Rep. Jeff Collins of Nash County rose to declare the session unconstitutional and decried the “extraordinary hubris” of Charlotte City Council in prompting it. Two other members joined him.

Rep. Michael Speciale of New Bern moved that the session be immediately adjourned. He was ruled out of order. Sen. Tommy Tucker, a Republican from Waxhaw, filed a resolution to adjourn the session.

By 11 a.m., the House had gone into a recess that was later extended to 1 p.m. without taking up HB2. House Republicans gathered in caucus. A growing group of protesters gathered outside the chamber.

The Charlotte Chamber, apparently alarmed by the turn of events, sent out a urgent call to action for the public to call legislators.

“This morning the Charlotte City Council approved a full and clean repeal of their non-discrimination ordinance that led to the state’s approval of HB2, a bill that has caused serious economic damage to our economy and to the perception of our state,” the chamber said. “The legislature is in special session at this moment. It is not known if there are enough votes to repeal.”

As House Republicans mulled their next move, Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Charlotte Democrat, filed his own HB2 repeal bill. Sen. Mike Woodard, a Republican from Durham, and Sen. Terry Van Duyn, a Democrat from Asheville, signed on as co-sponsors.

Stay tuned.

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Seth Meyers On The North Carolina Republicans’ Power Grab


 Late Night with Seth Meyers takes a closer look at the political crisis in North Carolina, where Republicans sought to strip power away from the incoming Democratic governor before he takes office.

After Republican Gov. Pat McCrory lost his reelection bid, the GOP controlled North Carolina legislature voted to reduce the new governor’s powers drastically. “That’s like losing a bet,” the Late Night host said, “and paying with Monopoly money.”

But hey – it’s not all bad. The incoming governor still gets the keys to the mansion and a ballroom!

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Charlotte City Council Repeals LGBT Protections

The Charlotte city council in North Carolina has voted to repeal it’s LGBT protections ordinance.

The move is part of a bargain  made by GOP state lawmakers who vowed to repeal the anti-LGBT legislation HB2, if Charlotte would repeal their ordinance first.
We’ll see if the GOP controlled legislature fulfills its promise.
The council’s repeal measure requires the legislature to repeal HB2 by December 31 or its ordinance would stand.

Stay tuned.
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North Carolina GOP Governor Signs Legislation That Limits His Democratic Successor’s Powers

Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R)

Shady shenanigans going on in North Carolina as sore loser Gov. Pat McCrory called a special session for the Republican controlled state legislature.

The point of the session was to pass bills which would now limit the powers of the incoming Governor-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat who defeated McCrory in a bitter campaign this fall.

McCrory spent weeks delaying the certification of the election trying to say there had been vote tampering and more. No evidence was found, and Cooper was declared the winner.

But, in the aftermath of that defeat, McCrory took a final slap against his opponent.

From NBC News:

The bill McCrory signed on Friday merges the State Board of Elections and State Ethics Commission into one entity comprised equally of Democrats and Republicans. Previous state law would have allowed Cooper to put a majority of Democrats on the board, which sets the rules for the state’s notoriously burdensome balloting.

The measure also makes elections for appellate court judgeships partisan by requiring candidates to be listed on the ballot alongside their political party.

Protesters packed the halls of the General Assembly Friday as lawmakers voted on another bill that would require Senate confirmation for cabinet appointments. The state Senate voted to approve that measure Friday afternoon, sending it back to the state House for final consideration.

At least 16 people were arrested Friday, according to General Assembly police.

The series of measures were introduced in a surprise move Wednesday during a special session ostensibly called by the General Assembly to consider relief for Hurricane Matthew victims. Lawmakers did indeed approve a $201 million aid package earlier in the day, but then moved onto the legislation aimed at curbing the power of Cooper, who beat Republican McCrory last month by about 10,000 votes.

House Bill 17, which McCrory is expected to sign, legislates that Cooper’s cabinet picks must be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate.

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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory Finally Concedes He Lost Reelection Bid

After weeks of stonewalling, North Carolina’s anti-LGBT Gov. Pat McCrory has conceded he lost his race for reelection to Democrat and current Attorney General Roy Cooper.

Reported as the closest governor’s race in North Carolina history, Cooper apparently won by a margin of 10,250 votes.

A divisive figure in North Carolina politics, McCrory’s loss can be credited to his support and passage of the state’s now infamously anti-LGBT legislation known as HB2.

The law stuck down all LGBT protections in the state by stating that, unless a certain class of people was officially recognized by the state, local municipalities could not enact their own protections.

This included barring transgender citizens from using public bathrooms which aligned with their gender identity.

HB2’s impact on North Carolina was vast with many corporations and events cancelled and moved to other states. The cost to the state has been estimated to be in the tens of millions.

Congratulations Governor-elect Roy Cooper!

In a video released by McCrory’s office he says, “I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken. And we now should do everything we can to support the 75th Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper.”

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Anti-LGBT Gov. Pat McCrory Looks To Be Toast As Roy Cooper’s Lead Crosses 10K Threshold

It looks like anti-LGBT North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is going to need to face the reality that his days in the North Carolina state house are coming to an end.

And it couldn’t happen to a better guy. You’ll recall McCrory championed, signed and defended his state’s HB2, an anti-LGBT law which among other things prevents transgender folks from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

Thanks to the law, the Tarheels state has lost millions in income as conventions, concerts and other events have cancelled over the discriminatory legislation.

Democratic challenger, state Attorney General Roy Cooper, refused to defend HB2, and currently has a lead of more than 10,000 votes in the race for the governorship.

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North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Gov. McCrory, Trailing By 9,000+ Votes, Refuses To Concede

Gov. Pat McCrory (L) and Attorney General Roy Cooper (R)

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who infamously signed the anti-LGBT legislation known as HB 2 into law, refuses to concede to his Democratic opponent, current state Attorney General Roy Cooper even though Cooper leads by over 9,000 votes.

From The Advocate:

McCrory, infamous for signing the state’s anti-LGBT House Bill 2 into law, said Saturday that he would withdraw his demand for a statewide recount in exchange for a hand recount of votes in Durham County, which is heavily Democratic, The Charlotte Observer reports. The State Board of Elections met Sunday but took no action on that request, with members saying they had not received it in writing.

Cooper, whose lead has grown since Election Night, released a video Sunday declaring victory in the election, and Monday his attorney, Marc Elias, made that same point in a teleconference with reporters, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. “The math is simply clear. … Governor-elect Roy Cooper has won this race,” Elias said.

Cooper, currently the state’s attorney general, was a major opponent of HB 2, passed in March. He refused to defend it in court and called it a “national embarrassment.”

The law, among other things, prevents municipalities from enacting or enforcing LGBT-inclusive antidiscrimination ordinances, and it bars transgender people, when in government buildings, from using restrooms, locker rooms, and other single-sex facilities that match their gender identity.

HB 2 has cost the state millions is lost business as dozens of conventions, concerts and other events have cancelled over the hateful legislation.

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North Carolina GOP Boasts About Suppressing African-American Vote

The North Carolina Republican Party sent out a stunning press release today that literally bragged about it’s success in depressing the black vote this election cycle.

African American Early Voting is down 8.5% from this time in 2012.

A big part of the vote suppression was limiting the early voting methods used most often by African Americans — including eliminating “Souls to the Polls Sunday” and reducing the number of early voting locations.

Check the text of the press release below via Ari Berman: