NC Governor Roy Cooper just signed Executive Order 24 and announced a settlement in the ACLU lawsuit against HB2 and its partial replacement, HB142. The Executive Order and settlement essentially establish non-discrimination policies and allow unrestricted bathroom usage for transgender individuals in government and government contractor facilities.
EO24 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, ethnicity, sex, National Guard or veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, including state agencies and any business that receives state contracts. The new protections affect 55,000 state employees and 3,000 vendors for up to $1.5 billion in contracts, according to the governor’s office.
“By requiring companies that contract with the state to have non-discrimination policies, the state can promote protections for more North Carolinians outside of state government,” Cooper said. “We’ve worked with the business community, advocates for the LGBT community and other North Carolinians who know our state is stronger because of our diversity, and I will keep working to make our state a welcoming and inclusive place.”
The governor’s proposed settlement in the lawsuit challenging House Bill 2 and House Bill 142 would allow transgender residents of the state to use public restrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity.
Today, we take another step forward for equality and inclusion in North Carolina. – RC https://t.co/hzyUrmYNLr
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) October 18, 2017
Yesterday the NC Values Coalition released the following statement in response to EO24 and the proposed settlement:
“The Governor’s and Attorney General’s actions today constitute a massive power grab, with sweeping changes that only the Legislative Branch has the authority to enact. After signing into law earlier this year HB 142, which kept in place longstanding laws that required that showers and bathrooms be used in accordance with one’s sex on their birth certificate, Governor Cooper has betrayed the people of North Carolina with an Executive Order that not only allows boys and men into girls’ and women’s showers and bathrooms, but also forces private businesses to adopt sweeping LGBT special rights. Josh Stein has betrayed the people of NC by failing to defend the laws of the state and, instead, elevating LGBT privileges above the rights of common everyday people to privacy and safety in Bathrooms and showers. It is despicable, and the voters of NC will hold these two accountable.”
A federal judge still has to sign off on that settlement for it to take effect.
What are your thoughts on Governor Cooper’s latest actions?