North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Attacks LGBTQ Community, Workers, Women and People of Color
The hateful and shameful legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Governor McCrory after only three hours of debate is the most recent attack on democracy and the rights of the people of North Carolina. Taking the lead, along with Mississippi, North Carolina lawmakers have implemented yet another component of the reactionary agenda supported by the wealthy 1% and its most racist sectors. The state legislature is playing a master game of Divide and Conquer. It is attempting to play us against each other while cutting the rights of all.
Bathrooms
Requiring people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their assigned gender at birth is not only demeaning to transgender and gender non-conforming people but puts them in even more dangerous situations than they have faced in the past while using public restrooms. The perpetrators of this travesty have used existing hatred, confusion and false fears to target a vulnerable part of our community. The threat of rape and child molestation is a lie. A vicious lie.
Underlying this legislation is the demonization of the LGBTQ community. They are demonized, as are Black youth. They are demonized like Muslims. This is how the climate for fascism is created.
Bathrooms have been a site of struggle for Black people historically. Telling people what bathrooms they can use, if any, is a legacy of Jim Crow. “White Only” toilets were the expression of white privilege and social control.
Local Political Power
With the State government under the control of racist and reactionary officials, local governments have been stripped of their ability to pass laws to enhance and protect the rights of the people that live in their jurisdictions. It is a challenge to the power of the people to elect councilpersons and commissioners that will implement a human rights agenda.
Protection from Discrimination
HB 2 now makes it harder for workers in the private sector without a union contract to challenge discrimination under North Carolina law. Municipalities can no longer pass ordinances protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap.
Living Wage Ordinances
Workers rights are severely attacked by restricting local governments from requiring 
private employers to pay a living wage. This strengthens and extends the language of HB74 from a previous session of right wing carnage that prohibits cities and counties from requiring that businesses they contract with pay a living wage. This is another attack that undoes the efforts of workers and their allies and will drive North Carolina workers further into poverty.
The North Carolina Reality
North Carolina elected officials have failed to address the real needs of the people regarding health care, education, housing, employment, voting rights and an end to mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline. In fact, they have made the quality of life worse. They have just about finished their agenda to take the state back to the 19th century. Their work is at the cutting edge of the developing New Confederacy that is wreaking havoc around the South and the rest of the country.
Build a United Front
It is urgent that we bring together all of those impacted by these measures and other North Carolinians of good will to vigorously fight back against these policies. Both elections and the building of Peoples Assemblies on the local level are the tools that we need to defeat these enemies of the people.
People of Color, workers, the LGBTQ community, white anti-racist, and those opposing Islamophonbia and police terror must come together now. In the meantime, we must ensure that no physical harm is done to anyone targeted by these hatefumeasures and the climate it has created.
Repeal HB2!
Build People’s Assemblies!
Defend and Protect Our Communities
