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NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS have failed to scrap a law that served as a spark in America’s ‘bathroom wars’ over transgender identity, and the broader cultural battle between conservatives and liberals.
The state assembly had convened a special session to do away with the so-called House Bill 2, which requires transgender people to use toilets corresponding to the gender on their birth certificates — not the one they identify as — in schools and government buildings.
Democrats and Republicans had earlier reached an agreement to repeal the law in exchange for Charlotte — North Carolina’s most populous city — dropping new gay rights provisions that were the trigger for the ‘bathroom law’.
However, lawmakers clashed for hours when discussing the issue yesterday – bickering over details of the compromise.
Ultimately, the Senate rejected a bill to repeal the law, and the House adjourned without making a decision.
The lawmakers aren’t scheduled to be in session again until next month.
“It is a shame that North Carolina’s General Assembly is refusing to clean up the mess they made,” James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT and HIV Project, said in a statement.
“The support for the LGBT community from political leaders, faith leaders, businesses, and everyday people that has emerged this year will not fade. These attempts to expel transgender people from public life will not be tolerated,” he said, adding that his group planned to challenge the law in court.
Business and concert boycotts
The law, which was passed in March, was widely condemned as discriminatory and resulted in North Carolina suffering a string of business boycotts.
Performers such as Bruce Springsteen and major sports groups cancelled events, and there was blowback from corporate titans such as Apple and Starbucks.
Republican Governor Pat McCrory is believed to have lost his re-election bid in November in part due to the law — which his incoming Democratic successor pushed to do away with.
Governor-elect Roy Cooper had argued that scrapping the bathroom law would help win back business and restore North Carolina’s tarnished reputation.
Political correctness
Amid the fray in North Carolina, President Barack Obama in May issued instructions for all public school districts in America to let transgender children use the toilet of their gender identity.
American conservatives protested this, saying the idea was political correctness gone too far.
Despite both parties seemingly reaching an agreement on the issue, many conservatives never wanted to repeal the law.
Social conservatives defended the transgender bathroom requirement — which has no enforcement or punishment provisions — as necessary to prevent heterosexual predators from masquerading as transgender to molest women and girls when they are vulnerable.
However, the US Justice Department and others contend the threat of sexual predators posing as transgender people to enter a bathroom is practically nonexistent.
Marriage equality
The US Supreme Court ruled last year that a marriage between people of the same sex is just as legitimate as one between heterosexuals.
The North Carolina gender law and others like it are widely seen as a backlash against the Supreme Court gay marriage ruling, with transgender people caught in the crossfire of a war between conservatives wed to traditional family values and progressives seeking greater rights for the LGBT community.
The US Supreme Court entered the debate in October, announcing it will consider the case of a 17-year-old in Virginia who was born a female but identifies as a male and has filed lawsuit to be able to use the boys’ bathroom at his high school.
Contains reporting from Associated Press
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This is great news, however if anything happens to the birds we need to full force of the law with the largest possible fines levied on any fool that poisons or shoots them.,
Well don’t be angry if they start picking off slow children
Exactly what I was about to say Barry, couldn’t agree more.
Incredible news, delighted. Magnificent creatures.
Can we reintroduce brown bears and wolves?
Its hard to believe how recently bears were here. Uptill sometime before 1000AD by some accounts.
Would love to see wolves back so much but we really don’t have the habitat for them anymore. Scotland does but can’t see them going for it. Recent coverage on TV of the Yellowstone reintroduction was fascinating. Wild habitats really need apex predators, everything benefits (unless you’re an elk reading this).
PS the last Irish wolf was only killed in 1786.
Great to read this. Hopefully more will also set up nests. A piece of good news for a change :-)
everything crossed that this works! magnificent creatures!
Exactly Barry !
How long before there is the inevitable news story about the birds being shot or poisoned?
In fairness to the people of Clare these birds have been around for a while and by all accounts the locals are delighted with them. Those who oppose reintroduction in this country are very much in the minority so fingers crossed they’ll continue to thrive.
I hope we all feel the same and are happy that these great creatures are here, and not some idiots kill them because they’re “competition” for food
Here is a case of developing a national asset (for long term tourism) while helping the environment. Double win. Lets hope there is more projects like this.
Fantastic news, these are magnificent birds and deserve all the help and protection we can give them. Lets hope this pair are successful and maybe next year there will be additional pairings in other parts of the country.
Great news,at last,a good news story for these fantastic birds
Great news ….but will someone tell them they’re also known as sea eagles and get them to feck off out to sea! It’s hard enough to get a trout out of Lough Derg at the best of times without having to keep an eye out over your shoulder!!
I would have thought losing a trout to an eagle was an honour….
My cat was nearly dinner for a red kite, does that count?? :-D
Yeah red kites are largely non predatory carrion birds. I know you’re joking and all but it’s important not to let myths of what birds of prey eat persist. If you have a pet earthworm you may want to keep him in though…
I am joking, but I dunno about that, I regularly (3 times in the past month anyway) see red kites taking shots at crows – serious air battles, to be honest I’m amazed at how well the crows handle themselves, I’ve yet to see a Kite actually take a crow from the air, but the last couple of battles I saw went on for about 5 minutes each before the crows pulled off some top gun manoeuvres to get away from the kites. Amazing birds (crows and kites).
Crows harass all birds of prey, it’s in their nature and yup, battles can be spectacular, specially in breeding season as kites are defending territory. If you’re seeing a lot of this behaviour you may have a nest nearby. Golden Eagle Trust are always looking for details of sightings on their website, specially at this time as they need to identify nest sites for tagging. if you can give them GPS all the better but don’t go looking for the nest itself as you may disturb them. Here’s a link:
http://www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php?z=129
Awesome! but I’m in Sweden :-D
Ha! But also yay for multinational kites!
no comments?
Check out our video of the Eagles on Lough Derg on clarevirtually.ie facebook page
Great news. Been lucky enough to photograph them up close in Norway (with an authorised guide) and its something else. Hope that seeing them here becomes as common. Nothin like seeing a flying barn door over the mountains.
It’s an awful shame that so many of our indigenous fauna have gone extinct for one reason or another.
In the case of the wolves I would love to see an animal that’s supposed to be here be reintroduced but I think there would substantial opposition to that and really, it would be hard to argue in favour of it considering it would be adding a potentially dangerous animal into the Irish landscape.
Cant see that Eoin, where zactly is it?
This is brilliant news for everyone in Co. Clare and also Tipperary. There will also be a huge boost for the tourism providers around Mountshannon as people will travel from all over the world to see these chicks. Preparations are already being made for the huge influx of people that these eagle chicks will attract. Anybody who wants can view the eagles with binoculars or telescopes but only from the pier in Mountshannon. There is a 250 metre exclusion zone around the whole island and boat captains are requested to respect this. Otherwise come and join in the celebrations as the locals welcome our newest and most welcome residents. Check out what’s available for visitors to Mountshannon on youtu.be/v9xHDCYrGI
Apologies the link on my comment is wrong. Here is the correct one.
youtu.be/v9xeHDCYrGI
Hope they don’t stray into Donegal
Fantastic news
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