HB2: two letters and one number that have severely changed North Carolina history.
The newly passed North Carolina law commonly known as the “bathroom bill” has impacted the great Land of the Pines in ways more than one. On March 23rd, Governor Pat McCrory passed HB2 in hopes of blocking Charlotte’s proposed nondiscrimination ordinance. For those unaware, House Bill 2 (HB2), extremely restricts LGBT community rights and has already been named “the most anti-LGBT house bill in the nation”. In short, HB2 prohibits transgender individuals from going to the bathroom of the sex with which they identify with. Now, by law, your biological sex must correspond with the restroom you use. Being a native North Carolinian myself, I am not so proud to say that my own homeland supports HB2. This bill and its controversial additives have risen major conflicts not only in our home state but nationwide.
Although we are most often referred to as the “land of the free”, this is not what is most recently being showcased throughout our legislative system. Not only do native North Carolinians notice our shift in values, but even musical artists such as Beyonce and The Lumineers stand by the opposition of the bill. Both talented stars have expressed their utter opposition to this bill, and hope to “keep carrying on the message of equality”. As a direct consequence of the bill’s national outcry, both Bruce Springsteen and Demi Lovato cancelled their scheduled North Carolina concerts due to their superb objections. In addition to the cancellation of multiple concerts, HB2 is also putting the Tarheel state at risk of being taken out of the NCAA loop. It is clear that North Carolina is terribly suffering from the consequences of House Bill 2, and we are all just about tired of it. Opening our eyes to the good we could do in exchange for the toll we have taken from this bill could imminently change our state. Let’s express ourselves comfortably. Let’s prove to Demi, Bruce, Yonce, and those gorgeous Lumineers that we are a state dedicated to equality. And most importantly, let’s become the “land of the free" again.
