Nathan Deal makes a forceful, biblical case against Georgia’s ‘religious liberty’ bill (Atlanta: middle-class, vs.)

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by fieldm

Mississippi OKs religious bill decried as anti-LGBT - CNN.com

Well it's not like Mississippi has lots of big business and entities like the NBA and NFL knocking down the door anyway. But all this does is set them back even further and the crazy thing is that they don't care.

[Staysean23]

Originally Posted by fieldm

Mississippi OKs religious bill decried as anti-LGBT - CNN.com

It's Mississippi we talking about. Lol they already don't have jobs and they really don't have a gay population like that. I feel bad for the few there though

[J2rescue]

Originally Posted by Pemgin

I hate that this will affect Charlotte, Raleigh, and the progressive areas of NC, but these regressive, hateful state legislatures need to be held accountable for their actions.

Do people actually know what is in the NC bill? And if so, how can you not see this as sheer madness that companies are boycotting the state because of this?

[fieldm]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

Do people actually know what is in the NC bill? And if so, how can you not see this as sheer madness that companies are boycotting the state because of this?

What other issues does the bill have outside of the restroom issue?

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

Do people actually know what is in the NC bill? And if so, how can you not see this as sheer madness that companies are boycotting the state because of this?

Here's the actual text of the bill.

It's a pretty clear attack on trans rights. The bill explicitly states that one's use of the restroom is limited to the sex as listed on your birth certificate. Not current ID, but your birth sex.

I am not up on the NC laws with updating such info, but I get the feeling that you can't change the information on your birth certificate, since it's a record of your birth, not your current state.

That means that someone who has transitioned, could potentially be barred from a restroom should anyone feel the need to call them out on it.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by chuckshere

This is what the GA legislature wanted for GA, apparently...an exodus of jobs and businesses. Some of them can't wait to come back next year and try again to wreck the state's economy. I'm done with the illusion that the Republican party (most of the pols who supported this) is pro-business and pro-growth. Adding insult to injury, the taxpayers have to pay for the legal challenges as well.

Nine months and an ugly presidential election cycle (including state house seats) is between now and the return of the legislature in 2017. With the fallout in North Carolina, and backlash sure to come from Mississippi, there is no way in hell that these GOP lawmakers will be able to bring the same bill back for reconsideration next year. Not only is the court of public opinion just too vocal right now, but many marginal Republicans who originally supported the law are now backing away ... If not publicly than privately (it being an election year and all).

Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown (who I seldom agree with) had a reasonable OP/ED in Sunday's paper in which he stated, very accurately, that instead of opposing the bill after the fact and ultimately vetoing it, Deal and Atlanta's business establishment should have gotten involved in the debate sooner and prevented the legislation from ever getting passed in the first place -- or at least helped negotiate a much less offensive alternative. This is the way Georgia politics and big business did things for generations (think Coca-Cola and Delta) and Brown is absolutely right.

For the sake of Georgia, I have to believe that more rational heads will prevail next session. And either way, there are going to be new bodies in there. So just to say "get ready for it all to play over again next year" is really premature.

[chuckshere]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Nine months and an ugly presidential election cycle (including state house seats) is between now and the return of the legislature in 2017. With the fallout in North Carolina, and backlash sure to come from Mississippi, there is no way in hell that these GOP lawmakers will be able to bring the same bill back for reconsideration next year. Not only is the court of public opinion just too vocal right now, but many marginal Republicans who originally supported the law are now backing away ... If not publicly than privately (it being an election year and all).

Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown (who I seldom agree with) had a reasonable OP/ED in Sunday's paper in which he stated, very accurately, that instead of opposing the bill after the fact and ultimately vetoing it, Deal and Atlanta's business establishment should have gotten involved in the debate sooner and prevented the legislation from ever getting passed in the first place -- or at least helped negotiate a much less offensive alternative. This is the way Georgia politics and big business did things for generations (think Coca-Cola and Delta) and Brown is absolutely right.

For the sake of Georgia, I have to believe that more rational heads will prevail next session. And either way, there are going to be new bodies in there. So just to say "get ready for it all to play over again next year" is really premature.

I noticed that one of the most vocal representatives (Crane) who wanted to call a special session, at taxpayer expense, to override the veto, is running for Congress in the 3rd District (the one being vacated by Westmoreland). It includes Fayette and surrounding counties. I think he would be a name for people in that district to put on the don't vote for list in the primary. There are several candidates, one of whom has to be better. Imagine someone running for office in a district in which one of the highest profile businesses, Pinewood Atlanta, would be severely harmed by the pullout of Disney-Marvel. Pinewood would probably have had to leave.

[fieldm]

Originally Posted by fieldm

So what is wrong with the NC bill besides the restroom portion? I keep reading that this bill had other important issues that are being overlooked?

Originally Posted by Fiyero

See my previous post. The law repealed all existing anti-discrimination laws in places like Asheville, Charlotte, and Raleigh, and prevents any future laws from being passed protecting LGBT people anywhere in the state. It essentially allows any NC citizen, business, or government entity to refuse gay people from their businesses, hotels, restaurants, colleges, employment, housing etc. without question. Much like the "Whites Only" sign on many businesses in the 60s.

The bathroom issue attached to the bill is really just a cover up. It's easier to garner support if you push it as protecting people from the plethora of transsexuals trying to go into the bathroom of their identity. "Oh no, we can't let biological men, who identify as female enter the women's bathroom! We must pass a bill and put a stop to this evil!"

Meanwhile, while everyone is focused on that tiny little issue that affects probably less than 1% of the population, they slipped in a complete removal of all LGBT rights in the state, and banned any future attempts to provide those rights.

...

[fieldm]

Politics | Mother Jones


This is why Paypal is leaving NC. Please read

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

Do people actually know what is in the NC bill? And if so, how can you not see this as sheer madness that companies are boycotting the state because of this?

Originally Posted by fieldm

What other issues does the bill have outside of the restroom issue?

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Here's the actual text of the bill.

It's a pretty clear attack on trans rights. The bill explicitly states that one's use of the restroom is limited to the sex as listed on your birth certificate. Not current ID, but your birth sex.

I am not up on the NC laws with updating such info, but I get the feeling that you can't change the information on your birth certificate, since it's a record of your birth, not your current state.

That means that someone who has transitioned, could potentially be barred from a restroom should anyone feel the need to call them out on it.

In addition to the issues of transgendered individuals potentially being barred from restrooms that match the gender that they have transitioned to, another major issue with the North Carolina law that has been repeatedly noted and documented is that the law basically invalidated all local discrimination ordinances and made it illegal for local municipalities to have discrimination protections that go beyond North Carolina state law which does not feature protections for LGBTQ individuals.

The invalidation of local discrimination ordinances that feature protections for LGBTQ individuals basically makes it open season on them by allowing (and seemingly encouraging) discrimination in parts of the state where discrimination against LGBTQ individuals was not allowed before (prime example: Charlotte).