He took questions on the Today show today: Q: Tell us your views of LGBT and how you plan to be inclusive. Please speak about the North Carolina bathroom law. A: ”North Carolina did something that was very strong and they’re paying a big price and there’s a lot of problems,” said Trump, who would have left things as they were. “There have … Read More
Court Opinion: 4th Circuit Sides with Transgender High School Student Suing School Board for Access to Boy’s Bathroom
The Fourth Circuit just reversed a lower Virginia court, which had tossed a lawsuit by a transgender boy against the school district which barred his access to the boy’s room. Not a final decision on the merits — the case was handed back down to the Virginia federal court. But a good harbinger, since on other federal appeals court has … Read More
Concept Creep And Why We Suddenly Are All Made Of Candy Glass
When I grew up, third graders could walk to school, play alone at the park, or bike 10 minutes to a friend’s house without anyone worrying or objecting, so long as they came home for supper or before the street lights came on. Today, though kidnapping is just as rare, a parent who allows that same behavior is at risk … Read More
The Science Behind HB2
Well, what do you know. It turns out that there are people who actually know a thing or two about gender determination from a scientific and factual point of view. They’re called “scientists”. And they have to educate the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly, who don’t bother to educate themselves before passing laws. Here’s a letter from twenty … Read More
Quote Of The Day
I highlighted it in yellow. Nice going, Charles Pierce in Esquire:
Breaking: Governor McSmarmy Doubles Down But Also Retreats
Feeling the heat: RALEIGH, N.C. – Governor McCrory signed an executive order Tuesday that clarifies existing state law and provides new protection for North Carolina residents. According to the Governor’s Office, Executive Order 93 does the following: Maintains the common sense gender-specific restroom and locker room facilities in government buildings and schools. Affirms the private sector’s right to establish its … Read More
Why Keep An Embarrassing Law On The Books If You Can’t Even Enforce It?
So happy Mother Jones did this: Two days after North Carolina enacted one of the country’s most sweeping anti-LGBT laws, The New Yorker‘s Andy Borowitz imagined the scene at the state capitol in Raleigh: In a “historic ceremony,” he wrote, “North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory swore in a thousand officers charged with enforcing the state’s new public-bathroom regulations.” The new … Read More
For THIS, I Finally Appear In Playbill
Sigh: In a new statement provided to Playbill.com by Schwartz’s team, the composer-lyricist takes a hard line against North Carolina Governor McCrory and encourages citizens of the stage to turn their anger into activism. It can be read in full below: First of all, I think it’s important to remember that this is not just me, this is a collective … Read More
Paypal Pulls The Plug
HB2, the very discriminatory “anti-discrimination bill in North Carolina” (Why do Republicans always name laws the opposite of what they actually do — like the Clean Water Act? Do they think we are idiots?) wasn’t supposed to result in any job loss to North Carolina. The opposition to the bill was all “political theater” Governor McCrory said. Nnooope. The Charlotte … Read More
Governor McCrory Keeps Digging Deeper
The Governor takes to Youtube: Notes as I watch this: He’s talking out of the corner of his mouth and has that fakey politician smile The lip service offered to “respecting each other’s beliefs and values” is unnerving, given what he is defending here. He responds to politicians who have “demonized” North Carolina. Yeah, they’re the problem — these outside agitators. McCrory: “Frankly … Read More
Governor McCrory Attempts To Clarify HB2 . . . But Obfuscates Even More
Responding to worldwide disgust at the passage and signing of HB2, which discriminates against transgender people (and does lots of bad stuff in general), NC Governor McCrory put some shit on his website, entitled “Myths vs Facts: What New York Times, Huffington Post and other media outlets aren’t saying about common-sense privacy law” Catchy title. Can we dispense with the … Read More
The Lawsuit Begins
Two transgender people and a lesbian law school professor, along with the ACLU of North Carolina and Equality NC, filed a federal lawsuit today to challenge the new North Carolina law that blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination rules and requiring transgender students to use bathrooms assigned to their biological sex. While I would have preferred that the lawsuit take on the … Read More
The Cuban Mistress Crisis
The National Enquirer is reporting that Ted Cruz is hiding five different mistresses. Before you scoff, remember that the National Enquirer was right about Gary Hart’s affair, and John Edwards. Others in (somewhat) more respectable media outlets seem to think it is accurate. COMING CLEAN: From what I know, at least 2 of the women named as Cruz mistresses by … Read More
When You Don’t Think
The backlash and fallout against North Carolina’s HB2 law continues, and what is getting a lot of attention are pictures and tweets from transgender people like Michael Hughes, a 45-year-old trans man in Rochester, Minn. Take a look at this picture: That’s Michael Hughes and two of his female friends in a womens’ bathroom. Under the new law passed by the … Read More
Repercussions
I know the Republican lawmakers don’t give a damn about non-straight people, but they’re supposed to give a damn about business. Apparently, they didn’t think about the effect on the economy: American Airlines and other major businesses across the state and nation are taking a stand against a bill signed into law Wednesday by N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory that invalidates Charlotte’s … Read More