North Carolina has been in the public eye since they passed HB2, the infamous piece of legislation that eliminates protections for LGBT individuals in the state. That attention has not been good attention. Backlash from the business community has been swift and widespread. Musical artists like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Ringo Starr are publicly boycotting performing in the state, while Joel McHale and Brandi Carlisle are donating funds made from their North Carolina shows to LGBT charities.
So, you might think that North Carolina would want to tone it down for a little while, try to get out of the public spotlight. Right?
Or, they could hold a rally and do the exact opposite of that! Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!
Monday, supporters of HB 2 held a rally at the state capital in support of the bill. State Senator Buck Newton is a Republican running to be the state’s next attorney general, and helped push the bill through the North Carolina state house. As he addressed the crowd, he urged them to keep true to the purpose of the bill:
Video via Youtube
“Go home, tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight!”
Really, North Carolina? Really?
Governor Pat McCrory has made a pathetic attempt during the past few weeks to do damage control over the backlash by trying to “clarify” the law to downplay its discriminatory intent.
Kind of hard to deny that now, eh, Pat?
If you want to crawl out from under the national microscope, North Carolina, this is not the way to do it. And despite the intense backlash to HB2, bigots like Newton continue to drag his state’s name through the mud. Meanwhile, the economic backlash only continues. If you keep on like this, North Carolina, your state may be “straight” with no money.
Featured image via Youtube
