North Carolina will repeal LGBT law, governor-elect says

North Carolina legislators will repeal the contentious HB2 law that limited protections for LGBT people and led to an economic backlash, the state’s incoming governor said on Monday.

Gov.-elect Roy Cooper made the surprising announcement just weeks before he takes office and shortly after the Charlotte City Council voted to repeal its own local nondiscrimination ordinance on Monday morning. The ordinance was enacted in early 2016 and Republicans blamed it for the statewide law.

“Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore assured me that as a result of Charlotte’s vote, a special session will be called for Tuesday to repeal HB2 in full,” Cooper said in a statement. “I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full.”

“Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state,” the statement added.

Repealing the law would be a remarkable sign of cooperation for the incoming governor and the GOP-controlled legislature. Just last week, lawmakers called a special session and stripped Cooper of some of his authority when he takes office next month.

The Charlotte council’s move is contingent on North Carolina legislators fully repealing HB2 by Dec. 31.

The Charlotte council thought about repealing its ordinance before, as part of a deal legislative Republicans pitched back in September, CBS Raleigh affiliate WNCN reported. Republicans said they would repeal the law if the city’s ordinance was repealed, but the deal never went through because the city council didn’t vote on a repeal.

HB2 requires transgender people to use restrooms corresponding with the sex on their birth certificate in many public buildings. It also excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from statewide antidiscrimination protections.

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