What Is HB2? Trans Bathroom Bill Repeal In Jeopardy After Bizarre GOP Response

Update: 9:50 p.m. — North Carolina state lawmakers failed to repeal House Bill two on Wednesday night, despite Republican Gov. Pat McCrory calling a special session to vote on removing the controversial anti-LGBT legislation. Compromises dissolved after Republicans blasted Democrats for only repealing parts of an anti-discrimination ordinance which initially spurred the Republican-backed "trans bathroom bill."

After hours of deliberation, the motion to repeal House Bill two was voted down, as crowds gathering to watch chanted the word "shame."

Original story:

The debate over whether North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2, otherwise known as the "trans bathroom bill," were underway Wednesday as a bipartisan compromise to repeal it, along with key parts of a Charlotte ordinance, seemed to dissolve.

Democrats and Republicans alike seemed originally intent on scrapping the legislation along with the reason it was created: a nondiscrimination ordinance in Charlotte that protected the city’s LGBT residents. HB2 was essentially a backlash to that measure, overriding the city ordinance and mandating transgender individuals use public restrooms that match their biological sex, not their gender identity. The legislation also prevented lawmakers from implementing any anti-discrimination and employment policies.

As North Carolina’s Gov.-elect Roy Cooper, who narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, prepares to take office, lawmakers convened this week for a special session to repeal both laws. As McCrory ordered the last-minute session, Cooper personally lobbied for the repeal of the anti-discrimination bill under the assumption Republicans would make good on their vows to similarly repeal HB2.

Somewhere, the lines of communication were interrupted, however. North Carolina’s GOP cried foul after local media reported Democrats had repealed several components of the Charlotte city ordinance Republicans wanted nixed. In a statement posted on social media at 1 a.m. Wednesday, the North Carolina Republican party blasted the incoming governor and his fellow Democrats for going back on a promise to the public “about a full repeal of the Charlotte ordinance” though that was never actually the original agreement.

"Roy Cooper and Charlotte City Council Democrats lied directly to the people of North Carolina, the Legislature and Governor McCrory about repealing the Charlotte City Council ordinance that caused HB2," the GOP said in its statement. "Governor McCrory called a special session for repeal, based on good faith when Roy Cooper and Charlotte Democrats announced to the world a full repeal of the Charlotte ordinance. However, they lied."

"The HB2 blood is now stain soaked on their hands and theirs alone," the statement continued. "What a dishonest, disgraceful shame by Roy Cooper and Charlotte Democrats."

Meanwhile, North Carolina Democrats were taken aback by the strongly worded statement, as Charlotte city officials said they repealed the parts of their ordinance Republicans had requested, as promised.

What this means for the repeal of HB2 remains unclear. State lawmakers convened Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte to determine the fate of the measure. Reporters described deliberations as emotional and tense, with Republicans and Democrats sparring over whether "men should have access to women's bathrooms."

Though the statement released by the GOP on Wednesday seems to indicate Republicans will fail to keep their word on repealing the controversial law after Charlotte officials revised theirs, Democrats remained hopeful compromise will succeed.

"The City Council acted in good faith to do everything that it understood was necessary to facilitate the repeal of HB2," the city council responded Wednesday.