Dive Brief:
- After a raft of criticism, threats of business boycotts and even a canceled rock concert by Bruce Springsteen, North Carolina Republican Governor Pat McCrory is equivocating on the state's controversial "Bathroom Bill," according to the New York Times.
- The legislation McCrory signed, which limits bathroom access for transgender people and eliminates state anti-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation, said yesterday he is now looking to strengthen workplace protections for state employees. He will also urge the General Assembly to modify part of the law, the Times reports.
- However, his response was met with derision by many critics, because he still opposes limits on which bathrooms transgender people could use and he left the bill pretty much the same, according to the Times.
Dive Insight:
According to the Times, that Tuesday's announcement came so quickly after the bill became law clearly shows that McCrory is facing intense backlash. He currently is stuck in the middle, between "a steady drumbeat of threats and criticism" from businesses and others calling for repeal and the expected unified response from social conservatives who want it to remain intact.
Sarah Preston, the acting executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, said in a statement on Tuesday that "Governor McCrory’s actions today are a poor effort to save face after his sweeping attacks on the LGBT community, and they fall far short of correcting the damage done by the law."
There were some opponents of the law who were mildly encouraged, the Times reports. For example, Kyle Palazzolo, a staff lawyer at gay rights group Lambda Legal, told the Times that the law’s "devastating blow would not be resolved by the order, but that it had brought an improvement for the state employees it impacts."
The North Carolina situation is far from over, as there are growing boycotts and even a lawsuit filed against the law.