North Carolina Lawmakers Agree to Repeal Transgender Bathroom Ban

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina announced late Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to repeal a state law prohibiting transgender people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identities. The deal, reached with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, an outspoken opponent of the controversial law, came as the state was on the verge of losing its right to host the NCAA basketball championships over the legislation. The deal would repeal HB2, leave bathroom regulation to the state, and require a moratorium on similar ordinances until Dec. 1, 2020. The college athletic association had threatened to boycott the state over the passage of the law last year. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, warned just before the agreement was announced that the compromise will prohibit local jurisdictions from creating their own rules to protect vulnerable groups, Reuters reported. The agreement for the law’s repeal is due to face a vote Thursday morning, Senate leader Phil Berger and House of Representatives Speaker Tim Moore said Wednesday. “I support the House Bill 2 repeal compromise that will be introduced tomorrow,” Cooper said in a statement. “It’s not a perfect deal, but it repeals House Bill 2 and begins to repair our reputation.”