If you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, or if you’re planning a move to that part of the country and have been looking for a home, there’s good news: the city council of Charlotte recently approved an expansion to the city ordinance that extends protection to the LGBT community. This vote came after more than three hours of discussion and testimony from 140 people. It prevents all businesses from discriminating against customers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
A Short-Lived Ordinance?
Unfortunately, while the ordinance passed with a 7 to 4 vote and will go into effect on April 1st, the state’s General Assembly can nullify any or all of the ordinance or decide that citizens of Charlotte should put the issue to a referendum vote. The Speaker of the House has, in fact, already promised that the ordinance will be struck down or sent to the voters. The main issue is the bathroom provision, which would give transgender citizens the option of using the bathroom of the gender they identify as. Those opposing the measure stated their fears that women would be attacked in public restrooms, and some even voiced concerns that transgender people would also be attacked.
A More Open City Council
If you had asked a gay or lesbian real estate agent about the Charlotte city council’s overall leaning several years ago, they would probably have told you that the council was overall conservative. In fact, this same ordinance failed by 6 to 5 last year. However, that was before the election of two new members, and now the city council is more liberal. With the passage, Charlotte becomes the first city in North Carolina to pass such a detailed ordinance protecting LGBT citizens. In fact, it’s one of only a handful of cities with LGBT protections in the area—only three in South Carolina have such ordinances. Several other cities in North Carolina do have some protections for LGBT citizens, but none includes the bathroom clause.
LGBT Rights in North Carolina as a Whole
Same-sex marriage became legal in North Carolina in October of 2014. Prior to that, Charlotte had been one of several cities to have established its own domestic partnership registry. The state had also amended their Patients’ Bill of Rights in 2008 to make it easier for same-sex couples to visit each other in the hospital.