Charlotte council repeals entire LGBT ordinance

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on efforts to repeal House Bill 2 in North Carolina (all times local):

9:35 a.m.

City leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, have held an emergency meeting and taken more action designed to get a statewide law off the books that limits LGBT rights and designates which restrooms transgender people can use in public schools and government buildings.

The Charlotte City Council voted 7-2 on Wednesday to repeal the entire city ordinance members passed in February. It’s part of a deal to get the state legislature to repeal House Bill 2 in a special session later in the day.

The council already had acted on Monday to throw out parts of the ordinance addressing the expansion of protections on things such as sexual orientation and gender identity when it came to public accommodations.

But some House Republicans are unhappy that Charlotte left in place some expanded non-discrimination protections required of businesses entering contracts with the city. The council’s action Wednesday is designed to address their concerns.

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8:30 a.m.

North Carolina lawmakers are meeting Wednesday to consider repealing a state law that limited LGBT rights, including which restrooms transgender people can use in public schools and government buildings.

But a last-minute obstacle has come up in the negotiations between state lawmakers and Charlotte officials, whose ordinance banning discrimination prompted the state law.

Rep. Chuck McGrady of Hendersonville says some House Republicans are concerned that the city did not repeal its entire ordinance Monday.

The city council is meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to discuss their non-discrimination ordinance and HB2, as the state law in known.

The House Republican Caucus is also meeting Wednesday morning.

The parts of the city’s ordinance that weren’t dropped at Monday’s meeting weren’t affected by HB2, but there are still some concerns among some lawmakers.

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3:30 a.m.

North Carolina’s legislature is reconvening to see if enough lawmakers are willing to repeal a 9-month-old law that limited LGBT rights, including which bathrooms transgender people can use in public schools and government buildings.

House and Senate members plan to meet in the capital Wednesday for a special session called by outgoing GOP Gov. Pat McCrory.

The session is being held two days after the Charlotte City Council gutted an ordinance that in March led the Republican-controlled General Assembly to pass House Bill 2.

For months the state’s Republican leaders said they were willing to consider repealing the law if Charlotte acted first to undo its expanded antidiscrimination ordinance. HB2 was a key issue in McCrory’s election with Democrat Roy Cooper, who defeated McCrory by about 10,000 votes.