NC governor offers LGBT compromise

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C.

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper proposed Tuesday what he called a compromise to repeal the state’s so-called bathroom bill, saying a new measure is designed to allay fears by some over public bathroom safety.

But a powerful leader in the Republican-controlled General Assembly dismissed it, signaling that any agreement between the governor and GOP lawmakers is still distant. Even a close Cooper ally in the gay-rights movement said he didn’t support the governor’s idea, calling the proposal a distraction from a repeal of what’s known as House Bill 2.

The law approved last March by GOP lawmakers and then-Gov. Pat McCrory triggered backlash from businesses and LGBT advocates who say it’s discriminatory because it requires transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates.

Cooper’s proposal comes as New Orleans welcomes the NBA All-Star game this weekend. The city of Charlotte was supposed to host multimillion-dollar event, but the NBA pulled out after the law was passed.