After HB2 repeal 'fail,' LGBTQ group calls out supporters - including Democrats

Some North Carolina lawmakers will enter the elections this year without an endorsement from a prominent rights groups that supported them previously.

Every seat in the Republican-controlled NC House and Senate is up for election this year.

Equality N.C., the largest and oldest LGBTQ rights advocacy group in the state, announced Tuesday that it won't support legislators who voted for the bill repealing the controversial bathroom bill known as HB2. The repeal bill lifted laws prohibiting transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice, but it blocked cities and counties from enacting policies that might protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination.

Thus, the Equality NC said, those who voted for it failed to represent the group's values. So it won't endorse them.

“Today, we are making it clear: LGBTQ North Carolinians will not stand for politicians who campaign on our issues, but fail to follow through on their promises to us," Matt Hirschy, Equality NC Interim Executive Director, said in a statement.

"A decision we did not make lightly — but one that had to be made to uphold the integrity and mission of our organization," he said.

Historically, Equality NC mostly endorses Democrats. But it's unclear who lost support from the group.

Equality NC didn't identify which candidates it has previously endorsed. But its list of endorsements for the 2018 primaries shows they are opposing some incumbents.

Equality NC endorsed Allison Dahle in her race against Democratic Rep. Duane Hall in House District 11. In District 43, the group endorsed Prince Christian over Democratic Rep. Elmer Floyd. It's also supporting Mujtaba Mohammed in his race against Sen. Joel Ford.

Nearly 40 Democrats in the legislature supported the HB2 repeal bill, including 30 Democrats in the House and nine in the Senate. Minority leaders Darren Jackson in the House and Dan Blue in the Senate are among the Democrats who supported the bill.

Leslie Rudd, a spokeswoman for Blue, said all Democratic state senators supported a full repeal. But that wasn't on the table, she said, so they voted for House Bill 142 "knowing that the fight for equal rights is not over in North Carolina."

“We understand and respect Equality NC’s position on this issue; the decision to vote for House Bill 142 was not one that our members made lightly," Rudd wrote in an email.

“Every single Democratic senator that voted for House Bill 142 had previously sponsored legislation to repeal House Bill 2 and/or expand protections for gender identity and sexual orientation at the state level," she said. “It is important for all voters that value equality to consider their legislator’s vote on House Bill 142; as well as their full legislative track record on LGBTQ rights."

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 1:28 PM with the headline "After HB2 repeal 'fail,' LGBTQ group calls out supporters - including Democrats."