Perception of Charlotte Nationwide

[QCxpat]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

Not sure I agree with the discussion above about little national coverage and that it will just blow over. I think this one has legs

Edit: my fav new term for the NC GA -- the Ya'll Qaeda.

hopefully this is a watershed moment for progressivism in NC the same way as Angels in America was for Charlotte 20 years ago.

Once there was a rising, welcoming, tolerant, and beautiful global city known as Charlotte.  Rest in Peace (RIP)!

The G.A. just sucker punched our home, our beloved Charlotte. 

#Take back our city.  #Take back the QC.  

 

 

 

 

[rancenc]

The only thing that this knuckle headed do nothing legislature will react to is when businesses start walking the walk instead of just talking the talk on inclusivity and diversity....for example if PayPal which just announced a expansion in Charlotte of their East Coast operations, decides to go to their #2 choice or companies move their operations out of the state, then this issue will forgotten by summer of this year.....

We have had controversial topics and decisions made both local (The "Angels in America" play drama in Charlotte back in the early 90's) to the recent state referendum on gay marriage which in hindsight was a waste of money but the Charlotte region and state as a whole as continued to grow.  I believe that another major controversy will erupt in another locale which will be the 15 minute of fame headline and this controversy will probably be reduced to a backburner scenario.

[Miesian Corners]

For all the posts on UP about how this will affect Charlotte, there are few about what it will do to actual Charlotteans and North Carolinians who are LGBT. It doesn't matter where I go, the safety of straight white (usually male) privilege always makes itself known. I feel like a fool--I thought most people here were better than that. 

[15895]

3 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

For all the posts on UP about how this will affect Charlotte, there are few about what it will do to actual Charlotteans and North Carolinians who are LGBT. It doesn't matter where I go, the safety of straight white (usually male) privilege always makes itself known. I feel like a fool--I thought most people here were better than that. 

 

Politics has never really made its way to UP. Unless it effected mass transit funding, zoning codes, etc.

 

[Miesian Corners]

Oh, and by the way, here's Benjamin Belzer. He'll have to use the ladies room in North Carolina. 

.  

[Miesian Corners]

4 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

Politics has never really made its way to UP. Unless it effected mass transit funding, zoning codes, etc.

 

I'm speaking of some of the crap I've read in this thread. I'm a 50-year old gay man who's now pissed off. I incorporated my company in NC, I just wrote a big check to the state for taxes, both personal and corporate, I give generously of my time and money to make this community and state better places to live, and g**damnit, I deserve all the legal protections that everyone else is afforded here.  

[LKN704]

I agree. As someone who identifies as queer, this s*** pisses me off. I guess I thought the state was better than that. This is yet another reason for me to leave the South, which I will be doing after I finish my post-grad this May. People can say "good riddance" but yet I will be telling everyone I meet an honest depiction of our state.

That said, my cousin identifies as a woman. She is 19, and in school right now and doesn't have all of the funds yet to complete the full surgery. You would never know that she is a biologically a boy unless she stripped down in front of you. By law, she has to use the men's rooms in Mecklenburg county. How do you think people will react when they see a lady walking around the men's room. I feel for her so much...

[15895]

31 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

I'm speaking of some of the crap I've read in this thread. I'm a 50-year old gay man who's now pissed off. I incorporated my company in NC, I just wrote a big check to the state for taxes, both personal and corporate, I give generously of my time and money to make this community and state better places to live, and g**damnit, I deserve all the legal protections that everyone else is afforded here.  

 

I'm a 25 year old gay young man. A young, outspoken progressive activist.... As outraged as I am, I just didn't really view this place as the venue to air my grievances because nearly all of us are on the same page. 

 

I, for one, don't plan on leaving at all. Council members and a mayor was elected on this very issue and made it a top priority.... This is a great, accepting, beautiful place. Maybe I'm just around a bunch of Millenials who both left & right are pro-LGBT. In many of my classes, everyone is very outspoken of their support for LGBT rights.

 

Youre completely entitled to feel the way you do, I just wanted to clarify that, at least on my part, I'm equally outraged despite my post on here primarily being of economic consequences to Charlotte.

 

 

[ah59396]

I'm a 31 year old straight guy.  I'm not related to any transgender or LGBT individuals.

But what I am interested in, is TREATING PEOPLE EQUALLY AND WITH RESPECT.  I'm disgusted with the state I live in tonight.  Sorry I don't hold punches.  I just think this entire thing is horsecrap and I hope the whole thing burns these republican assholes into the ground.

[Miesian Corners]

MAD, I just expect better from this forum and its members, that's all. Comments about pervs and people chopping off their penises to go into a ladies room are, quite frankly, uncalled for. For the record, of the 225 cities and counties I listed earlier that offer gender identity protections, NONE have reported "pervy" behavior due to their ordinances. The one issue I could find was in Myrtle Beach, SC (yes, Myrtle Beach has LGBT protections and Charlotte does not--WTF?) where a male-identifying high school student got in trouble for using the ladies room (he still had female genitalia).

And as for genitalia, I know several trans people who might not identify with the parts they were born with, but they are far better and stronger men and women than many I see who aren't trans. To belittle them in such a callous way is a s*itty thing to do. 

I'll step off the soap box now, but seriously, y'all need to think more broadly about this than you are. People's lives, livelihoods, and shelter could very well be at risk here. And if you really think this is going to blow over and be forgotten, you are sadly mistaken. I know too many people, straight and LGBT alike, who are pissed off and loud. They work in various capacities and pay grades at BofA, Wells Fargo, Coca Cola, SAS, Red Hat, Time Warner Cable, Duke Energy, American Airlines, Food Lion, Ally Bank, Vanity Fair, GSK, PPT, National Gypsum, Compass Group, and Nucor. They will keep this issue burning every single day.  

For what it's worth, I had a conference call this afternoon with a client from a very large bank headquartered somewhere in Northern California (that just might have a large number of employees here in NC). The very first words out of her mouth were "What the hell is happening in North Carolina?! We're all horrified!". 

Edited March 25, 2016 by Miesian Corners
typos and clarity

[Silicon Dogwoods]

3 hours ago, QCxpat said:

Once there was a rising, welcoming, tolerant, and beautiful global city known as Charlotte.  Rest in Peace (RIP)!

The G.A. just sucker punched our home, our beloved Charlotte. 

#Take back our city.  #Take back the QC.  

 

 

 

 

We will.

 

Edited March 25, 2016 by Silicon Dogwoods

[SgtCampsalot]

This filth of a legislative move is more of a vestigial arm of Old Southern politics than most realize. There is a very real group of families, and culture, that has members operating at the tops of many state governments across this country, who hold onto old ideals of, not prejudice per se, but an obsessive clinging to power at all costs, combined with a general disdain for the way the world is changing. It is somewhat entrenched in pieces of those in power, and we are seeing the last shreds of them flail wildly as they slowly but surely die out.

 

In the meantime though, it's important we stand up to them with everything we have. You're right, it is affecting people's lives in a very real way.

[Silicon Dogwoods]

9 hours ago, nonillogical said:

I agree, this was purely vindictive, with no substance to it beyond pandering to the republican base. I think that transgendered people who can "pass" for their chosen gender will continue to do so, but should they be found out they can be jailed for it.

Ironically, those who choose to obey the law, in spite of their gender identity and appearance, will probably find themselves in threatening situations and confronted by law enforcement. Transgendered men who look 100% male forced to use the women's bathroom, and transgendered women who look 100% female forced to use the men's bathroom CLEARLY are going to ruffle more feathers than if we just let everyone go where they fit in best, and the supporters of this law are still not going to be happy. They do not care so much about the logicality of where transgendered people use the bathroom, they just don't want to have to acknowledge they exist. 

Of course this bathroom issue is very secondary to the fact that the GA overreacted and repealed ALL LGBT protections and local rights to create them. Despicable. 

Back door RFRA.

[15895]

42 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

MAD, I just expect better from this forum and its members, that's all. Comments about pervs and people chopping off their penises to go into a ladies room are, quite frankly, uncalled for. For the record, of the 225 cities and counties I listed earlier that offer gender identity protections, NONE have reported "pervy" behavior due to their ordinances. The one issue I could find was in Myrtle Beach, SC where a trans male-identifying high school student got in trouble for using the ladies room (he still had female genitalia).

And as for genitalia, I know several trans people who might not identify with the parts they were born with, but they are far better and stronger men and women than many I see who aren't trans. To belittle them in such a callous way is a s*itty thing to do. 

I'll step off the soap box now, but seriously, y'all need to think more broadly about this than you are. People's lives, livelihoods, and shelter could very well be at risk here. And if you really think this is going to blow over and be forgotten, you are sadly mistaken. I know too many people, straight and LGBT alike, who are pissed off and loud. They work in various capacities and pay grades at BofA, Wells Fargo, Coca Cola, SAS, Red Hat, Time Warner Cable, Duke Energy, American Airlines, Food Lion, Ally Bank, Vanity Fair, GSK, PPT, National Gypsum, Compass Group, and Nucor. They will keep this issue burning every single day.  And for what it's worth, I had a conference call this afternoon with a client from a very large bank headquartered somewhere in California (that just might have a large number of employees here in NC). The very first words out of her mouth were "What the hell is happening in North Carolina--we're all horrified". 

 

The last part of this post is why I'm particularly concerned with the economic consequences of the situation. 

 

I just think it is counter productive to think one will be standing up for homosexuals by threatening to leave or cancel events because the state retaliated to a pro LGBT ordinance Our city enacted. To me, it feels more of an abandoning sense rather than standing up for my rights. Like we're being punished for something we didn't do. Charlotte, Raleigh & Durham are places that many gay people enjoy living in. Giving up on us because our state legislators are douchey (I feel self conscious using that word after revealing my young age) seems the wrong way about being champions of LGBT rights. Quite frankly, I think the state GOP are probably extremely smug that not only did our ordinance get repealed, we are facing the backlash and this is what we get for going against their wishes.

 

I do agree that talking about who has what parts is not productive to any conversations. In the end, I think this is more about punishing Charlotte than anything else. It's a very good strategy on their part to put us in our place. 

 

 

Edit: Just read an article of McCrory spokesperson who said basically all of this backlash could've been avoided if CLT would've never passed the ordinance in the first place 

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article68093347.html

Edited March 25, 2016 by AirNostrumMAD

[LKN704]

1 hour ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

 

 

Edit: Just read an article of McCrory spokesperson who said basically all of this backlash could've been avoided if CLT would've never passed the ordinance in the first place 

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article68093347.html

That makes zero sense whatsoever. Zilch. Nada. What companies are mad at Charlotte for passing this ordinance?? (Other than maybe the Billy Graham Library)

I do wonder however what would happen if tomorrow PayPal decides not to expand in Charlotte because of this. What would McCrory say?

[CLTProductions]

That is freaking hilarious he's pulling the "shouldn't have done it then" excuse. Seriously hilarious. How loud were companies, people, etc when CLT passed it? the db level was minimal at best. 

The only time is got loud is when Pat & Co made it loud. So it has nothing to do with us just passing it.

On another note, I am a support of gay rights and just rights of people in general. What's maddening is that Pat & Co seem to forget how small of a % of the population this actually affects. And if they just let it alone, NO ONE in their camp would have even noticed it happened or was happened. Not 1 crime would result of it because if they kept quite, virtually the only people that would know these protections were in place would be that small % that it affected. Just insane.

Lastly, generally companies are all talk. Remember what happened in Indiana? Me neither because not much of anything did once the heat died. They have to pretend to care, release their statements, etc and then when the heat dies down it all goes back to normal. I generally doing get on political trains and look to push people to vote one way or another, but I can't handle this anymore. We need to get these guys out this year. It's our chance. 

[QCxpat]

Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor.   He is best known for his statement,  

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

* * * * * * *

Dearest Charlotte, may you rest in peace.   

[SgtCampsalot]

This is a Fb post from Jeff Jackson, one of our area's House representatives:

"But Jeff, I didn't like the Charlotte ordinance! Why should I care what just happened in Raleigh??"

Because you just got played, that's why.

The ordinance was used as political cover to pass a sweeping bill that was written in secret, unveiled at the last minute, rammed through in 12 hours, does all kinds of things that have nothing to do with the ordinance, has likely jeopardized our state's business recruitment, and has generally embarrassed us nationally.

And here's my point: It was all because a few politicians saw this as a golden opportunity.

The truth is, folks in Raleigh could not care less about the ordinance.

The person who ran the bill in the Senate is a Republican running for Attorney General. His colleagues always let him give the first speech about the bill and you'll never guess who he blames for all this: the current Attorney General! You know, the same guy who *literally* had nothing to do with any of this.

For good measure, the state Republican party released an attack ad against the current Attorney General on this issue yesterday morning, just as the special session got started. What a coincidence!

Our Republican Governor - the one who originally refused to call a special session because he said he didn't want a broad bill that dealt with matters beyond the ordinance - signed the bill anyway, just before midnight. His political incentive for caving? His veto would have been overridden and his legislative agenda would have been blocked as punishment for even trying to stand firm. And even though he doesn't like this bill, he'll still campaign on it. Watch.

The Republican leadership in the state House and Senate is terrified of a Donald Trump nomination. They think this is a great issue to protect their gerrymandered seats, so they're going to use this issue to run absolutely vicious ads - the type we've really never seen before in North Carolina - this fall. So get ready for that.

Bottom-line: Even if you strongly opposed the ordinance, please know that this bill wound up having almost nothing to do with it. These guys grabbed your banner and marched right off a cliff, on your behalf.

That's why, no matter how you felt about the ordinance, ‪#‎WeAreNotThis‬.

Edited March 25, 2016 by SgtCampsalot

[ah59396]

1 hour ago, SgtCampsalot said:

This is a Fb post from Jeff Jackson, one of our area's House representatives:

"But Jeff, I didn't like the Charlotte ordinance! Why should I care what just happened in Raleigh??"

Because you just got played, that's why.

The ordinance was used as political cover to pass a sweeping bill that was written in secret, unveiled at the last minute, rammed through in 12 hours, does all kinds of things that have nothing to do with the ordinance, has likely jeopardized our state's business recruitment, and has generally embarrassed us nationally.

And here's my point: It was all because a few politicians saw this as a golden opportunity.

The truth is, folks in Raleigh could not care less about the ordinance.

The person who ran the bill in the Senate is a Republican running for Attorney General. His colleagues always let him give the first speech about the bill and you'll never guess who he blames for all this: the current Attorney General! You know, the same guy who *literally* had nothing to do with any of this.

For good measure, the state Republican party released an attack ad against the current Attorney General on this issue yesterday morning, just as the special session got started. What a coincidence!

Our Republican Governor - the one who originally refused to call a special session because he said he didn't want a broad bill that dealt with matters beyond the ordinance - signed the bill anyway, just before midnight. His political incentive for caving? His veto would have been overridden and his legislative agenda would have been blocked as punishment for even trying to stand firm. And even though he doesn't like this bill, he'll still campaign on it. Watch.

The Republican leadership in the state House and Senate is terrified of a Donald Trump nomination. They think this is a great issue to protect their gerrymandered seats, so they're going to use this issue to run absolutely vicious ads - the type we've really never seen before in North Carolina - this fall. So get ready for that.

Bottom-line: Even if you strongly opposed the ordinance, please know that this bill wound up having almost nothing to do with it. These guys grabbed your banner and marched right off a cliff, on your behalf.

That's why, no matter how you felt about the ordinance, ‪#‎WeAreNotThis‬.

 

I follow Jeff on facebook.  He may be the finest politician in our state.  And I don't mean that negatively.  Jeff is an absolutely fantastic representative of our city and what NC should be about.  Transparent politics and sensible practices.

[Nick2]

I wonder if Charlotte has any options to be able to openly oppose this legislation as a city. Or perhaps a smaller city in NC that had passed similar ordinances would have an easier time mobilizing and moving new laws into effect. I'm sure those who know the law could find some way around it just as a means of defiance and to show solidarity with those now being discriminated against.

[Guest]

How would one of you explain this issue as though they were talking to a 70 year old man that desperately wants to understand the ramifications. Could someone write an educated, levelheaded response, that I can send my dad? Frankly I'm too tired, hung over, and under the weather (not a good combination) to have any patience for my father. 

Please help, before he talks to the only gay friend he has about the situation, and ruins a friendship. LOL.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Guest

[Silicon Dogwoods]

24 minutes ago, Nick2 said:

I wonder if Charlotte has any options to be able to openly oppose this legislation as a city. Or perhaps a smaller city in NC that had passed similar ordinances would have an easier time mobilizing and moving new laws into effect. I'm sure those who know the law could find some way around it just as a means of defiance and to show solidarity with those now being discriminated against.

I think Charlotte could sue the state on a 14th Amendment claim: the state is forbidding the city to provide equal protection to all its citizens.

Or an individual could sue the state on a similar claim: the state does not allow equal protection for all its citizens.

Or my preferred solution: Charlotte secedes from North Carolina and forms the 51st state. Highly unlikely, but still...this is just another in a long list of ways North Carolina has damaged Charlotte since we became the state's largest city some 100 years ago.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Silicon Dogwoods

[Dale]

Jesus, some of you need Snicker's Bars. No one is being denied bathroom access. There is no witch hunt against gays. And Charlotte will continue to prosper. As for businesses which are huffing and puffing and threatening to boycott ... well ... bye.

[Silicon Dogwoods]

12 minutes ago, Dale said:

Jesus, some of you need Snicker's Bars. No one is being denied bathroom access. There is no witch hunt against gays. And Charlotte will continue to prosper. As for businesses which are huffing and puffing and threatening to boycott ... well ... bye.

So you're in favor of running off businesses?

Please stop cutting off our nose to spite our face. We can't afford it.

PS: There is most definitely a witch hunt against the LGBT community. The wording of the bill could not be plainer in its exclusions of legal protections for the LGBT community. It's now officially open season on gay people and transgendered people in North Carolina. This piece of church goon legislation is a back door RFRA.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Silicon Dogwoods

[Deleted.]

I'm shocked and saddened by Dale's post, if I'm reading it correctly. 

EDIT- Silicon Dogwoods and I posted at the same time, I meant Dale's post. 

Edited March 25, 2016 by Piedmont767