House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she was “saddened” by passage of a law that effectively repeals an LGBT protections ordinance in Charlotte.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on Wednesday signed into law House Bill 2, which bars any city, town or municipality from enacting measures that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law also makes North Carolina the first state in the nation to prohibit students in public schools from using the bathroom that does not conform to their gender at birth. Similar attempts in South Dakota and Tennessee failed this legislative session.

Charlotte's ordinance was scheduled to take effect on April 1. State lawmakers held a one-day special session at a cost of $42,000 to pass House Bill 2.

Speaking to reporters in Charlotte, Pelosi said: “I was very disappointed to arrive here and learn that this act of the legislature was signed into law by the governor. [It's] going against the tide of progress in our country for ending discrimination.”

Pelosi also reiterated her support for the Equality Act, a federal bill introduced by Democrats last year that would prohibit such discrimination in employment and other key areas.

“We have strong Democratic support – some Republican support – [and] that's good, but we want that number to grow,” she said. “And when we address that at the federal level, then it will end discrimination in the entire country.”

Pelosi is in Charlotte to fundraise for Democrats and to participate in a women's economic forum at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.