In a new ad released Wednesday, North
Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, a Republican, calls barring
transgender bathroom use “common sense.”
“You know, when we were raising
average teacher pay, creating new jobs and cutting taxes, other folks
were actually pushing to make our schools allow boys to use the girls
locker rooms and showers,” McCrory said in the 30-second spot.
“Are we really talking about this?”
McCrory is the first governor to sign a
bill that prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of
their choice in government buildings, including schools. House Bill
2, approved during a one-day special session in March, also blocks
cities and municipalities from enacting measures that prohibit
discrimination against the LGBT community.
The law was a GOP response to passage
of an LGBT protections bill in Charlotte.
Despite a vocal backlash against the
law, including loss of the
NBA's All-Star Game, McCrory has defended it as necessary to
protect women and children.
“Does the desire to be politically
correct outweigh our children's privacy and safety? Not on my
watch,” he
said in the ad, titled Common Sense. “Our kids and
teachers are my priority. This is North Carolina, let's do what's
right.”
McCrory's support for the law has
helped Attorney General Roy Cooper gain ground in his bid to unseat
the incumbent, who is currently trailing by 9 percentage points
according to a Monmouth University poll. Pollsters also found a
majority (55%) of North Carolinians oppose House Bill 2.