North Carolina State Senator Tamara
Barringer on Tuesday called for the “substantial and immediate”
repeal of a state law that targets the LGBT community.
Barringer told WRAL
that she was the first Republican lawmaker to call for the repeal of
House Bill 2.
“I did not realize the consequences
of this bill, that it would have worldwide consequences, and they
just keep piling up,” Barringer said. “So, at this point, I'm
willing to stand up and say, 'Let's put the brakes on it. Let's get
together and find a common solution that we call can live with and
move forward.'”
Republicans approved House Bill 2
during a one-day special session in March. It is the only state law
that prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of their
choice in government buildings, including schools. It also blocks
cities and municipalities from enacting measures to protect the LGBT
community.
The law's passage sparked a political
backlash which in the last week has translated into the loss of
numerous championships hosted by the NCAA
and ACC.
The NBA also relocated its upcoming All-Star Game from Charlotte to
New Orleans.
“It was just one more of those
unintended consequences,” Barringer said of the economic losses.
“Again, it's reflecting wrong on the people of North Carolina. We
are a people that have been together. We're a people of innovation.
We're a people of inclusivity, not exclusivity. It's giving the
world, it's giving the rest of the country, the wrong idea about
North Carolina.”
However, Barringer said that she
remains supportive of the law's limits on transgender bathroom use.
“I do not want men or boys legally to
be able to share the same locker rooms or bathrooms with my
16-year-old daughter and her classmates or teammates,” she said in
a statement.
Barringer's Democratic rival, Susan
Evans, called Barringer's change of heart “purely political.”