Former North Carolina Governor Pat
McCrory told a reporter on Friday that House Bill 2, a controversial
law that targets the LGBT community, is misunderstood.
McCrory was in Washington over the
weekend to attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
He made headlines on Saturday when a
crowd of protesters chased him down the street chanting “shame on
you” for his part in passing House Bill 2, the first state law that
prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice
in many buildings. It also blocks municipalities from enacting LGBT
protections.
(Related: D.C.
crowd chants “shame on you” at Pat McCrory.)
A day before the incident occurred,
McCrory spoke to The Advocate about the law. When asked
whether he believes the law will be repealed, McCrory answered that
the law was misunderstood.
“I think it’s a federal issue. I
think it’s a false premise that this is a North Carolina issue,”
McCrory
said. “It’s gonna be a federal issue on how we define gender
in the future. I don’t think this is a state issue. I think it’s
an issue related to the 1964 Civil Rights Act on how we define gender
in the future and I think the courts will end up deciding this. Most
people don’t understand what HB 2 is.”
McCrory added that he will “respect
whatever the courts decide” on the issue.