The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Monday against the state of North Carolina in response to the state’s so-called bathroom law that bans individuals from using public bathrooms that do not match the biological sex on their birth certificate.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said North Carolina’s legislation, known as HB 2, was “state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals.”
LIVE: Attorney General Loretta Lynch explains DOJ lawsuit against North Carolina https://t.co/xBugaAQfoC
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 9, 2016
The lawsuit claims that North Carolina is in violation of the Civil Rights Act. However, North Carolina claims the law is meant to be a “common sense privacy policy.”
The DOJ lawsuit comes only hours after Gov. Pat McCrory filed a suit against the department, accusing it of “baseless and blatant overreach.” Along with McCrory, Republican leaders in the North Carolina state legislature filed their own separate lawsuits.
#BREAKING North Carolina sues federal government over state's LGBT law https://t.co/mMvPGH5kaB
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 9, 2016
The controversial law was signed by McCrory in March as a response to the Charlotte city council passing an ordinance that allowed transgender people to use restrooms based on gender identity in both public and private buildings.
The University of North Carolina and its 17 campuses were also named in the lawsuits. UNC put out a memo to the campus that said they do not agree with the Act but they are required to follow state laws.
“In these circumstances, the University is truly caught in the middle,” UNC President Margaret Spellings said.
Showdown over #HB2 could impact state university system https://t.co/A3ehSd6v6x
— NBC Charlotte (@wcnc) May 7, 2016
The state university system is under the threat of losing more than $1.4 billion, AP reported.
