March 28, 2016

North Carolina State Senate

State Legislative Building
16 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Dear Colleagues:
We are deeply disturbed by your chambers 32-0 vote on March 23 in favor of House
Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act (HB2), signed into law by North
Carolina Governor Pat McCrory later that evening. Both the bills execrable content and
hasty consideration raise serious concerns not just for North Carolinians, but for all
Americans dedicated to upholding the principle of equality and justice for all.
The manner in which legislators considered and passed HB2 offends our shared
democratic values. We understand that the Lieutenant Governor did not formally call
for a special legislative session until the afternoon of March 22, fewer than twenty-hour
hours before the session was set to begin. We are further told that Senate leadership did
not share the content of the legislation under consideration until the special session
began, depriving lawmakers and the general public of the opportunity to properly
evaluate HB2s sweeping provisions. When Governor McCrory signed HB2, a mere
twelve hours had passed between HB2s public debut and its enactment as state law.
This method of opaque and fast-tracked governance is unfair to your constituents and
unacceptable to Americans committed to the democratic process.
HB2s content is just as threatening to American ideals as the means by which the bill
was enacted. The measure reverses decades of progress in expanding the reach of
equality in North Carolina by pre-empting local anti-discrimination laws. However, the
debate in the special session focused almost exclusively on the ability of your
transgender constituents to present and lead their lives as their true selves, a basic right
that many of you summarily denied while relying on fictitious stereotypes. The
disparaging rhetoric on display in your chamber on March 23 and the subsequent
enactment of HB2 were a grave disservice to LGBT people in North Carolina and across
the country. Seventy percent of transgender people report being denied access, verbally
harassed, or even physically assaulted in gender-segregated restrooms, according to a
survey conducted by the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles.
This discrimination has consequences. According to the National Center for

Transgender Equality, a staggering 41% of transgender people attempt suicide, and

suicide rates are even higher among those whove experienced precisely the sort of
harassment your bill will encourage. In other words -- your actions will put lives at risk.
As fellow state senators, we urge you to act immediately to repeal HB2. Only a
complete and swift reversal of this measure will remediate the disrespect shown to
LGBT North Carolinians and honor the faith of all Americans in our democratic
principles.
Sincerely,

Brad Hoylman
New York State Senate
27th District