In their last meeting of the 95th session Wednesday, the NC State Student Senate passed the House Bill 2 Response Act, which effectively opposes House Bill 2, the infamous “bathroom bill” passed by the North Carolina General Assembly on March 23.
The Senate passed the House Bill 2 Response Act, or Student Senate Resolution 61, with 47 senators in favor and five abstaining. No senator voted against the resolution.
This act lists the reasons why the Student Senate condemns HB2 and what it stands for. These reasons include that HB2 discriminates against members of the LGBT community and supersedes and preempts many local ordinances.
In addition, this resolution resolves that the Student Government of NC State stands with members of the LGBT community against HB2 and urges the North Carolina General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory to repeal this bill immediately.
The resolution had a total of 24 senatorial sponsors as well as 27 signatories. The signatories were made up of NC State students who felt strongly about the bill and wanted their name to be added.
Although there was overwhelming support for the resolution, opposition was still present.
Sophia McMahan, a freshman studying exploratory studies and first-year senator expressed her concern with the resolution.
“There is a reason HB2 passed,” McMahan said. “The purpose of this bill was to protect millions of people.”
McMahan described how she had an intimate perspective on the bill because she works in the office of a North Carolina state senator.
“If we allow people to legally go into whatever bathroom they identify with, it opens the door for frankly any pervert who wants to pose as a transgender to take advantage of people in that bathroom,” McMahan said. “I’m worried about the 21,606 registered sex offenders in North Carolina.”
Senator McMahan detailed how this was a problem that hit close to home for her. She described how her mother’s friend was sexually assaulted in a bathroom at a young age, leaving her terrified of seeing a man in the women’s restroom.
“Allowing gender ambiguity opens the door for so many people, particularly women, to be taken advantage of in the worst way possible, and I don’t think that is the way progress works,” McMahan said.
McMahan was the only senator to openly express her disagreement with Resolution 61. Following her statement, many senators spoke in favor of the bill, outlining why it is necessary.
“HB2 is absolutely stamping on the rights of minorities, and that’s a problem,” said Luke Perrin, a first-year senator and freshman studying political science. “The way House Bill 2 was pushed through the house was an insult to democracy.”
One senator took a more heated tone while describing why he was voting in favor of the bill.
“If a pervert wants to go into a bathroom and do something, this will not mean s*** to them,” said Daniel Harper, a junior studying economics and mathematics.
After some debate, an amendment was added to the bill which stated that the bill be sent to university officials, such as the office of the chancellor. This amendment passed without opposition.
Other senators discussed the implications of HB2 that go beyond bathroom discrimination.
“You can now be fired for being gay, you can now be fired for being lesbian,” said Mia Connell, a first-year student studying management.
Jonathan Riggs, a senior studying animal science explained how this bill is not just about rules regarding bathrooms.
Riggs explained how the implications of this bill went further than most people could have imagined. He explained how many companies are halting business in North Carolina, which will hurt the state’s economy.
“This bill makes North Carolina look like crap, and I don’t like that,” Riggs said.
