House Bill 2 Outrage: University Of North Carolina President Comments On Alleged Anti-LGBT Law

The House Bill 2, which was passed and signed last week in North Carolina, has received a lot of backlash. The outrage stems from the anti-LGBT community policies that come with the House Bill 2. The University of North Carolina President Margaret Spellings has commented on the new law but refrains from criticizing it.

"I know that many across the UNC system are concerned about the implications of HB2," Spellings said via Huffington Post. "This law was passed last week, and since then we've been working to consider its full impact on the University community and UNC system operations." 

Spellings -- a former administration official during the time presidency of George W. Bush -- also noted that the University of North Carolina is focused on providing an inclusive and safe school for students, faculty members and staff. The school aims to provide a safe haven for those who don't want to be stereotyped for their beliefs and orientation.

NC AG Cooper: “House Bill 2 is unconstitutional; therefore our office will not represent defendants in this lawsuit pic.twitter.com/zLuxl9mlxc

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) March 29, 2016

The House Bill 2 law is deemed as an anti-LGBT community law because it prevents schools from allowing transgender people from entering the bathrooms of the gender they identify with. They can only use public bathrooms that match the identified gender written on their birth certificates. The House Bill 2 also places some restrictions on cities from making non-discrimination policies, according to CNN.

Although the University of North Carolina has refrained from criticizing House Bill 2, other state colleges and universities have been vocal in their protest against the alleged anti-LGBT community law. Several college and university presidents have publicly stated that they are against House Bill 2 because it discriminates people based on their gender identities.

Some legislators have defended House Bill 2, saying that the bill is not about being anti-LGBT. Instead, they claim that although risks would arise, privacy should be given more importance. 

"The way the ordinance was written by City Council in Charlotte, it would have allowed a man to go into a bathroom, locker or any changing facility, where women are -- even if he was a man," North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore. "Obviously there is the security risk of a sexual predator, but there is the issue of privacy."