Almost seven years after North Carolina repealed the “bathroom bill,” which caused economic strikes and national outrage, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is bringing up the subject of trans people’s bathroom needs.
Robinson suggested in recent weeks during campaign speeches that people who had previously identified as male may be “arrested” if they used a women’s restroom. He advises them to “find a corner out there” to relieve themselves instead.
According to a picture of his campaign stop in Cary earlier this month, he declared, “We’re going to support people in this state.” That means that you will be arrested—or whatever we decide to do to you—if you feel like a girl on Saturday nights after feeling like one on Friday night.
Robinson added, “If you are confused, find a spot outside somewhere to go,” in remarks made at Greenville. “We’re not destroying the world as a result of this.”
When WUNC sent inquiries requesting clarification on Robinson’s stance on bathroom requirements, a spokesperson for the Robinson campaign declined to comment. When asked if the lieutenant governor wanted to restore policy akin to House Bill 2, he remained silent.
That law, also known as the “bathroom bill,” was passed in 2016 in response to a new equality ordinance in Charlotte. The act mandated, among other things, that individuals use restrooms in public places that match the sex listed on their birth certificates.
Some businesses boycotted North Carolina as a result of HB2’s criticism for discrimination against the LGBTQ+ group. The state was briefly barred from hosting collegiate sports championships by the NCAA.
The majority of the law was repealed in 2017 as part of a compromise between Gov. Democratic lawmakers and Roy Cooper. Since then, even as the GOP pursues other transgender-related restrictions, bathrooms haven’t received much attention. The state outlawed trans athletes from competing on teams that matched their gender identity and gender-affirming care for those under the age of 18 last year.
According to Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, “most Republicans have avoided” the bathroom issue since 2017. “Mark Robinson is obviously not most Republicans, but I did anticipate seeing him bring this up repeatedly… I believe that this is not the last time Mark Robinson brings up topics related to trans rights or bathrooms, as well as what he believes to be the wrong course for the state.”
When asked to respond to Robinson’s comments about bathrooms, Salisbury counsel Bill Graham—one of his Democratic primary rivals—released a statement via spokesperson that made no mention of the subject.
“If Mark Robinson is the nominee, he will drop and harm all GOP candidates,” according to an email from spokesperson Alex Baltzegar. “His disparaging remarks about women and the Holocaust, along with his degrading remarks, did hurt GOP candidates’ chances of winning the White House and governorship in North Carolina.”
State Treasurer Dale Folwell, a different Republican candidate, stated that “women should only be in children’s restrooms, and if the General Assembly feels that those rules need to be tightened, then they should work on that.” “There are just so many regulations, in my opinion, that individuals need to make sure they are being followed.”
Folwell criticized the GOP frontrunner’s history of disparaging remarks made about various groups. He claimed that he is the most recent case in history of someone who uses telling people to hate in order to gain power.
This year, Graham’s campaign introduced new advertisements and a website called meetmarkrobinson.com, which highlighted other Robinson comments but not his statements regarding LGBTQ+ issues.
Robinson is criticized in a recent advertisement for claiming that God prefers men to women as officials. Additionally, the site features previous Facebook posts where Robinson appears to be defending Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, two convicted sexual predators.
Liberals are likely to take up House Bill 2 and bathrooms as the general election for governor draws near, even though Republicans may not be eager to discuss them. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory cited HB2 as one reason he was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election in 2016.
According to Cooper, the political scientist, “HB2 was ultimately a losing issue for the Republican Party.” “If it becomes a battle topic once more, that would be the best thing for the Democrats.”
