Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Sponsor of SC anti-transgender bill taking hits from both parties

Sen. Lee Bright is catching flack from all sides for his transphobic bill.

In reading the following news report from news channel WYFF4 NBC I think it would be safe to assume the anti-transgender bill proposed in South Carolina by Sen. Lee Bright is very unpopular.

Are you sitting down? If so, then proceed to read:

The three Republican candidates who are vying for Sen. Lee Bright's state senate seat in District 12 are using Bright's recently introduced "Bathroom Bill" as ammunition against him.

 "I do not believe the bill is needed here in South Carolina," businessman and Senate candidate David McCraw said during a news conference. "I agree with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce when they said, 'Sen. Bright is trying to create a political crisis that doesn't exist to save his political career.'"
Bright's bill, S. 1203, would assign the use of bathrooms according to "biological sex" instead of gender identification. It would prevent local governments from creating ordinances that allow transgender people to use the bathrooms of their choice.

Other candidates who are running for Bright's seat also oppose his bill.

"The transgender bathroom ordinance being pushed by special interests has no place in South Carolina," Republican Senate candidate Scott Talley said. "While I agree with Senator Bright in opposing a transgender bathroom ordinance, his proposed law is redundant and unnecessary."

"We don't want to do anything to jeopardize economic development in South Carolina," Republican Senate candidate Lisa Cooley Scott said. "(Bright) is jumping on the bandwagon to grab headlines, because he has done nothing in the Senate."

A Senate committee hearing on the bill is Wednesday morning and according to ABC News Channel 6, a Democrat Senator, Joel Lourie, said that he will do everything in his power to block it.

That should be interesting, seeing that the chair of the committee, Sen. Kevin Bryant, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that he intends to advance the bill forward even if the subcommittee doesn't approve.

The irony of that is all of this bickering could be moot. Gov. Nikki Haley has already said that the bill is not needed in South Carolina and the speculation is that if the bill is passed, she may veto it.

Nevertheless, regardless of the reasons why (and many of them definitely aren't noble), I never thought I would EVER live to see the day when Republicans in South Carolina attack another Republican for being unnecessarily mean to the lgbt community.

Related post -  Opponents of SC anti-transgender bill outnumbered, outflanked supporters

'SC legislator determined to push anti-trans bill through committee in spite of unpopularity' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Sen. Kevin Bryant is determined to push an unpopular bill through

Bryant says transgender bill to advance regardless - So in spite of tomorrow's hearing on that awful anti-transgender bill in South Carolina, Sen. Kevin Bryant, chairman of the Senate General Committee, is determined to push it through EVEN IF the subcommittee does not approve it. It means two things - this bill is not popular with hardly anyone including Gov. Haley and such an action would shift the public perception that the bill is needed for safety. If the bill needed for safety, then why would there be a need to force it through. 

Hearing puts spotlight on SC transgender bathroom bill - And speaking of tomorrow morning's hearing, forget the hype about Superman vs. Batman because THIS is going to be the event. Those opposing the bill will include Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia. And who are supporting the anti-transgender bill have acknowledged hat there have been no reports of women's safety being jeopardized. That's probably why Sen Bryant going to attempt to force it through.

 N.C. Rep. Billy Richardson: I was wrong to vote for HB2 - A bit too late for North Carolina, don't you think?  

Deutsche Bank Won’t Expand In North Carolina Because Of Anti-LGBT Law - A bit too late.  

Tennessee Passes Anti-LGBT Counseling Bill - If the Gov signs this bill, medical health professionals will be able to reject lgbt patients because of "religious beliefs." This is why the religious right won't tell where the line has to be drawn with these so-called "religious liberty" laws. They want to get away with as much as they can. One wonders how they are going to spin this one.

The Conservative Argument Against Same-Sex Parenting Just Fell Apart - Meanwhile . . .