The wave of intolerance that has swept across the southern states over the last few weeks has made its way to South Carolina.
First it was North Carolina on March 26, where the state legislature passed a law repealing civil rights protections for LGBT people enacted at the local level. It also bars transgender people from using public restrooms that do not match up with their gender assignment at birth.
Then Mississippi followed suit on April 5 with a bill that shields business who refuse service to people because of their religious objection to same-sex marriage and transgender people.
Georgia's legislature passed a bill similar to Mississippi's, only to have Governor Nathan Deal veto the legislation on April 9.
Now South Carolina has taken up the baton of ignorance with state Sen. Lee Bright introducing a bill that would follow the lead of North Carolina’s legislation in seeking to restrict bathroom access for transgender people.
The good news is the backlash has come just as swiftly as the flurry of legislation.
Major businesses such as Deutsche Bank, PayPal, Tyson Foods, MGM Resorts, Nissan, Toyota, Bank of America, Facebook, Apple, Google, American Airlines and many more have condemned the bills, and several businesses have announced plans to halt expansion in the states in question until the laws are repealed.
Musicians, led by Bruce Springsteen, have begun to cancel concerts in the offending states. North Carolina could lose next year’s NBA All-Star Game. And if last year’s response to Indiana’s similarly discriminatory legislation is any indication, the tidal wave of public anger and the harsh spotlight on bigotry will not end until the laws are repealed.
Perhaps it was the fear of public backlash and business pressure that prompted Governor Nikki Haley to speak out against the bill — though I’d like to think it was for the right reasons. All indications are that if the so-called “bathroom bill” makes it to Haley’s desk, she’ll follow the lead of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and flush discriminatory legislation with a veto.
People of all ages, backgrounds and parties have come out against the proposed South Carolina law and stood up for civil rights, which is essential. Just because this bill appears to be headed for defeat doesn’t mean we should ignore the transphobic and homophobic affronts to decency we’ve witnessed over the last few weeks.
This bill and the new laws in Mississippi and North Carolina seemingly confirm the worst stereotypes of the South as backwards, ignorant and intolerant. The continued fight for LGBT protections and dignity is the civil rights issue of our generation, and the South must not fall victim to the forces of intolerance and unfounded fear that swept the region in the 1960s and 1970s.
Back then, progress for African-Americans was fought tooth-and-nail at every turn, and if these new laws are any indication, there are a lot of people in the South who want the same level of opposition to LGBT rights. It’s imperative that people speak out against this misguided morality crusade and expose it for what it is — ignorance and discrimination, pure and simple.