This coming Monday, February 23, the members of the Charlotte City Council are scheduled to vote on a hazardous policy change that would put women, children, and families at great risk, and they need to hear from you!
This proposal would:
- Allow a man to go into a women’s restroom, locker room, or shower room, and would allow a woman to go into a men’s restroom, locker room, or shower room, depending upon the individual’s “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression,” and not their biological sex. This ordinance would apply to any “public accommodation,” including hotels, motels, restaurants, schools, day care centers, museums, libraries, parks, amusement parks, pools, gyms, theaters, stadiums, convention centers, retail businesses, shopping malls, etc. The City of Charlotte defines “public accommodation” as, ” a business, accommodation, refreshment, entertainment, recreation, or transportation facility of any kind, whether licensed or not, whose goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations are extended, offered, sold or otherwise made available to the public.”
- Require small business owners – especially those related to the wedding industry – to potentially violate their religious beliefs about marriage or face legal action by the government. Similar “anti-discrimination ordinances” in other states have forced florists, photographers, bakers, bed-and-breakfast owners, and others to decide between violating their sincerely held religious beliefs about sexuality and marriage or paying severe penalties and even facing the closure of their business.
- Authorize the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, or any “aggrieved person,” to file an action in State Superior Court and seek monetary damages and other penalties against an individual or business for allegedly violating this amended ordinance. According to the “enforcement/relief” section of the policy, “The court may grant as relief, as it deems appropriate, any permanent or temporary injunction, temporary restraining order, or other order, and may award to the plaintiff actual damages, including compensation for humiliation and embarrassment, and punitive damages, together with court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees in the case of a prevailing plaintiff.”
- Make Charlotte the first city in the state to adopt a hazardous “public accommodation” ordinance creating legal protections on the basis of an individual’s “sexual orientation,” “general identity,” or “gender expression” as they determine it at any given time. This would place the constitutionally protected privacy rights of women, men and children at great risk, and it would put the constitutionally protected religious liberties of small business owners and others at stake.
Please contact the following members of the Charlotte City Council and ask them to vote “NO” on the proposed changes:
Mayor Dan Clodfelter
Telephone: 704-336-2241
mayor@charlottenc.gov
Mayor Pro Tem Michael D. Barnes
Telephone: 704-509-6141
barnesforcharlotte@gmail.com
Claire Green Fallon
Telephone: 704-336-6105
cfallon@charlottenc.gov
David Howard
Telephone: 704-336-4099
info@davidhowardclt.com
Vi Lyles
Telephone: 704-336-3431
vlyles@charlottenc.gov
Patsy B. Kinsey
Telephone: 704-336-3432
pkinsey@charlottenc.gov
Al Austin
Telephone: 704-336-3185
aaustin@charlottenc.gov
LaWana Mayfield
Telephone: 704-336-3435
lmayfield@charlottenc.gov
Gregory A. Phipps
Telephone: 704-336-3436
gaphipps@charlottenc.gov
John N. Autry
Telephone: 704-336-2777
jautry@charlottenc.gov
Kenny Smith
Telephone: 704-574-7241
krsmith@charlottenc.gov
Edmund H. Driggs
Telephone: 704-432-7077
ed@eddriggs.com
