BY CHRIS JOHNSON | In the final rally for her presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton urged North Carolina voters on Monday to head to the polls not just for her, but to speak out against anti-LGBT discrimination enshrined in House Bill 2.
“If you believe we should never write discrimination into our laws,” Clinton said to thunderous applause in Raleigh, “well then, you know, you know, North Carolina, you’ve got to vote to get rid of HB 2.”
Signed by Gov. Pat McCrory in March, HB 2 bars cities in North Carolina from enacting pro-LGBT non-discrimination ordinances, reversing one recently enacted in Charlotte, and prohibits transgender people from using the restroom in schools and government buildings consistent with their gender identity.
McCrory is facing a tough re-election bid against Democratic candidate Roy Cooper as result of consternation over the law in LGBT and business communities.
.@HillaryClinton: If you believe we should never write discrimination into law, you know NC, you’ve got to vote to get rid of HB2! #turnOUT pic.twitter.com/UTYIXEee4l
— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) November 8, 2016
Through her remarks in the midnight rally, Clinton emphasized the “we’ve never had a clearer choice” in a presidential election than the current contest between her and Donald Trump.
“It is a choice between division or unity, between strong steady leadership or a loose cannon who could risk everything,” Clinton said. “It’s a choice between an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and it is a choice that really goes to the heart of who we are as Americans.”
Polls are good for Clinton and predict she’ll be the first woman elected as president in the United States. On Monday, an NBC/Survey Monkey tracking poll found Clinton had a six-point lead and her leading Trump 47 percent to 41 percent.
— Special to The Pride Los Angeles from the Washington Blade and National Gay Media Association