RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Democrats countered Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson on Monday, saying Republicans were “right about HB2,” pointing out the economic impact the state experienced while the so-called bathroom bill was in place.
CBS 17 first reported Robinson's comments late last month at a private lunch hosted by Republican National Committeeman Ed Broyhill, who recorded Robinson's remarks and posted them to YouTube. After CBS 17 inquired about the video, it was made private.
“I will not allow our state to go through the nightmare of HB2 again. I was there,” said Rep. Robert Reeves, the House Democratic leader. “As someone who worked in Raleigh, I can say unequivocally that he was wrong. He is wrong on that point.”
Robinson is running for governor this year against Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein.
The lieutenant governor made his comments about HB2 as he sought to contrast with Democrats on what issues the two parties will focus on this year, including Republican lawmakers' efforts to grow the state's economy and cut taxes.
“We were right about HB2. We told them, when you start letting men go in the bathroom, what happens next? What happens next? Exactly what we said. What happens next? Imagine what the next step was: your daughter losing her scholarship to swimming, volleyball, basketball to a biological male,” Robinson said. “We were right about HB2 and we will continue to be right. The ideas that the left holds are a load of stupid. There's no shame in saying that.”
The law requires people to use the toilet corresponding to their sex at birth and prohibits local governments from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances.
A 2017 analysis by The Associated Press estimated that the law cost the state more than $3.76 billion over 12 years because it forced some major events to move out of state and caused some companies to cancel plans to expand into North Carolina.
“HB2 is going to kill jobs, drive away businesses and discourage people from coming to North Carolina,” said Susan Sawin, a Democrat and independent bookstore owner running for the North Carolina House of Representatives.
More recently, Republicans in state legislatures have passed bills that would ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' sports and prohibit medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors.
“There's very little support for reinstating House Bill 2. It's seen as a stain on North Carolina's economy, at the very least,” said Chris Cooper, a state politics expert at Western Carolina University.
He continued, “The so-called bathroom bill, which is a feature of House Bill 2, is very unpopular today. People are not in favor of it. On the one hand, you ask people about transgender athletes in sports, but on the other hand, when you ask people about what kids are being taught in elementary school, you start to see a lot more division.”
“Radical leftists like Joe Biden and Josh Stein want to force women and girls to share bathrooms and locker rooms with men. This is dangerous and extreme. As governor, Mark Robinson will not tolerate this. This is common sense,” said Mike Lonergan, a spokesman for Robinson's campaign.