Senator Van Duyn and Representative Ager to host town hall May 13

Press release:

Senator Terry Van Duyn and Representative John Ager to discuss HB2 repeal

On May 13th, Senator Terry Van Duyn (D- Buncombe) and Representative John Ager (D-Buncombe) will be holding a townhall event at Stephen’s Lee Community Center at 2pm to discuss House Bill (HB) 142 that repealed the controversial HB2, often referred to as “the bathroom bill.” Both Van Duyn and Ager voted in support of HB142 and will be discussing their reasoning with participants. The primary focus of the town hall will be the repeal of HB2 but it will also cover recent developments in Raleigh, including the bill passed by the Senate that divides Asheville into districts to vote for city council and Republican attempts to reduce Governor Cooper’s authority over the state Board of Elections.

Last year the state legislature passed the infamous “bathroom bill,” formerly known as the Public Facilities and Privacy Act or HB2, which barred local governments from passing ordinances that protect the rights of LGBT people. The law required individuals to use the restroom facilities according to the gender listed on their birth certificate in all public buildings, including schools. North Carolina received widespread condemnation for the law and lost millions of dollars as companies and sports agencies withdrew investments from the state.

In March of this year, the NCAA gave North Carolina a deadline to repeal HB2 by March 30th or the state would be ineligible to host championship games through 2022. State legislators approved a compromise bill, HB142, barely meeting the NCAA deadline. The new law repealed the most controversial measures in HB2 but still bans local governments from implementing non-discrimination ordinances until 2020.

Rep. Ager said the vote for the compromise “was the toughest vote I’ve had to make down here. HB2 is half-gone: No more birth certificate nonsense about bathroom use in state law. That’s good.”

Please join Senator Van Duyn and Representative John Ager on Saturday May 13th at Stephen’s Lee Community Center at 2pm to express your thoughts and concerns about the new compromise and to learn why your representatives voted in support of HB142.

Buncombe County Young Democrats: Our mission is to mobilize young Buncombe county residents to be involved in their community, advocate for progressive issues, and help elect Democrats.