A lot of news today.
Survivor Contestant Places Rainbow-Painted Outhouse Atop North Carolina’s Tallest Mountain:
Neal Gottlieb’s Facebook
“Yes, at least for a little while, North Carolina’s highest point is an outhouse; a fitting symbol for a state that has sullied itself with shitty, repressive legislation,” Neal Gottlieb pens in a letter to the Governor of North Carolina.
…Protesting North Carolina’s anti-trans “bathroom bill”, HB2, Neil Gottlieb placed a rainbow outhouse on the summit of Mount Mitchell, the state’s tallest mountain. Gottlieb, a contestant on this season’s Survivor: Kaoh Rong, shared the photos and a letter penned to NC Governor Pat McCrory.
On Facebook Gottlieb wrote, “I proudly placed a rainbow-painted outhouse displaying a trans pride flag at the summit of North Carolina’s tallest mountain this morning in protest of the state’s repressive HB2 legislation. It was a brilliant site. The follow letter was nailed to the front of the outhouse and calls out the governor for the crap has become known as the ‘bathroom bill.'”
Gottlieb then posted his letter:
Target Defies North Carolina Bathroom Law:
The company says it will welcome trans people to use the bathrooms and fitting rooms that correspond with their gender identity.
Target is taking a stand against North Carolina’s transphobic bathroom bill, saying its customers and employees can use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
The company announced the policy on its corporate website today, saying, “Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate.”
The department store chain even proclaimed its support for the Equality Act that is proposed in Congress.
“We believe that everyone — every team member, every guest, and every community —deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally,” the company said in its statement. “Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.”
Democrats Tout Business in Campaign Against Governor McCrory’s Law:
It’s a gubernatorial election year in North Carolina, and Democrats are ramping up HB2 as an issue.
The business community’s loud statement against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law is making Republican lawmakers squirm. Now the state’s Democratic Party is making an economic argument in a new campaign to get House Bill 2 repealed.
Its new website — BusinessesAgainstHB2.com — decries the law as “bad for business, bad for North Carolina.” A constantly scrolling list of more than 400 companies that oppose the law sweeps up the page.
If a recent federal court ruling overrides North Carolina’s recently passed anti-LGBT bill, Gov. Pat McCrory claims he won’t stand in the way.
On Tuesday, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District ruled—in a 2-1 decision—in favor of Gavin Grant, a trans student who sued his Virginia high school after administrators blocked him from using the men’s restroom. The decision will also affect Maryland, West Virginia and South Carolina, the other states in the Fourth District.
…
McCrory, however, saved criticism for the federal government’s policy on Title IX. In 2014, the Obama administration issued a memo clarifying its policy on the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, and national origin in public education, arguing that the provision extended to trans students. On Tuesday, the federal court ruled that the administration’s stance on Title IX overrides discriminatory policies set by local schools, as was the case in Virginia.
“I think that’s bad precedent and I don’t think it’s the traditional way we do things,” McCrory claimed. “The way I think we should have done them is to allow the high schools to make the appropriate arrangements for those students who have unique circumstances. But this is the federal government… forcing something, brand new standards that we’ve never seen before.”
Schilling Fired:
Former World Series co-MVP Curt Schilling “has been advised that … his employment with ESPN has been terminated,” the network said. (Winslow Townson / Associated Press)
ESPN announced Wednesday night it has fired outspoken baseball analyst and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling after his reposting of a meme widely interpreted as anti-transgender on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
“Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated,” the network said in a statement.
Full Story Here. Schilling also opined about the backlash, claiming to not understand what he did was wrong or risky.
Even if the bathroom part of the law is overturned, the rest of the discriminatory piece of crap will continue to harm the citizens of North Carolina. The whole law needs to be shredded with as much maliciousness as the republicans had when they rammed it through in a special called session. And then, the citizens need to vote the republicans out of office in November. It is a rallying cry for all progressives in NC.
Without a job, how is Schilling ever going to repay the US$75 million that he
stoleembezzledmisappropriatedabsconded withhiddefrauded the statepocketedowes taxpayers?Yeah, right. A rightwing fanatic thinks he has to repay debts and pay taxes. There’s a good laugh.
left0ver1under:
I just saw that PZ has a post up about Schilling -- apparently, he’s all over Twitter, moaning about his persecution. I saw the graphic that doucheweasel posted to his FB. Firing is the least of things that should happen to him.
A debtor’s prison is the only suitable place for him. Unlike Americans with student loans or hospital bills, Schilling never had any desire or intent to pay it back. Make him work off his debt in a prison factory.
Most likely, he only asked for the “loan” to cover his personal losses. He intend to declare the company bankrupt even before he took the money, knowing that corrupt laws would protect his personal wealth instead of the taxpayers.
I know Neil through a mutual friend and his “Three Twins Ice Cream” -- good on him!
Jim @ 5:
I don’t do facebook, but if you get a chance, please relay my thanks to Neil, and let him know people all over are cheering him on.
Caine @ 6:
I’m very circumspect in my use of FB, but I did email our mutual friend expressing my support. But I’ll have a look at FB later today.
(I’d like to do more, but I currently don’t have the emotional wherewithal to engage in public discussions on “controversial” topics. Apologies…..)