Thursday, April 28, 2016

SC anti-transgender 'bathroom bill' officially DEAD for this year


A huge coalition brought down Sen. Bright's anti-lgbt bill

And it's officially over.

Jeff Ayers, SC Equality Executive Director, just sent out the following release:

Today was a historic day in South Carolina as Sen. Lee Bright's discriminatory, unnecessary and economically ill-advised "bathroom bill," S.1203, was officially stopped for the year.

Today was the final legislative day before "crossover" in the SC Senate - where a bill needs to make it out of one body in order to be considered by the other body. Because the Senate adjourned for the day without taking up the bill at all, S.1203 is officially dead.

 SC Equality Executive Director Jeff Ayers said, "South Carolina told the nation it will not make the mistakes of its northern neighbor. We applaud the Senate, our friends and ally organizations, and we join our state in proudly saying South Carolina does not stand for discrimination or wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary legislation, and that we open for Business. SC Equality would particularly like to thank the elected officials and attached list of organizations who continue to oppose this effort.

"While we celebrate this monumental victory today, we caution South Carolinians that Sen. Lee Bright has noted his intention to attempt to include a version of the language of S.1203 as a proviso in the state's budget to be considered by the Senate very soon. We caution opponents of this bill to steadfastly continue to speak out about such discriminatory efforts."

List of organizations who stood with SC Equality and opposed this effort.

South Carolina Equality
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance
South Carolina Economic Development Association
South Carolina Hospital Association
Upstate SC Alliance (Private/Public partnership, over 1400 Manufacturing Companies)
Midlands Industrial Leadership Forum
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce
Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Greenville Chamber of Commerce
Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce
Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce
Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ)
American Board of Pediatrics
South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative
South Carolina Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA)
Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
Reconciling Ministries of South Carolina
Target, Inc. (Target store chain)
League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC)
South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
Tell Them SC
Alliance for Equality, at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Gay Straight Alliance, at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
LGBTQ Task Force, at Clemson University
Safe Zone, at College of Charleston
Alliance for Equality, at Charleston School of Law
Trans Student Alliance, at University of South Carolina
Individuals Respecting Identities and Sexualities (IRIS), at University of South Carolina
The Feminist Collective, at University of South Carolina
Students Invested in Change, at University of South Carolina
Women In Columbia, at University of South Carolina
National Center for Transgender Equality
South Carolina Black Pride
Uphold Financial
LPL Financial
Harriet Hancock Center
ACLU national / ACLU South Carolina
Trans United of SC
Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
AFL-CIO, South Carolina
Progress South
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Auntie Bellum magazine
Human Rights Campaign
National Association of Social Workers, South Carolina
South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Business Guild
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA)
SC TransAction
Garden of Grace church
Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church
Unitarian Church in Charleston
Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbia
Campaign For Southern Equality
Charleston Pride
Coastal Business Guild
Take Over Grand Strand
We Are Family
Upstate Pride
The American Association of University Women
Take Over Charleston
Girls Rock! Columbia
Youth OUTLOUD
TakeBreakMake
Southerners on New Ground (SONG)
Gender Benders
SIC

"This is a momentous occasion for South Carolina - equal means everyone," said Ayers.

Related post: SC anti-transgender 'bathroom bill' FAILS to get out of committee, is likely dead

 

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