Anti-LGBT Law in North Carolina Faces Edits

(CN) - North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday issued an executive order asking the Legislature to restore people's right to sue their employers in state court for discrimination, but he continues to stand by much of the state's LGBT-protections law.

The law, which was signed by McCrory in late March, was rushed through the state legislature by lawmakers who wanted to overturn an impending Charlotte ordinance that would have provided broad protections against discrimination in the state's largest city, and also would have allowed transgender people to use public restrooms aligned with their gender identity.

It has since inspired a federal lawsuit and brought widespread condemnation down on the state from a host of national and international companies.

"After listening to people's feedback for the past several weeks on this issue, I have come to the conclusion that there is a great deal of misinformation, misinterpretation, confusion, a lot of passion and frankly, selective outrage and hypocrisy, especially against the great state of North Carolina," McCrory said. "Based upon this feedback, I am taking action to affirm and improve the state's commitment to privacy and equality."

McCrory's executive order reverses a provision of the law that required discrimination claims be filed only in federal court. It also expands North Carolina's policy for state employees to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

But the most controversial part of the new law, requiring people to only use bathrooms that conform to their sex at birth rather than their gender identity, remains intact.

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