Almost two months after North Carolina governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 into law, controversy continues to intensify. While there are numerous aspects of this law to be discussed, most of the concern regards the section of the law which makes it illegal for transgenders to use the restroom of the gender they identify with.

House Bill 2 was signed about one month after the Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance which expanded and secured the rights of LGBT persons. The ordinance explicitly made it illegal to deny someone the use of public facilities due to “sex, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity” or “gender expression.” Legislators produced House Bill 2 as a response, ensuring that people only be permitted in the restroom which aligns with the sex on their birth certificate. State Senator John M Alexander, Jr defended the Senate’s unanimous decision.

“The Charlotte ordinance allowed grown men to go into the women’s restroom based on sexual identity,” said Sen. Alexander. “Perverts and sexual predators could go into the women’s restroom.”

Although this argument has been emphasized by Republicans, many remain unconvinced.

“Once [the LGBT community] got those rights, it was as if the government had to take something from them because they were getting too close to equality,” said junior, Alana Neal. “[House Bill 2] is a step back for the community. ”

Sophomore, Tyler Kincer found a gray area.

“I feel that House Bill 2 is looking after women and children [but also] trying to discourage being a transgender,” said Kincer. “There’s nothing wrong with [being transgender;] just because you’re not born with certain parts doesn’t mean that’s not who you are. If you want to be a person, you can be that person. There’s nothing stopping you besides government and policy.”

Some believe that the result of House Bill 2 has gone beyond the choice of which restroom to use.

“It’s going to push [transgenders] out of society, and make them feel not worth being a human,” said Kincer. “It’s definitely going to make people feel not right in society.”

State lawmakers like to take a more practical approach to the statute.

“You can’t legislate feelings; you legislate law,” said Sen. Alexander. “There is no such thing as perfect legislation.”

North Carolina has suffered several economic blows as a result of artists and employers turning from the state in protest of House Bill 2. While numbers vary, The Williams Institute reported that a study by UCLA School of Law estimated an additional $4.8 billion dollars in federal funding to be at risk for North Carolina.

“We don’t like the cancelled concerts,” said Sen. Alexander. “Nobody is about discrimination. That’s not what we want to do. It has been a safety issue from the beginning and it is still a safety issue.”

The senator continued to express the significance of safety in regards to House Bill 2.

“[Transgenders] will do what they need to do,” said Sen. Alexander. “Their using the restroom of the gender they identify with is harmless. It’s like going 38 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. Yes, it’s illegal, but it’s not harming anyone. I’m sure you’ve seen ladies run into the men’s room when the women’s restroom line is too long. That’s illegal now, but it’s still harmless and people don’t get stopped for things like that.”

This story is continuously changing, as President Obama’s administration issued a letter the morning of May 13 advising public schools to create a discrimination-free environment and allow transgender students to use the restroom of their gender identity. Despite opposition from the public and the federal government, Republicans who passed House Bill 2 maintain their stance behind the law. That being said, the debate of whether or not this law is anti-civil rights will play an immense role in determining the future of North Carolina.