american academy of pediatrics issues statement on controversial hb2 by floyd arthur
Post on 11-Apr-2017
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American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Statement on Controversial HB2
By Floyd Arthur
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement calling for the repeal of
North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill,” otherwise known as the Public Facilities
Privacy and Security Act, or HB2. Signed into law by Gov.
Pat McCrory on March 23, the law nullifies a Charlotte, North Carolina, ordinance that
protected the right of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. It also
prevents local communities from enacting broader legal protections for the LGBT community
than those defined in state law and rescinds all such protections currently in place.
Discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodation based on sexual
orientation is not specifically prohibited by North Carolina state law.
The statement calling for the law’s repeal was issued jointly by American Academy of
Pediatrics, which represents 64,000 physicians nationwide, and the North Carolina
chapter, which represents approximately 2,000 pediatricians in the state. According to
chapter president Deborah Ainsworth, M.D., the North Carolina board unanimously approved
the statement, which it believes is necessary to protect vulnerable LGBT youth.
“As pediatricians, we know first-hand how increasing burdens and barriers for youth
who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can increase their risk of depression,
substance abuse, dropping out of school, or suicide,” she said in a statement on April 18.
“We all have a fundamental responsibility to support and nurture children and
adolescents to ensure that they can grow and develop into healthy adults,” she added.
“Laws like HB2 send a distressing message to transgender youth and can worsen the
challenges many already face. We must do better for North Carolina's young people.
They're counting on us."
The American Academy of Pediatrics has been actively advocating for the rights of LGBT
youth for years. In the face of the growing trend towards increasingly discriminatory
laws in certain parts of the United States, in February it joined several youth-advocacy
groups in a letter urging governors across the U.S. to oppose and, if necessary, veto any
bill that allows discrimination against the LGBT community. The letter, which referred
to bills such as HB2 as “shameful,” was also signed by the American Counseling
Association, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Education Association
and the National Association of School Psychologists.
The AAP joins a long list of businesses and organizations that have expressed outrage
over HB2, some of which have promised to cease operations in North Carolina if the bill
is not repealed. Adding to the pressure on the state legislature were statements from the
Obama administration, which is reportedly considering whether the law -- which
violates federal statutes that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation -- will
affect federal funding for the state. According to Department of Education
spokesperson Dorie Nolt, the agency is reviewing the North Carolina law “to determine
any potential impact on the state’s federal education funding,” which totalled $4.3 billion
in 2015. “We will not hesitate to act if students’ civil rights are being violated,” she said.
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