It Could Happen Here How Democrats Passed North Carolina's New Anti-trans Laws, Part Two
Aug 28, 2025
David Forbes, a journalist for the Trans News Network and the Asheville Blade, dives into the complexities of anti-trans legislation in North Carolina. He discusses how the state's Democratic Party played a role in enabling harmful laws, particularly reflecting on the 2016 HB2 bathroom bill. Forbes highlights the economic fallout from these policies, revealing a staggering $400 million in losses from corporate boycotts. He emphasizes the need for grassroots activism and accountability to combat increasing anti-trans measures and advocate for trans rights.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
HB2 Was A Wedge Policy Against Multiple Rights
- HB2 was a broad attack using trans people as a wedge to roll back local nondiscrimination and labor rules.
- North Carolina Republicans used national far-right playbooks to shift the political wedge from marriage to trans issues.
HB2 Hit Labor And Local Protections Too
- HB2 also stripped localities' ability to set minimum wage and gutted local nondiscrimination ordinances statewide.
- David Forbes explains this as an attack on labor and marginalized people beyond trans communities.
Economic Pressure Exposed A Political Vulnerability
- HB2 provoked an international boycott that cost North Carolina hundreds of millions of dollars.
- The financial backlash revealed corporate power can pressure state policy when costs rise high enough.