North Carolina, again, is on the wrong side of history.

Like most southern states, North Carolina has a history of passing discriminatory laws that we later look back on with shame and embarrassment, and with House Bill 2 made into law the list of these laws has grown.

The bill, among other things, includes a provision that makes it illegal for a transgendered person to go the bathroom that matches the gender that they identify as.

The justification for this was that people would take advantage of policies that would allow transgendered individuals to go the bathroom that matches their gender identity and use them to sexually assault people in the restroom.

A case of this happening has never been reported, so these fears have no real basis.

This bill is just another way that the U.S. as a whole has failed to protect the LGBTQA community the same way that other minority groups have been protected.

There are no federal laws that even protect LGBTQA citizens in their jobs.

The Employment Nondiscrimination Act that would have done so has been proposed for many years but has never been passed. These new laws are just another way that the government has been and will continue to hurt and discriminate against LGBTQA individuals.

As bad as this bill is for citizens of North Carolina, the national consequences of this bill passing are worse. Since the bill has been passed, several other states have begun to take similar actions.

The legacy of being the state that opened the floodgates for a slew of laws permitting LGBTQA discrimination is just not one that I personally want attached to my home state.