The modern Antebellum south

Mayla Gilliam, Staff Reporter

In the 1800s, the Southern states experienced a time period filled with immense discrimination against African Americans and other groups. This time period is known as the Antebellum South.

The state of North Carolina reverted to this antebellum mindset by recently passing the HB2 Act, discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state.

There is a stereotype that people in the south are racist, prejudiced, bible-thumping people who have a mindset of white-supremacy. Even though this is only a stereotype, the HB-2 law that requires transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their sex stated on their birth certificate makes this stereotype seem like a reality.

I don’t think it should matter what bathroom someone goes into. I think that the state is picking a battle purely to have something to do.

There is no way for the state to enforce this new law because people are not going to bring their birth certificate everywhere so they can be checked before going into a public restroom.

I think that the bathroom portion of the law is a non-issue because people are going to break this law. Without the law being enforced and having armed guards checking people’s ID before they go into a public restroom, I believe that an individual would go into the restroom they prefer.

I do not believe the most devastating part of the law is the section that regards bathroom usage.

I think that the part of the law that says that members of the LGBTQ+ community are not allowed to sue if they feel discriminated against is what makes the south seem as if they are reverting back to their antebellum ways.

The state does not have the right to tell someone that they can’t sue against discrimination. During the 1800s, African Americans and other groups were not allowed to speak out about injustice, and this law feels like it is enforcing the same idea.

If someone feels that he or she is being discriminated against, it is their right to sue. Now they might not necessarily win, but that should be up to the court. The court should be able to see the case, and see both individual’s side of the story.

If in reality individual is being discriminated against, then they will more than likely win his or her court case, whether or not they are an LGBTQ+ individual.

With this law, members of the LGBTQ+ community are not allowed to get justice from the injustices done by other members of society.

This act promotes the removal of the voice of an entire community of people. In the Antebellum South, this was also occurring on a much larger scale. I think that if the state does not revoke this law, then the state may take discrimination to a larger scale.

In 2016, one may think that we should be progressive, but this law makes our state seem regressive.