RALEIGH – Reaction is coming in to a Federal District Court ruling that could impact North Carolina’s HB2.  The court ruled a Virginia high school discriminated against a transgender teen by forbidding him from using the boys' restroom.

The North Carolina law passed by the General Assembly in one day restricts the use of shared bathrooms and locker rooms to ones birth gender.  That law also bans cities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances, a response to an ordinance recently passed in Charlotte which added LGBT discrimination provisions not in state law.  The law also no longer allows people in North Carolina to sue for discrimination in state court and prevents local governments from raising the minimum wage higher than the state’s.

Governor Pat McCrory spoke to reporters shortly after the ruling, saying his lawyers would have to review it, and that it would probably be appealed.  He also issued a statement.

“I strongly disagree with both President Obama and Attorney General Roy Cooper’s objective to force our high schools to allow boys in girls’ rest rooms, locker rooms or shower facilities. I think that’s bad precedent and I don’t think it’s the traditional way we do things.

“The way I think we should have done it is to allow the high schools to make the appropriate arrangements for those students who have unique circumstances. But this is the federal government, very similar to the Charlotte government, forcing brand new standards, that we’ve never seen before.

“So, we have to evaluate the impact of this court ruling on existing legislation, on existing policy that we have throughout North Carolina, and I will do just that."

Comment was also quick from State Senate President Phil Berger:

“People need to wake up:  Roy Cooper, Barack Obama and two unelected federal judges are on the verge of completing their radical social reengineering of our society by forcing middle school-aged girls to share school locker rooms with boys. House Bill 2 was our effort to stop this insanity, and I hope this proves the bathroom safety bill has nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with protecting women's privacy and keeping men out of girls' bathrooms."

Meanwhile, opponents of the law say the ruling shows how the legislation’s damaging impact.

“Today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit not only confirms the right of transgender students to use public school bathrooms that align with their gender identity, but establishes House Bill 2 is in direct violation of Title IX and that North Carolina’s public school federal funding is at risk, said Rick Glazier of the North Carolina Justice Center. “Supporters of House Bill 2 have loudly argued the bill’s opponents were exaggerating the potential impact on public education. But the ruling in favor of student Gavin Grimm against his high school’s discriminatory restroom policy expressly shows HB2 violates Title IX, in turn jeopardizing federal education funding.”

The ruling comes on the same day the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce came out against House Bill 2, and the Raleigh City Council concurred with the Chamber.