Jan Copeland: Proper action from Charlotte

Regarding the Feb. 23 news article “Charlotte council passes LGBT protections”: I applaud the Charlotte City Council’s tough decision to allow transgender individuals to use the restroom of their choice.

Charlotte is not alone in its quandary over laws regarding anti-discrimination based on sexual orientation and variants. Across the country, we are seeing ordinances and statutes that have intruded into the lives of responsible American residents who have been prosecuted and driven out of business or jobs on the basis of their personal beliefs.

When lawmakers seize on “sexual orientation” in classifications of citizens, they are creating artificial civic identities. This is an attempt to change the very definition of equal rights under the Constitution.

Consider the case of Maddie, a female-born human being who attends Harvard. Maddie, under social constructs, appears to the public as male. When Maddie enters a female facility, commotion typically erupts. You might imagine the anxiety and fear Maddie endures each time they try to use their gender-assigned facility.

As a mother of a feminine-born man, I have stood outside public restrooms in terror of what might happen to my son.

This time, the N.C. legislature is on a slippery slope. Let’s get back to the important issues: jobs, health care and education.

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Jan Copeland: Proper action from Charlotte."