CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte's mayor responded to calls for state lawmakers to address and possibly overturn a part of Charlotte's nondiscrimination ordinance.
"Discrimination is never right. Shocked (North Carolina General Assembly) is still considering hurting job growth and tourism in NC. Hope cooler heads will prevail," Mayor Jennifer Roberts tweeted Thursday.
The ordinance protects the rights of the LGBT community.
"Let CLT compete w Atlanta, Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach for biz: all are welcoming and inclusive cities," she said in a second tweet.
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, announced Thursday he received requests from more than three-fifths of House members, enough to call a special session to address the Charlotte ordinance.
“The vast majority of my fellow colleagues in the House and I believe the ordinance passed by the Charlotte City Council poses an imminent threat to public safety," Moore said in a statement.
Opponents mobilized online with a statewide petition, KeepNCSafe.org, calling state lawmakers to action before the ordinance takes effect April 1.
In less than 24 hours, the group collected more than 4,000 signatures.
A part of the ordinance, the most controversial, allows a person to choose which restroom to use based on the gender they identify with.
"This is not a small matter," said Kami Mueller, a Keep NC Safe spokeswoman.
"The special session does one thing, and it's something that we're not able to do through any other capacity. That is to prevent the Charlotte ordinance from... (going) into effect in the first place."
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