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Judge blocks part of NC ‘bathroom law’

by Nikita Vladimirov - 08/27/16 9:43 AM ET

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the University of North Carolina from forcing transgender people to use the restrooms matching the sex on their birth certificates.

The injunction means the plaintiffs — two students and an employee — will now be able to use bathrooms that are consistent with their gender identity, the Associated Press reported.

{mosads}U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder wrote that the plaintiffs are “likely” to demonstrate that the law violates Title IX, a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination.

The judge pushed back on the claim that that H.B. 2 — the so-called “bathroom law” — makes bathrooms safer by separating men and women by their biological sex.

“North Carolina’s peeping and indecent exposure statutes continue to protect the privacy of citizens regardless of [the bathroom provision],” he wrote.

“There is no indication that a sexual predator could successfully claim transgender status as a defense against prosecution under these statutes.”

School employee Joaquin Carcano welcomed the ruling and said that he will not rest until the law is defeated.

“Today, the tightness that I have felt in my chest every day since H.B. 2 passed has eased. But the fight is not over: we won’t rest until this discriminatory law is defeated,” Carcano said in a statement.

Judge Thomas Schroeder was appointed by George W. Bush. He is set to make a final ruling on H.B. 2 after the trial.

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