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Protesters take to the streets against HB2 at Trade and Tryon

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

cwootson@charlotteobserver.com

HB2 Protest

Dozens of protesters shut down uptown street to object to HB2 By
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Dozens of protesters shut down uptown street to object to HB2 By

More than 60 people blocked the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets in uptown Charlotte to protest HB2, the North Carolina nondiscrimination law that excludes LGBT protections.

Some waved rainbow and American flags. Others held up signs that said “HB2 is violence” and “Stand up Charlotte.”

“We’re taking up space. We’re shutting down Trade and Tryon,” said organizer Tamika Lewis, with the Charlotte Queer and Trans People of Color Collective. “HB2 is not just about bathrooms. It’s about trans and queer people being able to live freely.”

HB2 created a new statewide nondiscrimination law that doesn’t include LGBT protections and also nullified Charlotte’s own ordinance. It also requires people to use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police blocked off the square for a block in each direction during the protest, but just before 8 p.m., officers announced that protesters had 20 minutes to disperse or they could face arrest.

The protesters eventually dispersed, and no arrests were made.

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