Movie Carol edited for airlines!

Jeez… Well I guess they have the right to do this! I don’t agree but I think there is nothing a person can do about it!

Thanks to divamag.co.uk

Scenes from the film Carol featuring same-sex affection have been edited out of an in-flight version shown on Delta Airlines, it was revealed this week.

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price Of Salt, Carol tells the story of a young photographer (Rooney Mara) who finds herself enchanted by an older woman, played by Cate Blanchett.

Movie Carol edited for plainsDirected by Todd Haynes, the film won rave reviews and more than 100 industry nominations, but has been plagued by award ceremony snubs and controversy, the latest of which came this week when US comedian Cameron Esposito tweeted: “Watched CAROL on a plane & they edited it so the main characters never even kiss. Boooooo. Two women kissing is fine for planes.”
She added: “BTW my seat mate totally watching something where Paul Giamatti was participating in BDSM w/ a lady but CAROL had no kissing!? VERY MAD.” – very MAD indeed

The following day, she went on: “A bunch of queer gals responded that they watched CAROL on a plane & didn’t know the main characters kiss. THEY KISS.”

In response to the outcry on social media, a spokesperson for Delta told AfterEllen: “There were two versions of this film that the studio makes available. One that is edited and one that is not edited.

Corol edited for plains“The edited version removes two explicit scenes that do not meet our guidelines. The edited version also removes all kissing. The other version is fully non-edited and includes the kissing, but it also includes the explicit scenes. Unfortunately, Delta doesn’t have the rights to edit the movie, or to make the decision to keep some of that content (e.g. kissing).”
They added: “Because of the explicit scenes included in the non-edited version, we chose the edited version. This is consistent with what is available to all airlines.”

According to the film’s writer Phyllis Nagy, airlines including American United opted to show the unedited version.

This is not the first time the film has fallen victim to the censors. Earlier this year, a US TV network rejected an advert for Carol because of a scene featuring Blanchett and Mara which features “the suggestion of sexual intercourse”.

Well, what can I say. STUPID!!!!!

Heather Peace on Brexit

I found a very interesting from Heather Peace on the whole Brexit thing. Good read.
What do you think?

Thanks to divamag.co.uk

DIVA: You played at this year’s Pride in London. How did it go?

HEATHER: It was absolutely amazing. Trafalgar Square was packed. It was just what everybody needed after Friday. [The day before Pride, the UK voted to leave the EU.] People wanted to feel like they were together.

DIVA:You were pretty vocal about voting Remain on Twitter. How are you feeling about Brexit?

Heather Peace1I’m totally heartbroken, especially having a daughter. We took for granted the fact that when we were younger if we wanted to go and get a bar job in Spain and experience what it was like to live in another country, we could just go. I’ve never in my lifetime felt so uncertain of my country. In a weird way we’ve always been quite apathetic. You’d never be able to have a revolution in this country. But now there’s people ferocious on either side. It’s not a nice feeling and there’s a very small minority that suddenly think it’s OK to be vocally racist. I’m finding that really frightening. It’s giving me a very heavy heart that there might be a platform for those people to come together. But we can’t tarnish people who voted Leave with the same brush. I’ve got family members who voted Leave and they’d really thought about it. They’d read everything and had very strong viewpoints that weren’t based on immigration. I respect their opinions. There needs to not be, from the Remain campaign, out and out viciousness towards the older generation who percentage-wise voted more towards Leave.

DIVA:Do you have any ideas about how we move forward?

There has to be a sense of unity. We have to just try and be kind to each other. Politically, I don’t know what they’re doing. All this stuff’s coming out now saying they don’t have a plan. It depends what newspaper you read. I’m The Guardian, not The Daily Mail. It’s not even the economical side that worries me the most. It’s that racism could come acceptable again. I’m speaking as someone who is a third generation Lithuanian. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

DIVA:On a happier note, you’ve got a performance at Newcastle Pride lined up.

I’m really excited because we haven’t gigged in Newcastle for a few years. It’s always a really raucous crowd, really good fun. They’ll be well up for it. London Pride is so nerve-wracking – you hardly get over the nerves before you’re offstage. It’s nice having a longer set where you can settle into it and let it grow.

DIVA:You’re definitely a Pride favourite. What does Pride mean to you?

Heather Peace
I remember being a 19-year-old who’d just come out, going to my first London Pride and the whistles were going off outside Westminster. It was before Clause 28 had been repealed. Back then we were fighting for certain things within our own country. Now it’s more of us showing a united front for the world when stuff isn’t OK outside the UK. There’s still a lot of work to be done here in terms of discrimination and bullying but the law is on our side now. I see Pride as a celebration of who we are. We can be visible and celebrate together that it’s alright to love who you love. I’m glad we’ve got a global community. It feels good in troubled times.

DIVA:You’re right that it’s a big comfort. Do you have a favourite track to perform?

Probably No Mercy, which is from The Thin Line. I’m really enjoying the dancier stuff and No Mercy’s good fun. It’s filthy and upbeat. Nothing wrong with that.

DIVA:Haha, agreed. Can you tell us a bit about your latest EP, Come Home?

The EP’s a love story from meeting someone to a terrible breakup in 20 minutes. The lyrics of Lightbulb are really sad and I thought we’ve just got to play against the lyrics and stick in a disco bass. There are so many great disco tracks that are so gutting but just stick a disco bass behind it and it plays in juxtaposition to the theme of the song. Otherwise it’s just too depressing.

DIVA:Thanks for keeping us uplifted. How’s family life treating you now you’re a mum?

It’s amazing. It was quite a funny weekend really. I played at London Pride, which we reckon was about 20,000 people. Then I got a train for my own gig at Eastbourne bandstand that night. The next day I was in the Night Garden Live, which is a TV programme for babies so it was all Iggle Piggle and Makka Pakka [characters from In The Night Garden]. My Saturday and Sunday couldn’t have been any more different – all in a theatrical setting but two ends of the spectrum. And Annie’s fantastic. She’s really quite boisterous, climbs all the time, and she’s very vocal. She’s funny, very funny. She only started walking about three weeks ago and she’s practically running now.

DIVA:Have you faced any challenges being same-sex parents?

We’re in Brighton and if I came across any weirdness it’d be a shock. It’s its own city, this place. I’ve literally experienced nothing that’s been negative at all. We had a guy around here building us a little cupboard in my music room. Ellie had called him and when I walked in as the partner, there’s not even a raised eyebrow. He’s a carpenter, big fella. We really have come a long way. But I know some people aren’t as lucky as myself, living where I live.

DIVA:Was that a conscious decision to live somewhere so gay-friendly?

Heather PeaceIt was and it wasn’t. I was living in London and it came to a point that me and my partner at the time wanted to buy somewhere and it was the classic thing of not being able to afford in London. We’d spent a bit of time down here. It’s a nice place to be when I’m not working. I love being by the sea. I’m a very outdoors kind of person. If I go for a run, I just go straight down to the beach. It’s great.

DIVA:Lastly, you’re involved with Jacquie Lawrence’s Different For Girls project, which we’re all really excited about. [The web drama series is currently on hold due to funding but thankfully it still looks like it will go ahead.] Can you spill the beans on the character you’ll be playing?

Unfortunately she’s the complete love cheat. I don’t know how I feel about that. The thing about playing any role – and I’ve played some right psychos – is you’ve got to get into the nitty gritty of finding something you can relate to. If you hate them from the beginning, you’re lost. Hopefully I’ll make something about her loveable. Her actions are not. She tries to have her cake and eat it, to have her family and a bit on the side. She’s a very selfish character so I’ve got to try and pull out some redeeming features.

You can see her performance at Newcastle Pride on Saturday 16 July

Brexit and LGBT community

Hello people!

I never expected the UK to go Brexit aka leaving the EU! I was wrong. Personally I think this is not the right choice but I am not from England, do not live there, so maybe I am missing something from the whole story. I do read a lot and watch the news. Till now my opinion is the same: I am still convinced this was not the best choice the UK could have made. However this is NOT Armageddon!! 😉

A normal voice aka realistic imo over this after that we go to the LGBT community.

Diva.mag.uk had an interesting article about this concerning the GLBT community:

By the early hours of this morning, it was clear that the UK had voted decisively to leave the EU.

Despite sharp divisions emerging across the country, with Scotland and London voting largely to Remain, Leave won 17,410,742 (51.9%) votes across the UK as a whole, beating Remain’s 16,141,241 votes (48.1%).

The reverberations are being felt across the country. This morning, Prime Minister David Cameron tendered his resignation while MPs tabled a motion of no confidence in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. And Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose country voted unanimously to Remain, told a press conference that a second independence referendum was now “on the table” and legislation was being prepared to stop Scotland being dragged out of Europe against its will.

And as the country attempt to come to terms with this seismic shift in UK politics, we wonder, how do the LGBT community feel about today’s decision?

Angela Eagle, Shadow Secretary of State, described the Leave surge in some of Labour’s heartlands as a “protest vote” by those frustrated with Tory austerity. She later retweeted Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, who said: “Today Jo would have remained optimistic and focussed on what she could do to bring our country back together around our best values.”

Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives and the woman some are tipping as a potential successor to David Cameron, praised the Prime Minister for offering “stability while the country plots its course” and said he was “honourable to the last”.

Margot James, a Conservative MP voting to remain, also praised Cameron and said she had tears in her eyes following his resignation.

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Director of UK Black Pride, this morning said she was feeling “concerned” about the result and asked: “The trajectory of our future, what does that look like now UK vote to leave the EU?”

And it wasn’t just politicians and activists voicing their opinions. Comedian Jen Brister tweeted: “I’m sick of this ‘proud to be British’ bullshit. I’ve never felt less proud,” while fellow funny woman Suzi Ruffell wondered if Leave supporters popping the Champagne knew their tipple of choice was French.

Not all LGBT people were disappointed with the result, though. Former UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire tweeted a picture of her with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and said: “We did it Maggie, We did it, We got our country back. I never gave up,” before adding: “We are getting out of the EU and getting rid of David Cameron in one go RESULT.”

Adam Lake, Director of Out and Proud UK, was also jubilant – and somewhat shocked – by the result, tweeting: “Fuck. We won. I can’t believe it. I’m scared but excited. So much to prove, but if we all work together on this my god we will prove it.”

But it seems most of the LGBT community, like wider society, are still letting the result sink in and feel uncertain about what the future will hold.

A Stonewall spokesperson told DIVA: “Clearly this decision will have a far-reaching impact throughout the UK and Europe. We don’t know what that impact will be at this stage, but Stonewall will be focusing on how any changes in the coming months and years affect the rights and equality of LGBT people.

“Our core mission – to improve and protect the rights of LGBT people and ensure that everyone, everywhere, is free to be themselves without fear of discrimination – remains the same regardless of today’s result.

brexit“We will continue to work with the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure that LGBT people are accepted without exception wherever they live, shop, work, study and pray. We will continue to work with the government to reform the way trans people are treated in the law, and we will continue to work by the side of LGBT campaigners across the world until every LGBT person, everywhere, is accepted without exception.”

And ILGA-Europe, who expressed concern about a Brexit before yesterday’s vote, today released a statement called for unity.

A spokesperson said: “From ILGA-Europe’s perspective, the message that must be taken from the UK referendum result is the need for more solidarity, not less. For greater compassion, not concentrating on what divides us. For celebrating our common humanity, not withdrawing to an insular worldview.

“Human rights organisations must come together to articulate a clear vision for the sort of Europe we want, one that is based on our shared vision of social justice, equality, freedom and diversity.

“We are not just talking about the LGBTI movement, but all human rights and equality groups, whether that is the women’s rights movement, environmental initiatives, development organisations, or sexual health and reproductive NGOs. More than ever, we all need to come together, standing stronger and more unified in our resolve to translate this vision into reality.

“Predictions about what will happen as a result of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union are fanciful at this point. But our commitment to working with our members in all parts of the United Kingdom to drive forward equality there, and across the entire continent of Europe, is one thing that will never be in doubt.”

Captain Janeway now lesbian pin up

Hi all!

Well, much beloved Captain Janeway from Voyager now has a great role in Orange is the New Black.
Caption Janeway and Seven of NineI know Kate Mulgrew from Start Trek Voyager. A whole lot of lesbians created a ‘different universe’. In Fanfic The Captain and a Borg, named Seven of Nine, had a very loving and not to forget hot relationship. I loved Voyager. The stories where good and the people living on Voyager where divers and interesting.

 
Now, Kate Mulgrew landed a role in Orange is the New Black.

Thanks to divamag.co.uk.
In the flesh Kate Mulgrew is everything you want her to be: poised, intense and fiercely intelligent. She leans in to draw you under her spell, her voice gravelly and full of gravitas. Her opinions are incisive and compelling. Oozing old school theatricality, she slips into Red’s Russian growl when she talks about the character. In short, she’s awesome. Here’s what she had to say.

DIVA: I love Orange Is The New Black because of the diversity of women it portrays. What’s that like for you as an actor?
Kate Mulgrew: It’s invigorating. See I’m a white, middle class girl so I’ve never had a problem with this. But most of these girls are of colour and have not had a shot. Constantly scrambling, lots of rejections, so the set has an energy that’s raw and it’s represented as soon as they open their mouths. I think what’s jumping across the screen is the truth.

OITNB is also incredible for its representation of the gay community. What do you think about the current situation in America for LGBT people?

Never forget that we’re primitive people. As animals, every herd will protect its own until the bitter end and this is an intrusion the likes of which the greater herd does not want to deal with at all. I mean just look at civil rights, come on. So transgenderism alone, that’s going to take a long time. It works in the metropolitan areas. We’re having the conversations. But in Middle America, we’ve still got a long, long way to go. That’s why this kind of a voice is very important.

JanewaySo who’s tougher – Red or Janeway?
You’d have to say Janeway. She broke the ultimate rule. She went to the Delta Quadrant. Janeway was an ardent and passionate scientist of the first order. She exercised the prime directive as none of the male captains had ever done before.

What was it like playing such an iconic and inspiring character?

When Paramount had the balls to put a female in the seat of a multi billion dollar franchise, they risked everything. I didn’t know that it would affect the scientific community, these young women coming out of the MIT going down to NASA, as directly as it did. I went to Washington and spoke to women in science because Mrs Clinton invited me. Nothing can be more gratifying in any career than to see this. Red is rich for me the actress but Janeway was really gratifying for me, the person.

And how do you feel about Janeway making you a lesbian pinup?

OITNB Kate MulgrewI feel very flattered. I really do because women are tougher than men. They’re more discerning. They’re more critical. Men are more simple. You just give them a little head rub. But the women, to get the women to like you, to admire you, means that you’re doing something right.

It’s true. We’re fussy and we chose you. I’ve been listening to the audiobook of your memoirs, Born With Teeth, because I wanted to hear them in your award-winning voice. You’re a beautiful and brutally honest writer. What was it like putting your life experience down on paper?

It was hard and it was good. Harrowing. Deeply rewarding. In the moment you’re in the process. You don’t realise how deep you’re going. But months later I saw there were repercussions to that process. I think that any writer worth her salt will pay the price. Honesty’s a big part of it. If you want to make a beautiful sentence, it must be rooted in something that is at risk. Otherwise, why would you bother to read my book? I could just write some bullshit thing in the National Enquirer.

Orange is the New BlackI’m glad you didn’t. And finally the question we all want to know – what can you tell us about Season 4?

It’s ruthless and it’s huge. I call it tsunamic because it is. We don’t know how big this wave is and then we’re under the wave and it’s too late and who will survive this? Stay tuned.

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and girlfriend

Hi!

Thanks to Buzzfeed.com

Amber Heard, the actress who obtained a restraining order against estranged husband Johnny Depp in May, was arrested in 2009 for allegedly assaulting her then-girlfriend Tasya van Ree in Seattle, court officials confirmed Tuesday.
Heard and Van ReeProsecutors in Washington state ultimately declined to file charges against the actress for the alleged altercation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which was reported Tuesday by TMZ.

An official with the King County District Court told BuzzFeed News that Heard — who at the time had changed her last name to van Ree — appeared for a probable cause hearing on Sept. 15, 2009, adding that the case was “filed as an assault.”
Heard was accused of grabbing and hitting Van Ree in the arm the previous day at the airport, TMZ reported.
The King County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuting attorney did not respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.

Attorneys or representatives for either Heard or Van Ree also did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.

Depp and HeardHeard was granted a restraining order against Depp on May 27 after claiming physical and verbal abuse.
Heard, who filed papers to end their 15-month marriage days earlier, also claims that Depp, 52, is abusing drugs and alcohol, and told a judge the actor has a “short fuse” that blew on May 21, when he hit in the face with a cell phone and struck her repeatedly.

Depp’s attorney, Laura Wasser, contended in court that Heard was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse” and to turn the tide of negative publicity surrounding her decision to file for divorce days after the actor’s mother died.

Civil rights are not for trans students!

I am not surprised. You??

Thanks to Buzzfeed.com

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday announced that it will not be reconsidering an earlier ruling in favor of the Obama administration’s policy that transgender students are protected under an existing civil rights law — a move that could send the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Transgender appealIn mid-April, a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that “the [Education] Department’s interpretation of its own regulation [interpreting Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972] as it relates to restroom access by transgender individuals, is entitled to 
 deference and is to be accorded controlling weight in this case.”

The case was brought by a transgender student, Gavin Grimm, against the Gloucester County School Board, which had passed a policy that restricts students to restrooms reflecting their “biological gender.” Grimm is represented by the ACLU, and the school board is represented by private lawyers.

The school board asked the full 4th Circuit — en banc — to reconsider the case, but the court announced on Tuesday that it had denied the request. The order stated that none of the judges requested a vote on whether to rehear the case en banc and, as such, the request was denied.

Judge Paul Niemeyer, who was the dissenting judge on the three-judge panel, wrote an opinion dissenting from the court’s decision not to rehear the case.

“While I could call for a poll of the court in an effort to require counsel to reargue their positions before an en banc court, the momentous nature of the issue deserves an open road to the Supreme Court to seek the Court’s controlling construction of Title IX for national application,” Niemeyer wrote.

The school district must now decide if it is going to ask the Supreme Court to do so and grant review of the 4th Circuit’s decision.

Grimm, however, said in a statement that he hopes the case will be over now.

“Now that the Fourth Circuit’s decision is final, I hope my school board will finally do the right thing and let me go back to using the boys’ restroom,” Grimm said in a statement. “Transgender kids should not have to sue their own school boards just for the ability to use the same restrooms as everyone else.”

The decision also comes just days after Texas and 10 other states sued the Obama administration over its policies and guidance providing for transgender protections under existing civil rights laws. In addition, several lawsuits are pending in federal courts in North Carolina over similar questions, consequences of that state’s anti-LGBT law passed earlier this year.

More: here

No lesbians are killed in new drama!!

Hi!!

Sick to death (literally) of TV’s dead lesbian syndrome (DLS)? We know we are. So we’re proud and excited to announce that we are 100% behind the upcoming web series Different For Girls, which promises, not quite tongue-in-cheek, that “no lesbian will be killed or harmed during it’s making.”

Different for girlsThe crowdfunded project is the work of BAFTA award-winning producer Jacquie Lawrence, who means to offer a much-needed corrective to DLS. “The numbers are horrific. Seriously,” she says.

“What started off as a mild irritation has become an epidemic. The reaction to Kate’s death in Last Tango In Halifax was amusing for the press, but the fallout over Lexa’s death in The 100 has managed to put the ‘syndrome’ in perspective: disposing of lesbian characters so regularly has an acute effect on young lesbians and their self-esteem.”

Different For Girls is an adaptation of Lawrence’s fiction novel of the same name – first published as an e-book in 2014, and then as a paperback in 2015. The drama series will feature a group of lesbian and bisexual women based in Chiswick – the ‘real lesbian housewives of West London’, if you will – women “whose lives and loves revolve around children, marriage, betrayal and divorce. That’s not to say that there isn’t room for drink, drugs, sex and dancing; there is. Just not in front of their wives and children”.

Author Jacquie Lawrence:
Jacquie Lawrence

DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS is a web drama series featuring a group of lesbian and bisexual women whose lives and loves revolve around children, marriage, betrayal and divorce. That is not to say that there isn’t room for drink, drugs, sex and dancing. There is. Just not in front of their wives and children. Set in Chiswick, these women are the real lesbian housewives of West London!

Heather PeaceWe have cast from the most talented lesbian, gay, bi and trans actresses and actors out there. There are many lesbians who have not been able to play on-screen lesbians. Usually lesbians have been played by straight women and whilst there have been some brilliant performances, we want to redress this imbalance and we want to cast and crew a more diverse range of talented people from the LBGQT and BAME communities.

Rachel ShelleyThe cast is slated to feature the likes of Rachel Shelley (The L Word), Sophie Ward (Land Girls, Doctors), Heather Peace (Lip Service), Janet Ellis (Doctor Who), Amy LamĂ© (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Loose Women) and Nimmy March (Wallander, Thin Ice) among others, should it reach its crowdfunded target of ÂŁ50,000.

And you, dear reader, can help make this happen – while earning some exciting perks in the process. Incentives for donors – who can gift anything from ÂŁ5 to ÂŁ1000 – include everything from signed photos and t-shirts to a walk-on part (ooh!) and an invitation to the wrap party.

“It’s easy to be glib about DLS but in reality the constant ‘disposal’ of lesbian characters has an acute impact on younger viewers who are struggling with their sexuality,” Jacquie says. “There have been 12 lesbians killed off in 2016 so far. That may seem like a small number but given that in 2015, there were only 35 lesbian characters on primetime television in the US and the UK you can understand the fallout.

“The Trevor Project, which saves the lives of literally thousands of LBGQT teens every year, said that the deaths of popular characters like Lexa in The 100 and Dr. Denise Cloyd in The Walking Dead put their work back years. We are desperate to see lesbian and bi characters that manage to live their dramatic and complicated lives, on screen, without fear of death by car, helicopter crash, house fire or stray bullet.”

Lawrence is also invested in bringing a truly queer cast and crew on board – another corrective given TV and film’s woeful on-going record of employing straight (and cis) actors to play queer (and trans) roles.

Sophie Ward“So many great lesbian parts on television and in films have been played by straight women and it must be really frustrating for lesbian and bi actresses to see this. Even in lesbian specific series like The L Word and Lip Service with ensemble casts, only one or two actresses were lesbian or bi whilst the rest were straight.

“DFG turns this on it’s head. The caveat for casting non-lesbian or non-bisexual actors is that they have played gay with pride, like Rachel Shelley, who played Helena Peabody in The L Word with such panache and has written/spoken about it ever since, rather than erasing it from her CV like some actresses.”

Why the decision to crow-funded this project? Jacquie explains: “As the web has opened up opportunities for queer dramas to thrive, so it has for writers, producers and directors to collate financial support for projects that are outside the mainstream. There’s an amazing community of people who support queer projects because they want to see themselves and their life-styles represented.

“We wanted to make the web series this summer and so a crowd funding campaign seemed the most immediate and inclusive. People can invest financially at the level they are comfortable with, receive a perk and feel like they are part something special. We couldn’t do it without people’s support.”

The dedicated team have raised a mighty one-third of the required funds to bring Different For Girls to life, but need another ÂŁ50,000 to reach their target. Head over to their Indiegogo page and give what you can to this promising, potentially game-changing series.

Want to know more or contribute? Click here

Thanks to Divamag.co.uk and other sources.

Loretta Lynch over anti-LGBTI law

Finally!!!

Thanks to GayStar newws.

The US Department of Justice is suing North Carolina and its governor, Pat McCrory, for enacting the anti-LGBTI House Bill 2.
lorettalynch1The state had been given a deadline of Monday (9 May) to abandon implementation of the controversial law which removes local legal protections for LGBTI people and prohibits transgender people from using public facilities that correspond to their gender identity.

Instead of backing away from the law, McCrory filed a suit against the US government earlier in the day accusing it of bypassing Congress and attempting to rewrite laws.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch called HB2 ‘state-sponsored discrimination’ and had a message for transgender people in the Tar Heel state.

‘We see you. We stand with you 
 And please know that history is on your side,’ she said at a press conference announcing the legal action.

The federal lawsuit claims the law is in violation of Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act, Title IX, and the Violence Against Women Act and seeks a statewide bar on it being enforced.

‘We retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds,’ Lynch also said.

North Carolina and anti-LGBTI lawThen she added: ‘This action is about a great deal more than bathrooms. This is about the dignity and the respect that we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we as a people and as a country have enacted to protect them. Indeed, to protect all of us.’

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of North Carolina, and Lambda Legal – who are challenging House Bill 2 in federal court on behalf of six LGBT North Carolinians and members of the ACLU of North Carolina – applaud the Justice Department for filing suit.

‘This law is a targeted and unprecedented attack on the LGBT community, particularly against transgender people,’ they said in a joint statement