All too happy to give a hand to those opposed to religious freedom laws, the CBS Evening News continued to play its part in chastising those in favor of religious freedom and so-called bathroom bills with North Carolina’s version being “roiled by backlash, boycott threats, and bigotry allegations.”
Following in the footsteps of prior editions of the newscast (see here and here) and CBS This Morning from hours earlier, anchor Scott Pelley introduced correspondent Mark Strassmann’s piece this way: “Tonight in North Carolina, they are facing a business boycott over a law that critics consider anti-gay. This week, Georgia's governor vetoed a similar bill, but North Carolina's governor is defending his new law.”
Strassmann led by touting pro-gay protesters chanting that they “will win” before lamenting that the Tar Heel State “is roiled by backlash, boycott threats, and bigotry allegations over its new law called HB-2.”
Nothing that “[c]ritics say it bars discrimination protection for people who are gay or transgender” seeing as how “[t]he most talked about provision requires people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate.”
Before going to a transgender man who’s a plaintiff in the lawsuit to rip down the law, Strassmann gave supporters a scant, five-word sentence: “Supporters say to protect privacy.”
Instead of asking a question or offering push back, the CBS News correspondent merely expressed remorse to the transgender activist:
STRASSMANN [TO CARCANO]: To you, this goes well beyond bath rooms.
JOAQUIN CARCANO: Oh, definitely. Bathrooms are just sort of a cover for the real tack here. It's pure hostility.
Strassmann further stacked the deck by promoting the opposition from large corporations, including Charlotte-based Bank of America and liberal governors in New York, Washington, and Vermont banning state-sponsored travel to North Carolina.
After speaking to a sympathetic restaurant owner worried about the affect this piece of conservative legislation would have on the state’s business climate, Strassmann gave airtime to a supporter by confronting Republican Governor Pat McCrory about having any “regrets” or “concerns about the backlash.”
McCrory responded that he had no fears whatsoever:
I think we're using commonsense, pragmatic etiquette to protect the expectation of privacy that all of us want when we use the most private of facilities, and that's the restroom, locker room, and shower facilities and this is what most states are doing right now.
Tossing back to Pelley, Strassmann had to mention what McCrory’s Democratic gubernatorial election opponent thought of the religious freedom bill:
The State's Attorney, Democrat Roy Cooper, has called the law a national embarrassment and will refuse to defend it in court, but he's running for governor this November against McCrory. So, Scott, politics clearly seem to factor in this controversy.
The transcript of the segment from the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley on March 30 can be found below.
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
March 30, 2016
6:35 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: NC Backlash]
SCOTT PELLEY: Tonight in North Carolina, they are facing a business boycott over a law that critics consider anti-gay. This week, Georgia's governor vetoed a similar bill, but North Carolina's governor is defending his new law. Here's Mark Strassmann.
PRO-GAY PROTESTERS: I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!
MARK STRASSMANN: North Carolina is roiled by backlash, boycott threats, and bigotry allegations over its new law called HB-2. Critics say it bars discrimination protection for people who are gay or transgender. The most talked about provision requires people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate. Supporters say to protect privacy.
JOAQUIN CARCANO: They don't want to believe we exist.
STRASSMANN: Joaquin Carcano is a 27-year-old transgender man and a plaintiff in a federal suit seeking to strike down the new law. [TO CARCANO] To you, this goes well beyond bath rooms.
CARCANO: Oh, definitely. Bathrooms are just sort of a cover for the real tack here. It's pure hostility.
STRASSMANN: Dozens of corporation have been critical. Bank of America, headquartered in Charlotte, tweeted, “Repeal HB-2.” Governors in New York, Washington, and Vermont, banned most official state travel to North Carolina.
GREG HATEM: When you're a guest in our restaurant, you're always welcome here.
STRASSMANN: Greg Hatem owns a half dozen Raleigh-area restaurants that employ 500 people. [TO HATEM] What, to you, is the message the legislature is sending?
HATEM: I think the message is that certain people are welcome and certain people aren't, and we're going to get more into your personal life than we should.
STRASSMANN: North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory stands behind the law. [TO MCCRORY] No regrets? No concerns about the backlash?
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR PAT MCCRORY (N.C.): I think we're using commonsense, pragmatic etiquette to protect the expectation of privacy that all of us want when we use the most private of facilities, and that's the restroom, locker room, and shower facilities and this is what most states are doing right now.
STRASSMANN: The State's Attorney, Democrat Roy Cooper, has called the law a national embarrassment and will refuse to defend it in court, but he's running for governor this November against McCrory. So, Scott, politics clearly seem to factor in this controversy.
PELLEY: As usual. Mark Strassmann in Raleigh for us, Mark, thank you.
