Cooper: HB2 repeal will take 'some kind of compromise'
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Gov. Roy Cooper talked Friday about what's happening behind the scenes to regarding House Bill 2.
Cooper said there's a concerted bipartisan effort to figure it out.
Read all ABC11 stories about HB2 here
But where, for some people, that may be music to their ears, to others, it's reason to worry.
"We know HB2 has cost North Carolina thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars, and it's been a stain on our reputation," Cooper, a Democrat, has said repeatedly. "We have to repeal it."
That's been Cooper's mantra for months on HB2. But what does repeal look like? Is it full repeal or some kind of compromise? Cooper has advocated both.
Critics of the so-called bathroom bill, including Chris Sgro, who heads up Equality NC, says the governor needs to hold the line on all-or-nothing.
"I believe, and I heard the governor say before as recently as last week that full repeal is the answer," Sgro said Friday. "I know that's what we all want -- he was talking compromise today, though."
But here's what Cooper said Friday in Wilmington:
"We know it's going to require some kind of compromise."
Compromise. For a lot of folks, it may be something the world could use more of. But on this one, Sgro says there's no room.
"We have as many votes for full repeal as we do for any of these nonsense deals," Sgro said. "The governor should be pushing on legislative Republicans to actually bring the full repeal vote that we need next week before the NCAA leaves."
RELATED: ON ANNIVERSARY OF HB2, NCAA SAYS STANCE HASN'T CHANGED
The NCAA is a huge factor, with major money at stake and simple state pride on the line. The NCAA has given the state until Thursday to undo HB2 or they will literally take their ball and go somewhere else for the next five years.
As of Thursday night, Republican leaders appeared to be digging in.
"We're not replacing the bathroom part of the bill," House Speaker Tim Moore said.
The clock is ticking. Six days until the NCAA decides whether it'll play ball with North Carolina. And even Cooper's supporters are critical of a compromise.
"Do you see any compromise that satisfies allies of your cause?" Sgro said. "I don't see anything short of full repeal of HB2 at this point that satisfies the NBA, the NCAA, eliminates discrimination for gay and lesbian people across the state of North Carolina."
Important to remember is that there is still a huge question mark over whether the NCAA would accept a compromise. They've been fairly clear -- they see the law as discriminatory and they want it gone.
And that's exactly what critics have been pushing from the beginning.
