McCrory, Cooper face off on transgender rights
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Governor Pat McCrory has called on the man hoping to replace him next year to join a legal battle over whether a transgender student in Virginia can use the men's restroom at his school.
McCrory has expressed concern that the teen's lawsuit in federal court could impact schools in North Carolina and wants NC Attorney General Roy Cooper to sign a legal filing against the teen's case.
In a letter to Cooper, the governor writes: "This extreme position directly contradicts the express language of federal law and threatens local control of our schools."
And: "This federal overreach is unacceptable and unnecessary. It must be stopped before our state's schools are impacted."
But Cooper said he will not sign a filing and came out swinging against the governor. In a written statement, Cooper criticizes McCrory for exploiting the controversy over accepting Syrian refugees but the skipping a White House conference call on the issue.
As for the Virginia teen's case, Cooper's campaign writes that McCrory "has found another group to politicize. Adolescence is hard enough without being bullied by an elected official."
The governor's office says McCrory is opposed to transgender bathrooms and supports leaving those decisions to local officials.
The state's biggest school district, Wake County, handles requests from transgender students on a case-by-case basis.
