UPDATED: 11:17 p.m., April 19
Elon University's SGA is drafting a resolution to the highly controversial House Bill 2, according to Executive President Kyle Porro.
Porro said he’s hopeful it passes through at Thursday’s SGA meeting.
He sent a draft of the resolution to The Pendulum and Elon Local News on Tuesday night, hoping students would read it ahead of the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Moseley 215.
"Our open forums are truly open for anyone to come talk and have their opinions heard, so we are hoping that as many people as possible will take advantage of this," Porro said in the email.
The resolution reaffirmed Elon University's stance, while also imploring SGAs at other North Carolina colleges and universities to stand against it.
"Elon University Student Government Association decries the blatant disregard and denial of basic human rights and protection under the law by the North Carolina General Assembly through this highly discriminatory piece of legislation," the resolution reads.
The resolution, which includes six articles, "condemns House Bill 2 and its efforts to set back centuries of hard work towards equality among all people."
SGA prez Kyle Porro sent @elonpendulum @ElonLocalNews a draft of resolution re: #HB2. Will be discussed on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/Gydnk7XqRL
— Tommy Hamzik (@T_Hamzik) April 20, 2016
Porro, recently inaugurated, said the resolution part of an initiative of his to be more proactive on issues like this.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed HB2, otherwise known as the bathroom bill, into law March 23. Among many things, it prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.
McCrory, in an attempt to clear the air, signed Executive Order 93 last Tuesday to add biological sex and sexual orientation to the list of protected classes, revising a section of HB2 that allowed for discrimination against the LGBTQIA community.
Elon faculty issued their own resolution last Monday denouncing the bill. The university released a statement days after the bill was signed reaffirming its commitment to inclusivity, and President Leo Lambert wrote a letter to the editor in the Burlington Times-News calling HB2 “stunning and disappointing.”
“We thought it was a very good idea that we could make a statement as the students,” Porro said. “It’s such a hot topic, and there are such strong opinions. Since we are supposed to be the voice of the students, we wanted to make a statement with that.”