x-sender: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com x-receiver: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com Received: from mail pickup service by sc.lmhostediq.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 11 May 2016 15:04:35 -0400 thread-index: AdGrt/WGwPf3BiwjT6WYxEuPoqRf5A== Thread-Topic: Bathrooms (Did you ever think you'd have to worry so much about bathrooms?) From: To: Subject: Bathrooms (Did you ever think you'd have to worry so much about bathrooms?) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 15:04:35 -0400 Message-ID: <33FAD9B22C1A408B90B0A00D9A8FA6AA@IQ12> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 11 May 2016 19:04:35.0861 (UTC) FILETIME=[F59E4450:01D1ABB7] CUSTOM Miss Sarah E Benton Paralegal Bailey & Dixon, LLP 10310 FALLS MILL DRIVE #208 RALEIGH NC 27614 sbenton1791@gmail.com 8438936016 ETHI Bathrooms (Did you ever think you'd have to worry so much about bathrooms?) 66.195.213.170 Dear Governor Haley - I am a South Carolina native living and working in Raleigh. In fact, I work downtown just a few blocks from the Governor's mansion and the State House. It's an interesting time in Raleigh to say the least. I keep in touch with my SC family and friends via Facebook and I see that SC may soon be facing the same challenge re: bathrooms that we, here in NC, are currently facing. As someone who is currently living through this and as someone who has always been a HUGE fan of yours, I wanted to just offer you some encouragement and, if applicable, some advice. After all, this sweet state is lighting up the news recently. Please learn from Governor McCrory's mistakes. Please do not repeat HB2 in my beloved SC. I'm not advocating for or against anything gender-neutral bathrooms. In fact, though I loathe HB2, I am not so sure gender-neutral bathrooms are the cure-all. Perhaps there's a third or fourth option we haven't found yet. In NC, we were not allowed to explore before our Governor signed the bill into law. Because of this, I must ask you to please allow the good people of SC a voice. We were denied ours. As you may know, Governor McCrory held an emergency session and signed the bill into law in one day. We had no chance to speak up. We had no voice. Whatever you decide to do, please do it out in the open for the people to see. Please don't trick them, please don't talk down to them, and please don't hide behind false statistics of any kind. I can tell you from what I've seen here that it does not play well on such a sensitive issue. I also would say - please don't take away cities' and counties' ability to make their own ordinances and write their own policies regarding discrimination. That, also, was taken away from NC. This may not seem like a big deal but Asheville, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte likely have different points of view than, say, Bunn, Salisbury, Duck, or Manteo might have. I would confidently wager that Charleston has a different point of view than, say, my hometown of Walterboro (Go Cougars!). I know these are murky waters but please, please learn from Governor McCrory's mistakes. You make me so proud to be a South Carolinian and a woman! I am so proud of the work you have done for my home state and her people. Please continue that! Please allow the people a voice. Please allow the cities and counties their voices. Most of all please do not take away rights that may exist now. HB2 now allows North Carolinians to be fired because of their veteran status, their sexual orientation, and their anatomy. I don't think that's American and I certainly believe that South Carolina can be a leader once again by recognizing that, though this issue is tough, we can find common ground with one another. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and please know that this South Carolinian is proud to call you Governor of her home state. Keep up the good work! And thank you, from the bottom of my Lowcountry heart, for taking down the Confederate flag - I do believe it was high time. Your friend from NC, Sarah E. Benton