WS Chronicle

BY CASH MICHAELS 

FOR THE CHRONICLE

State House District 71 Rep. Evelyn Terry is backing a measure that, if passed by the Republican-led state legislature, would make women, and members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community a “protected” class in the state, something the GOP majority that is still fighting repeal of their HB 2 “bathroom law” against transgendered North Carolinians, may not be in favor of.

The primary sponsor of the measure, better known as HB 152 – “Hate Crime/Increase Scope and Penalty,” is Rep. Rodney Moore (D-Mecklenburg). The bill is designed “… to create the criminal offense of felonious assault as a hate crime, to expand the population protected by current misdemeanor hate crimes, and to amend the aggravating factor regarding hate crimes to include persons targeted due to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.”

Currently, the bill is in House Judiciary III Committee.

According to the bill, “gender identity” is defined as “actual or perceived gender-related characteristics.”

“Anyone who, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, nationality country of origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of another person, assaults that person and inflicts serious bodily injury to the person or attempts to assault that per-son and inflict serious bodily injury to the person is guilty of committing the offense of felonious assault as a hate crime,” the measure states.

It goes further to classify the offense as a Class E felony, which is serious, if death results, or includes kidnapping, first degree forcible rape, second degree forcible rape, first degree forcible sexual offense or second degree forcible offense.

If passed, the act becomes effective December 1, 2017, and applies to offenses commit-ted on or after that date.”

The Chronicle sought comment from Rep. Terry, and the N.C. American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina about HB 152 for this story. Rep. Terry did not respond by deadline this week, and a spokesperson for the N.C. ACLU said they were not familiar enough with the bill to comment.