Lesbians: HB2 Encouraged Fertility Clinic to Reject Us

A female couple alleges a Charlotte fertility clinic turned them away because of North Carolina's recently-passed anti-LGBT law and, in response, they're joining the lawsuit against the legislation.

Kelly Trent and Beverly Newell say their appointment at a fertility clinic was abruptly canceled after HB 2 passed last month, with the unnamed clinic explicitly saying they don't service same-sex couples. Trent and Newell have now joined the lawsuit against the bill, which is being spearheaded by Lambda Legal, ACLU, and ACLU of North Carolina.

"Beverly and Kelly deserve to feel secure in knowing that when they go about their daily lives in Charlotte and interact with businesses open to the public, any discrimination they encounter is illegal. HB2 robs them of that," Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, said in a statement. "This law gives people the green light to discriminate against LGBT people and sends a daily message that LGBT people across the state are not worthy of dignity and respect."

Passed in response to Charlotte enacting discrimination protections for LGBT people, HB 2 rescinded Charlotte's ordinance, banned all LGBT-inclusive municipal protections, mandated transgender people use restrooms that correspond with their birth certificate instead of their gender identity, and made it difficult to file a discrimination claim within the state.