....people and businesses who have no say in the matter suffer. I thought this to be an interesting article. Part of it is below.

 

Story

 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Emoke B’Racz is resting in the Southern literature corner of her congenial bookstore in this Southern town, a tad disgusted. The daughter of a Hungarian political exile, B’Racz is a woman who is cowed by little. In the face of opposition, she often prevails.

 
She opened Malaprop’s Bookstore and Cafe in 1982, when Asheville was a place well worth driving past, a boarded-up burg of pawn and porn emporiums, slowly withering in a Blue Ridge Mountain valley.

 
“I had no money and no business experience,” she recalls, and yet she helped lead this town’s revival to become the popular tourist and life’s-next-chapter destination it is today.

 
Along the way, she deflected criticism from all quarters: lesbians for not operating a gay bookstore (she’s gay) and military buffs for omitting military history (“Not my thing”). Malaprop’s has endured protests from Zionists (about Jeff Halper’s “War Against the People: Israel, the Palestinians and Global Pacification”), evangelical Christians (in response to Reza Aslan’s “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”) and, memorably, enraged vegans, who prompted a police presence at a sidewalk event for Fred Thompson’s “Barbecue Nation” — in North Carolina, where barbecue is a matter of faith.

 
“We are a place where freedom of speech is honored,” says B’Racz, who views books and her store as “good medicine.” both for society and for whatever ails you.

 
But nothing prepared her for the economic fallout from the bathroom bill.

 

In March, the state legislature passed HB2 — officially the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, but known to all as the bathroom bill. It mandates, among other provisions, that transgender individuals use public restrooms corresponding to the gender on their birth certificates.

 
Within days, North Carolina became the place not to visit but to strenuously avoid, and an economic boycott went into full throttle. Bruce Springsteen and Selena Gomez canceled shows, film and television productions relocated, PayPal put its planned expansion into the state on hold, and the NBA is considering a change of venue for the 2017 All-Star Game. Five states and more than a dozen municipalities banned their employees from making nonessential trips to North Carolina.

 
It goes on to talk about the economic fallout of boycotts by people who are trying to do a good thing by standing up for something while simultaneously hurting businesses and people who were opposed to the bill as well, had no dog in the fight or had no vote in the matter. It is a conundrum for sure. 
 
This article goes into which is the better choice. Boycott and "stand for something" or stay the course and use your influence to shine a light on the situation in a positive way. 
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Prepare to get blasted for this being a "non-story".  I couldn't read the articles linked because it's behind a paywall (evidently I surpassed my "monthly limit" of free articles).

 

The problem is that our current society forces people and lawmakers to create legislation to accommodate and/or block the few people that choose a certain lifestyle.  Most people choose to use the bathroom that corresponds to their natural given "hardware", but some seem to be of the opinion that they need to use the bathroom that corresponds to their "software".

 

The problem is, forcing this to become "normal" has the negative side effect of hurting small business.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

It is a story though and the fact that there are some who think it's not is the mindset that causes this in the first place. 

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It's pathetic that we live in a society in which the government has to tell us which bathrooms to use. For me, it's simple: if you have a Nixon hanging between your Cheneys, you use the men's room. If you've got George Washington crossing the Delaware down there, you use the women's room. If you're transgender and have undergone sexual reassignment surgery, use the bathroom of your chosen gender. If you're not happy with the bathroom selection offered to you, go find a store where you can use a gender-neutral restroom.

 

I suppose the big question is this: why do you care that we know you're a transwoman using the women's room? No one's going to take your pants off and check your junk. Just go in, do the deed, and get on with your life. There are far greater societal injustices faced by all groups, included transgendered people, than whether or not they stand up to pee.

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People who are offended by male and female bathrooms should probably stay out of North Carolina.  Problem solved. 

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It is a story though and the fact that there are some who think it's not is the mindset that causes this in the first place.

I feel bad for the store owner... But what can you do? A silly law created a whole bunch of people to boycott... I mean, blame the GOP for making a dump law. Other than that, you can't controll if a lot of folks don't want to be associated with a state that has stupid political policies, can you?


For instance, I no longer eat at burger king because of thier corporate inversion policy. Some may say that I'm only hurting the minimum wage kids and the franchise owners. Well that may be true to an extent, I can only make a decision based on my thoughts and beliefs. I believe that corporate inversion is anti-American and I for one am not going to give money to that company. Forgive me if I don't cry for a few millionaire franchise owners... And those people that work and BK can find other work if they get laid off.


As for the store owner in this story, I feel for them. But really, who's to blame? People that don't want to associate with a GOP gone wild state, or the GOP for making a stupid law?

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I feel bad for the store owner... But what can you do? A silly law created a whole bunch of people to boycott... I mean, blame the GOP for making a dump law. Other than that, you can't controll if a lot of folks don't want to be associated with a state that has stupid political policies, can you?


For instance, I no longer eat at burger king because of thier corporate inversion policy. Some may say that I'm only hurting the minimum wage kids and the franchise owners. Well that may be true to an extent, I can only make a decision based on my thoughts and beliefs. I believe that corporate inversion is anti-American and I for one am not going to give money to that company. Forgive me if I don't cry for a few millionaire franchise owners... And those people that work and BK can find other work if they get laid off.


As for the store owner in this story, I feel for them. But really, who's to blame? People that don't want to associate with a GOP gone wild state, or the GOP for making a stupid law?

I really want to go more into this but right now I need to be somewhere so hopefully tonight when I get back I'll remember to check this. "Like" it or something so I can remember to come to this post. Thanks!

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I feel bad for the store owner... But what can you do? A silly law created a whole bunch of people to boycott... I mean, blame the GOP for making a dump law. Other than that, you can't controll if a lot of folks don't want to be associated with a state that has stupid political policies, can you?

For instance, I no longer eat at burger king because of thier corporate inversion policy. Some may say that I'm only hurting the minimum wage kids and the franchise owners. Well that may be true to an extent, I can only make a decision based on my thoughts and beliefs. I believe that corporate inversion is anti-American and I for one am not going to give money to that company. Forgive me if I don't cry for a few millionaire franchise owners... And those people that work and BK can find other work if they get laid off.

As for the store owner in this story, I feel for them. But really, who's to blame? People that don't want to associate with a GOP gone wild state, or the GOP for making a stupid law?

You're not alone. Although we may or may not make a dent in the situation, I'm comfortable with my principles. Many seem to look out more for self interests, and I understand looking for low prices. Some have little choice. There are places I try to avoid. I'll shop Costco over WalMart/ Sams for example.

That's my personal thing. But when you hurt everyone carte Blanche in order to punish one, it crosses the line. Throwing baby out with the bath water comes mind, or cutting off nose......

Sometimes it backfires...remember the Chick Fila boycott?

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Blakes Life Matters

The second article talked about how these folks that are boycotting, whether big name entertainers or regular folks, aren't really doing the LGBTQ cause nor the local economy a favor by boycotting. There are other ways to make your voice heard while not hurting the local businesses who suffer for no good reason if you're just regular folk- and I'm not talking about BK or those places, I mean mainly local business/small business. I don't eat at any fast food restaurant if I can help it because it's nasty and I shop at Walmart only because my small town has no other options for certain things. 

 

If you're an entertainer you can still have your show and let your fans have a good time and use that as a means to show solidarity with the cause by bringing positive awareness to the public. If people at the venue get offended because of your views they're free to leave and let everyone else have a good time. As it is those who did pull out just seemed petty to me because someone said something they didn't like. If you don't like something don't act like a child and throw a temper tantrum. Act like an adult and use your voice to bring positive awareness to the public. Those who want to listen will, those who don't will look the fool when they grumble and act like children throwing the tantrum. 

 

The same for companies who pulled out. Those people you were going to employ probably agreed with your stance 100% but now they don't care what you think because you cost them a job instead of being responsible and going forward with opening the company and bringing positive awareness.

 

Just my thoughts on it all.

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