North Carolina has been at the centre of controversy over its new law that stops transgender people from using the bathroom of the gender they identify as. Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Ringo Starr top a list of entertainers who are boycotting the state in protest. PayPal and Deutsche Bank are leading objections from the corporate world. Indiana and Georgia are also facing backlashes against measures that have offended LGBT groups but which are justified by their supporters in the name of religious freedom.
We asked the First Verdict panel run by YouGov whether they thought the state-level was the appropriate level for deciding gay and transgender rights. Only 22% thought it was. The lead preference for ruling on these issues was the Supreme Court. If you add up the percentages wanting politicians to decide you get to 30%; 9% short of those who want Chief Justice John Roberts and his judicial colleagues to decide.
And, by the way, by 55% to 39%, the First Verdict panel think “The Boss” was right to cancel the gig he had planned for the “Tar Heel” state:
Josiah Quincy Jr., who was the mayor of Boston in the middle of the nineteenth century, wrote in his Last Will and Testament that his son should read ‘John Locke’s works, – Lord Bacon’s works, – Gordon’s Tacitus, – and Cato’s Letters. May the spirit of liberty rest upon him!’ Indeed, there is nothing closer […]
Spare a thought for Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, heading the US negotiating team, as they met with Qatari Emir Al Thani this week to discuss the ‘progress of the negotiations’ between the US and the Iranian regime in the Qatari capital, Doha. While the venue for the talks has shifted from Pakistan to Switzerland […]
The World Cup starts today and for the first time in over 30 years it is being held in North America. Not only is this exciting news for football fans, it should also be of interest to free trade enthusiasts, as the last time it was held there the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) […]
