Justice Department Says North Carolina's Anti-Trans Bathroom Law Violates Civil Rights Act

The United States Justice Department announced on Wednesday that North Carolina's controversial HB2 law, often referred to simply as the "bathroom bill," violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Justice Department has found that HB2 violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating based on sex in public schools. If North Carolina fails to address the department's decision, it could sacrifice millions of dollars in federal school funding, according to WBTV.

The North Carolina law, passed March 23, banned people from using public bathrooms that don't match the sex on their birth certificates — effectively barring trans people from using the bathrooms that match their gender identity. The law also prohibits municipalities in the state from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that protect gender identity and sexuality.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has defended signing the bill into law, even as critics from both inside and outside the state have criticized the law as discriminatory.