Lesbian Couple Alleges Fertility Clinic Discrimination Due to North Carolina 'Anti-LGBT' Law

[Eugene]

Source: ABC News

Lesbian Couple Alleges Fertility Clinic Discrimination Due to North Carolina 'Anti-LGBT' Law

By GILLIAN MOHNEY
Apr 21, 2016, 7:23 PM ET

A North Carolina couple has joined a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union alleging that North Carolina's controversial law known as House Bill 2, which critics say is "anti-LGBT," has led to discrimination.

Beverly Newell, 45, and Kelly Trent, 39, allege a fertility clinic refused to see them due to the fact they are a same-sex couple. The married couple said the fertility clinic, which they have not named, called them to cancel their appointment after HB2 was signed into law saying it does not serve same-sex couples, the ACLU announced today.

“It’s unnerving to know that we could be turned away by any business for being a same-sex couple and have no recourse because of HB2,” Newell said in a statement today. "HB2 has encouraged this type of conduct and we no longer have the ability to file discrimination complaints when this type of thing happens in our home city of Charlotte. The bill has made it OK to harm LGBT people. The state of North Carolina is better than this."

The couple did not name the fertility clinic in the filing but pointed out that the North Carolina bill permitted the clinic to discriminate against them. The lawsuit, originally filed in March in U.S. District Court in North Carolina, was amended today to include additional plaintiffs, including Newell and Trent, and the defendants include North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/lesbian-couple-allege-fertility-clinic-discrimination-due-north/story?id=38582788

[SheilaT]

1. My first question here is to ask if a single woman, no partner of any kind,

had gone there, would they have turned her away also?

It will be very interesting to see the outcome of this suit.