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Bathroom bills could cost states millions of dollars — just look at North Carolina

This segment originally aired Jan. 26, 2016, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.

Since the beginning of 2017, nine states have introduced what are known as “bathroom bills,” which make it a crime for a person to use a public restroom that doesn’t correspond to the gender on their birth certificate.

North Carolina passed the blueprint for these bills in March last year, known as HB2, and the state was faced with fierce opposition as corporate boycotts escalated. From the NBA to PayPal, entertainers and company’s have turned away from North Carolina, the bill has cost the state $450 million, according to PolitiFact.

Voters in North Carolina had a hard choice this election: vote for well-liked Republicans who crafted the bathroom bill or try and put an end to the problems caused by the law by voting for less popular Democrats. They chose the latter option — but now the Democrats are faced with a hard choice because the bathroom bill still can’t be repealed.

So, do North Carolina Democrats support progressive calls for an economic boycott or oppose them so they can try and get some more political capital? VICE News correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro went to North Carolina to find out.