Ohio Gov. John Kasich would not have signed the controversial religious freedom law passed in North Carolina, he said Sunday.
In an interview on CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Kasich told host John Dickerson that he “probably” wouldn’t have signed the law in North Carolina that aims to keep transgendered people out of women’s bathrooms.
Kasich said that Ohio isn’t dealing with a similar issue and he hadn’t studied the issue closely, but he was not inclined to push for a new law to protect religious beliefs in his state.
“Everyone needs to take a deep breath, respect one another,” Kasich said. “The minute we start trying to write laws, things become more polarized, they become more complicated.”
The law in North Carolina requires transgendered people to use the bathroom of the sex that is listed on their birth certificate, rather than the gender that they identify as.
Gov. Pat McCrory signed the law in March, setting off a wave of condemnation. Mayors from around the country, including Washington, have banned non-essential city travel to North Carolina as a form of protest. Rocker Bruce Springsteen canceled a weekend show in Greensboro, N.C., to protest the law.
Kasich said on Face The Nation he believed religious institutions should be protected and no one should be forced to violate their deeply held religious beliefs. But he said he wasn’t sure new laws are necessary.
“Why do have to write a law every time we turn around in this country?” Kasich said. “Can we figure out just how to get along a little bit better and respect one another? I mean, I think that’s where we ought to be. Everybody chill out. Get over it if you have a disagreement with somebody.”
