RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Gov. Pat McCrory is fighting back against Attorney General Roy Cooper and his allies who say the passage of House Bill 2 is discriminatory.

In a long-form video released Tuesday, the governor says House Bill 2 is about "an expectation of privacy that must be honored and respected." He says the state has been the target of "a vicious nationwide smear campaign."

The law set aside Charlotte's recently passed ordinance that would have allowed men to use women's restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa. The General Assembly passed HB 2 with bipartisan support. Gov. McCrory signed it into law.

Early in the day, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced he and his office will not defend the state in a lawsuit filed over the passage of House Bill 2.

Senate Leader Phil Berger shot back at Cooper: Resign your office and run for governor full time.

“Roy Cooper’s refusal to defend the law makes clear he wants the ACLU to win by default in federal court what they can’t win at the ballot box and allow men to walk into locker rooms at YMCAs across our country and undress in front of young girls,” said Berger.

“His zeal for pandering for the extreme left’s money and agenda in his race for governor is making it impossible for him to fulfill his duties as attorney general – and he should resign immediately.”

Cooper called the law embarrassing. "We're talking about discrimination here," said Cooper. "Not only is this new law a national embarrassment, it will set North Carolina's economy back."