The NCAA decision to remove seven of its championships from North Carolina for the 2016-17 academic year because of the state’s controversial House Bill 2 quickly posed a logistical question: Where would the events now be held? The NCAA cited North Carolina laws that make it unlawful to use a public restroom different from the gender on a person’s birth certificate and providing legal protection for government officials to refuse service to LGBT people.
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“The ACC Council of Presidents made it clear that the core values of this league are of the utmost importance, and the opposition to any form of discrimination is paramount”, John Swofford, the conference’s commissioner, said in a statement. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide anti-discrimination protections. The NCAA announced it will pull all championship events from the state. “But it is consistent with the shared values of inclusion and non-discrimination at all our institutions”. The NCAA took away events from the state earlier in the week. The North Carolina Republican Party called the NCAA’s move “so absurd it’s nearly comical” and has defended HB2 as a measure necessary for privacy and safety, particularly in women’s restrooms.
They’ve hosted almost 80 NCAA championships since 1993 and one ACC championship in late 2003.
“When I saw it was coming up, I didn’t go to the session”, he said, adding that he instead wanted state leaders to sue the city of Charlotte for overstepping its authority in passing a nondiscrimination ordinance that allowed transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen no leadership from our governor on this issue”.
Pendleton says no one expected the level of economic losses HB2 has brought to North Carolina.
Previously, the National Basketball Association relocated its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte to New Orleans.
In a joint statement, Chancellor Randy Woodson for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chancellor Carol L, Folt for NC State University, said that they “appreciate the Council of Presidents’ reaffirmation of the ACC’s strong commitment to diversity and inclusion” and the decision to keep ACC championship contests, “on their campuses”.
The decision, which will be in effect for at least the 2016-2017 academic year, comes as a result of North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which was passed in March and has been nationally criticized as a discriminatory law.
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Clemson University President James P. Clements, who is also the chair of the ACC Council of Presidents, said in a statement the ACC presidents engaged in a “wide-ranging and vigorous discussion” of the issue in the two days since the NCAA’s decision. Entertainment acts such as Bruce Springsteen have scrapped North Carolina appearances, and PayPal canceled plans to bring 400 jobs to Charlotte. Camping World Stadium underwent a $207 million renovation two years ago, has a capacity of more than 65,000 and hosted a neutral-site game involving Florida State and Ole Miss on Labor Day night.
