The GOP’s blistering rebuke came after the NCAA on September 12 announced it would be relocating seven sports championships previously scheduled to take place in the state due to North Carolina’s House Bill 2 (HB2) legislation requiring people to use public restrooms aligned to the sex on their birth certificates.
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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory issued his own statement later in the afternoon saying the HB2 issue will be resolved in the US court system for North Carolina and for other states with similar laws.
In a statement, McCrory said he wished everyone would let the fate of HB2 play out in federal court “without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are now challenging government overreach”. He says the NCAA failed to do that at the expense of North Carolina “student athletes and hard-working men and women”.
In July, the National Basketball Association chose to move its All-Star Game out of Charlotte because of North Carolina’s law, and earlier this year, the NFL drew criticism for not moving the 2017 Super Bowl from Houston after local voters repealed an LGBTQ-inclusive human rights ordinance. In addition, it effectively rolls back LGBT laws passed by some of the state’s cities and towns by declaring that state law – which does not include any special protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people – supercedes municipal law. He added: “It’s just unbelievable to me to think that these entities would think that it’s OK to invade the privacy or security of a woman or a girl in a shower or a locker room”.
This summer, several prominent music acts including Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam canceled performances scheduled in North Carolina to protest the anti-LGBT bathroom law.
On Monday, the NCAA followed suit and announced it will find another location for the seven previously awarded championship events that were to be held in North Carolina this year.
The football championship game, held in Charlotte since 2010, is the last marquee college sporting event left in North Carolina during the 2016-17 season. “North Carolina has the only statewide law that makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity”, it said. “This decision is an assault to female athletes across the nation”.
Duke and UNC both issued statements supporting the NCAA’s decision.
In March, the North Carolina legislature passed HB2, created to ensure that young girls aren’t forced to shower and change in the presence of men in public facilities.
“That’s part of North Carolina’s heart right there”, said Cindy Clodfelter, 62, a retired school counselor in Winston-Salem.
The NCAA, as the governing body of collegiate athletics in the United States, has an obligation to protect the interests of all those who wish to compete in sports.
Previously, musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam canceled concerts, while the National Basketball Association made a decision to move next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte.
And what’s the future of the ACC Championship football game, which has been hosted in Charlotte?
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Athletic directors at three of the state’s ACC schools – North Carolina’s Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina State’s Debbie Yow and Wake Forest’s Ron Wellman – issued statements saying they were disappointed at the loss of events.
