The law, known as House Bill 2, was approved by the GOP-led legislature in March in response to Charlotte’s approval of an anti-discrimination ordinance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at hotels, restaurants and retailers.
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The ACC Council of Presidents voted Wednesday to relocate the conference’s championships until North Carolina repeals the law.
As NPR reported on Wednesday, the ACC’s decision removes eight neutral-site championship games from the state in sports ranging from football and baseball to soccer and swimming. “The NBA has moved the All-Star Game and any number of private sector companies have made announcements curtailing their footprint inside the state of North Carolina”.
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”.
McCrory, who has adamantly defended HB 2 since he signed it and is now struggling to stay alive in his race for re-election against Democrat Roy Cooper, has not yet commented on the decisions by either conference.
“Before the Charlotte decision, I did not hear of any issues related to bathrooms”, Weinbrecht said, according to WRAL.
Motivated by House Bill 2, these decisions risk millions of dollars in revenue for the state and host cities.
After the National Basketball Association decision, McCrory said that “American families should be on notice that the selective corporate elite are imposing their political will on communities in which they do business, bypassing the democratic and legal process”.
“That’s why we need to evaluate everything and see what options are possibly out there for us to suggest to the ACC, ” James said, “and from there it would really be up to them to determine what’s best for the league”. “Whether or not that’s going to happen before the election I highly doubt, even though I feel that’s the right thing for him to do”, Jackson said. Gunn says federal courts can do that by striking down a directive by President Barack Obama’s administrative telling schools to let transgender students use restrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity.
This would include the ACC Football Championship, which was scheduled to be played in Charlotte in December. He says looking at their favorable tax position “is an avenue we intend to explore”, but didn’t give details.
North Carolina clearly underestimated the influence of the LGBTQ community.
The ACC’s decision is just the latest in the controversial HB2 law.
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The Duke men’s basketball schedule had to be reconfigured when Albany (N.Y.) backed out due to that state’s travel ban. The new sites have yet to be announced.
