The NBA has decided to move their February 19 All-Star Game out of North Carolina due to the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Bill. The league stated:
“Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change. We have been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league. These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.“Our week-long schedule of All-Star events and activities is intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league, and the values for which we stand, and to bring together all members of the NBA community — current and former players, league and team officials, business partners, and fans. While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.
The law states that biological males cannot use female restrooms and vice versa. The government implemented it over privacy and safety concerns:
“One of the biggest issues was about privacy,” [North Carolina House Speaker Tim] Moore said. “The way the ordinance was written by City Council in Charlotte, it would have allowed a man to go into a bathroom, locker or any changing facility, where women are — even if he was a man. We were concerned. Obviously there is the security risk of a sexual predator, but there is the issue of privacy.”
The NBA told Charlotte they can host the game in 2019 if North Carolina changes the law. Now executives are looking at New Orleans to host the festivities in February.
Experts said the event could have brought in as much as $100 million to the city “with tens of thousands of out-of-town visitors filling hotel rooms and restaurants.”
Other businesses, including Google, Reddit, and Paypal, urged the NBA to move the game:
“If the NBA holds events in North Carolina while HB2 remains law, players, employees, and fans will be at risk of discrimination – and that’s wrong. It will also send a terrible message about who the NBA is and what it values as an organization, and set a dangerous precedent,” the letter reads.
Governor Pat McCrory did make some changes to the law,”restoring the right to sue for discrimination in state court.”
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