Following up on a warning given in April, the NBA has announced it will not locate its All-Star game in Charlotte, North Carolina due to the “climate created by” the controversial HB2 legislation, which restricts anti-discrimination laws for LGBT employees and states that transgender individuals must use public restrooms corresponding to their biological sex.
Governor Pat McCrory, who signed the bill, characterized the NBA’s move as that of “the selective corporate elite […] imposing their political will.” The NBA has said it will reconsider Charlotte as a host for the games in 2019 as long as there is “an appropriate resolution” to the issue.
The decision by the NBA is an economic hit for Charlotte, and adds to the financial pressure from many on North Carolina lawmakers to repeal the legislation. It also adds to the pattern of sports leagues expressing distaste for anti-LGBT laws, as when the NFL threatened to exclude Atlanta from hosting the Super Bowl over similar legislation.