The NBA threatened to move the 2017 All-Star Game from the home of the Charlotte Hornets to a different venue because North Carolina passed a state-wide law requiring people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their biological sex.
Wednesday the North Carolina general assembly passed the new legislation, which was later signed into law by Republican Governor Pat McCrory. According to Yahoo Sports and others, the law discriminates against transgendered people.
The NBA’s statement reads:
The league marches lockstep with other major entities, including American Airlines and IBM, in their denunciation of the law.
Since 2013, when former NBA center Jason Collins became the first active professional athlete in America’s four major sports to out himself as a gay person, the league has spearheaded the promotion of LGBT acceptance in sports.
The potential loss of the All-Star Game for Michael Jordan’s Hornets comes at a time when they aim to re-brand themselves as an emerging NBA franchise after wallowing for years as the blundering Charlotte Bobcats. The playoff-bound Hornets enjoy a 41-30 record and sit in fifth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.