The NBA blasted the state of North Carolina Thursday night for a law it passed today that banned transgender people from using the bathrooms or locker rooms of their choice.
The league’s official Twitter account released the statement, saying the “discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect.”
NBA Statement Regarding Legislation Recently Signed Into Law In North Carolina pic.twitter.com/xwoOo9MyeR
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2016
This new ordinance affects the NBA because the 2017 All-Star Game is scheduled to be played in Charlotte, N.C. According to the statement, the NBA “does not yet know what impact” the law will have on that game.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed the bill into law Wednesday after a last-minute session by Republican legislators to combat an anti-discrimination law passed last month in the Tar Heel State.
The new law requires all transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificates.
“This is a direct affront to equality, civil rights and local autonomy,” Dan Blue, Democratic leader of the North Carolina Senate, said in a statement to The New York Times.
Multiple organizations based in North Carolina also voiced their displeasure to the law. Bank of America told CNN that it is all for “public policies that support non-discrimination,” and the company is committed to supporting “LGBT employees through progressive workplace policies and practices.”
Dow Chemical, Google and PayPal also expressed their frustration via Twitter.
Inclusion is one of our core values and we are proud to champion LGBTQ equality in N. Carolina and around the world: https://t.co/40yYLCrqO1
— PayPal (@PayPal) March 24, 2016
We believe in equal rights and equal treatment for all. This North Carolina law is misguided & wrong. #WeAreNotThis pic.twitter.com/3yCayn7Tum
— Google (@Google) March 24, 2016
Dow is disappointed in the signing of NC #HB2. We will continue to call for a comprehensive federal framework to ensure fairness for all.–KK
— Dow Public Policy (@DowPolicy) March 24, 2016
A similar outrage has erupted over a Georgia “religious liberty” bill currently awaiting either a veto or signature into law. Hollywood has come down hard on the potentially discriminatory law, which affects the entertainment industry because many studios film movies and television shows like to take advantage of the Peach State’s production incentives and state-of-the-art filming studios.
