The National Basketball Association
(NBA) on Thursday announced that it was moving next year's All-Star
game from Charlotte over North Carolina's law that targets the LGBT
community.
House Bill 2 has been under fire since
it was approved in March during a one-day special session. The law
blocks cities from enacting LGBT protections and prohibits
transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice in
government buildings, including schools.
Republican lawmakers and Governor Pat
McCrory have resisted calls to repeal the law and have pledged to
defend it in court.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had
threatened to move the event out of Charlotte unless the law was
altered.
“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,” the league said in a statement.
“While we recognize that the NBA
cannot choose the law in every city, state and county 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 league
added.
The NBA said that it might return the
game to Charlotte in 2019 “provided there is an appropriate
resolution to this matter.”