North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on
Tuesday criticized the National Collegiate Athletic Association's
(NCAA) decision to relocate all previously awarded championship
events from North Carolina over the state's anti-gay law.
McCrory, who has vigorously defended
the law, said in a statement that the NCAA's decision disrespects
student athletes and “hard-working men and women.”
“The issue of redefining gender and
basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the
United States court system for not only North Carolina, but the
entire nation,” McCrory said. “I strongly encourage all public
and private institutions to both respect and allow our nation’s
judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political
retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging
government overreach. Sadly, the NCAA, a multi-billion dollar,
tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of
our student athletes and hard-working men and women.”
GOP lawmakers in March approved House
Bill 2 during a one-day special session. The first-in-the-nation law
prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice
in government buildings, including schools. HB2 also blocks cities
and municipalities from enacting measures which prohibit
discrimination against the LGBT community.
Passage of the law sparked a political
backlash, with several companies announcing that they would trim back
investments in the state.
In a recent campaign ad, McCrory,
who is trailing his Democratic rival in several polls, called the law
“common sense.”