The National Basketball Association (NBA) is not pleased with North Carolina after it passed a bill that prohibits any of its localities from passing ordinances giving special anti-discrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens. To show its displeasure, the NBA threatened to take the 2017 All-Star Game earlier scheduled in Charlotte elsewhere.
In a statement on its Twitter account (@NBA) regarding the North Carolina legislation, the NBA said it is "dedicated to creating an inclusive environment to all who attend our games and event."
"We are deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect," the statement said.
The basketball organisation issued the threat even as it acknowledged that its officials still "do not yet know what impact [the bill] will have on our ability to successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte."
The bill was signed into law by Gov. Patrick McCrory, and is expected to take effect on April 1. McCrory signed the bill into law right after Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts approved an ordinance that strengthened protections for the LGBT community and gave transgenders the right to use public restrooms based on their chosen or adopted gender.
McCory explained that he approved the bill that nullified Charlotte's ordinance since the latter would have violated the "basic expectation of privacy in the most intimate of settings," and that it represented a clear example of "government overreach and intrusion," according to Fox News.
Meanwhile, Roberts criticised that legislators who supported the new state law, saying they were "on the wrong side of progress."
Evangelical leaders such as Reverend Franklin Graham praised McCory's move, saying they did the right thing in quashing Charlotte's ordinance.
"I'm glad North Carolina has a governor who will stand up for what is right and protect our children. Now he's facing harsh criticism by LGBT-orchestrated voices," Graham said.
