In addition to the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend, North Carolina is also losing seven championship college events due to its controversial law that discriminates against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
The state’s HB2 law makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity, and provides legal protection for government officials and establishments to refuse services to the LGBT community.
via ESPN:
The board issued a statement saying, “Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee the host communities can help deliver on that commitment if NCAA events remained in the state.” The NCAA said deciding factors in moving the events were that the North Carolina law “invalidated any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals.”
The seven events that will be moved:
• Division I women’s soccer championship College Cup, slated for Cary, N.C., Dec. 2 and 4.
• Division III men’s and women’s soccer championship in Greensboro, Dec. 2-3.
• Division I men’s basketball tournament first/second rounds in Greensboro, March 17 and 19, 2017
• Division I women’s golf championship regional in Greenville, May 8-10.
• Division III men’s and women’s tennis championship in Cary, May 22-27.
• Division I women’s lacrosse championship in Cary, May 26 and 28.
• Division II baseball championship in Cary, May 27-June 3.
The Duke men’s basketball team is expected to be a preseason No. 1 and a likely top seed, meaning the Blue Devils probably would have been placed in Greensboro.
Duke already had to switch a non-conference opponent after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) banned the New York state university at Albany from playing at a North Carolina school due to HB2. New York, Minnesota, Washington, Vermont and Connecticut have banned state-sponsored travel to North Carolina.
“Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships,” said NCAA president Mark Emmert in a statement. “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.”
New sites for the championships are expected to be determined soon. Schools in the state of North Carolina can earn the right to host a postseason tournament event, but it would not be a championship event sponsored by the NCAA.
