The ACC says it will continue to monitor what happens with the controversial anti-LGBT bathroom law in the state, but the conference intends to keep events there for now.
Over a month and a half ago, the state of North Carolina found itself in the national spotlight over a controversial law regarding the use of public bathrooms by transgender people. The law, which came in response to the city of Charlotte’s own ordinance banning discrimination in bathroom usage, struck down city laws and forces people to use public bathrooms corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificates, not those corresponding to their gender identities.
In the weeks since, protests against the law have continued throughout the state and the country. Various companies and businesses have pulled out of the state and entertainment acts have canceled shows in the state. There has been a call for the NBA to move the 2017 All-Star Game, schedule to be held in Charlotte, which the league has indicated it is considering.
One sports organization based out of the state, the Atlantic Coast Conference, announced that while it is not fully in support of the measure, they will not be pulling their championship events from the state. ACC commissioner John Swofford, during the league’s meetings this week in Florida, said that they will keep their current contracts to host events inside the state, according to ESPN:
"“Our policy right now is if the venues we are contracted with and have commitments to and business relationships with, as long as that venue and city can provide us with a statement of fairness and non-discrimination in every respect and assure that our student athletes and fans and everybody associated with the event will be treated in a non-discriminatory way then we will maintain the commitments that we have.”“We’re going to do what we think is best in the context of who we are as a major college conference,” Swofford said. ”“Ultimately, we’re not going to take championships anywhere we can’t be assured that’s respected and people coming to our events are treated and respected fairly and treated well. That’s absolutely critical to this conference.”"
The ACC will have held a total of 11 championship events in North Carolina during the 2015-16 season, including the football championship game in Charlotte (with a contract through 2019) and the upcoming baseball championships.
The men’s basketball championship, which was played in Washington D.C. this year, is schedule to be played the next two years in Brooklyn, NY before returning to North Carolina. Swofford said that if the law doesn’t change, the topic of relocation could be brought up at future meetings.
Currently, the United States Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state, calling the law unconstitutional and discriminatory toward the transgender community. North Carolina has filed a countersuit against the Justice Department.
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