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North Carolina must repeal a new law that bars people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity or else the NBA will move its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, the head of the professional basketball league said Thursday.
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North Carolina Facing Boycotts over Anti-Transgender Law
"We've been, I think, crystal clear that we believe a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a meeting with the Associated Press. Silver added that the NBA is "not setting a deadline" for the law to be changed.
The NBA All-Star Game, featuring the league's most dominant players, is scheduled to take place Feb. 19, 2017.
WATCH: LGBT Activists Protest North Carolina's Discriminatory Law
In March, the North Carolina legislature—dominated by right-wing Republicans—held an emergency session to pass a law overturning a local ordinance in Charlotte that would have formally legalized the right of transgender persons to use bathrooms that match their identity. The law also forbids local governments from increasing the minimum wage, which the state has set at US$7.25 an hour.
The move has been widely condemned, with several state governments announcing they will not allow state employees to attend events in North Carolina. Artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr have also announced they will refuse to perform in the state.
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