The NBA is moving its 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans, after pulling the game from Charlotte, North Carolina, over a law regulating intimate public facilities on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity.
A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday that the announcement is expected within the day.
After threatening to pull the marquee midseason matchup for months, the league announced in July that it was seeking a new venue for the event.
The NBA has said North Carolina’s HB2 law is discriminatory toward transgender people, who wish to use the intimate facilities that correspond with their gender identity, often those of the opposite sex.
“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2,” the NBA said in a statement at the time.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has said the law is aimed at protecting the privacy and safety of women and children.
The governor’s office accused NBA Commissioner Adam Silver of hypocrisy over the move, pointing out that the league is still scheduled to play a preseason game in China.
“This is another classic example of politically-correct hypocrisy gone mad,” said Josh Ellis, the governor’s communications director, in a statement.
New Orleans was thought to be a front-runner to land the All-Star Game because, under Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana has not enacted a “bathroom bill” like the one in North Carolina.
Mr. Edwards also issued an executive order earlier this year extending anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexuality and gender identity, even though state Attorney General Jeff Landry has claimed the order exceeds the governor’s authority and has “no binding legal effect.”
Gay-rights groups praised the NBA’s decision to relocate the game to New Orleans.
“By moving the 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans, the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver have sent a clear message to lawmakers in North Carolina and across the country that discrimination against LGBTQ people has consequences and will not be tolerated,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement.
The move to New Orleans comes as floods have ravaged the Bayou State, killing 13 people and damaging an estimated 40,000 homes mostly in the Baton Rouge area. The New Orleans area has mostly been spared from the natural disaster.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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