NEW YORK– Now that North Carolina has partially repealed its anti-transgender “bathroom bill,” the NCAA said it will no longer ban the state from hosting for future championships.
In a statement, the NCAA said on Tuesday that a majority of its board of governors “reluctantly voted to allow consideration” of cities in the state.
The HB2 “bathroom bill” prevented cities in North Carolina from enacting non-discrimination policies based on gender identity. (The law came about after Charlotte passed just such an ordinance.) It also requires people to use the public restroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate.
The bill was repealed Thursday, but there’s concern that its replacement isn’t adequate. While it eliminates the bathroom stipulation, it doesn’t allow cities to enact their own nondiscrimination policies until 2020.
The repeal came just before the NCAA’s deadline to consider host cities for tournaments between 2018 and 2022.
The NCAA’s statement said that North Carolina will be allowed to keep previously awarded championships in 2017 and 2018. That’s when Greensboro and Charlotte, North Carolina are scheduled to host first- and second-round men’s basketball tournament games.
In April 2016, the NCAA announced a new rule requiring every host city to “provide an environment that is safe, healthy, and free of discrimination.” That means that future host cities must “submit additional documentation demonstrating how student-athletes and fans will be protected from discrimination.”
