CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association will move eight North Carolina-based conference championships from the state over House Bill 2, the conference announced Friday.
The CIAA Board of Directors made the decision to immediately relocate eight of 10 conference championships.
Citing time constraints and contractual obligations, CIAA officials said the 2017 CIAA Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournament will remain in Charlotte.
“Relocation would not be in the best interest of the membership and its student-athletes at this time,” officials added.
The conference said the relocation of championships is “the first step in demonstrating that the conference does not support laws which prevent communities from effectively protecting student-athletes and fans.”
HB2 requires individuals to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate in government buildings, schools and universities, and initially took away the ability of employees to sue their employers in state court for discrimination or wrongful termination, among other things.
Months later, the legislature voted only to change a portion of HB2 that stripped workers of the right to sue their employers for wrongful termination.
The bill was passed in a one-day special session in late March and was signed by Gov. Pat McCrory later that night.
It came as a response to a non-discrimination ordinance passed in February by the Charlotte City Council. The ordinance broadly defined how businesses should treat gay, lesbian and transgender customers. The debate, as in other cities, focused on bathrooms.
The CIAA says it will focus its resources during the 2017 tournaments to “enhance the student-athlete experience in-venue with collaborative efforts aligning with the Charlotte community to highlight diversity, inclusion, youth education, and leadership.”
