ACC Follows NCAA, Pulls Championships Out of NC Over LGBT Bathroom Law

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced Wednesday that it would relocate its neutral site championships for the 2016-2017 season out of North Carolina, in response to the state’s House Bill 2, which designates multiple stall restrooms on the basis of biological sex as opposed to “gender identity.” This move follows the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s decision to do so on Monday.

“The ACC Council of Presidents made it clear that the core values of this league are of the utmost importance, and the opposition to any form of discrimination is paramount,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “Today’s decision is one of principle, and while this decision is the right one, we recognize there will be individuals and communities that are supportive of our values as well as our championship sites that will be negatively affected.”

The commissioner added that he hopes “there will be opportunities beyond 2016-2017 for North Carolina neutral sites to be awarded championships.” His mention of “discrimination” in the issue of HB 2 parrots the LGBT activist line that people who identify as “transgender” should be allowed to use any public restroom of their choice, regardless of their biological sex or the privacy of others.

The allegation of “discrimination” seems unmerited, however, as the law only applies to multiple stall restrooms, leaving transgender individuals to use single-occupancy restrooms.

In response to the NCAA (and now the ACC) moving out of his state, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory released a video explaining his position. “You know, when we were raising average teacher pay, creating new jobs, and cutting taxes, other folks were actually pushing to make our schools allow boys to use the girls’ locker rooms and showers. Are we really talking about this?” McCrory asked in the ad.

“Does the desire to be politically correct outweigh our children’s privacy and safety? Not on my watch,” the governor declared in the video. “Kids and teachers are my priority. This is North Carolina, let’s do what’s right.” Indeed, there have been many incidents of perverts taking advantage of Target’s loose bathroom accommodations for transgender people, in order to take lude photos of women in restrooms. As McCrory explained, North Carolina’s law is about privacy, not discrimination.

College sports conferences are not the first to complain about HB 2, however. In April, business leaders sent a letter attacking the law, and in May, Obama’s Department of Justice ruled that the law violates the Civil Rights Act. Shortly thereafter, North Carolina announced it would sue the federal government on this matter. One thing is for certain: McCrory is not giving up on the fight.