Charlotte loses NAIA Cross Country Championships over House Bill 2
Charlotte is losing another sports event over House Bill 2.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics said this week it’s relocating its 2016 Cross Country National Championships over the controversial law, which limits protections for LGBT individuals.
In January 2015, the NAIA announced that its men’s and women’s cross country championships would be held in Charlotte in 2015 and 2016 at McAlpine Creek Park. This year’s event was to be held Nov. 19.
“The NAIA Council of Presidents made this decision out of concern that the state’s HB2 legislation creates an atmosphere where discrimination potentially exists for some NAIA student-athletes and personnel,” said the organization, which plans to announce a new location next week.
The NAIA has no other championships scheduled to be held in North Carolina. The decision does not affect any current member institution or conference from keeping previously scheduled events in the state, the organization said.
Gov. Pat McCrory signed HB2 into law in March to nullify a Charlotte ordinance, which had generated controversy by protecting transgender people who use public restrooms based on their gender identity. HB2 also overrode local ordinances around the state that would have expanded protections for the LGBT community.
Opponents of the law have said it discriminates against LGBT individuals. In protest, the NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference have pulled major college sporting events from the state, the NBA moved its All-Star Game from Charlotte, entertainers have canceled performances and business such as PayPal have scrapped expansions.
On Monday, fifty-plus investment managers with more than $2.1 trillion under management called for a full repeal of House Bill 2. Efforts to repeal HB2 and the Charlotte ordinance so far have not been successful.
This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Charlotte loses NAIA Cross Country Championships over House Bill 2."