North Carolina

NCAA to Relocate 7 Championships Due to North Carolina's LGBT Restroom Law

"We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships"

The NCAA is relocating all seven championship events that were scheduled to be hosted in North Carolina this academic year over concerns about inclusiveness brought about by a controversial state law that regulates who can use what bathroom, the college sports association announced Monday.

The decision was taken in light of the North Carolina state law known as HB2, which limits civil protections for LGBT individuals. One widely criticized aspect of the law dictates that in government buildings, people must use the restroom that corresponds with the sex on their birth certificates, rather than the one that corresponds with their gender identity.

The NCAA Board of Governors said that, based on the law, they did not feel that the seven scheduled NCAA events would be able to provide an inclusive environment.

“We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear if the governor of North Carolina, who has defended the law in the face of legal challenges, had a comment about the NCAA's decision.

When the NBA moved this year's all-star game from Charlotte in July, Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement, "Left-wing special interest groups have no moral authority to try and intimidate the large majority of American parents who agree in common-sense bathroom and shower privacy for our children."

The NCAA listed the seven events that will be relocated, but has not yet determined the new locations to host the championship events:

  • 2016 Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, College Cup (Cary), Dec. 2 and 4.   
  • 2016 Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships (Greensboro), Dec. 2 and 3. 
  • 2017 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, first/second rounds (Greensboro), March 17 and 19. 
  • 2017 Division I Women’s Golf Championships, regional (Greenville), May 8-10. 
  • 2017 Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships (Cary), May 22-27.  
  • 2017 Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship (Cary), May 26 and 28. 
  • 2017 Division II Baseball Championship (Cary), May 27-June 3. 
Contact Us