Southern Conference might move tourneys from North Carolina

A controversial law has meant the loss of postseason NCAA and ACC tournament events for North Carolina. Another conference might soon join them.

The Southern Conference, which conducts its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Asheville, North Carolina, and also conducts men’s soccer and men’s golf championship events in the state, is in the midst of discussion regarding those events in the wake of the passage of House Bill 2, also known as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, or the “Bathroom Bill.”

According to a release from the conference office, Southern Conference presidents and chancellors discussed the situation Thursday afternoon. The council of presidents asked for more information from the conference office, and the council will meet again for further discussion.

“We had an open discussion among the presidents and chancellors,” Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino said in the release. “This is a complicated issue that the group decided requires more time and further study.”

The law mandates people use the restroom corresponding to their gender listed on their birth certificate when in government buildings. It also forbids local municipalities from implementing anti-discrimination policies, among other items.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Southern Conference might move tourneys from North Carolina."