The National Hockey League took a stand against the discriminatory law targeting transgender people in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Stars are set to host the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center, but the league will reassess the decision over whether or not should the Stars host the draft if the bathroom bill passes.
"We strongly oppose the bill in its original form," NHL deputy commissioner Billy Daly said. "We hope and expect that bill in that form will not be passed into a law. We would obviously have to reassess the situation in the event that happens."
According to the report, the legislative bill “Senate Bill 6,” which is supported by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, wins enough to pass by a 21-10 vote.
The first pro sports club to take a stand against Texas bathroom bill
The Stars turned out to be the first professional sports franchise in the NHL to publicly speak out against the Texas bathroom bill, a legislation that entailed transgender people to utilize bathrooms in schools or government buildings based on their birth-certificate gender, according to reports.
The state of Texas has confronted criticism from the city's major sports franchises in an effort to protect individuals' rights. Although Houston Texans owner Bob McNair and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban leveled a criticism against the bathroom legislation, Lites becomes the first team president to publicly take actions against the proposed bill on behalf of an entire team.
LGBT community faced similar bathroom law in North Carolina
Last year, North Carolina formed a similar bathroom bill, which created a discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Eventually, sports organizations and companies organized boycotts that would affect the state's chance of hosting its major sporting events.
When the state did not repeal its law at the time, the National Basketball Association moved the All-Star Game event out of the state to New Orleans, while The National Collegiate Athletic Association disapproved North Carolina of hosting the championship events for the 2016-2017 calendar year.
In March 30, as the state sought an effort to win the business back, the bill was repealed.
The NCAA lifted the state's ban when North Carolina lawmakers repealed its anti-transgender bathroom bill. The NBA granted the state's rights to host the All-Star Game in 2019 once the legislative bill was adjusted.
The bathroom bill discrimination could reduce franchises' possibility of hosting its lucrative sporting events such as Super Bowls, drafts and All-Star Games. Thus, the NBA and National Football League sent the state of Texas a warning that a proposed bathroom law targeting transgender individuals could jeopardize the state's bid for hosting its major events in the future.
Corporate America takes a stand against bathroom bill in Texas
The NHL, NFL and NBA are not the only professional sports leagues to take a stand against the Texas' unpleasant legislation.
According to the Texas Association of Business (TAB), more than 650 businesses also took actions against the bathroom bill. According to the group, the list of businesses contained 50 Fortune 500 companies and over 400 small businesses.
TAB is the most influential business lobby that concentrates mainly on public policy issues affecting $8 billion business in Texas. Corporations that are actively attempting to challenge its legislation in the state contained IBM, Amazon, Apple, Dell, Miscosoft, Intel, Capital One, Ben & Jerry's, Facebook, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
