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N.C. House drafts changes to transgender bathroom law amid NBA pressure

By Allen Cone

RALEIGH, N.C., June 28 (UPI) -- Under pressure from the NBA, North Carolina's House leaders have drafted new legislation that walks back portions of the law requiring people to use bathrooms in government buildings that match the sex on their birth certificates.

House Bill 2 was passed in April in a one-day session and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory that night.

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The bill, which became known as North Carolina's "bathroom bill" drew national attention and sparked discussion about how best to accommodate transgender people.

The new bill's biggest change is the creation of an official document, which would be treated the same as a birth certificate, that recognize a person's gender reassignment.

The draft bill would also create an "anti-discrimination task force" to review issues involved with the law, including discrimination claims.

The legislation comes after talks with officials from the NBA, which is set to host the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte in 2017, the league's Hornets, city officials and members of the legislature. The NBA has threatened to move the 2017 All-Star game from Charlotte unless changes are made.

Under the new bill, if someone doesn't have an official birth certificate noting the change in sex, "The State Registrar shall issue a certificate of sex reassignment upon a written application from an individual accompanied by a notarized statement from the physician who performed the sex reassignment surgery or from a physician licensed to practice medicine who has examined the individual and can certify that the person has undergone sex reassignment surgery."

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A source told Channel 9 changes are likely with the bill because it is evolving.

Legislators quickly approved the original legislation before an ordinance passed by the Charlotte City Council that would have allowed people to use the bathroom that matched their "gender identity" took effect.

The U.S. Department of Justice last month announced it was suing the state of North Carolina over the so-called "bathroom bill." The Justice Department gave the state a deadline to abandon the legislation. Instead, North Carolina counter-sued.

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