NC LGBT Law Elicits Rebukes from Businesses

 Corporations have expressed disappointment and the NCAA has vowed to watch what North Carolina does next now that the state has banned local government measures protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  RedHat, American Airlines, IBM, Biogen and PayPal were among major employers condemning the new law yesterday.  The legislature called a special session Wednesday to void a Charlotte ordinance that would have enabled transgender people to legally use restrooms aligned with their gender identity, and would have provided broad protections against discrimination in public accommodations in the state's largest city.  But a spokesman for McCrory says they've gotten positive responses from businesses since the bill's passage.  Ricky Diaz works on McCrory's re-election campaign. He wrote last night that many businesses agree with the governor that the Charlotte City Council shouldn't have made it in an issue in the first place by passing the ordinance last month.  Diaz didn't immediately respond to a request to identify businesses that support McCrory.  About 200 protesters blocked a downtown Raleigh street in front of the state's Executive Mansion last night, and about 400 people at a Raleigh church vowed to fight on when the General Assembly reconvenes next month.  Sarah Preston with the state American Civil Liberties Union announced that groups will go to court "as soon as possible" to challenge the new law. And Chris Sgro with Equality North Carolina said work would continue later this spring to overturn the law at the General Assembly.