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According to the Washington Post's Steven Goff, US Soccer might not play a friendly in Charlotte in 2017 due to North Carolina passing a law that blocks local governments from establishing anti-discrimination rules that protect LGBT people.
USSF seriously considering match in Charlotte next year, but now on hold because of N.C. law limiting LGBT protections.
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) March 30, 2016
Debate around the law continues, with North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper saying the state won't defend it against a federal challenge. Other organizations have also discussed pulling business from North Carolina, with the NBA talking about removing its All-Star Game from Charlotte and the Motion Picture Association of America opposing the law.
US Soccer of course has most recently spent a lot of time and money hyping the retirement of its all-time leading goalscorer, Abby Wambach, who is openly gay. Megan Rapinoe, also openly gay, was rostered with the team until she injured her ACL in Hawaii late last year and is currently rehabbing her knee in hopes of still making the Olympic roster.
One would hope that a federation that has proudly touted the names of openly gay athletes would stand behind them in not bringing business to a state that allows for discrimination against those athletes. And it's just simple human decency to stand against a law that works against the protection of an oppressed and misunderstood minority population.
UPDATE: In a Washington Post article further clarifying the matter, USSF president Sunil Gulati stated, "Given the legislation, I've asked the people who handle our games to reconsider. We think the legislation in the year 2016 goes far beyond anything that is appropriate in trying to balance the positions of religious organizations and the long, hard-earned rights by the LGBT community and others."