UPDATE 2-Cirque du Soleil cancels North Carolina shows over transgender law

(Adds details on NBA, other reaction)
By Colleen Jenkins
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 15 (Reuters) - Cirque du Soleil
said on Friday it was canceling shows in North Carolina over a
new state law that it called discriminatory, the performance
group said on Friday, becoming the latest entertainment act to
take a stance against the measure.
"The new HB2 legislation passed in North Carolina is an
important regression to ensuring human rights for all ... Cirque
du Soleil believes in equality for all," the group said in an
online statement.
North Carolina last month became the first state to enact a
measure requiring transgender people to use restrooms and locker
rooms in schools and other public facilities that correspond
with their birth gender instead of the gender with which they
identify.
The law also prohibits local governments from enacting
anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and
gender identity.
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and rock star Bruce
Springsteen have canceled concerts in the state in protest of
the law. Singer Cyndi Lauper said she would donate the profits
of her June show in Raleigh to efforts to repeal it.

The decision by Cirque du Soleil, a privately held Canadian
company, affects performances scheduled through July in
Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh.
More than 160 business executives have signed a Human Rights
Campaign letter pushing for the law to be repealed, and PayPal
Holdings PYPL.O and Deutsche Bank DBKGn.DE halted plans to
add jobs in the state.
The National Basketball Association said on Friday that it
had not yet decided whether to move the 2017 All-Star Game out
of Charlotte in reaction to the law.
"The current state of the law is problematic for the league,
but we're not making any announcements now," Silver told a news
conference after a two-day NBA board of governors meeting in New
York. "We can be most constructive by working with the elected
officials to effect change."
North Carolina Republican Governor Pat McCrory on Tuesday
tweaked the law with an executive order, adding protections
against discrimination for state employees based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.
But McCrory and top Republican lawmakers have stood firm on
the provision targeting transgender bathroom access.