One of the two venues West Ham are planning to visit in the US this summer has been boycotted by a number of major international stars already this year.



The latest edition of Wing magazine

Earlier this month West Ham announced they would be facing NASL outfit Carolina RailHawks at the WakeMed Soccer Park in North Carolina.However that news did not go down too well with the local LGBT community who have urged the club to cancel their trip as a result of the introduction of a controversial piece of legislation known as 'House Bill 2'.The bill, commonly referred to as HB2 states that transgender people in the state of North Carolina must use public toilets "according to the gender denoted on their birth certificate", as opposed to their current gender.And that, stated Winq Publishing Editor and long-term Hammers fan Darren Styles equates to "a vindictive piece of transphobic evil" - before he called upon the club to cancel their trip."I'd like to think West Ham's arrival in North Carolina is hapless and circumstantial, even if it is careless," Styles wrote in a article for Wing. "It's not like there haven't been daily updates on the story on the BBC website for weeks now."Having met the Chairmen and owners of the club, I'm as sure as I can be this is by accident rather than design. They care more for their brand than to end up as unwitting patsies for a bitter North Carolina State Governor with too much time on his hands and poison between his ears."Sadly our attempts to make contact with the club are currently breaking no ice. The club's media department responded to our enquiry and offer of information by saying they'd come back to us "within 28 days" - which suggests an order of priorities in accord with most of football when faced with LGBT issues, but isn't OK. Or close to good enough."According to the article in Wing , "Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Demi Lovato and the Cirque de Soleil have all cancelled major events in the State" as a result of the legislation, whilst the NBA and NCAA (basketball and athletic associations) have also refused to sanction events in the state."For sure, this game shouldn't happen," continued Stryles, "at least until sense is restored and the law a thing of the past. In my professional capacity, as the Editor of a gay lifestyle magazine and a supporter of LGBT rights, I call for it to be postponed."But as a lifelong West Ham fan, this just got personal, too. I implore the club to think again, and set aside this regrettable fixture in light of events. No good can come of it, and gay fans like me will feel betrayed if you see it through."