Atlanta City Councilmember Andre Dickens introduced a resolution today asking the National Basketball Association (NBA) to consider relocating the 2017 NBA All-Star Game and weekend of events to Atlanta from Charlotte following North Carolina’s passage of controversial House Bill 2.

The resolution was introduced at the Community Development and Human Resources Committee today. Dickens chairs the committee. The measure, supported by Council President Ceasar Mitchell and Finance Executive Committee Chairman Alex Wan, invites the NBA to consider relocating the All-Star Weekend due to the passage of House Bill 2, a measure that opponents say discriminates against members of the LGBT community. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory last week and has unleashed a firestorm of criticism similar to Georgia’s House Bill 757 vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal yesterday. The NBA is currently considering pulling the 2017 game out of North Carolina in response.

“The City of Atlanta draws strength from our diverse community,” Mitchell said. “This unity creates our city’s embracing spirit, a quality that has made Atlanta the destination of choice for numerous international business conventions, professional and college sporting events, as well as one of the largest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies in the nation. We would certainly welcome the opportunity to show that very spirit as the host of the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend.”

“Atlanta is a vibrant, energetic city that would be an outstanding host to the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend,” said Chairman Dickens. “As the home to the civil and human rights movement, our diverse set of people and businesses welcome this global event with open arms.”

“Atlanta affirms that inclusion and equality are integral to our city’s success as a tourist location for over 40 million visitors each year,” said Chairman Wan, who was also a co-signer of a resolution that passed unanimously by the Atlanta City Council on March 7 opposing HB 757.