USA Rugby issued a "Response to North Carolina Legislation" Wednesday that has elicited varied reactions from USA Rugby members and rugby fans.

The crux of the issue is that the North Carolina State Legislature passed a bill that essentially says - if you identify with one gender, but you are biologically another, you have to go to the bathroom set aside for your biological gender; in addition, the second part is that any city or county in the state cannot pass a new anti-discrimination laws.

The first part of the bill speaks to an issue that has been bubbling throughout the nation - some say it's about bathrooms, and some say it's about what locker rooms people can use (should you let someone who identifies as female use a women's restroom because that person would feel threatened in a men's room? Does allowing that leave open for some creepy guy to pretend to identify as female in order to stare at women in the gym locker room?) However, that topic seems to be under debate throughout the nation, and while it's been the topic of articles in various media, it's not really the part of the bill at issue with USA Rugby.

What USA Rugby (and various other sports organizations and businesses) are concerned about is the idea that a ban on new anti-discrimination laws can make discrimination (against gay people, transgender people, members of the military) legal.

Now, various companies have said they will hit North Carolina with some kind of sanction. PayPal has announced it has canceled plans to put an operations center in the state. But the NFL decided to keep its owners meetings in Charlotte. Other deals are on the fence, and some are calling for organizations to take greater action.

What does any of this have to do with USA Rugby? Well the College 7s Championships are in Cary, NC. The problem is, that a lot of money and effort USA Rugby cannot re-produce is sunk into having the event in Cary - not to mention some teams have already made travel plans. You can't just up sticks and find a venue to accommodate as many as 60 teams on eight weeks' notice. USA Rugby had to do something, though. With a vocal and important LGBTQ constituency playing the game, and with the idea that any kind of discrimination might be legalized with the new North Carolina law, they had to say something.

And so to the statement, something I would call a "sternly-worded note." 

USA Rugby, the National Governing Body for the sport of rugby in the United States, and our partner, the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO), would like to express our deep concerns over the recent legislation passed in North Carolina. Our philosophy is one of inclusiveness, tolerance, and belief in the dignity of the athlete regardless of one’s personal beliefs.

Further, we adhere to World Rugby’s core values of Integrity, Solidarity, Discipline and Respect. Most particularly, “Rugby provides a unifying spirit that leads to life-long friendships, camaraderie, teamwork and loyalty which transcends cultural, geographic, political and religious differences.”

USA Rugby, NSCRO, and all of our rugby partners on and off the field, and the more than one hundred thousand registered USA Rugby members we represent, respectfully request the North Carolina legislature repeal laws that effectively warrant discrimination against certain individuals.

Without such action, we will be forced to reconsider North Carolina as a future viable location for our playoff competitions and our national championships.

It basically says "we're not going to do anything, but we will in the future." And while you might say that's a weasely statement, the NFL didn't make changes (and they can afford to), either. And while I fully believe that USA Rugby will avoid holding events in North Carolina in the future if nothing changes, the NFL won't pull the Panthers out of the league. 

The comments from fans on USA Rugby's page and on social media have been supportive of USA Rugby "thanks for making a stand." And confused: "Why are you saying anything about this?" In addition, several have said this entire thing smacks of hypocrisy - USA Rugby plays games against nations with unsavory governments, plays in countries whose policies many don't like, and takes money from sponsors with shady connections or oppressive world views. That's probably fair to complain about (although I think PayPal, a company whose services I use, probably does business with all sorts of unsavory people), but sometimes you've got to say something anyway.

Sports is supposed to be above it all, right? The Olympics were held in Nazi Germany in 1936, and the Soviet Union in 1980. The soccer World Cup was held in a military dictatorship in 1978, and the 1995 Rugby World Cup was held in a country that was essentially banned from international sporting activity for about 15 years. If World Rugby or the Olympics say "hold you nose and go to the game," we expect our teams to go.

But sports transcends, too, doesn't it? After the 9/11, 2001 attacks, rugby teams all over the world held moments of silence, in sorrow for an act that happened thousands of miles away. In 2011, when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, Todd Clever wore the Japanese flag on his uniform at the Hong Kong 7s. They made a movie about how rugby repaired the country of South Africa.  Sometimes it's not so easy to see when sports is supposed to break that invisible wall and say, or do, something.

If USA Rugby holds a playoff in a state that supports an issue you don't support, you shrug and say "well, that's America." But, sometimes, something new comes up, and it seems like you've got to do something, or say something.

USA Rugby couldn't move their championship without basically ruining it for the players. But they also didn't want to say nothing, because that would also hurt many of its members - members who have known discrimination.

In a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation, they found a middle ground that's adequate, and maybe that's all we can ask.