Business History Conference Boycotts North Carolina, Moves To Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) - Business historians have joined in on the boycott of North Carolina over it's controversial transgender law and are now moving their conference meeting to Baltimore.

According to our media partners at the Baltimore Sun, the historians announced Friday that they would meet at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor.

The groups secretary-treasurer Roger Horowitz says the Business History Conference is expected to bring 350 guest and $120,000 in spending to Baltimore.

The 2018 conference was originally set to take place in Charlotte. Horowitz says they discussed changing venues for months before deciding to relocate and accept a cancellation penalty of $21,750. That money will be retained as a down payment for their return to Charlotte for the conference in 2020.

North Carolina's law blocks cities from approving protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. It direct's government agencies and publicly-funded schools and universities to require bathrooms be designated for use only by people based on their sex at birth.

Horowitz says the conference may have members that the law would effect.

The Business History Conference is scheduled for April of 2018.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook