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Dallas Stars Become First Pro Sports Team To Oppose The 'Bathroom Bill'

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The Dallas Stars hockey team has become the first Texas professional sports franchise to speak out against the so-called "bathroom bill."

Stars President James Lites said in a statement Wednesday that the team is "strongly opposed to any legislation perceived as discriminatory."

The "bathroom bill" aims to require transgender people to use public bathrooms and other sex-segregated facilities that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate rather than their chosen gender identity. 

The same day 32 Dallas arts organizations wrote a letter to House Speaker Joe Straus opposing such legislation. The groups vary from the largest, such as the AT&T Performing Arts Center, to the smallest, like the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group.

The NFL and NBA have previously joined dozens of powerful businesses and well-known artists and musicians in opposing the proposal.

The Texas Legislature failed to pass the bill during the legislative session that ended in May. Gov. Greg Abbott convened a special session to revive the issue, but it looks unlikely to pass before that ends next week.

A similar law in North Carolina sparked national uproar and costly boycotts before lawmakers rolled back much of it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.