Netflix Won’t Film Series in North Carolina Over Anti-LGBTQ Law

Netflix has chosen not to film its North Carolina-set series OBX in the state over its anti-LGBTQ law. THR reports that the company chose to film the series in South Carolina rather than its northern neighbor over elements of the law that remain on the books.

The law, officially named House Bill 2 but known as “the bathroom bill,” requires transgender people use the public restroom corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. The law drew national news and intense criticism, with studios pulling projects from the state and the NBA initially moving the All-Star game from Charlotte. The bill was largely removed and the furor died down, but remnants remain including a clause forbidding cities and municipalities from enacting nondiscrimination ordinances for any group not protected by state law until 2020.

The outlet notes that the law, while a key factor, wasn’t the only reason for not filming in the state, with economic factors coming into play. Show creator Jonas Pate, a North Carolina resident, said that he has been trying to get Netflix to shoot there. “This tiny law is costing this town 70 good, clean, pension-paying jobs and also sending a message to those people who can bring these jobs and more that North Carolina still doesn’t get it,” Pate told The Fayetteville Observer.

The ten-episode series, which will cost around $60 million, follows a group of four teenagers as a hurricane cuts all power and communication to the Outer Banks islands. It will start filming this spring.