North Carolina lawmakers reach deal to repeal transgender bathroom law

North Carolina Republican lawmakers said late on Wednesday that they had reached a deal to repeal the state's controversial law prohibiting transgender people from using restrooms in accordance with their gender identities.

The compromise, reached with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and set to go before the legislature for a vote on Thursday morning, would still ban local municipalities, schools and others from regulating bathroom access.

The deal would repeal the law but would keep bathroom policy in the hands of state legislators, as well as banning cities from passing non-discrimination ordinances around sexual orientation and gender identity until December 2020.

"It's not a perfect deal, but it repeals House Bill 2 and begins to repair our reputation," Cooper said.

“Compromise requires give and take from all sides, and we are pleased this proposal fully protects bathroom safety and privacy,” the state's top Republican lawmakers, Senate leader Phil Berger and House of Representatives Speaker Tim Moore, said in a statement released late Wednesday.

The pair announced the deal at an impromptu news conference.

The compromise with Cooper, a staunch opponent of the bathroom law, was reached hours before the state was reportedly set to lose its ability to host any NCAA basketball championships.

The college athletic association is one of numerous organisations to sanction or boycott North Carolina in the wake of the law's passage last year.

Cooper said earlier this week that the measure could end up costing the state nearly $4 billion.