North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) cracked wise about his state’s anti-trans law even though it cost it the NBA All-Star Game, the Washington Post reported. “All right, let’s be safe now,” McCrory said during an appearance at a Donald Trump rally in Winston Salem. “We’ve got a big crowd, so if you need to leave suddenly, we’ve got exits this way, exits this way and exits this way. And if any of you need to use the restrooms…” The line was a reference to HB2, which bars the state’s trans residents from using restrooms according to their gender identity. The measure has generated national criticism of McCrory and state Republicans for pushing it through.

Asked to comment on his idea to joke about such a sensitive subject to soften up the atmosphere during the rally, McCrory told The Washington Post that he “felt like there was enough room to try to use humor as a way of turning the situation around.” “You know, the point of participating at these kind of events is learning how to please the crowd and humor is one of the best ways to do that. I might have gotten the subject wrong, but you can’t blame me for trying,” he added. Actually, transgender people attending the rally perceived the attempted joke as highly offensive.

“To be quite honest,” the North Carolina governor added, “I’d like to say that I still stand behind HB2, despite of how one-sided people might think it is. And to prove that I don’t have any personal issues with transgender people and that I, in fact, completely understand them but that it is my job to uphold the will of the majority, I’d like to say that I’m willing to allow certain individuals a free-pass to use the bathrooms they deem appropriate for themselves,” McCrory said. “And by certain individuals I mean NBA players who play like women. I’m giving them exclusive permission to use the little girls room during breaks and the half time. Because, we wouldn’t want to oppress them, especially when they’re on their period, now, would we?”

McCrory also argued that “even though it’s a public secret that most NBA players are gay, some of them are still trans-gender,” and therefore, “they must be given the opportunity to feel like their choice is being respected.” “You know, when someone comes up to me and asks me if I watch the NBA, I just say no right off the bat. And the reason for that is that it used to be a guy’s sport. Today it’s all about political correctness, sponsors and fouls. There’s no more good, old male full-contact basketball. But you know, you gotta go with the times. And if that’s the situation, why not allow trans-gender players to use the ladies room when they have to? After all, we’re all flesh and blood, it doesn’t really matter what we have between our legs,” he said.

Asked whether he has any proof for the claim that a number of professional NBA players are transgender, McCrory answered, “Nope. But they play like women out there that’s it’s pretty darn easy to conclude what kind of thingy they’ve got strapped in their underwear.” He added, “The NBA was wrong to relocate their All-Star Game because of HB2. But, if that’s the way they want to play, then fine. We’ve got countless football and baseball fields across the state. And if that fails as well, I guess we’ll just have to settle for ice-skating. I hear the Canadian national team is looking for a place to practice for the Winter Olympics.”