I have to say, after observing the events of the past couple months I pretty much agree with 2&2's take on this whole thing. Charlotte's law was a solution in search of a problem, and they went ahead with it after being warned that they would draw legislative backlash from a legislature well known for its eagerness to slap down cities. They went ahead anyway, and we got HB2 which was also a solution in search of a problem, but as an added bonus we got discrimination protections gutted for all NC citizens and a minimum wage slapdown as well (that one was probably on the way, but taking discrimination suits out of state courts never would have passed on its own with the covering fire from the bathroom mess).
Part of being an effective political leader is knowing when and how to pick your battles. If you're running a city in North Carolina right now, it's just not a wise move to provoke this legislature and give them an excuse to do anything. At the best you get slapped and have to spend taxpayer money suing the GA, at worst you get slapped AND everyone in the state gets shit on because of you. Charlotte's eagerness to make this particular social justice statement has backfired in a big way.