The bathroom issue distracts from the fact that the North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (last year) along with the Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (this year) and other Republican governors have vetoed religious freedom legislation aimed at protecting people who object to gay marriage.
Big Business is pressuring the Republicans into backing down on First Amendment protection for gay marriage dissenters.
I think McCrory signed this law to distract from the retreat of the Republican Party on First Amendment protection for religious people.
Puzzling, because what benefit to big business is it to cater to the whims of a tiny fraction of the population while risking pi$$ing off most of the rest?