The nc law, and outrage over it, has virtually nothing to do with bathrooms. The bathroom issue is a distraction they knew would work to gain public support. The bigger/real issue is that the law basically takes away any discrimination rights/protection from lgbt. You can be fired, denied service, discriminated against and you have no protection at all from the state, and would have to take it to federal court.
This law is a pretty big deal here, and the governor has all but guaranteed he will lose in November.
The hb2 law in nc is about way more than bathrooms... the governor knew that the uninformed/uneducated would gravitate to the bathroom issue (which had never been an issue) to garner support for something that takes away basic American rights.