New York, NY, July 22, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised the decision by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to pull its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, citing North Carolina’s enacted House Bill 2 (HB2), the broadest anti-LGBT law in the country.
The move marks the strongest statement of opposition to HB2 from the NBA and comes amidst continued national economic backlash against the state for enacting and failing to repeal what ADL referred to as a “grossly unjust law.”
“The NBA’s bold and commendable decision to take the All-Star Game out of Charlotte sends a powerful message to North Carolina that discrimination should be taken seriously and has consequences,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “We commend the NBA for embracing inclusion and for making it clear that North Carolina’s grossly unjust law is contrary to the American principle of equality for all.
“As North Carolina continues to receive national and economic backlash, we hope that the legislature will finally realize that when everyone is included and treated fairly, states thrive,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “It is time for the North Carolina General Assembly to fully repeal HB2.”
ADL previously called upon the NC General Assembly to repeal HB2, and rejected as woefully insufficient Governor McCrory’s face-saving effort to remedy parts of the law through executive order.