New York, NY, September 13, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today lauded the decision by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to relocate all seven championship events from North Carolina during the 2016-17 year because of the state’s anti-LGBT law, commonly still referred to as House Bill 2 (HB2).
On September 12, the NCAA cited its commitment to “fairness and inclusion” as guiding its decision, which comes on the heels of NBA’s similar move this summer to pull its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte. North Carolina continues to face significant backlash for its unlawful and ill-advised law targeting LGBT individuals.
“Bigoted actions by the North Carolina legislature have consequences,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “For more than 100 years, ADL has sought justice and fair treatment to all, so we applaud the NCAA for its strong leadership on equality in its decision to relocate the upcoming college championship sports events from North Carolina, embracing the core values of fairness and inclusion.
“The NCAA’s move is an important example of how protecting every American from discrimination allows communities and economies to thrive,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “Discrimination has no place in North Carolina, and it is troubling that Governor McCrory and the state legislature continue to defend HB2, ignoring the harm it is causing by limiting civil rights for LGBT citizens in the state.”
ADL said it will continue to call for a full repeal of HB2 and the enactment of comprehensive, state-wide anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.
ADL has 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.