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NY Times

Why the NBA Moved Next Year’s All-Star Game

Jul 22, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The NBA announced Thursday that it is moving the 2017 All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played in Charlotte. The New York Times reports that the move is a protest against a North Carolina law that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“The move was among the most prominent consequences since the law, which also bars transgender people from using bathrooms in public buildings that do not correspond with their birth gender, was passed in March,” The Times reports. “The league, which has become increasingly involved in social issues, said that both it and the Hornets, the NBA team based in Charlotte, had been talking to state officials about changing the law but that time had run out because of the long lead time needed to stage the game.”

The league indicated that it hopes the game can return to Charlotte in 2019, with the report noting that the implication is that the law would have to be changed before then.

In a statement, the NBA said: “While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by the current law.”

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory responded harshly, issuing a statement assailing “the sports and entertainment elite” and indicating that those behind the decision had “misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present.”

The league is expected to announce the new site for the 2017 All-Star Game in the next few weeks, with the game to be played in February.

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One Comment

  1. I find this ridiculous. When they awarded the game to Charlotte, there were no protection laws in place. And why are they so vested in letting men use women locker rooms and bathrooms? I really wonder how many of the people beating up North Carolina would be happy to have to share a locker room with their young female children and naked men. Then add in the fact that John-Hopkins has determined that Trans Gender is a mental illness in line with Anorexia. It’s a type of body dysmorphia. That is why they stopped doing gender reassignment surgery. Plus, Charlotte passed the ordinance to which HB2 was the reaction. Shouldn’t they support the city? More PC crap.

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