NCAA Pulls All Tournament and Championship Games from North Carolina

Gov. McCrory with other pro-discrimination Republicans

Republican and Christofascist backed HB2 continues to inflict economic harm on North Carolina and make the state an unacceptable venue for organizations that believe in non-discrimination protections not only for LGBT citizens but also other minorities.  Now, the NCAA has pulled all tournament and championship games from the state for the coming year because of the toxic and unwelcoming message that HB2 embodies.  One can only hope that The Family Foundation's political whores in the Virginia General Assembly are paying attention and getting the message that prostituting themselves to hate merchants is bad for Virginia's economy.  The New York Times looks at this latest blow to North Carolina which needs to be laid directly at the feet of the GOP controlled North Carolina legislature and douche bag Gov. Pat McCrory.  Here are excerpts:

The N.C.A.A., responding to a contentious North Carolina law that curbed anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, will relocate all championship tournament games scheduled to take place in the state over the coming academic year, the organization announced Monday night.

Among the events affected is the Division I men’s basketball tournament, the N.C.A.A.’s most prominent annual event, which had six first- and second-round games scheduled to be played in Greensboro in March.

The announcement followed the N.B.A.’s decision in July to move its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte but was seen as a particularly substantial blow to officials in North Carolina, where college basketball is central to the state’s culture and pride. North Carolina has hosted more men’s basketball tournament games than any other state, an N.C.A.A. spokesman said.

In a statement explaining the decision by its Board of Governors, which is largely made up of institutional presidents and chancellors, the N.C.A.A. said: “N.C.A.A. championships and events must promote an inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver on that commitment.”

The N.C.A.A. has previously expressed support for protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. . . . . And in April, it adopted an anti-discrimination measure for its evaluation of championship hosts.

But Monday’s decision is sure to have real economic ramifications, and it could presage further activism by sports leagues against state or local laws they see as antithetical to their principles or disagreeable to their national fan bases.

“This is an incredible statement from the N.C.A.A.,” said Hudson Taylor, the executive director of Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization that fights homophobia and transphobia in sports. “I think this is making it clear that any state or city wishing to host N.C.A.A. championships has to protect and respect their L.G.B.T. constituents.”

The North Carolina law, which was signed by Gov. Pat McCrory in March but is still commonly referred to as House Bill 2, nullified local government ordinances establishing anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But it gained widespread attention for its stipulation requiring people in publicly owned buildings to use restrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificate.

Although the law’s supporters have moved to frame it as a public safety measure, critics have forcefully described it as bigoted and anachronistic. In a letter in May, the Justice Department asserted that the statute violated federal civil rights law, an accusation state officials loudly resisted.

The N.C.A.A.’s president, Mark Emmert, said in the organization’s statement: “Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships. We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events.”

But in explaining its decision, the N.C.A.A. emphasized the uniqueness of North Carolina’s situation, noting, for instance, that several cities and five states, including New York, have moved to bar state-sponsored travel to North Carolina. Such a ban could include college athletes and staff members, the N.C.A.A. said.

In addition to men’s basketball, the affected championships are for women’s soccer, women’s golf and women’s lacrosse in Division I; baseball in Division II; and men’s and women’s soccer in Division III.

Swofford added, though, “On a personal note, it’s time for this bill to be repealed as it’s counter to basic human rights.”

With Mr. McCrory embroiled in one of the nation’s closest governor’s races, Democrats quickly used the N.C.A.A.’s announcement to assail Mr. McCrory once more about the law.

If North Carolina Republicans are truly worried about the safety of children and women, they will put in place strict limits on the use of restrooms by members of the clergy - the segment of society that seemingly engages in the most sexual abuse.  Meanwhile, there are ZERO cases of sexual abuse in restrooms by the transgender community.