Devastating loss
Published September 16, 2016
Editorial by Greensboro News-Record, September 14, 2016.
North Carolina’s Republican leaders have done too much damage already but won’t stop.
“It’s extortion, and it’s shameful extortion,” Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said Tuesday morning, referring to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, an organization with which Greensboro and other North Carolina cities have built a strong relationship.
By accusing the NCAA of criminal conduct, Forest, who was speaking in the absence from the state of Pat McCrory, managed to make matters worse.
“Our women and girls in the state of North Carolina are not for sale,” Forest told WRAL in Raleigh. “They’re not for sale to Hollywood, to any concert venue, to the NBA or to the NCAA.”
This continues the false narrative that House Bill 2 was necessary to protect women and girls from predatory men in public bathrooms and locker facilities. The NCAA, reading what the law actually says, pulled 2016-17 championship events from North Carolina because, in part:
- “North Carolina laws invalidate any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals.
- “North Carolina has the only statewide law that makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity.
- “North Carolina law provides legal protections for government officials to refuse services to the LGBT community.”
Greensboro suffers the most, losing soccer championships in December and men’s NCAA tournament games in March. With powerhouse Duke likely to have played here, and possibly North Carolina, the Greensboro Coliseum would have been packed and hotels and restaurants would have been busy.
If that’s not bad enough, there’s a chance the Atlantic Coast Conference could impose similar penalties.
With the lieutenant governor accusing the NCAA of extortion for upholding its “core values of inclusion, student-athlete well-being and creating a culture of fairness,” there’s little hope of fixing the relationship soon.
McCrory didn’t help when, finally issuing his own statement later Tuesday, he urged respect for the judicial process until the courts resolve “the issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy.” The NCAA, he added, “failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women.” This grossly misrepresents the NCAA’s position.
The bitter irony is that Greensboro has worked very well with the NCAA to host many successful championship events, and that Greensboro’s City Council strongly opposes HB 2. Yet, Greensboro is penalized for the discriminatory policies enacted by state government.
There is no extortion and no disrespect by the NCAA. HB 2 is a hurtful law that violates the sincerely held values of reputable organizations. It must be repealed before more harm is done.
September 16, 2016 at 10:41 am
Richard L Bunce says:
"North Carolina laws invalidate any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals."
The NCAA and you are wrong. HB 2 did not invalidate any local law on sexual orientation because in NC State Chartered Municipalities have only the powers they are given in the NC Constitution and State Statute and the NC State Chartered Municipalities were never given the power to pass local law on this issue.
The Legislature overreacted to the actions of the Charlotte City Council and included additional unnecessary issues favored by their social conservative base. They should have simply informed the City Council that they had exceeded their State granted powers in their ordinance and so the State finds it invalid and should they attempt to enforce it the Legislature will revoke their State Municipal Charter... no tax revenue for the City of Charlotte would have resolved the situation quickly. IF the State Statutes on this issue require changing, and it does not appear that they do, then it must be changed at the State level and apply to the entire State.
September 18, 2016 at 1:11 am
Bruce Stanley says:
Greensboro is a sanctuary city violating federal law on illegal immigration. Why should state law makers listen to criticism from sanctuary city law breakers?
September 18, 2016 at 1:17 am
Bruce Stanley says:
Why isn't the NCAA and the ACC boycotting Greensboro for being a sanctuary city in violation of federal law?
