After North Carolina passed its controversial HB2 law – stripping transgender people who have not surgically and legally changed their gender of the right to use the bathroom with which they identify – the National Basketball Association threatened to pull the All-Star game from Charlotte in an attempt to put pressure on the state to repeal its decision. Having served as Lieutenant Governor and Mayor for the two prior NBA All-Star Games held in New Orleans, I also know the NBA is committed to giving back to our community and providing great learning experiences for our kids.
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The 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans marked the city’s first major sporting event since Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to the All-Star Game, the rest of the events will go on as scheduled: the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will take place on Friday, Feb. 17, followed by NBA All-Star Saturday Night, including the popular slam dunk contest, on Feb. 18. This sentiment of community and love for diversity surely played a part in the NBA’s decision to move the 2017 All-Star game to New Orleans. The festivities will be held at both the Smoothie King Center and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Edwards earlier this year issued an LGBT rights anti-discrimination order.
State lawmakers passed HB2, as the law is commonly called, in a special session in March, after its creation in response to a law passed in Charlotte meant to protect people from discrimination based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.
HB2 mandates that transgender individuals use the bathrooms in government buildings that correspond to their gender identity at birth.
The Human Rights campaign, the largest civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) citizens.
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New Orleans has non-discrimination protections that explicitly protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations. That weekend presents some logistical challenges for New Orleans in terms of policing and traffic control, but considerably less so than the following weekend, when the largest parades roll in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday, which is February 28.
