The NCAA board of governors has decided to no longer boycott North Carolina for championship events because of the legislature’s recent repeal of HB 2. It said a majority of its board o “reluctantly voted to allow consideration” of cities in the state.
Here’s the NCAA statement, which essentially acknowledges that the legislative action has been condemned as an inadequate repeal of the measure aimed at banning transgender people from restrooms that don’t match their birth gender.
The Human Rights Campaign has said it is “deeply disappointed” in the NCAA. It says the “fake” HB2 repeal “doubles down on discrimination.”
While repealing HB2, the North Carolina legislature left in place for several years, though not permanently, the law that prevents cities from adopting their own anti-discrimination ordinances. But the NCAA said:
We have been assured by the state that this new law allows the NCAA to enact its inclusive policies by contract with communities, universities, arenas, hotels, and other service providers that are doing business with us, our students, other participants, and fans. Further, outside of bathroom facilities, the new law allows our campuses to maintain their own policies against discrimination, including protecting LGBTQ rights, and allows cities’ existing nondiscrimination ordinances, including LBGTQ protections, to remain effective.
Said the NCAA: “…this new law has minimally achieved a situation where we believe NCAA championships may be conducted in a nondiscriminatory environment. “
Which brings us to Arkansas. We STILL have a law providing that instruments of local government may not provide LGBT anti-discrimination protection and the anti-gay Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld that law. We STILL have a law that allows LGBT discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation. We don’t have an explicit bathroom bill. But any public or private agency that chose to discriminate in restrooms, locker rooms or any other public facility or accommodation may do so legally. They need only cite a religious basis for their decision.