On March 23, 2016, Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina signed the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act – AKA the most anti-LGBT bill in the country.
For those who may not know, House Bill 2 declares that state law overrides all local regulations concerning wages, employment, and public accommodations. Because of this bill, public places in the state of North Carolina have the right to discriminate against all LGBT people. (Even though North Carolina has a statewide nondiscrimination law, it does not include protection for LGBT people)
The GOP leaders of North Carolina wanted to pass this law so badly that they scheduled a special session on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 – paying $42,000 to get the bill approved by the House and Senate and signed by McCrory all in the same day.
Despite Governor McCrory’s decision to sign a bill that directly discriminates against all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, the state of North Carolina has received an outpouring of media coverage. There have been a handful of bands and musical artists that have canceled their scheduled tour dates in North Carolina to show their support for LGBT people.
Here is a small list of some of the artists who have graciously joined forces against North Carolina:
Bruce Springsteen canceled his April 10 show in Greensboro, North Carolina. “To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Some things are more important than a rock show, and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backward instead of forward,” Springsteen wrote on his website.
Pearl Jam canceled their April 20 show in Raleigh, North Carolina. Following a link that they posted to a petition again HB 2, the band wrote “The HB 2 law that was recently passed is a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination against an entire group of American citizens ... We want America to be a place where no one can be turned away from a business because of who they love or fired from their job for who they are," Pearl Jam wrote. "We will be watching with hope and waiting in line for a time when we can return."
Boston also canceled their May 4 through 6 concerts in Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Tom Scholz, the founder and front man wrote, “"HB 2 has the appearance of an oppressive discriminatory law against a small minority who already have to deal with a narrow-minded world regarding issues beyond their control which they did nothing to bring upon themselves. Other aspects of the new law arguably encourage bigotry. With thousands of fans in attendance at our shows, it is likely that some members of our audience and/or their loved ones are affected on a daily basis by this ugly expression of intolerance."
Additionally, there has also been some controversy regarding the anti-LGBT bill in the world of basketball. With the help of one of my fellow Odyssey Writers here at Florida State University, Charles Scott, here is a breakdown of how far the NBA have overcome their preconceived ideas of homosexuality in sports:
In 2013, Jason Collins who played for the Washington Wizards came out publicly as gay, receiving a tremendous amount of support, which really shifted the League’s general perception of homosexuals.
Rajon Rondo, who plays for the Sacramento Kings shouted a homophobic slur to referee Bill Kennedy after being thrown out of the game. Just a week after the game, Kennedy publically came out as gay to reporters. Rondo was then suspended by the NBA for one game without pay on December 14, 2015. After posting two statements on Twitter that caused Rondo a great deal of backlash, he ultimately issued a more contrite apology on December 15, 2015.
As you can see, advances made over the past few years can be seen greatly in the way the NBA handles homophobic slurs and the degrading of homosexuals. On April 21, 2016, NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver threatened to move the 2017 NBA All-Star game out of North Carolina if the state does not change the law. “We’ve been, I think, crystal clear a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event,” Silver said at the APSE event.
For now, we will sit and wait patiently for the state of North Carolina (and many other states) to join the rest of us in hopes of treating everyone with the same amount of respect as we deserve.
