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NBA is on the right side of history by moving All-Star Game

There’s been a ton of debate regarding the NBA’s decision to move the 2017 All-Star Game from North Carolina.

The decision stems from a state law that forces transgender people to use bathrooms that they might very well not associate with their gender.

The law itself has been under constant criticism from the LGBT community as well as an American public that’s increasingly found itself on the side of equality in recent years.

For the NBA, the move from North Carolina (likely to New Orleans) is a statement that it will not allow bigotry and discrimination to be a part of the product it presents on the court and its own mentality within the larger American community.

“We are particularly mindful of the impact of our decision on our fans in North Carolina, who are among the most passionate in our league,” the league said in a statement. “It is also important to stress that the city of Charlotte and the Hornets organization have sought to provide an inclusive environment and that the Hornets will continue to ensure that all patrons — including members of the LGBT community — feel welcome while attending games and events in their arena.”

It’s been known for a while that the NBA wouldn’t put itself in a position to see any of its fans discriminated against due to gender identification — a personal choice every citizen of this nation has a right to.

We are not somehow forced to buy into the construct of gender norms, and what those in power believe we should view as true. That’s the NBA’s stance, and it’s one we should applaud.

It’s also not too surprising. Commissioner Silver made it clear shortly after the law’s passage that the NBA would move its All-Star Game if there wasn’t going to be a change in the law itself.

“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,” the commissioner said back in April. “But if we did have some time and that if the view of the people who were allied with us in terms of a change, if their view, the people on the ground in North Carolina, was that the situation would best be served by us not setting a deadline, we would not set a deadline at this time.”

For the league as a whole, there’s an issue here that directly involves those associated with its product and its image.

Current Golden State Warriors president and COO Rick Welts became the highest-ranking openly gay professional sports executive when the team hired him on to that role back in 2011.

Even if Welts’ position was within an organization that isn’t as popular as the Warriors, the NBA couldn’t have justified financially supporting a state that runs contrary to his own involvement within the LGBT community.

Remember, Welts himself took the Larry O’Brien trophy that the Warriors won with him to the San Francisco Pride Parade back in 2015. How in the world could the NBA justify an enabler stance in North Carolina with that image so prevalent?

Later this month, Jason and Jarron Collins will speak at the Democratic National Convention in in Philadelphia.

Jason became the first openly gay NBA player when he publicly declared his sexual orientation back in 2013. Meanwhile, his twin brother, is currently an assistant coach with the aforementioned Warriors.

As the laws of math suggest, there are others around the NBA that likely find themselves in a situation where they don’t feel comfortable publicly stating that they’re a direct member of the LGBT community.

How would they have felt if the Association turned a blind eye to the obvious discrimination in North Carolina? This also likely played a role in the NBA’s decision.

We’re a nation that is supposed to stand on the principle that the right of one shouldn’t be abridged due to the power of many. It’s quite literally in the United States Constitution.

Community doesn’t mean one individual aspect of a movement. Within the larger scope of the LGBT community, that’s magnified even further. We focused on those who have publicly stated that they are gay. But within the movement itself, they are no different than the transgender population.

That’s the biggest key to take away from the NBA’s decision. It’s the near per-word definition of inclusion.

This obviously runs contrary to the belief of those who enacted such an archaic law in North Carolina, as evidenced by the following statement from the state’s governor.

“The sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Ray Cooper and the liberal media have for months misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present,” Governor Pat McCrory said in a statement.

A recent poll conducted by CNN also showed that 60 percent of American citizens oppose hypothetical bills in their home states that would have enacted the law we’re seeing in North Carolina.

So, maybe the governor should pick up a dictionary and comprehend what “most” means.

It’s also par for the course that he would throw in a reference to the “liberal media” while refusing to broach the nuance of the topic.

North Carolina voters might (barely) agree with the law, but that doesn’t mean that those visiting the state should see their equal rights diminished.

If this is what the NBA was dealing with when it talked to leaders in North Carolina, it’s hard to understand why the decision took so long.

In the end, the NBA will prove to be on the right side of history. The advancement towards equality we have seen in this nation over the past several years suggests that this will be the case.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is no longer the law of this nation’s military. The United States Supreme Court has made gay marriage legal in all 50 states. Heck, Eric Fanning just became the first openly gay Secretary of the Army. He did so via a unanimous vote by the largely partisan United States Senate.

It’s decisions like this that puts an organization like the NBA in the public eye for all the right reasons. It’s also a decision that will help lead to further advancements in terms of widespread equality in this nation.

For that, Adam Silver and Co. should be applauded.

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